Alan Spencer

''Sledge Hammer!'' is an American satirical police sitcom produced by New World Television that ran for two seasons on ABC from September 23, 1986 to February 12, 1988. The series was created by Alan Spencer and stars David Rasche as Inspector Sledge Hammer, a caricature of the standard "cop on the edge" character.

Setting

The series takes place in San Francisco, California, with parts of Los Angeles used as a stand-in for filming. However, no mention of San Francisco was made past the pilot episode and none of the city's landmarks are seen throughout the series, though the city name can be read on the police department building sign. The San Francisco newspaper used at the beginning of the pilot episode was censored during the show's initial broadcast, as the city wanted nothing to do with the series. Subsequent episodes showed newspapers that had no city name.

Episodes

Characters

Main

Inspector Sledge Hammer

Inspector Sledge Hammer (David Rasche) is a stubborn, narrow-minded, opinionated, sexist, and reactionary (all of this by his own admission) detective from the San Francisco Police Department. According to many of his fellow detectives, he "makes Dirty Harry look like Mr. Peepers." Hammer's most prized possession is his .44 Magnum Smith & Wesson Model 629 revolver (a stainless steel version of the Smith & Wesson Model 29) with a customized grip, featuring an engraving of a sledgehammer. Hammer sleeps and showers with his gun, (it has its own satin pillow) and even talks to it, referring to it as "her." He believes in shooting and asking questions . Despite this, Hammer is never seen killing anybody on-screen during the whole 41 episodes of the show. In the pilot episode, he deals with a sniper on a skyscraper roof by blowing up the entire building with a M72 LAW...after which he utters "I I got him" to onlooking cops. In " Witless," a mob assassin hides in Hammer's closet; Sledge guns down his would-be-murderer through the closed door (which has a bullseye on it) without ever knowing he's there. Later in the same episode, Hammer fatally kicks a Mafia boss through an open window. Sledge also mentions that his favorite charity is "Toy Guns for Tots". Hammer's father was Jack Hammer, a legendary carnival trick shooter whose repertoire of shooting tricks included catching a bullet in his teeth, which saved his son's life in one episode (another episode reveals that Jack gave Sledge his Magnum). His mother's name was Armin Hammer. In the episode "Brother, Can You Spare A Crime?", while Doreau and Trunk were researching Hammer's family tree, his roots go back to Ivan the Terrible; coincidentally, he had an uncle named "Ivan". He is also a distant relative to Genghis Khan, through an aunt named "Joan Khan". He is a direct descendant of Mahatma Gandhi, whom he refers to as a "black sheep" in his otherwise violent family.

While purportedly a stickler for law and order, Hammer is rather lax when it actually comes to following police procedure and adhering to regulations. He enjoys roughing up suspected criminals, whom he frequently refers to as "brain-dead mutants", "yogurt-sucking creeps", and the like. He is often suspended from duty, over such infractions as firing warning shots at jaywalkers; his police file requires three wheelbarrows to transport.

Hammer drives a beat-up, bullet-riddled, lime green Dodge St. Regis with an "I ♥ VIOLENCE" bumper sticker. He prefers to wear sports jackets, loud neckties, and dark sunglasses. One episode had him visiting a friend of his who worked in the coroner's office, with the friend saying that no bodies with clothing Hammers size had come in recently. His favorite music consists of classical, " Taps" and "Ballad of the Green Berets". He is divorced, and frequently makes jokes at the expense of his ex-wife, who makes an appearance in the final episode, played by Rasche's real-life wife, Heather Lupton.

Despite his irresponsibility and highly destructive urges, Hammer always ends up getting his man (or woman), often through sheer luck, brute force, the initiative of his partner, or the rare flash of brilliance. Hammer's unintentionally ironic motto is: "Trust me, I know what I'm doing", and disaster usually follows. Another expression he favors is: "Don't confuse me", typically in response to any remark that challenges his markedly one-dimensional worldview.

Detective Dori Doreau

Hammer's partner is Detective Dori Doreau ( Anne-Marie Martin), who is sensitive, intelligent, and sophisticated, though also a tough, agile cop who can handle a gun and deliver a well-timed karate kick when necessary, and who frequently saves Hammer from the extraordinary predicaments into which he invariably gets himself. Doreau is often shocked and offended by Hammer's crass behavior and obnoxious attitude, but she appears to see "some" redeeming qualities beneath his gruff exterior. It becomes apparent with time that she has some romantic feelings for Sledge. Hammer's blatant male chauvinism is a running gag in his dialogues with Doreau (from episode "Under the Gun"):

:''Doreau'': What, you think all women should be barefoot and pregnant?
:''Hammer'': No, I encourage women to wear shoes.

Captain Trunk

Captain Trunk (Harrison Page) supervises Hammer and Doreau. He is a chronically uptight, Pepto-Bismol-guzzling, apoplectic parody of police precinct captains from popular 1970s and 1980s TV cops shows. Trunk spends most of his time yelling at Hammer for his incompetence or complaining about his migraine headaches and hypertension brought on by Hammer's antics.

Recurring

* Officer Fletcher Majoy (Leslie Morris) – desk sergeant at the precinct, he is depicted as rather lazy and slovenly, rarely making any effort to help the other officers.
* Officer Daley (Patti Tippo) – another officer at the precinct.
* Coroner Norman Blates ( Kurt Paul) – the precinct's medical examiner, he specializes in the sudden deceased at crime scenes. According to executive producer Alan Spencer, the character is a play on Norman Bates, the character from '' Alfred Hitchcock's ''Psycho''.'' Coincidentally, the actor who portrayed him, Kurt Paul, actually portrayed Norman Bates in '' Bates Motel'' and even worked as a stunt double for Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates in '' Psycho II'' and ''Psycho III''.
* Newscaster Lisa Ellerblub (Diane Sainte-Marie) – a local news anchorwoman (a play on Linda Ellerbee), she is usually on the receiving end of Hammer's chauvinistic insults.

Guest appearances

Some notable figures who made guest appearances on ''Sledge Hammer!'':

* Adam Ant ("Icebreaker")
* Lewis Arquette ("Witless")
* Bill Bixby ("Hammer Hits the Rock") – Bixby also directed a number of episodes
* Mark Blankfield ("State of Sledge", "Comrade Hammer", and "The Secret of My Excess")
* Bud Cort ("Last of the Red Hot Vampires")
* Bill Dana ("Haven't Gun, Will Travel")
* John Densmore ("State of Sledge")
* Michael Des Barres ("Sledgepoo")
* Sarah Douglas ("Play It Again, Sledge")
* Norman Fell ("They Call Me Mr. Trunk")
* Conchata Ferrell ("Jagged Sledge")
* Dennis Fimple ("They Shoot Hammers, Don't They?" and "If I Had a Little Hammer")
* Kurt Fuller ("Hammer Hits the Rock")
* Sid Haig ("Hammeroid")
* Mark Holton ("The Secret of My Excess")
* Clint Howard ("State of Sledge")
* Brion James ("If I Had a Little Hammer" and "Model Dearest")
* Davy Jones ("Sledge, Rattle & Roll")

* Bernie Kopell ("Last of the Red Hot Vampires")
* Dan Lauria ("A Clockwork Hammer")
* Robin Leach ("The Spa Who Loved Me")
* Beverly Leech ("Wild About Hammer" and "A Clockwork Hammer")
* Lance LeGault ("The Spa Who Loved Me")
* David Leisure ("Hammer Hits the Rock" and "Magnum Farce")
* Peter Marshall ("To Live and Die on TV")
* Richard Moll ("Hammeroid")
* Ronnie Schell ("Hammer Gets Nailed")
* Armin Shimerman ("Hammeroid")
* Don Stark ("Under the Gun" and "Sledgepoo")
* Brenda Strong ("Miss of the Spider Woman")
* John Vernon ("Under the Gun" – parodying his role in the first ''Dirty Harry'' film)
* Ray Walston ("Big Nazi on Campus")
* Patrick Wayne ("Brother Can You Spare a Crime")
* Duane Whitaker ("Hammer Gets Nailed")
* Mary Woronov ("The Spa Who Loved Me")

''Sledge Hammer!'' executive producer Spencer made a Hitchcockian cameo appearance on the episode "Witless".

Actor Jackie Cooper directed a few episodes himself.

Production history

Inspired by Clint Eastwood's no-nonsense approach to law enforcement in the ''Dirty Harry'' films, teenager Alan Spencer dreamed up the idea of a police officer whose approach was even more over-the-top, to the point of absurdity. At the age of 16, Spencer wrote a screenplay based on this idea. The script and the main character were both named ''Sledge Hammer''.

Despite his youth, Spencer had already written for Rodney Dangerfield and such television as '' The Facts of Life'' and '' One Day at a Time''. He sold his script upon the release of the fourth ''Dirty Harry'' movie '' Sudden Impact'' and the popularity of NBC's ''Dirty Harry''-inspired action series '' Hunter''; the latter property created demand for a satirical police television show. When HBO approached Leonard B. Stern, former producer of ''Get Smart'', about developing such a show, Stern recommended Spencer's "Sledge Hammer!" idea.

Spencer quickly reworked his script for a half-hour television format. HBO executives did not like it, however, and suggested changes that Spencer found unacceptable, such as casting Dangerfield or Joe Piscopo in the lead role. Last-place ABC was willing to take a chance on the unorthodox script. ABC insisted that the violence be toned down for network television and that a laugh track be included (although some versions – including the DVD release of the show – do not have this track or had it removed; Spencer found it offensive that the audience be told when to laugh and was furious over the decision), but agreed to cast Spencer's first choice for the lead character, the classically trained actor David Rasche. ''Sledge Hammer!'' entered ABC's fall lineup in 1986.

The pilot of ''Sledge Hammer!'' was completed just as Peter Gabriel's song "Sledgehammer" became a huge hit. ABC took advantage of this coincidence by using the song in television, radio, and film advertisements for the show.

Intro and theme music

The introduction to the show features long, near-sensual closeup shots of Hammer's .44 Magnum as it rests on a luxurious satin pillow. The show's ominous theme music, composed by Danny Elfman, plays in the background. Hammer then picks up his gun, spins it expertly like a cinematic Old West gunslinger, and utters his catch phrase ("Trust me, I know what I'm doing") just before firing into the screen, making a hole in it. According to the DVD release extras, the original version had Hammer firing at the viewer, but ABC executives feared this could be too shocking, possibly even causing heart attacks (and leaving the network liable). Thus, Hammer fires into the screen at a slight angle.

According to the DVD release, Hammer's original catch phrase was "I'm crazy, but I know what I'm doing." ABC executives objected to a lead character being "crazy", so they insisted on a change.

The DVD release uses an updated heavy metal version of the theme music by Baboon Rising on the main menus.

Ratings and second season

Despite critical acclaim, ''Sledge Hammer!'' struggled in the ratings. In the documentary on the second season DVDs, David Rasche remarks that the only series getting lower ratings than ''Sledge Hammer!'' was Fox's ''The Tracey Ullman Show''.

''Sledge Hammer!'' attracted weekly viewership of nineteen million viewers who followed the show religiously through its many time slot shifts. The fact that the series appealed to key target demographics also kept it on the schedule.

Because ABC intended to cancel the series, the last episode of the first season ends with Hammer accidentally destroying the city when he attempts to disarm a stolen nuclear warhead; just before the explosion Hammer embarks on his infamous catchphrase "Trust Me.....". The last scene shows the ''Beneath the Planet of the Apes''-style ruins of the city with Trunk's voice screaming "HAMMMMMMMER!", and a graphic which read:

"To Be Continued... Next Season?"

However, this episode received much better than expected ratings, in large part because the network had moved the show to a better time slot. ABC changed its mind and renewed the show for a second season.

The second-season premiere perfunctorily explained that it and following episodes were set "five years before" the explosion, though Doreau is Sledge's partner in the second season, despite being introduced to him in the pilot, and despite the presence of references to contemporary events, rather than those of five years earlier.

Bill Bixby (of ''The Incredible Hulk'' fame) was brought in to direct numerous episodes.

In the final moments of the final episode while in their usual bar, Sledge asks Dori to marry him. Flustered, Dori finally manages to ask whether he is serious. After silently regarding her for a long few seconds, Sledge simply answers "No", they turn away from each other back to their drinks, and the viewer is left to imagine what happens next. In the DVD commentary creator Alan Spencer intimates a definitive resolution to their relationship, but instead leaves the matter unresolved when a massive earthquake purportedly prevents him from completing the session.

The second season suffered from another extremely undesirable time slot (this time against ''The Cosby Show''), a reduced budget, and lowered filming standard (down to 16 mm film from the previous season's 35 mm). The cutbacks contributed to the show not being renewed for a third season.

The episode "Wild About Hammer" sparked viewer confusion when the epilogue satirized the trend of coloring black & white films. Following the commercial break, a disclaimer read, "The following tag was shot in black and white, then artificially recolored. We promise you will not be able to see the difference." The scene was intentionally altered not only in color, but also in tint, hue, brightness and contrast – prompting viewers to call their local ABC stations and complain about the broadcast quality. In response, Spencer recorded an apology message for ABC's phone lines.

International broadcast

Asia

*The series was marketed in Japan as .
*It has aired in Pakistan under its original title on Network Television Marketing.
*It has aired in the Philippines under its original title on RPN-9.

Europe

*In Denmark the title was translated into ''For Fuld Hammer!'' (lit. 'To the Full Hammer!'), a Danish idiom meaning to use the entirety of one's force.
*In Finland the title was ''Moukarimies'', meaning 'Sledgehammer Man'.
*In France the series was called ''Mr. Gun''.
*In Germany was called ''Der Hammer'' until 1993, also Sledge's gun is named "Susi" in the German version, a joke created during dubbing (the gun has no particular name in the original version).
*In Iceland was named ''Barði Hamar'' (Pounding hammer).
*In Italy it was known as ''Troppo Forte!'' (Too strong!).
*In the UK the series was shown on ITV throughout the 80s-90s.
*In Russia the series was called ''Кувалда'' (Kuvalda), which is a literal Russian translation for sledgehammer.
*The Spanish dub that aired in Spain only called the show ''Martillo Hammer'' ('martillo' means hammer in Spanish), effectively renaming the series "Hammer Hammer".
*In Yugoslavia the series was shown on national TV stations throughout the 80s-90s with original name ''Sledge Hammer!''.

Latin America

*In Brazil, the series was aired under the title ''Na mira do tira'', which means "In the cop's gun-sight".
*The Mexican dubbing for Latin America kept the series' name unchanged, though some episodes had to be renamed to match with the Latin American versions for the movie titles and American sayings they were based on. Hammer also called his gun ''Compadre'', in spite that he considered it to be female and bears an absolute loathing for telenovelas.

Home media

Anchor Bay Entertainment released the entire series on DVD in Region 1. The first season of ''Sledge Hammer!'' was released on DVD on July 27, 2004. The laugh track, which the network had insisted on including on the pilot and first 12 episodes, is removed on the DVD version, for which Spencer hired an experienced sound designer. The DVD features a documentary on the series featuring interviews by Spencer, David Rasche, Anne-Marie Martin and Harrison Page. The DVD also includes an unaired version of the pilot that runs several minutes longer and has a different ending and theme music. An earthquake hit while Spencer was recording commentary for one of the DVDs; the tape kept rolling during the event and was included on the DVD, leaving viewers wondering whether the earthquake was real. The second season was released on DVD on April 12, 2005; the commentary on the final episode ended with Spencer, again, being caught in another earthquake, this time with sound effects and a convenient cliffhanger.

On September 6, 2011, it was announced that Image Entertainment had acquired the rights to the series. It was subsequently announced that they will release ''Sledge Hammer!- The Complete Series'' on DVD in Region 1 on December 13, 2011. The set will not feature the documentary, commentaries, the uncut pilot (the broadcast version is used) and other bonus features from the Anchor Bay release.

In Region 4, Shock Entertainment has released both seasons on DVD in Australia.

Awards

''Sledge Hammer!'' was nominated for a 1987 People's Choice Award in the category of "Favorite New TV Comedy."

Comics

New World's then-subsidiary Marvel Comics released a short-lived comic book based upon the series as a promotion for the second season. In the second issue, Sledge is up against a Spider-Man imposter and on the cover issue a disclaimer hints that Sledge Hammer is actually a mutant when the ''X-Men'' series and its mutant spin-offs were on the height of their popularity.

The series only lasted two issues.

Legacy

* David Rasche appeared as the President of the United States in the short-lived 2001 television series '' DAG''. His Secret Service code-name on the series was Sledge Hammer.
* In an issue of the ''Transformers'' comic book series, a family is depicted sitting around a television watching Sledge Hammer uttering his famous line "Trust me, I know what I'm doing."
* British band Jesus Jones samples Sledge Hammer's catchphrase "Trust me, I know what I'm doing" in the intro of the song "Trust Me," from their 1991 album ''Doubt''.
* The classic TV channel MeTV included ''Sledge Hammer!'' in their lineup and posted a fact page.
*The Decades TV channel has aired ''Sledge Hammer!'' as part of their "Fan-tastic" retrospectives on classic cult shows.

Podcast

A podcast series about ''Sledge Hammer!'' was created in 2016, examining each episode of the show.

See also

* ''Police Squad!'', a similar American TV series from the 1980s that spawned the ''Naked Gun'' film series
* ''Angie Tribeca'', a similar American TV series that satirises American procedurals
* '' A Touch of Cloth'', a similar British comedy (2012–2014)

References

External links

''Sledge Hammer!'' Online
– Alan Spencer's official site
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sledge Hammer
1986 American television series debuts
1988 American television series endings
1980s American satirical television series
1980s American sitcoms
American Broadcasting Company original programming
1980s American crime television series
English-language television shows
Fictional portrayals of the San Francisco Police Department
1980s American police comedy television series
Single-camera television sitcoms
Television shows set in San Francisco
American television series revived after cancellation
Television series created by Alan Spencer
Television series by New World Television