Fans of super hero nostalgia, many of you might be in the theaters this July to celebrate the premiere of the latest attempt at bringing Captain America to film (Hey, 15th time’s the charm, right?). Well before you head to the big screen, you might want to check out the small screen this Thursday and Friday (July 21 & 22), where the SyFy Channel will be celebrating by going back in time, to 1981 precisely, when another mild-mannered American met with super hero destiny (right after crashing into a wall!).
That’s right, July 21 and 22nd, SyFy Channel will be screening a marathon of that cheeky bit of super hero nostalgia, The Greatest American Hero! Now for anyone unfamiliar, Greatest American Hero was an action/comedy TV series that ran from 1981-1983. A sort of tongue-in-cheek look at the super hero genre, where an idealist yet somewhat sarcastic school teacher has (stay with me here) an unexpected encounter with aliens (again, trust me) who give him a special, powerful, amazing super suit that…frankly looks embarrassing…BUT, said suit gives him super powers that will aid him in his new role as America’s latest super hero, fighting off leisure suit wearing gangsters, rogue politicians and the occasional electric shock monster (ooooo!)
But whereas many super heroes we’re familiar with are distant, intimidating figures confidently charging into danger…our great American hero is learning as he goes and dealing with his super powers in the real world. Which means he occasionally crashes into walls, has to use the Yellow Pages before he goes damsel-rescuing, and struggles to avoid being discovered and thus locked in a padded cell!
Greatest American Hero was a funny, cleverly written and charmingly acted series which combined super hero action with witty analysis of human nature and society. And it very much deserves a chance this week to be remembered by original fans, and introduced to the younger generations.
So to get everyone in the proper nostalgic mood, below are some of the original 1980′s ABC promos for individual episodes of Greatest American Hero, complete with hammy narrator, cheesy graphics and the occasional plot summary that has little to do with the actual episode! So have fun and btw even if you miss this week’s marathon, Greatest American Hero is available for viewing on Hulu and on DVD (sometimes progress is a good thing!) Enjoy! 
“My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys”
“Best Desk Scenario”
“Operation: Spoilsport”
“Hog Wild”
“ABC is the Place!” (Cameos from actors Robert Culp, William Katt and Connie Sellecca)
