The Definitive Green Hornet

Reprinting the notes on the back cover: "A complete history of the radio series from the creation to conception sketches, reprints from production files to the untold adventures, biographic details of the cast and the characters they played (including Mike Axford, Kato, Gunnigan, Lenore Case, Linda Travis, Ed Lowry, Clicker Binney, Commissioner Higgins, etc.) and background information is all provided under one cover. Also included are details of the two cliffhanger serials produced by Universal in the early forties, the unaired 1952 television pilot, the long-running popularity of the comic books and the William Dozier television series (1966-67) starring Van Williams and Bruce Lee. A complete episode guide documents every adventure including unproduced scripts and plot ideas. Whether you are a casual fan or a serious enthusiast of the series, here is everything you want to know about The Green Hornet!" That last sentence sums up my entire review.

To wit, this book reads much like an encyclopedia, which requires the reader to digest the book page by page, day by day. It took me four months to go through it and while I couldn't even remember half of what I read, this book is certainly the final word on the subject. Terry Salomonson and Martin Grams did a hell of a job and it makes my brain twist and turn when the question comes to mind: where did the authors find all of this material? I mean, 'cmon, they reprinted a telegram from Trendle authorizing The Green Hornet and Kato to cross over into a Batman television production, plots from radio scripts that were never produced...... I am no fan of The Green Hornet so if there is an error or two in this book, I certainly could not find them. But even if there was, the book weighs almost 800 pages and for that I can forgive them. I paid $29.95 for the book, which appears to be an independent publication, authorized by The Green Hornet Inc. and God bless 'em for that. What makes me puzzled is why I recently paid $69.95 for a 240 page book from a University Press that had so many errors I felt like returning it. Salomonson and Grams must be losing money on the deal but their respect as authorities on the subject will go undisputed.