Sitcoms Online Photo Galleries - Danger Theatre: Diedrich Bader, Robert Vaughn, Adam west

Danger Theatre aired from July until August 1993 on FOX.

Robert Vaughn hosted Danger Theatre, " the show that dares to take a bite out of the butt of crime," with his toungue so far in his cheek it was amazing he could still talk. He tried to sound serious, but looked and acted embarrassed, distracted, and clumsy as he provided introductions and previews of upcoming episodes. Most weeks consisted of 15 minute segments of The Searcher ( starring Diedrich Bader), a parody of Knight Rider followed by singular short segments of Tropical Punch ( starring Adam West), a send-up of Hawaii Five-O. The last segment of Tropical Punch aired on August 15th and on Danger Theatre's last telecast it was replaced by a single episode of 357 Marina del rey , a private eye spoof in the 77 Sunset Strip mold starring Todd Field and Ricky Harris

The Searcher:

In this parody of wandering tv heroes, the Searcher ( Diedrich Bader), traveled around the country attempting to help people being harassed or threatened. Dressed all in black and riding a powerful motorcycle, he looked cool but was unbelievably klutzy, constantly running into things on his motorcycle and miraculously staggering away unhurt. The Searcher got distracted by every beautiful woman he saw, and absurdly extreme closeups were used to show his emotional reactions to everything. He narrated each episode in an incredibly deep voice. When he collected his fee at the end of each episode his phone number 1-800-SRCH-ME flashed on the screen.

Tropical Punch:

A silly spoof of Hawaii Five-O, including a similar theme and opening montage. Morgan ( Adam west) headed The Tropical Punch Unit of The Honolulu Police Department. He was prone to falling asleep on the job and liked to go undercover but always looked ridiculous and stood out like a sore thumb. The lines were pretty hard to take-when he saw a Ninja threatening a frightened man he asked the victim, " Did you order from Benihana?" Teamed with Morgan were Hamoki ( Peter Navy Tuiasosopo), his burly muscleman and Tommy ( Billy Morrissette), a pretensios shrimp. When they caught the preditor, Morgan's stock line was " Tom cuff 'em, book'em "( shades of Hawaii Five-O's Book'em Danno."

A Review from Variety

Danger Theatre the Searcher:
((FATAL DISTRACTION) TROPICAL PUNCH: (LETHAL LUAU) (Sun. (11), 7:30-8 p.m., Fox))
By TODD EVERETT

Filmed in Hollywood by Universal Television. Executive producers, Robert Wolterstorff, Penelope Spheeris; producers, Kevin G. Cremin ("Fatal Distraction"), Mike Scott, Jack Bernstein ("Tropical Punch"); directors, Spheeris ("Fatal Distraction"), Greg Beeman ("Lethal Luau"); script, Wolterstorff ("Fatal Distraction"), Wolterstorff, Mike Scott ("Lethal Luau").

Host: Robert Vaughn. Cast: ("Fatal Distraction") Diedrich Bader, Tracy Scoggins, Charles Noland, Florence Schauffler; ("Lethal Luau"): Adam West, Billy Morrissette, Peter Navy Tuiasosopo, Peter Haskell, Philip Tan, Gene Wolande, Harry Woolfe, Noel Alumit.

Fans of vintage cop series produced by Aaron Spelling, Stephen J. Cannell and especially Quinn Martin will recognize many of the targets of "Danger Theatre." Even those too young to remember those prototypes will see the show as a homage to Abrahams-Zucker-Zucker. As such, it's closer to leaden "Sledge Hammer" than to zesty "Police Squad," but still may win a few points as counterprogramming to "60 Minutes."
Each half-hour show includes complete episodes of "The Searcher" and "Tropical Punch."Which is about right, as the hourlong skeins parodied typically contained about 12 minutes of story, the rest of the time devoted to car chases.

Robert Vaughn hosts from behind an impressive wooden desk, proudly hailing "Danger Theatre" as "the show that dares to take a bite out of the butt of crime."

"The Searcher" stars Diedrich Bader as tight-lipped, soft-spoken, Harley-riding loner title character. ("Just make the check out to 'The Searcher.' ""Do you have a first name?" he is asked. "Did Paladin? Did Liberace? Did Fabian?")

In his first case, he saves nebbishy Dave Taylor (Charles Noland) from jilted g.f. played by Tracy Scoggins.

Episode contains a number of double-entendres and visual references, most in a soda fountain scene, that would probably appear this early in the evening only on Fox.

"Tropical Punch" stars tight-lipped, soft-spoken Adam West as head of a special Hawaiian police unit, here chasing after attempted assassins of a U.S. senator (Peter Haskell) investigating organized crime in the islands.

Regulars assisting West in this "Hawaii Five-0" parody are Billy Morrissette as callow Det. Tom McCormick and Peter Navy Tuiasosopo as former sumo wrestler Det. Al Hamoki.

Series, in for seven episodes, is nowhere as hip or funny as Ben Stiller's show, which Fox canceled in wake of nowhere ratings, but has its moments.

Overall look of the show, under directors Penelope Spheeris and Greg Beeman, is crisp, clean and bright. Producers also gain points for making do without a laugh track.

For more on Danger Theatre go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danger_Theatre

For Robert Vaughn's official webpage go to www.robertvaughn.com/

For a website devoted to Diedrich Bader go to www.diedrichbader.com/

For Adam West's Official Website go to www.adamwest.com/main.html

To watch the opening credits of The Searcher go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQzyvD3nSng&feature=related