Series Description

The Mr. Terrific TV show was a 30 minute superhero/comedy series that aired on CBS for only 17 episodes in 1967. It was about a wayward, weak-willed, pathetic excuse for a man who owned a Washington, DC gas station. Oh yeah ... in his spare time, he was also a top secret, superhero agent for the U.S. Government! He simply took a little pill which gave him 60 minutes worth of super strength, the ability to fly, and bravery.

Mr. Terrific Cast

Stephen Strimpell .... Stanley "Mr. Terrific" Beamish
John McGiver .... Barton J. Reed
Dick Gautier .... Hal Walters
Paul Smith .... Harley Trent

Mr. Terrific Theme Song

Title: "Mr. Terrific"

Recited By: "Paul Frees"

NOTE: The following lyrics were not sung. They were recited with background music.

A scientist both wise and bold
Set out to cure the common cold
Instead he found a power pill
Which he said most certainly will
Change a lamb into a lion
Like an eagle he'll be flyin
Solid steel will be like putty
It'll work on anybody.

Then it was found this power pill
Made the strongest men quite ill
So the secret search began
To find the one and only man
Who can take this power pill specific?
And turn into the most prolific, terrific, Mr. Terrific!

Mr. Terrific Trivia

There was one episode of Mr. Terrific that was produced but was not broadcast due to early cancellation of the series. Its title was, "The Pill Caper".

One might think that a show about a goofy superhero would have done very well, considering the time slot that Mr. Terrific had! It was on a Monday night at 8:00 PM eastern. It came on right after "Gilligan's Island" and "The Lucy Show" came on afterwards. All three featured goofball characters and should have helped each other get and retain an audience. The government agency that Mr. Terrific worked with was the "Bureau of Special Projects".

Mr. Terrific was nearly identical to a series on NBC called, "Captain Nice". Both featured "weakling" characters that took something to get their powers. Mr. Terrific took a pill and Captain Nice swallowed a formula. Both series broadcast their first episodes on January 9, 1967. Both survived less than 18 episodes.

In 1968, after Mr. Terrific ended, the production company (Universal) made a 2 hour feature film titled, "Pill Caper" out of four episodes using creative editing. The episodes were #1 - "Matchless", #3 - "I Can't Fly", #5 - "The Formula Is Stolen", and #10, "Harley and the Killer".

For some reason that defies all of the laws of Physics, Mr. Terrific had to flap his arms like a bird in order to fly! He also often couldn't see while flying because his huge scarf kept getting in his eyes. He never did get very good at landing either. He couldn't manage to bring his legs down under his body so he ended out doing a belly flop landing.

Actor Dick Gautier who played Hal Walters on Mr. Terrific also played Hymie the robot spy on the series, "Get Smart".

The pill that gave Stanley his hour of super power was candy coated and pretty good sized, like a jawbreaker. He also had some "booster" pills that were only good for 10 minutes more. He could only use 3 pills a day so the boosters couldn't greatly extend his powers. They did come in handy, however, if he found himself at the end of his hour and still dealing with bad guys!