The Red Hand Gang

infobox Television
show_name = The Red Hand Gang
format = Adventure
runtime = 30 minutes
starring = Matthew Laborteaux
J.R. Miller
Jolie Newman
Johnny Brogna
James Bond III
country = USA
network = NBC
first_aired = September 10, 1977 [http://www.tv.com/the-red-hand-gang/show/28862/summary.html TV.com entry] ]
last_aired = January 28, 1978
num_episodes = 12
imdb_id = 0173592 |

"The Red Hand Gang" was a live-action Saturday morning television series on NBC, first broadcast in 1977. The show featured five crime-solving pre-teens and their dog, who lived in the inner city:

*Frankie, the leader - played by Matthew Laborteaux (later of "Little House on the Prairie" fame)
*J.R. - J.R. Miller, the athlete
*Doc - James Bond III (who would play in Spike Lee's "School Daze" a decade later), the brains
*Joanne - Jolie Newman, the tomboy
*Frankie's younger brother, Lil Bill - John Brogna
*Their dog, Boomer, who would later have his own series, "Here's Boomer".

The episodes of "The Red Hand Gang", unlike those of other Saturday morning shows, were grouped into multiple shows: one of five parts, one of four, and one of three. Each episode ended in a cliffhanger.

The group was so named because its members left red hand prints on fences to mark where they had been.

"The Red Hand Gang" was cancelled in January, 1978 — not even halfway into the television season. Part of the reason was due to its 12:30PM ET time slot, when many key affiliates tend to pre-empt NBC programming after 12 Noon ET for their own programming, especially college football.

It has often been broadcast in the United Kingdom, where it is considerably better known than in its home country. If fact it is referenced in British comedy "Spaced" staring Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson in an episode where the two main characters (Tim and Daisy), are robbed by a group of youngsters. [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0706392/movieconnections] ]

References

The Red Hand Gang was released on DVD (in the UK only) on 30th September 2008 in its first ever retail release.Original quality and some basic extras are included.

External links

* [http://imdb.com/title/tt0173592 "The Red Hand Gang"] at Internet Movie Database
* [http://www.culttelly.co.uk/content/redhandgang/index.html "The Red Hang Gang mini web site"]
* [http://www.tv.com/the-red-hand-gang/show/28862/summary.html "The Red Hand Gang"] at TV.com
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TIbiCx3Keg Opening and closing titles] on YouTube