The adventures of a deranged police detective who always looks for the most violent solution to any problem.The adventures of a deranged police detective who always looks for the most violent solution to any problem.The adventures of a deranged police detective who always looks for the most violent solution to any problem.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAlan Spencer originally wrote the pilot script in 1976 as a parody of Dirty Harry (1971) and its sequels. Every network rejected it, and executives questioned Spencer's mental health because of the exaggerated violence. Networks began showing an interest in Spencer's script after the success of Sudden Impact (1983).
- Quotes
[repeated line]
Sledge Hammer: Trust me - I know what I'm doing!
- Crazy creditsThe episode "Last of the Red Hot Vampires" ends with the dedication "In Memory of Mr. Blasko". Blasko was the real last name of Bela Lugosi.
- Alternate versionsAn alternate, unaired version of the pilot episode "Under the Gun" is available on the Season One DVD. It includes 10 minutes of additional footage, an alternate epilogue and completely different opening and ending theme music.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Sledge Hammer: Go Ahead, Make Me Laugh! (2004)
Featured review
This has got to be the most hilarious show to ever pollute the airwaves. Sledge Hammer (David Rasche) is a man's man, a parodical sexist pig who talks to the .44 magnum he carries in his shoulder-holster and drives around with a rocket-launcher in his trunk, and who presumes all suspects to be scum until proven otherwise. There is not a single constitutional right that he has not flagrantly violated during the unfortunately short life-span of this series. Any cops out there will envy Sledge for doing all the things they would have liked to have done but couldn't. But despite Sledge's propensity for wanton and gratuitous violence and his callous use of weapons of mass destruction, he's more of an Inspector Cluseau than a Dirty Harry. His slapstick bumbling and his misogynist remarks are both counter-balanced by his partner, the intelligent and beautiful Dori Doreau (Anne-Marie Martin), who constantly compensates for Sledge's ineptitude and general lack of diplomacy. Rounding out the comedy trio is Captain Trunk (Harrison Page), Hammer's superior, who is constantly swilling Pepto Bismol to counter the ulcer and high-blood pressure that Hammer's antics are causing him to suffer; a futile gesture, as he is usually driven to screaming "Hammer!" at the top of his lungs in a fit of rage at least several times per episode. Our whole residence used to watch this show all the time back in university, and it had us all in side-splitting stitches (okay, maybe not all of us; the feminists didn't pick up on the fact that his sexist antics were a parody, and would frequently leave the room in disgust, but not before hurling verbal abuse, and sometimes beer bottles, at us ...). This is a classic among cult classics. I've scoured the Internet trying to find episodes of Sledge Hammer! on DVD, but all I've been able to find so far are a few bad-quality, copyright-infringing VHS tapes on e-Bay. Shame, I'd buy the whole series if I could find it in reasonable-quality digital form.
Details
- Runtime30 minutes
- Color
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