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Sledge Hammer! Alan Spencer Productions/D'Angelo Productions/ABC/New World Television, 1986-1987 Anchor Bay Entertainment, 2004; Image Entertainment, 2011 Created by Alan Spencer Running Time: 27 minutes per episode Rated TV-PG for violence, mature situations and mild language. "Trust me. I know what I'm doing." - Sledge Hammer Cast David Rasche as Sledge Hammer Anne-Marie Martin as Dori Doreau Harrison Page as Captain Trunk "HAMMERRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!" - Captain Trunk Lowdown In 1986, ABC premiered Sledge Hammer! - a sitcom for people who hate sitcoms. Inspired by the 1971 Clint Eastwood film Dirty Harry and the classic 1965 spy satire Get Smart, the series chronicles the misadventures of Inspector Sledge Hammer - a loose cannon of a cop who talks to his .44 Magnum and has absolutely no regard for anyone's safety. Add female detective Dori Doreau and the ill-tempered Captain Trunk to the mix, and you have the funniest cop show ever made. "That was excessively violent and completely unnecessary. I loved it!" - Sledge Hammer Sadly, the series was cancelled after its second season as it was forced by ABC to compete head-to-head with The Cosby Show on the ratings game in 1988. Reruns played on some syndicated channels before being forgotten by many viewers for over a decade. And now, Sledge Hammer! is back - this time, in a remastered DVD set. The 22 episodes that comprise the first season are locked and loaded in four discs. Relive the antics of our trigger-happy antihero, whether he's blowing up a building to stop a sniper, posing as an Elvis impersonator to catch a serial killer, or stuffing a would-be robber with expired convenience store food. Police brutality is no laughing matter, but if it involves Hammer, you'll never stop laughing. If you like cop shows, you owe it to yourself to add this classic TV series to your DVD collection. And get the second (and final) season while you're at it. "That man makes Rambo look like Pee-Wee Herman." - Mayor Jack Flambo Rating: A+ "Go Hammer Go! Go Hammer Go!" - Cops watching Hammer attempt to defuse a time bomb on TV "Go Bomb Go! Go Bomb Go!" - Captain Trunk DVD Extras: A When you play the first disc, you are greeted with a hilarious introduction by creator Alan Spencer, who talks about the laugh track being deleted from the DVD episodes before getting hit in the head with a bottle. "Laugh tracks are offensive. They're an insult to an audience's intelligence who doesn't have to be told when to laugh at something. And the other thing that's inappropriate about laugh tracks on Sledge Hammer! is, the series was a drama. That's right - Sledge Hammer! carried a serious message about violence --" - Alan Spencer Each disc contains audio commentary with Spencer, Rasche, Martin and Page on selected episodes. Disc 4, on the other hand, is packed with these goodies: - Go Ahead, Make Me Laugh! - An exclusive documentary featuring interviews with Spencer and the original cast. - An alternate version of the pilot episode "Under the Gun," featuring 10 minutes of additional footage, an alternate epilogue and different opening and ending theme music. - Electronic Press Kit - Original 1986 interview with Spencer and Rasche. - Original TV Spots - Original Commercial Bumper - Alan Spencer's Message to Critics (audio) - Image Gallery - Including the Sledge Hammer! comic book by Marvel. - Original ABC and HBO pilot scripts (.pdf format) In addition, you get a booklet featuring liner notes and lots of useful trivia. And at $25.99 at Best Buy, this DVD set is a major steal. "A gun can't solve the world's problems, but give it a shot anyway." - Sledge Hammer Links Sledge Hammer! Online Reference The Internet Movie Database