Sildani Posted March 8, 2019 Posted March 8, 2019 Died of cardiac arrest. He was 74. Clear skies and unlimited visibility, Stringfellow. https://apple.news/Ajt8BN_CuRdubeuJOzpn0SQ
Thom Posted March 8, 2019 Posted March 8, 2019 Safe skies Stringfellow! Airwolf will carry you the rest of the way.
F-ZeroOne Posted March 8, 2019 Posted March 8, 2019 I think I need to go play the cello whilst weeping into the setting sun now. So long, String. Of all the 80s crusaders for justice who used super-vehicles in their fight against evil, you were by far the coolest.
TangledThorns Posted March 8, 2019 Posted March 8, 2019 Damn, RIP. I guess this is the third celebrity death after Keith Flint and Luke Perry.
TangledThorns Posted March 8, 2019 Posted March 8, 2019 In a another universe there is still eight more Jan Michael Vincents.
505thAirborne Posted March 8, 2019 Posted March 8, 2019 .... I remember back in elementary school the debates that would go back & forth about Airwolf vs. Blue Thunder. Airwolf usually won the day. RIP Stringfellow.
Hikuro Posted March 8, 2019 Posted March 8, 2019 Damn, RIP. I guess this is the third celebrity death after Keith Flint and Luke Perry. I was wondering who number 3 would be, I must admit this did not come to mind.
Dangard Ace Posted March 8, 2019 Posted March 8, 2019 I think I need to go play the cello whilst weeping into the setting sun now. By the lake With an eagle soaring in the background.
Big s Posted March 8, 2019 Posted March 8, 2019 Loved that show. Also thought he was funny in that bit part from Born in East LA.
Vifam7 Posted March 8, 2019 Posted March 8, 2019 We all remember him from Airwolf, but does anyone also remember that he was also in the 1986 ABC mini-series Winds of War?
Sildani Posted March 8, 2019 Author Posted March 8, 2019 Yeah, I remembered that. He was believable as the kinda-rebellious son of an old-school Navy captain.
Old_Nash Posted March 9, 2019 Posted March 9, 2019 (edited) Fareweel Jan. You and Ernest Borgnine will piloting the Airwolf together again. Edited March 9, 2019 by Old_Nash
kalvasflam Posted March 9, 2019 Posted March 9, 2019 .... I remember back in elementary school the debates that would go back & forth about Airwolf vs. Blue Thunder. Airwolf usually won the day. RIP Stringfellow. Well, Blue Thunder was nothing more than a glorified Apache with skids, but no missiles. Airwolf on the other hand is modeled on the beautiful Dolphin, and can fly higher than a Mig-25. And oh, carry more frigging missiles than an Apache. Ah the good old days, where ammo was infinite, and there was always some damsel in distress.
derex3592 Posted March 9, 2019 Posted March 9, 2019 Damn, probably my favorite TV show growing up . As I type this, I'm looking at my Aoshima 1:48 Airwolf that sits right beside me on my computer desk at home. RIP Stringfellow Hawk. Might have to pull out my season 1 DVD's this week and give it a re-watch.
Big s Posted March 9, 2019 Posted March 9, 2019 I was looking for my old Airwolf kit that I built when I was little, but can’t find it. I thought it was odd that they gave the option to build it as the non weopnized civilian version as though anyone would buy an airwolf and not put weapons or armor on it.
Dynaman Posted March 9, 2019 Posted March 9, 2019 Well, Blue Thunder was nothing more than a glorified Apache with skids, but no missiles. Blue Thunder was actually a French copter and not an Apache. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Thunder_(helicopter)
F-ZeroOne Posted March 9, 2019 Posted March 9, 2019 To be fair, that article does claim that the canopy is based on that of the Apache, though I don't really see the resemblance other than thats its angular and vaguely insectile looking. I'm not completely certain, but I think "Blue Thunder" may have made a cameo in the "Doctor Who" episode "Dalek", where its used in a very brief shot of "Bad Wolf One" landing.
M'Kyuun Posted March 9, 2019 Posted March 9, 2019 .... I remember back in elementary school the debates that would go back & forth about Airwolf vs. Blue Thunder. Airwolf usually won the day. RIP Stringfellow. I used to have the same debate with another student in Middle School. I always argued for Blue Thunder, as it was a far more realistic helicopter in the way it was portrayed. The movie was a bit of a sleeper hit, and the show was corny but fun (Dana Carvey played JAFO). Airwolf was pure tv magic, with its Mach speeds and infinite ammo, especially missiles/rockets from those underbelly tubes. So silly, but fun. What made Airwolf so engaging was the darker tone it often took, dealing with real emotional issues, especially those affecting Vietnam vets. Jan-Michael had a real talent for conveying emotion. He really carried the show, and his absence changed the entire feel of the show when Barry Van Dyke took the lead, at which point I stopped watching. His on-screen chemistry with Earnest always appeared genuine, and the two of them were one of the best action show teams (along with Jean Bruce Scott). It's disheartening that we've lost yet another talented actor who influenced many of our childhoods. RIP, Jan, and condolences to your family, friends, and fans.
blackconvoy_D01 Posted March 9, 2019 Posted March 9, 2019 I only knew him in Airwolf. Awesome part of my childhood. RIP.
F-ZeroOne Posted March 10, 2019 Posted March 10, 2019 I think what made Stringfellow Hawke stand out from all his other contemporary super-vehicle operators is that he was that absolute scariest of all fictional tropes - the professional. If he wanted you dead, then you were dead. He did love wasting ammo by strafing the ground in front of his targets for seconds at a time, though. Regards Airwolfs "infinite ammo" - well, it did run out of ammo in the pilot, after overkilling Moffet. OTOH, among its many and varied weapons loads were Copperhead rounds - which were actually laser guided artillery shells. And yet it swings back the other way because you could argue that its deployable weapons bays aren't that far removed from how modern stealth aircraft - including the Comanche - do it...
M'Kyuun Posted March 10, 2019 Posted March 10, 2019 What made String stand out to me was that he was written and performed as an edgy guy who combined culture with an undercurrent of violence. Most 80s shows were fairly lighthearted, even in their darker episodes. Michael Knight, the A-Team, Street Hawk, Automan, Blue Thunder, etc were all lighthearted fare. There was something a little dangerous about Jan (he struggled with alcohol and drugs), and that edginess came through in his performance, which is why he, among his fellow tv action heroes, always stood out as someone who doesn't need the machine to be dangerous; Airwolf only amplified his tendencies. It didn't hurt, too, that they chose a beautiful helicopter to portray the eponymous machine of death and destruction. Concerning the missile/rocket launchers, while the reuse of tubes to fire volley after volley is pure make believe (missiles are surprisingly large and heavy weapons- an AIM-9 Sidewinder (heat seeking) missile is about 9 feet long, 5" in diameter, and weighs close to 200 pounds, and it is one of the smaller missiles in the US arsenal). Stealth aircraft carry these weapons on retractable trapeze systems, usually with two or more missiles attached to each trapeze, depending on the missile's size. It's interesting to think that even while Airwolf was airing, these delivery systems were under development for both the YF-22 and the YF-23, and were in use already with the F-117, albeit for bombs. I always thought it was interesting how missiles always looked like blobs of plasma when they fired from Airwolf. Ah, well, it made for fun viewing. One of the coolest things about the 80's was our collective ability to suspend disbelief, since effects were a far cry from what they are now.
TehPW Posted March 11, 2019 Posted March 11, 2019 I was on vacation when this occurred. It is/was indeed a sad day but he's in a much better place now... :/
TangledThorns Posted March 11, 2019 Posted March 11, 2019 Well, dang. According to Wikipedia Jan died a month ago but it wasn't announced till last week.
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