by Unknown
Highlights:
This is the first episode to use the video playback and zoom-in functions.
Quotes:
(Maggie) “What do you call this car?”
(Michael) “It’s called K.I.T.T.”
(Maggie) “Kit? It’s a kit car?”
(Michael) “No, it’s not a kit car. It’s called K.I.T.T.”
Knight Rider Season One •
139
Trivia:
June Christopher can be seen in “The Final Verdict;” Fitzhugh G. Houston returns in “Brother’s Keeper;” Alex Kubik is in “Big Iron”
and “Junk Yard Dog.”
The F.L.A.G. retreat is first seen in this episode. It will appear again in “White Bird.”
This is the only episode where Devon rides in the back seat. K.I.T.T. states that part of his circuitry was developed at Stanford University.
Not a Drop to Drink
Episode: 06
PROD. #57304
Original Airdate: November 5, 1982 (Friday)
Rerun #1: April 1, 1983 (Friday)
Writer: Hannah L. Shearer
Director: Virgil W. Vogel
Guest Cast: Sondra Currie (Francesca Morgan), Jason Evers (Herb Bremen), Harry Carey, Jr. (Josh Morgan), Lynn Hamilton (Susan Wade), Bumper Yothers (The Bull), Dave Cass (Alex Webster), Joe Burnett (Kirk Webster), Tom Lester (Ted Moore), Lyndel Stuart (Myra Moore), Jan Rabson (Dewey)
Devon congratulates the Foundation lawyers for securing a rancher’s water rights only to see explosions ruin the celebration of a hard fought victory. The group of hot-headed ranchers must fight for the local water rights when Herb Bremen destroys a dam near Fran Morgan’s property. Michael and K.I.T.T. are brought in to stop Bremen from stealing the water and to secure the future of the Double-M Ranch.
140
• Knight Rider Legacy
Commentary:
Perhaps the most interesting scene in this episode is when K.I.T.T. performs a reverse ski mode from a standstill! “Not a Drop to Drink” is also remembered for K.I.T.T.’s classic scenes pretending to be a UFO in order to extract information about Bremen’s next target. The rest of the episode is rather ordinary and the climax is not too impressive either (it borrows footage from Superman: The Movie).
Notes:
In an earlier draft of the script, Kevin’s mare is named Terra instead of Kid, and Bumper the Bull is named Frank.
Highlights:
K.I.T.T. acquires his grappling hook here. Devon comments that he would make an excellent fisherman.
Trivia:
Dave Cass can be seen in “Knight By a Nose” and Knight Rider 2000; Jason Evers returns in “Halloween Knight.”
Sondra Currie is married to Alan J. Levi, the man who directed Knight Rider 2000.
No Big Thing
Episode: 07
PROD. #57313
Original Airdate: November 12, 1982 (Friday)
Rerun #1: April 8, 1983 (Friday)
Writer: Judy Burns
Director: Bernard L. Kowalski
Knight Rider Season One •
141
Guest Cast: Ted Markland (Sergeant Ted Wallace), Mary Margaret Humes (Carol Reston), Grainger Hines (Officer Rex Saunders), Jim Haynie (Frank Reston), Logan Ramsey (Judge Roland S. Paxton), Paul Harper (Man), Jimmy Murphy (Pink), Earl Billings (Shep), Duke Stroud (Captain Dave Butler), Robert Carnegie (Officer Van Dyke), Louie Elias (Pauly), Vance Davis (Guard), Patrick Puccinelli (Officer Charly Smith), Bruce Neckels (Pete), Elmarie Wendel (Woman), Jay T. Will (Brute) Devon gets pulled over and arrested in a small town after allegedly breaking the law. Devon is thrown in jail with Frank Reston, the contact he was supposed to meet. Realizing Devon is the head of the Foundation for Law and Government, Judge Paxton orders him to be transferred after Michael and Reston’s ex-wife begin asking questions. When Devon realizes how corrupt the police force in Lyndhurst Flats is, he and two other inmates formulate an escape plan.
Commentary:
“No Big Thing” is one of the few episodes that takes the focus away from Michael and K.I.T.T. and places it on another cast member. Devon makes good use of his knowledge from World War II as he tells his cellmates that he escaped from two German camps and was not thought of as a typical jail breaker by the Gestapo. Bonnie is the one who informs Michael that Devon has been put in jail and Michael is rather amused (at first) that his boss has been locked up. Michael also fills up for gas in this episode—the only time in the series—at a gas station (It’s only a few episodes later in
“Give Me Liberty…or Give Me Death” when Bonnie converts K.I.T.T.’s tanks to run on liquid hydrogen). The pump Michael fills up at is labeled
“Self-Service,” but the gas station attendant fills it for him anyways in order to make a few extra dollars.
142
• Knight Rider Legacy
Featured Songs:
“Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
“Love’s Been a Little Bit Hard On Me” by Juice Newton
“You Were Always On My Mind” by Willie Nelson
Trivia:
Louis Elias is back in “Junk Yard Dog” and “Knight of the Juggernaut;” Grainger Hines returns in season four’s “Knight Racer;” Bruce Neckels is in “Ten Wheel Trouble” and “Knight of a Thousand Devils;” Jimmy Murphy is in “Custom Made Killer;” and Logan Ramsey can be seen in “Knight Strike.”
The prison gate crash scene is reused in “Knight Behind Bars” and
“Knight Flight to Freedom.”
Trust Doesn’t Rust
Episode: 08
PROD. #57307
Original Airdate: November 19, 1982 (Friday)
Rerun #1: March 18, 1983 (Friday)
Rerun #2: August 19, 1983 (Friday)
Writer: Steven E. de Souza
Director: Paul Stanley
Guest Cast: Michael MacRae (Tony Coscarelli), William Sanderson (“Rev” Jeremiah Beaudine), John Brandon (Police Captain), John Hostetter (Police Officer), Gary A. McMillan (Security Guard), Ivan E. Roth (Jerry Clarke), Peter Cullen (Voice of K.A.R.R.)
Tony and Rev, two thugs from the street, see an opportunity to get rich quick when they run across the soon-to-be erected Knight Museum of Knight Rider Season One •
143
Technology. They enter the Knight Industries storage facility and accidentally activate the Knight Automated Roving Robot or K.A.R.R., Wilton Knight’s prototype super car that’s nearly identical to K.I.T.T. in every way. K.A.R.R. was inadvertently programmed for self-preservation which gave him the mentality to survive at all costs. Michael and K.I.T.T. are assigned the task of finding the rogue super car and deactivating it. Commentary:
Arguably the best episode of the first season and one of the best in the series’ entire four year run, this episode provides more insight into the Foundation’s past and firmly establishes K.A.R.R. as an equal match for K.I.T.T., who is described by K.A.R.R. as “the inferior production line model.” Some of the best scenes come from the confrontations between the two cars (they bicker like two brothers). For the first (and only time), viewers see Bonnie almost give in to Michael’s charm after K.A.R.R. is destroyed and kiss him; she changes her mind at the last second. Although K.A.R.R. appeared to have exploded when he landed on the beach, he would return in season three’s “K.I.T.T. vs. K.A.R.R.,” another fan favorite. It is hard to believe, however, that F.L.A.G. wouldn’t retrieve K.A.R.R. after he exploded. Since Devon impressed upon Michael how lethal K.A.R.R. could be, one would think that he would have at least sent a group of F.L.A.G. agents to find K.A.R.R.’s CPU.
Notes:
This marks the beginning of the “evil clones” that can be seen occasionally throughout the show. K.A.R.R. is, in a sense, an evil clone of K.I.T.T. (even though K.A.R.R. came first). Michael is “cloned,”
so to speak, with Garthe in “Goliath” and “Goliath Returns.” He is also copied by J. Gordon Baxter in “Knight of the Chameleon.”
/> Devon is cloned in “Knight of the Juggernaut” and Bonnie is briefly cloned in “Killer K.I.T.T..”
144
• Knight Rider Legacy
Quotes:
(K.I.T.T.) “That other car is going to give Trans Am a terrible reputation.”
Trivia:
Gary McMillan returns in “Knight of a Thousand Devils.”
Notice that K.A.R.R. has no license plate and a red scanner in this episode. When he returns in “K.I.T.T. vs. K.A.R.R.,” his license plate reads KARR and he has a yellow scanner.
Behind the Episode: “Trust Doesn’t Rust”
Details from the Novel
K.A.R.R. was locked in Lab 3 on August 2, 1982.
K.A.R.R. was Wilton Knight’s prototype of the car of the future. As such, Wilton was able to perfect the molecular bonded shell long before any artificial intelligence was created.
Before K.A.R.R. was deactivated, Wilton put him in a demonstration for the Defense Department, and they wanted the car. However, they were so interested in turning K.A.R.R. into an urban tank that Wilton locked him up in the Knight Laboratories and moved Knight Industries to Nevada.
K.A.R.R. runs on hydrogen fuel, the same fuel type that K.I.T.T. would be converted to in “Give Me Liberty…or Give Me Death.”
Even though K.I.T.T. did not have micro jam until “Inside Out,”
that feature was already available on K.A.R.R.
Many of the parts developed for K.A.R.R. were later removed from him after deactivation and placed in K.I.T.T.
K.A.R.R. was supposed to be shipped via the semi to the Knight Estate for dismantling; however, Wilton later decided to keep him intact and put in storage.
K.A.R.R. exploded at the end of this episode because his power boosters overloaded.
Knight Rider Season One •
145
In 1979, when F.L.A.G. initially began the “super car” project, Wilton originally conceived his car of the future as having a female personality named Agnes.
Inside Out
Episode: 09
PROD. #57302
Original Airdate: November 26, 1982 (Friday)
Rerun #1: April 22, 1983 (Friday)
Writer: Steven E. de Souza
Director: Peter Crane
Guest Cast: Lawrence Dobkin (Colonel Alvin B. Kincaid), Judith Chapman (Linda Elliot), Erik Stern (Thompson), Jack Gill (Dugan), Morgan Jones (Warden), Michael O’Guinne (Officer Wally), Bill Cross (Officer Lester), Jim Boeke (Baker), Lee Duncan (Clark), Stephen Pershing (O’Brian), Talmage Scott (Front Jeep Driver), Greg Finley (Prison Guard), Kay Worthington (Woman Driver)
After locking known criminal Dugan in a trailer, Michael poses as the aggressive driver in order to foil Alvin Kincaid’s plans to break out a wealth of criminals from a maximum-security prison. Michael informs Devon of Kincaid’s plans, but the plans are altered at the last minute and Michael participates in the robbing of an armored truck.
Commentary:
This begins a series of episodes that brings the characters of David Hasselhoff and Patricia McPherson together for some of the more memorable lines of the series. The first season relationship between Michael and Bonnie continues to grow as does the friendship between Michael and 146
• Knight Rider Legacy
Devon. An amusing subplot of the episode has K.I.T.T. leaving Kincaid’s compound to make a phone call. He is stopped by a guard and told to drive carefully as the guard instructs him to take a different route due to a spill. K.I.T.T. phones Devon at 2 o’clock in the morning to inform him of Kincaid’s plan.
Notes:
As the first script written after the pilot, this one introduces the character of Bonnie and the F.L.A.G. semi. The script describes the semi as follows: “We see that the rear of the semi has been outfitted as a state-of-the-art electronics lab and garage. Towards the front are some chairs and other human touches…even a coffee maker.”
The script has Kincaid’s first name as Thomas.
Highlights:
K.I.T.T. receives his Microwave Jammer (or “Micro Jam”) from Bonnie in this episode, a feature used often in the rest of the series. Before Michael pulls out of the semi, he wonders out loud about what kind of women is under those overalls. K.I.T.T. pulls up a schematic of Bonnie and calculates her height and weight(168 cm and 54 kilos, respectively). K.I.T.T. does not use the standard English calculations but uses Metric instead.
A scene in the teaser where Michael says “They’re gunning for you, Colonel. You’re the Muhammad Ali of crime” is not in the actual episode.
Featured Songs:
“Do You Wanna Make Love?” by Peter McCann
“Long, Long Time” by Linda Ronstadt
“You Were Always on My Mind” by Willie Nelson
Knight Rider Season One •
147
Quotes:
(Michael) “Take over K.I.T.T. I’m going out.”
(K.I.T.T.) “Do you think that’s safe?”
(Michael) “Of course not.”
Trivia:
Bill Cross can be seen in “Lost Knight;” Stuntman Jack Gill has more small roles in “Return to Cadiz,” “Ring of Fire,” “Buy Out,”
and “Knight of the Juggernaut.”
When Michael gets on to K.I.T.T.’s hood to get in the gold truck, a quick eye can spot Linda moving over to the driver’s seat. However, in the next scene, she is moving over to the driver’s seat again!
This episode marks the only time K.I.T.T. is referred to simply as a Pontiac.
The Final Verdict
Working Title: “A Shred of Evidence”
Episode: 10
PROD. #57316
Original Airdate: December 3, 1982 (Friday)
Rerun #1: April 15, 1983 (Friday)
Teleplay By: John Alan Schwartz and E. Paul Edwards
Story By: Tom Greene, John Alan Schwartz, and Paul Edwards Director: Bernard Kowalski
Guest Cast: Marvin Karon (Marty Keen), Don Gordon (Lieutenant Dickerson), Ramon Bieri (Al Farlan), Penny Peyser (Cheryl Burns), Rick Fitts (Brad), Tim Rossovich (Butch), Bob Schott (Dink), June Christopher (Kim the Bartender), Cynthia Ream (Tracy), Michael Masters (Garbage Man)
148
• Knight Rider Legacy
Cheryl Burns, Michael’s good friend, has been falsely arrested and it is up to Michael to find the one person who can clear her—accountant Marty Keen. Marty himself is also in trouble as he has been altering the accounting books for Al Farlan’s company. Michael is detained multiple times in his pursuit of Marty by Lieutenant Dickerson, a policeman dead-set on catching Marty. Once Michael finds Marty, he must convince Marty to turn over the books to convict Farlan before Michael can take him back to Albuquerque to testify on Cheryl’s behalf.
Commentary:
A well-produced episode with a nicely choreographed car chase and a decent amount of action, “The Final Verdict” marks the second case where Michael helps a personal friend in trouble. An amusing scene occurs when Michael is forced into an arm wrestling match with Butch. With absolutely no chance of winning, K.I.T.T. chimes in through the comlink, enough to distract Butch and let Michael win. Butch gets the last laugh when he slaughters Michael during the rematch.
Notes:
Did you ever notice how Michael lets K.I.T.T. drive a lot during the first season? Check out “Slammin Sammy’s Stunt Show Spectacular,” “No Big Thing,” and “A Plush Ride,” to name a few. This episode has what has to be the strangest turbo boost landing, with K.I.T.T. landing on his back wheels!
This episode is in remembrance of R.A. Cinader—“He was an original.”
Writer Tom Greene would return as a co-producer and writer for season two. The character of Cheryl Burns was actually named after Greene’s girlfriend at that time. Tom got “burned” by her in the end which is how she got her last name.
Knight Rider Season One •
149
Highlights:
Bonnie adds a Graphic Analyzer to
K.I.T.T.
Featured Songs:
“Highways Run Forever” by Johnny Lee
“Love Will Turn You Around” by Kenny Rogers
“It Ain’t Easy Being Easy” by Janie Fricke
Quotes:
(Michael) “Keep your micro jam going. Don’t blow a fuse, okay?”
(K.I.T.T.) “On the contrary, the sensation is quite intoxicating.”
(Michael) “Well try and stay sober until I get back.”
Trivia:
Ramon Bieri guest stars in “Junk Yard Dog;” Don Gordon is in
“Knight By a Nose;” Michael Masters can be seen in “Knight Strike”
and “Knight Song;” Tim Rossovich is back in “Knights of the Fast Lane.”
This marks the last time viewers see the semi painted white. It returns in “Hearts of Stone” with a new look.
Michael quotes Wilton Knight’s line about one man making a difference. The only other time he does this is in “Knight of the Juggernaut.”
This is the first time a comlink is destroyed, something that happens again in “Knightmares,” “Killer K.I.T.T.,” and “Voo Doo Knight.”
K.I.T.T. has seatbelts in this episode—the only episode besides the pilot to have them.
A scene in the teaser where Marty says, “I think I’m going to be ill”
is not in the actual episode.
150
• Knight Rider Legacy
A Plush Ride
Episode: 11
PROD. #57306
Original Airdate: December 10, 1982 (Friday)
Rerun #1: July 22, 1983 (Friday)
Writer: Gregory S. Dinallo
Director: Sidney Hayers
Guest Cast: William Lucking (Redmond), Wendy Fulton (Margot Wells), Hector Elias (Lopez), Michael Carven (M.W. Jacobs), M.C. Gainey (Jason Kellar), Don Mantooth (Corey)
Michael becomes a student in a driving school for chauffeur-bodyguards to expose an assassin whose targets are a trio of visiting Third World leaders. With several attempts on his life already, Michael subdues suspect Jason Kellar and feels confident that the threat against the leaders has been taken care of. En route back to the Foundation, Michael realizes that his plan to weed out the killer went all too well, and returns to the training camp. There he finds that the entire group is involved in the assassination plot. Before being able to react, Michael is knocked unconscious and sent careening down a hill heading toward a deep gorge.