Hank

I remember this show well from my childhood, along with the other TV sitcom Camp Runamuck. I was in 5th grade when this show came out and watched every episode. It was funny, and to this day every once in awhile, the show's catchy theme pops into my head and I try to remember the lyrics. I saw the lyrics elsewhere on this site or another only today and can finally see what they are, because I had long forgotten them. I liked the show because Hank was always a positive guy, doing his best to take care of his sister, get a good education and better himself. Of course, all the running around, the costume changes and his efforts to get an education on the sly kept me entertained. I too remember the last episode when he was caught, but in the end, it had a happy ending. Being just a kid who really loved the show, I watched knowing it was the final episode and stayed glued to the tube through the closing credits and the last run of the theme song. Isn't it something how some shows touch you and are remembered fondly in your memory as you're growing up? By the way, the notion of somebody repeatedly slipping into classes without paying, etc. isn't so far-fetched. It was recently in the newspaper here in Southern California about some guy attending several college courses to learn, yet he was never enrolled in them. I can't remember the rest of this true incident, but it did happen.

I remember this show from watching the original broadcasts when I was pretty young, only I did not correctly remember the title. I recall the sub-theme that Hank could run so fast that the athletic coach wanted to know who he was, there was a certain implied irony (he was a natural athlete and could probably have attended college on a scholarship if he wasn't so preoccupied with auditing for free and running away). Long ago I tried to remember what the show was called and I confused the title with another show of the era so I probably doubly confused folks when I was reminiscing.

Anyhow, the show made a positive impression on me and I too had the problem of no one else having seen or remembered it until I did a Google search and stumbled upon it here.

I have fond memories of "Hank" and remember watching it religiously on Friday nights. I was in the seventh grade when the show was on. I thought it was extremely clever, and it contributed to a fascination with college that I already had. (I ended up spending 13 years in college and graduate school--but I took all my classes legally!) As I remember, the college president's major crusade was trying to catch students who audited classes. A few years later, he would have been happy if the biggest problem on campus was unregistered students sitting in on classes. I also remember that the president's daughter was Hank's girlfriend and that she knew all about Hank's illegal activities. In retrospect, however, I have to wonder why Hank could not have gotten an athletic scholarship since he was such a fabulous athlete. I don't remember seeing the last episode that wrapped up the show. It is too bad the network did not renew it.

I'm doing this all from a memory that's 34 years old, so I may make some mistakes. What I remember about this delightfully funny program is:

Hank and his sister are orphans. They don't wish to be put in an orphanage, so Hank uses makeup and disguises to fool the authorities into believing that they are being cared for by an adult. Hank's scheme snow balls as he is forced to lie and pretend to be all sorts of people in order to keep the charade going without being caught. All the while, Hank is trying to get himself a good education (pretending to be someone he's not) so that he can better support his sister and remain independent.

I don't remember how long this series ran, but it is one of the very few that I can recall that actually had a closing episode.

Hank, in a zany and furious attempt to disguise himself as several people at once -- being one person in one place and then switching costumes, personas, and rooms at break-neck speed -- Hank is finally caught and his terrible secret revealed, much to the amazement of all. It is decided that Hank has shown tremendous resourcefulness and is granted his wish to remain in college and preserve his family, under the guardianship of one of the adults who knows him...one of his professors, I think.

As a child, I found this show extremely funny, maybe because I wished my own brothers were as nice as Hank. Oh well....

Wow. I was starting to think I was the only person who REMEMBERED "Hank", let alone really enjoyed it! Was almost to the point of declaring my memory of the program to be a figment of my imagination when I finally came across a couple websites that actually had some info and clips! More proof you can find ANYTHING on the web, I guess! It's just nice to see the pics and remember my youth.

"Hank" has provided me with years of fun as a "stump anyone" trivia question! Many people actually accuse me of "making it up" when I share the plot line with them! Now I'll be able to send them the link to the sites!

Doug