Il falco della strada

Your read correctly. The Eighties were awesome. Knight Rider,The A-team,Miami Vice,Stingray,Airwolf,and much much more and then there was Street Hawk. It was great being a kid back then. Fantastic looking super vehicles that could do these amazing stunts,what is not to love about it. So yes of course this is pure nostalgia. Still,shows like these were proof that they were far more creative than they are in current days. Now I must admit that if you take out the eighties and purely look it as an action show then you will find it a bit bland. The stunts are not that impressive. But what wins you over right from the bat and what actually is one of the reasons the show has any kind of popularity is the soundtrack. Tangerine Dream simply makes this bland show in a ultra cool one. The best scenes are the scenes where the main character is cruising around or dealing with the bad guys while the theme is playing in the background. So don't go expecting something spectacular. But as lightweight crime shows goes this one has likable characters and just enough action to keep you entertained.

Yeah well, KNIGHT RIDER made it because a 4 wheel crime-buster was always going to win out over a two-wheeled vigilantemobile! Street Hawk's "Harley with attitude" might have had a 200 mph speed capability and a $3 million price tag (bit suss, that one!) but when all was said and done, Rex Smith was no Steve McQueen! More like crime-fighter Disney style.

Best of the offerings, the actual Pilot telemovie entitled STREET HAWK. It ran for 75 minutes and was released in many countries as a one-off video. (I have a copy!) Besides some skimpy background to Street Hawk's existence - The rookie cop, consigned to Public Relations, mega-bike wages war against the local "Mr Big" (Christopher Lloyd in a most un-Disney role). Not only does Jess Mach (Smith) take out Lloyd's cronies, he performs an aerial ballet that sees Lloyd and his 4 Wheel drive nose dive DUEL style off a desert cliff!

Music by Tangerine Dream was certainly a plus, although suspiciously ripped off from the NZ scifi actioner BATTLETRUCK, which coincidentally features a hero riding a superbike!

I remember this show, I liked it. It had one of those premises you just don't see anymore. And it had a hero. Remember those? Heroes? You don't see those in movies or TV much anymore, either. People who did what was right.. just because it was right. Jesse woulda been the same kinda man with or without the super-bike. But I'm digressing far too much.

Maybe I'm getting old, but I miss shows that were about going out, doing good, and looking cool while doing it. Street Hawk had that in huge spades. I can't say it was canceled before it's time, really. It just came too late in the game.

Of course, we could do like the Firefly fans and all gather up and inflate it as being better then it really was, and cry about the injustice about a totally average show getting cut because average isn't good enough on the big networks. That might be fun.

Oh, how I wish Street Hawk would have had a longer run. It only ran for several episodes and it deserved a longer run especially considering the rubbish nowadays that goes on for several seasons.

This was one of the great 1980's action shows. In the 80's we TV fans seemed to have an obsession with super vehicles. There was Airwolf for fans of helicopters, Knight Rider for car fans and Street Hawk for motorcycle fans.

I've rode motorcycles on only a few occasions and I think they're great-they really get the adrenaline going. So when I watched Street Hawk I was quite excited. It was just as good as Knight Rider. The hero was one of those moralistic 80's guys. His name was Jesse Mach and his motorcycle was really hi-tech. I'll never forget the scenes where Street Hawk is speeding down the freeways to battle evil. I think this series had the potential to be as successful as Knight Rider but we were not so lucky.

I recommend this to anyone who can get hold of it.

As a young boy I really loved this show.

At the time I was hugely into electro music (Jean Michel Jarre etc) so it's easy to see how the wicked Tangerine Dream theme tune had me hooked. I've always been a fan of the little guy and seeing this trying to go up against the likes of Knight Rider made me root for it even more.

I don't ride a bike but I've always thought that those who do look so cool in all their leathers and this probably helped fuel that. No visible show of skin, like some kind of futuristic warrior.

As for the show, what I can remember I hugely enjoyed. The play-off between the hero and his tech guy was always good fun as where the scenes when he would hit the turbo button. My step dad would always complain that this was impossible in a chain belt motorbike but what did he know! I remember at the end of the first episode the hero pulling out this 360 spin on the bike so he could survey the area with his special equipment. Both the tech guy character in the show, and myself, were blown away.

I can even remember an episode when the tech guy is being served by this buxom waitress in this fish restaurant. It clearly made an impression because I can exactly remember that she had on navy shorts, a navy and white horizontal striped jumper, lovely tumbling blond hair and a sailor cap.

The techie guy was all nervous but thankfully the hero gave him some tips on women and the next time the tech went back to the restaurant I think he gave her his number. As a young boy I probably held it as an example that the geek could get the honey. Only years later would I realise this was the most fictional part of the whole show! Anyway, I loved the show and was gutted when it was cancelled. Bravo to all those who made it.