Friday, September 28, 2007

1985-Misfits of Science


In the mid 80s there were a number of 'science' themed movies. Weird Science, My Science Project, Real Genius...this show was part of a resurgence of fantasy-themed programming of the same time period.
The Misfits of Science were a team that would drive around in an ice cream truck and fight crime!
Dean Paul Martin played Dr. Billy Hayes, the non-powered yet leader of the team. He was a research scientist at the Humanidyne Institute.
Kevin Peter Hall played Dr. Elvin "El" Lincoln, Billy's colleague and close friend. El was a towering black man who gave himself the ability to shrink to doll size via hormonal treatments. The character struggled socially, and despite being very tall, he played basketball poorly.
Mark Thomas Miller was Johnny B, a rock and roll musician who had electrical powers and some limited superspeed abilities and was vulnerable to water.
Courteney Cox played Gloria Dinallo, a troubled telekinetic teen with a history of juvenile delinquency.
Max Wright (later from Alf) portrayed the director of the Humanidyne Institute. Unlike the other cast members, he was not actually considered to be one of the Misfits.
And in the first episode only, Mickey Jones played Ice Man. The reason they would drive around in an ice cream truck was because Ice Man would die if he got too warm, so they kept him in the freezer. He was a pointless character, so was dropped after the pilot episode.


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