Ep 62: The A-Team

This week CFX goes on the lam riding shotgun with that ragtag squad of noble ex-Special Forces mercenaries, The A-Team. One of the most popular shows of the 1980s, The A-Team combined ridiculously over the top action,broad comedy and larger than life characters into a “must see” TV formula that couldn’t fail…until it did. We go into the backstory of each of the characters and the actors who played them. We talk about the phenomenon that was Mr. T aka B.A. Baracus-–the cartoons, the breakfast cereals, the rapping!  We go into what can only be described as the dark background and questionable character of George Peppard aka Hannibal (aka “Handibal”). We talk about Murdoch and actor Dwight Schultz’s many, often suspiciously mysterious, impersonations. We talk about Dirk Benedict aka Face and how many things the actor and character had in common.  We even take a massive detour down the rabbit hole of creator Steven J. Cannell’s oeuvre - the Cannellverse…B.A. Baracus would say we were really “on the jazz” with this episode. But most importantly, does the A-Team’s plan come together when it comes to standing the test of time or is it just a whole lot of “Jibba Jabba”. We find out and also learn… Which cast member and his creepy black gloves struck terror into female cast members and guest stars Which cast member really had something against trees yet was amazingly generous and gentle with seriously ill children What amazing episode of the series features the most interesting man in the world Who CJ Mack was, and his list of crimes that were committed while “not on drugs!” Which 80’s pop icon showed some rowdy hillbillies how to soft rock Which racist Hannibal Smith disguises amazed Slip the most, and how they rank in the recent cultural history About Jeff’s best (low bar!) impression since Tattoo in Episode 23: Fantasy Island And, finally, we hear about how Slip hung out with one of the most ubiquitous, “that guy!” actors in TV and movie history (ok, he just met him at a pizza joint…) Check us out on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/culturalfutures/) for links and additional content related to this and other episodes as well as clues to upcoming shows or write to us at [email protected] All audio clips are used under the "Fair Use" Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act in 1976; Allowance is made for "Fair Use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. All rights and credit go directly to its rightful owners. No copyright infringement intended.