SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 98 Min.
Televised on NBC on January 23, 1983, this Rod Holcomb-directed feature-length pilot episode has the A-Team meet journalist Amy Allen for the first time. Hired by Allen to rescue her missing colleague, Al Massey, over the border, the quartet is memorably introduced, along with their befuddled pursuer: U.S. Army Col. Lynch. Once in Mexico, the A-Team takes on drug kingpin Valdez and his ruthless thugs to save Massey. Facing vastly superior numbers, lots of ingenuity and some local back-up may help the A-Team put Valdez out of business.
Col. John “Hannibal” Smith: George Peppard
Sgt. B.A. Baracus: Mr. T
Captain H.M. “Howling Mad” Murdock: Dwight Schultz
Lt. Templeton “Face” Peck: Tim Dunigan
Amy Allen: Melinda Culea
Valdez: Sergio Calderón
Col. Lynch: William Lucking
Al Massey: William Windom
Perez: Félix González
Col. Flores: Enrique Lucero
Sanchez: William Marquez
Cortez: Jorge Zepeda
Avon: Melody Anderson
Zach: Ron Palillo
Grant Eldridge: Philip Sterling
Opening Credits Voice-Over: John Ashley (uncredited)
REVIEW:
For its pilot episode, the plot is surprisingly good and somewhat grittier than the TV series. Among its assets is Dwight Schultz’s zany ‘Murdock’ antics, which predate comedian Jim Carrey’s similar schtick by several years. Further, there’s the rare sight of Mr. T’s ‘B.A.’ working an extended stretch of dialogue where he explains to their Mexican allies the concept of Hannibal’s ‘jazz.’ Mr. T’s acting in this episode is a pleasant surprise.
Further, the cast’s performance quality is pretty solid — aside from Tim Dunigan’s youthful miscasting as ‘Face.’ It’s not Dunigan’s acting so much at fault, but he doesn’t gel with George Peppard, Mr. T, Melinda Culea, and Schultz. In comparison, the on-screen TV magic Dirk Benedict’s ‘Face’ generates with this same regular cast can’t be overstated. With support from reliable pros like William Windom, Sergio Calderón, William Lucking, and Philip Sterling, these guest stars deserve some credit for helping launch The A-Team.
However, there’s two racially-insensitive elements that should be addressed. One is George Peppard’s presence in his fake Chinese ‘Mr. Lee’ disguise – the producers wisely chose afterwards to mention ‘Mr. Lee’ vs. showing this dubious alias on-screen again. Peppard really should have known better considering he was in 1961’s Breakfast in Tiffany’s, where Mickey Rooney’s bufoonish ‘Mr. Yunioshi’ character was rightfully derided. It’s head-shaking why the producers thought Peppard’s take would go over any better, but, at least, this scene is relatively brief.
The other dubious element is a predictably heavy dose of Hollywood ethnic stereotyping re: drug dealers and oppressed Mexican villagers. It’s strictly one-dimensional stuff. Despite these weaknesses, “Mexican Slayride” (including a memorable crop duster sequence) serves up mostly well-played A-Team entertainment.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7 Stars
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