20 Snappy Facts About The A-Team
Few TV shows come close to The A-Team. The memorable intro theme and the uniqueness of the characters live on in our memories. For the fans, here are 20 Snappy Facts About The A-Team that you probably never knew or forgot.
1 Mr.T’s Gold
Apparently, the gold jewelry that was worn by B.A. Baracus weighed a whopping 18 kilograms
2 Real Military Experience
Three of the cast members had prior military service. George Peppard was a marine, Eddie Velez served in the Air Force and Mr. T served in the military police.
3 Hannibal’s Cigars
The cigars he smoked were real and were his own.
4 The Feud Between Peppard and Mr. T
According to other cast members, the two never got along. Although Peppard played the lead role, Mr.T became the real star of the show. Peppard referred to Mr.T as the “man with the gold” and used Bennedict to convey messages between the two as they refused to talk to each other.
5 Hannibal’s Military Awards
According to the script, Hannibal’s decorations included The Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, the Purple Heart, and also a host of campaign medals.
6 PG Rating
The show got a PG rating because there was a lot of fistfighting and shooting, but no killings.
7 Ratings
Throughout the show’s lifetime critics slammed the unrealistic and comic-strip nature of the show, but ultimately it was the viewers that decided the popularity of the show.
8 The A-Team Name
The name of the show was taken from “A-Teams”. The codeword word for Operational Detachments Alpha during the Vietnam War.
9 Murdosck’s Jacket
Murdock’s Jacket bears the print of a tiger. The emblem was used by US mercenary pilots during World War 2.
10 What B.A. stands for
In the pilot episode, they explain it is an abbreviation of his real name and nickname. Bosco Albert and “Bad Attitude” respectively.
11 The Van
The A-Team van used in the episodes was mainly a modified GMC Vandura. however, stunt vehicles were also used as the Ford Ecoline. Different license plates can also be noticed throughout the show, as well as the van changing from GMC to Ford during stunt shoots, or the use of stock footage.
12 The Dynasty Connection
George Peppard appeared in the hit tv show “Dynasty” in 1981, but was fired after only one week.
13 Making Amends
Reportedly, Peppard and Mr.T made amends shortly before Peppard’s death in 1994
14 Hannibal’s Disguises
From season one, Hannibal was revealed to be a jobbing actor working at Universal. That explained his access to all the various costumes he used when meeting potential clients.
15 Riptide
For a significant part of the show’s lifetime, The A-Team, a show about four Vietnam veterans, was followed by Riptide, a show about 3 Vietnam veterans.
16 Airplane! The Connection
In episode 13 season 1 Murdock goes blind while flying a plane, forcing Hannibal to take over the controls and land. Once on the ground, the plane crashes through a window. This same scene was used in the movie “Airplane!”
17 The Pardon
A reunion TV movie was in the pipeline, where the four would have received a full pardon by the military police. It was unfortunately canceled when Peppard died in 1994.
18 The Battlestar Galactica Connection
Dirik Bennedict is shown in the episode opening pointing at a passing Cylon robot from the Battlestar Galactica movie. Benedict played the role of Lt. Starbuck in the 1978 “Battlestar Galactica”.
19 Five Weeks
Each episode was filmed completely five weeks before airing.
20 Boy George
Most would have forgotten the appearance of Boy George in a 1986 episode. The plot was that Face hired a highly touted group called Cowboy George and the Range Rats.