SECTION I: THE BASICS


WHAT IS "THE A-TEAM"?
"The A-Team" is an action/adventure/comedy series which ran on the NBC network 
from 1983 to 1987.  In total there were 90 one-hour episodes and 4 two-hour
episodes produced, for a total of 98 hours.  It was considered at one time to
be the most violent TV-show on the air, yet in it's trademark fashion people
never (or rather, rarely) were hurt by all the gunfire, explosions, fights,
etc.  Many critics missed the point that the show was intended to be a
parody of the action/adventure genre at the start (although it turned
more serious later on).


WHAT WAS THE BASIC STORY BEHIND THE SHOW?  WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT 
THE MAIN CHARACTERS?
To quote the show's opening narration:
"(Ten years ago)/(In 1972)* a crack commando unit was sent to prison by 
a military court for a crime they didn't commit.  These men promptly escaped
from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground.  Today, still
wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune.  If you have a
problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire
the A-Team."

*(In the first-season episodes the narration started "Ten years ago..." and
in all other seasons it started "In 1972.")
     
The A-Team consisted of the following four men:

(LIEUTENANT) COLONEL JOHN "HANNIBAL" SMITH (played by George Peppard)
The leader of the A-Team.  Rank seemed to fluctuate between Lt. Colonel and
full Colonel.  Considered a maverick because of his reckless style and
fondness for "classic half-pincer movements" and "through the front door"
attacks.  Service medals we know he earned during 'Nam and also the Korean War
include bronze & silver stars, Korea Service, National Defense, Joint Service
Commendation, the Soldier's Medal, Vietnam Service, Vietnam Campaign medal
with bar, Distinguished Service, US Army Commendation, Armed Forces Expedition,
and the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Little is known about his family background, whether he had any siblings, and 
whether or not "John Smith" is his real birth name or not.  While on the run
from the military, he supplemented his income by appearing in monster movies
(always behind layers of latex and makeup).  Most famous role is that of "The
Aquamaniac."  Loved cigars, and was often heard to say, "I love it when a plan
comes together!"

LIEUTENANT TEMPLETON ARTHUR "FACEMAN" PECK (played by Dirk Benedict)
Has the most complicated (and conflicting) bios of all the Team members.
Birth date (according to "Trial by Fire") is supposedly December 7, 1950.
However, this seems highly unlikely so I don't put much weight in that fact.
Social Security #522-70-5444.  He was orphaned when he was approximately four
years old. He is mentioned as living at two different orphanages: Sacred Heart
(run by Father Magill, mentioned in early AT episodes) and Angel's Guardian
(mentioned in "Beneath the Surface").  The AT books mention two other names
(St. Mary's and St. Bartholomew's), but I don't take the novels as cannon and
it seems the author probably just made that up. Peck may have been transferred
from Sacred Heart to Angel's Guardian when he was in his early teens.

He went to college where he met Leslie Bektall, who ended up leaving him and
leaving school in fact to become a nun ("The Only Church in Town").  That
would be in 1968, according to the fact that he states in the episode it
happened fifteen years ago.  He then begins his career in the Army.  Now, TAT
was supposedly part of the Fifth Special Forces Group.  Generally these
Special Forces groups are trained at Fort Bragg and have on average three
years of military service behind them...therefore it seems we may have to
assume that he either showed exceptional abilities and advanced much quicker
than usual through the system or he conned his way into Special Forces
(wouldn't be surprising).  We don't know much of anything about exactly when
and how he ended up on TAT, although BA points out once that if Hannibal
hadn't put Face into his unit in 'Nam (and thereby under his protective
custody) he'd most likely be in jail already.  So we can assume he was acting
as a con man from early in life. 

In the 5th season episode "Family Reunion," we also learn that Face's father
was actually a man named "A.J. Bancroft," a man who was a wanted criminal for
being involved in some sort of government conspiracy years before.  His
original birthname according to A.J. was "Richard."  It also turned out he
had a half-sister named Ellen.

SERGEANT BOSCO "BAD ATTITUDE (B.A.)" BARACUS (played by Mr. T)
Originally from Chicago.  (Mother played by Della Reese in the episode "Lease
With an Option to Die.")  Nickname when he was younger was "Scooter."  Played
football in high school.  Has tendency to punch out officers, generally
considered a trouble-maker in 'Nam.  A mechanical genius with the ability to
do just about anything with a propane torch and some spare parts.  Seems to
love nothing in life as much as his precious black-and-red van.  Hates to fly,
especially when Murdock is the pilot, and generally needs to be
drugged/knocked over the head, etc. in order to get on a plane.  Loves milk
and little kids, and appears to spend most of his time while not with the Team
helping out at a youth center in one of the poorer sections of L.A.

CAPTAIN H. M. "HOWLIN' MAD" MURDOCK (played by Dwight Schultz)
Not much is known on the background of Murdock, the Team's certifiably crazy
pilot.  No, his real first name was never revealed on the show, although one
person has pointed out and speculates that he might be named after Holland M.
"Howling Mad" Smith, Marine General in the Pacific during World War II.
Murdock's mother died when he was five.  Murdock was a member of the
Thunderbirds before 'Nam.  During 'Nam he worked for the CIA on several
missions at least ("Once in '67, then again in '69" - "Wheel of Fortune").
Resided at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Westwood, California.  Not
wanted by the military police for the bank job because of his presumed
insanity.  Always suspected of keeping in contact with the Team but the MP's
were never able to prove anything (often, Murdock's having to hide whenever
the MP's were around would come in handy when the guys needed a quick rescue).
Psychiatrist was Dr. Alan M. Richter.  "Released" from the Hospital shortly
after the Team's trial and escape from the firing line, although there is a
strong possibility he just escaped for good.  Has an "invisible" dog named
Billy.  

-----

As stated in the show's introduction, TAT was a Special Forces commando unit
during Vietnam.  Their Commanding Officer was one Colonel Samuel/Steve
Morrison (called Steve in "The Sound of Thunder" and Samuel in the 5th season
Trial episodes.)  Supposedly, Morrison gave the Team orders to rob the Bank of
Hanoi in an effort to help bring the war to an end.  They succeeded, but
Morrison's headquarter was destroyed that same night in an artillery barrage
(along with Morrison, presumably) and no proof therefore remained that they
were acting under orders.  Smith, Baracus and Peck were sent to Fort Bragg,
where they quickly escaped and began working as soldiers of fortune while on
the run.

They tended to always take on the cause of the underdog: small businessmen &
women being forced out of business by greedy developers/mafia-types.  Often
(especially in later 3rd and 4th season episodes), they tended to stumble into
trouble situations more than being directly hired.  Although their fees were
generally quite high, it was more often than not the case that the Team took
on jobs for free or expenses only, or ended up agreeing to a 10% cut on the
profits of a business's future earnings.  No wonder they all were busy with
other jobs when not on a mission!

----

The Team also had several associates during their years on the run:

AMY AMANDA ("TRIPLE A") ALLEN (played by Melinda Culea)
Amy, a reporter for the Los Angeles Courier, hired the A-Team in the first
episode to find her reporter friend Al Massey in Mexico.  She ended up, in
effect, "blackmailing" the Team into taking her on as a member by stating that
she would write an expose on them if they didn't.  In 1984 (during the 2nd
season) she left the Team to become foreign corespondent.

TAWNIA BAKER (played by Marla Heasley)
Was apparently a friend of Amy's at the paper, she contacted them after Amy
left, determined to work her way onto the Team as well.  Apparently Amy told
her quite a bit about the Team beforehand.  She ended up leaving the Team
(although they never took her as seriously as a Team member as they did Amy)
in the episode "The Bend in the River," after the Team locates her rich
archaeologist fiance and she gets married.

FRANKIE "DISHPAN" SANTANA (played by Eddie Velez)
A special effects wiz who initially worked against the Team for Stockwell,
setting them up so that he could get them under his control.  Ended up
assisting Murdock in helping the guys escape the firing squad and thereby
became a wanted man himself.  

Little is known about his background/family except that his father is
apparently in a nursing home, and originally worked for Stockwell only because
he threatened to cut off the money that was keeping him in the home.  


WHO WERE THE MILITARY POLICE (MP) "BAD GUYS"?

COLONEL LYNCH (played by William Lucking)
Was in charge of Fort Bragg when TAT first escaped in '72 and has been
searching for them ever since (at least until the episode "The Only Church in
Town" - the last time he is mentioned being in pursuit of the Team, although
his last on-screen appearance until later on would be the 1st season finale "A
Nice Place to Visit.")

COLONEL RODERICK DECKER (played by Lance LeGault)
First appeared in the second season episode "When You Comin' Back Range
Rider?"  Supposedly carried a grudge against the Team - especially Smith -
since Vietnam.  Would be the primary MP "Bad Guy" until the episode "Mind
Games" in the 4th season, although Colonel Lynch was given a second chance in
the 3rd season episode "Showdown!" and Colonel Briggs was introduced in the
3rd season episode "Fire!"

CAPTAIN CRANE (played by Carl Franklin)
Colonel Decker's ever-present, trusty side-kick.

COLONEL BRIGGS (played by Charles Napier)
Only appeared in one episode, "Fire!" before mysteriously disappearing as 
mysteriously as he was introduced.  No idea about what happened there, unless
the producers were just trying out someone new and realized after only one
episode that the character didn't work.

GENERAL HARLAN "BULL" FULBRIGHT (played by Jack Ging)
Would be the primary bad guy for the fourth season, starting with "Mind
Games."  Claimed to have been good friends with Samuel/Steve Morrison, the
Team's CO ("Sound of Thunder").  Had an Amer-asian daughter in Vietnam, named
Tia, that he did not know about until he hired the Team to track her down
("Sound of Thunder" again.)  He was killed during this mission, after saving
his daughter, and not before changing his mind about the Team's guilt.

GENERAL HUNT STOCKWELL (played by Robert Vaughn)
A bit of a mystery man, Stockwell in effect "tricked" the Team into working
for him - after setting them up to go on trial for the Hanoi bank job and
Morrison's Murder - in exchange for a pardon.  He wasn't exactly government or
CIA, claiming to work "inside" the system.  In one episode ("The Say UNCLE
Affair") it was revealed he had a past associate named Ivan (played, of
course, by David McCallum), showing that his history in shady business went
way back.

In a side note, there is an actual John STOCKWELL, who (as of 1987 at least)
was the highest-ranking CIA official ever to leave the agency and go public.
He wrote a book on his experiences called "In Search of Enemies."  I have no
idea if there is any connection between this man and the character Hunt
Stockwell, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

CARLA (Last name unknown) (played by Judith Ledford)
Stockwell's ever-present associate and assistant.  What their relationship is
and anything more than her first name remains a mystery to this day.
Generally not given much to do beyond saying, "Here are the files, sir."


WHAT ARE THE TITLES OF ALL THE A-TEAM EPISODES, AND IN WHAT ORDER DID
THEY ORIGINALLY AIR?
This is a condensed version of the A-Team episode guide.  For further
information including plot summaries, guest cast, writers and directors,
please see the more detailed episode guide available at

http://homepage.seas.upenn.edu/~pellegri/guide.html.

Note: episodes in which Amy appeared are marked with a *, and episodes with
Tawnia are marked with a ^.

--------------------------------------
SEASON ONE - 13 EPISODES
--------------------------------------
01/23/83        Mexican Slayride      (2 hours)
01/30/83        Children of Jamestown*
02/08/83        Pros and Cons*
02/15/83        A Small And Deadly War*
02/22/83        Black Day At Bad Rock*
03/01/83        The Rabbit Who Ate Las Vegas*
03/15/83        Holiday in the Hills*
03/22/83        The Out Of Towners*
04/05/83        West Coast Turnaround*
04/12/83        One More Time*
04/19/83        Till Death Do Us Part*
05/03/83        The Beast from the Belly of a Boeing*
05/10/83        A Nice Place to Visit*
---------------------------------------
SEASON TWO - 22 EPISODES
---------------------------------------
09/20/83        Diamonds N' Dust*
09/27/83        Recipe For Heavy Bread*
10/11/83        The Only Church In Town*
10/18/83        Bad Day On The Border*
10/25/83        When You Coming Back, Range Rider?*      (2 hours)
11/01/83        The Taxicab Wars*
11/08/83        Labor Pains*
11/15/83        There's Always A Catch*
11/22/83        Water, Water Everywhere*
11/29/83        Steel
12/06/83        The White Ballot*
12/13/83        The Maltese Cow
01/03/84        In Plane Sight
01/10/84        The Battle Of Bel-Air^
01/24/84        Say It With Bullets^
01/31/84        Pure-Dee Poison^
02/07/84        It's A Desert Out There^
02/14/84        Chopping Spree^
02/21/84        Harder Than It Looks
02/28/84        Deadly Maneuvers^
05/08/84        Semi-Friendly Persuasion
05/15/84        Curtain Call^
------------------------------------------
SEASON THREE - 24 EPISODES
------------------------------------------
09/18/84        Bullets And Bikinis
09/25/84        The Bend In The River^           (2 hours)
10/02/84        Fire
10/16/84        Timber!
10/23/84        Double Heat
10/30/84        Trouble On Wheels
11/13/84        The Island
11/20/84        Showdown!
11/27/84        Sheriffs Of Rivertown
12/04/84        The Bells of St. Mary's
12/11/84        Hot Styles
12/18/84        Breakout!
01/08/85        Cup A' Joe
01/15/85        The Big Squeeze
01/22/85        Champ!
01/29/85        Skins
02/05/85        Road Games
02/12/85        Moving Targets
02/26/85        Knights Of The Road
03/05/85        Waste 'Em
04/02/85        Bounty
04/09/85        Beverly Hills Assault
05/07/85        Trouble Brewing
05/14/85        Incident At Crystal Lake
----------------------------------------
SEASON FOUR - 22 EPISODES
-----------------------------------------
09/24/85        Judgment Day           (2 hours)
10/01/85        Where Is The Monster When You Need Him?
10/15/85        Blood, Sweat & Cheers   [postponed until 11/19/85]
10/22/85        Lease With An Option To Die
10/29/85        The Road To Hope
11/05/85        The Heart Of Rock 'N' Roll
11/12/85        Body Slam
11/26/85        Mind Games
12/03/85        There Goes The Neighborhood
12/10/85        The Doctor Is Out
12/17/85        Uncle Buckle-Up
01/14/86        Wheel of Fortune
01/21/86        The A-Team is Coming, The A-Team is Coming
01/28/86        Members Only
02/11/86        Cowboy George
02/18/86        Waiting for Insane Wayne
02/25/86        The Duke Of Whispering Pines
03/04/86        Beneath the Surface
03/11/86        Mission of Peace
03/25/86        The Trouble With Harry
05/06/86        A Little Town With an Accent
05/13/86        The Sound of Thunder
---------------------------------------
SEASON FIVE - 13 EPISODES
---------------------------------------
09/26/86        Dishpan Man
10/03/86        Trial by Fire
10/10/86        Firing Line
10/17/86        Quarterback Sneak
10/24/86        The Theory of Revolution
10/31/86        The Say Uncle Affair
11/07/86        Alive at Five
11/14/86        Family Reunion
11/18/86        Point of No Return
11/28/86        The Crystal Skull
12/12/86        The Spy Who Mugged Me
12/30/86        The Gray Team
03/08/87        Without Reservations


DIDN'T "THE A-TEAM" PREMIERE AFTER THE SUPER BOWL?
Actually, the two hour pilot episode aired as an NBC Sunday Night Movie, on
January 23, 1983.  The first regular 1 hour episode, "Children of Jamestown,"
aired following the Super Bowl on January 30, 1983.  With the next episode,
"Pros and Cons," it would move to it's Tuesday night, 8 pm EST time-slot,
where it would remain until the 5th-season where it moved to Friday nights at
8 pm.


HOW POPULAR WAS "THE A-TEAM" WHEN IT FIRST AIRED?
Very.  It was the show that almost single-handedly brought NBC out of its
third place slump in the ratings and was one of the networks biggest successes
ever.  In its very first season ('82-'83), or half-season, as it was, it
finished 10th overall.  It was the network's only Top Ten show for the season,
and a rerun of "The Out-of-Towners" made it to Number 2 for the week.  In it's
second season it moved up to Number 4 in the overall ratings, with eight
episodes reaching Number 1 for the week.  It still held strong in the ratings
for it's third season, finishing in 6th place overall, with one Number One
high for the episode "Bounty" (which featured Dwight Schultz's wife, Wendy
Fulton).  However, the 4th season saw a dramatic drop in the ratings, down to 
30th place, having a high of 16th with the episode "Body Slam."  Despite
drastic efforts to increase the ratings in the 5th season, it finished a
dismal 61st place for the half-season of episodes that aired.


DID "THE A-TEAM" EVER WIN ANY AWARDS OR NOMINATIONS? 
Yes, a few.

1983: Emmy Nomination for "Outstanding Film Sound Mixing for a Series" for
"Fast Eddie" Mahler (production mixer), James R. Cook, John Norman, and Robert 
Harman, rerecording mixers for the pilot episode.

1984: People's Choice Awards for "Favorite New Show," "Favorite New Male Star" 
for Mr. T, and nomination for "Favorite New Drama."

1985: Stuntman Award for "Best Action Sequence by a Coordinator" for Craig R. 
Baxley for the episode "The Bend in the River."

1985:MPSE Award for "Best Sound Editing for an Hour" for sound mixer "Fast 
Eddie" Mahler, sound effects coordinator Dick Wahrman for the episode "The
Doctor is Out."

1986: Stuntman Award for "TV Highwork" for Michael Leicha for episode
"Judgment Day."

FAQ maintained and compiled by Nicole Pellegrini pellegri@eniac.seas.upenn.edu