The Highwayman

Plot synopsis:
The movie and subsequent series follow the adventures of "The Highwayman", one of a mysterious group, presumably of U.S. Marshals, conducting crime-fighting missions and solving bizarre mysteries. Each Highwayman in this group is equipped with a high-tech, multi-function truck.
The pilot movie used a different opening narration, also voiced by William Conrad:
The 1987 pilot movie starred Sam J. Jones. The lead character is more mysterious than any of the other Highwaymen in that his real name is never revealed (he is only known as "The Highwayman" or "Highway"). He drives a large, black, computerized truck with a bullet-shaped cabin, which is the nose of a concealed helicopter (an Aérospatiale Gazelle) which can detach from the rest of the truck. The truck can also operate in "stealth mode" to become invisible. A concealed futuristic sports car can emerge from the truck's rear. Some elements of the futuristic dashboard design were re-used from Knight Rider.
Claudia Christian co-starred as the Highwayman's liaison, Dawn, and Stanford Egi as technical wizard Mr. Toto. The pilot was retitled Terror on the Blacktop when shown as a stand-alone TV movie.
After the 1987 pilot film, only Jones returned for the weekly series. The retooling of the premise eliminated the truck's stealth mode, which was never mentioned again. The Highwayman was joined by a new sidekick, Australian outback survival expert Jetto, played by Mark "Jacko" Jackson; Jane Badler as the Highwayman's boss, Ms. Tania Winthrop, and Tim Russ as D.C. Montana, who was responsible for the maintenance and modifications to the vehicles. The show was also filmed entirely on location in the American Southwest. Unusually, the show even switched production companies (the pilot was the last co-production between Glen Larson Productions and Twentieth Century Fox Television, the series was independently produced by Larson's New West Entertainment). (The name "D.C. Montana" is a pun on the name of D.C. Fontana, famed TV script writer who worked on many shows including Star Trek.)
After Jetto's truck, which was identical to the Highwayman's, was destroyed in the first episode, "Road Ranger", he is given his own, unique truck, the front half of which can separate into a futuristic car. The truck was later used in the first episode of Power Rangers Time Force.
Although the organization shares elements with that of F.L.A.G. (the Foundation for Law and Government) from Knight Rider, it shares more with the mysterious "Firm" from the original three seasons of Airwolf. The exact organization that the Highwayman and Jetto work for is never revealed in any great depth. Highwaymen seem to have extra-legal powers that occasionally cause conflict with the local police.
With much of the series featuring the Highwayman (and/or Jetto) driving their trucks along vast stretches of desert road, there are heavy modern-Western overtones to many episodes. With the hybrid vehicles and weaponry, and the ordinary police unable to deal with many fragments of society, and the overall tone of the series, many of the episodes have a vaguely post-apocalyptic feel to them.
Despite its short run, the series was broadcast in various other countries including Germany, France, Italy, Mexico, The Philippines, South Africa, Brazil(SBT), Pakistan (NTM), Peru, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom.
The original Highwayman truck (the one with the Gazelle helicopter cab) was designed and built by Jon Ward. It was restored and currently owned by a mobile tattoo service called 'Highwayman Ink' in Sulphur Springs, Texas.

Tags: action

Review:
One of Hollywood's finest classic romantic swashbucklers.. This one has it all . . . thundering hoofbeats, derring-do, moonlight chases, sneering villains, and a dashing hero to entrance his lady fair, all to the rousing music of Mendelsohn's "Italian Symphony", and no Hollywood film composer could have written a more apt score. (You'll be humming it, trust me.) The underrated Wanda Hendrix is lovely in this constume drama, which is based on the legend created from the classic Noyes poem. In fact, all the veteran players are at their best, and the story gallops right along to its gripping end. This is the marvelous stuff that silver-screen dreams were made of, right before Hollywood forgot how it was done.. Alfred Noyes Poem as movie swashbuckler. I actually saw this movie in the theater at the age of seven. Now that's an impressionable age, but more than 50 years later I can still envision the mist on the moors, the clouds scudding across the sky and the haunting music as one of the classic poems is beautifully brought to life. The dashing Highwayman daring all for love of the beautiful Bess; the jealous, sneaky, and lustful ostler betraying him to the authorities; the raucous redcoats lustfully jeering as they imprison the innkeeper's daughter, the brave and beautiful Bess willing to sacrifice all for her lover; who could ask for anything more in an adventure movie. This is a movie for those who just can't resist romance with a touch of ghost story.. The Highwayman was an excellent and enjoyable .film. I have not seen this movie since I was a young lad of seven, when my parents took my brother and I to the cinema to see it. Even at that young age I really enjoyed it. The swashbuckling was fantastic and there was plenty of action. It fitted in well with Alfred Noyes poem. I do not remember if it has ever been shown on television. I would dearly love to see this film again, because I am sure it would bring back so many memories.I know Philip Friend was not really well known at the time but I really enjoyed his acting. I also liked Wanda Hendrix, I always remember being married to one of my favourite Actors (Audie Murphy). All I can hope for is that it might get issued on DVD. Here's hoping. Also, other than this film there are lots of second feature films that I have never seen since I was a child. One in particular was Legions Last Patrol.. Loved it as a boy of 10. I saw this movie as a ten year old when it was released. Like most boys, I loved the rousing adventure, cringed at the mushy scenes, and hated the ending when Bess and The Highwayman died. I haven't seen the film as adult, so I'm not qualified to vote at present. Years later, in junior high school the Noyes poem was required reading as an example of alliteration. I loved the poem then and now. Last night, the words of the first verse kept popping into my feeble brain. Today, I pulled the poem up on the computer, re-read it, and came hunting for details of the film. I wish that I could view the film again and see if it was as good as I remember it to be. Certainly, it doesn't rank with Stalag 17 or other classic films of the fifties, but it was fun.