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Friday, June 20, 2003

By Barbara Vancheri, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

We all have a little Hulk in us, just waiting to burst out. We may not turn green or growl or sprout muscles that peel our clothing from our bodies, but we understand what made television's Dr. David Banner morph into the Incredible Hulk.

Everyone relates to being the Hulk. Top: The Incredible Hulk comic book creator Stan Lee and "Incredible Hulk" television star Lou Ferrigno at the premiere of the film "Hulk." Center: Director Ang Lee with Jane Lin at the movie premiere. Bottom: Fifth-grader Tiffany Martinez, 10, winner of a Junior Hulk contest, at Madame Tussaud's wax museum in New York. Click pictures for larger image. (Associated Press photos)

At least that's how Lou Ferrigno -- the Hulk to the late Bill Bixby's Banner -- sees it. "We relate to that inner rage, and the Hulk releases that frustration and anger for us," the 50-year-old California bodybuilder said in a recent phone call.

He was the flip side of anger management during the run of the CBS series from 1978-82, which was bookended by popular TV movies on CBS and NBC. The last was "The Death of the Incredible Hulk," which had a title and a concept Ferrigno didn't like.

"I felt like it was going to put a jinx on one of us, and I just didn't like the title because I thought they were doing it for the ratings." Although one Web site reports there were plans for a subsequent movie about the rebirth or revenge of the Hulk, Bixby's death from cancer in November 1993 precluded that.

Ferrigno finds himself back in the spotlight on a couple of fronts. Video distributors are tapping into their "Hulk" catalog and the TV Hulk has a cameo, as head of security, in Ang Lee's big-screen version based on the Marvel Comics books. This isn't your father's Hulk, by any means. It's as if the computer-generated creature is on steroids, since he can lift 5,000 pounds, jump three miles at a time, run 100 mph and shoot up from nine to 12 and then 15 feet tall.

He had not seen the movie before doing a round of recent phone interviews, so he couldn't comment on it. But Lee's Hulk is a far cry from Ferrigno's, which required three hours of makeup three or four days a week. "There were no fake jumpsuits or muscles. That was my body."

Viewers of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" learned that in a pair of episodes taped at Universal Studios and first aired during the 1979-80 season (and scheduled for rebroadcast the week of Oct. 27). They were designed to teach the difference between what's real and pretend, that superheroes are just actors in costumes and that people don't change color or shape when angry.

The weeklong series had been inspired, in part, by David Newell's daughter. Newell doubles as speedy deliveryman Mr. McFeely and his daughter, then 3 or 4 years old, had nightmares after seeing the Hulk on TV. Rogers crafted a series of shows about superheroes and asked Bixby, then hosting "Once Upon a Classic" at WQED, about a set visit.

Rogers and Bixby are shown on a California soundstage watching the filming of an episode in which the Hulk is balanced precariously on the wing of an airplane prop. Rogers later met with Ferrigno, who talked about the ear infection he developed as a child, which made hearing and speaking difficult.

And Ferrigno allowed the program to document his transformation from actor to Hulk with fake forehead, nose and eyebrows, shiny lime-green makeup set with a layer of powder, and wig. He also showed the reverse transformation at the end of the 12-hour day when he removed the rubbery prosthetics that altered his face.

And to hear him tell it, and judging by photos posted on his Web site at www.louferrigno.com, he still has his Hulk body, which impresses his fans to no end. "They can't get over I look the same. I'm in great shape," which he attributes to working out (cardio and weight training) five or six days a week, serving as a personal trainer to others and adhering to a balanced diet that shuns junk food or unnatural starches. He also is a motivational speaker.

Asked why many Americans fail to lose weight, he said, "The biggest mistake people make is they need to learn how to be consistent. ... You can't work out once a week and expect to be in great shape."

Ferrigno always regretted that the TV show never allowed the rageaholic to have actual lines of dialogue. "They apparently didn't want to do it back then, but I thought it was a mistake. The Hulk should have a voice. That's why I ended up doing the voiceover for the cartoon. It was icing on the cake for me."

Today, the man who was the youngest bodybuilder ever to hold the Mr. Universe title has a recurring role as a neighbor on "The King of Queens" series on CBS. It's given him a taste for sitcom work, plus a new flock of fans.

As for some of the salaries TV stars are receiving these days, Ferrigno says, "It's really incredible what they're making today. I'd love to be in their shoes."

Barbara Vancheri can be reached at bvancheri@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1632.