Posted By Dan Greenfield on Apr 7, 2025 | 5 comments

MORRISON MONDAYS!

By BILL MORRISON

Before The Simpsons came into my life, I was a movie poster illustrator, working in Hollywood. And although I painted dozens of images that were displayed in theater lobbies and on billboards, I also got lots of assignments to create images that were not meant for the general public. These were either preliminary paintings and drawings known as comps (short for comprehensive) for advertising executives and producers to review, or art that was designed to sell a film or TV series to investors, or get a show into syndication.

One such project was for a first-run syndicated, late-’80’s TV series titled Force III. I painted the illustration for a press kit cover that features three tricked-out vehicles bursting through what looks like a concrete wall, appearing undamaged and freshly Turtle Waxed! From the press kit copy we know that the show was about three Vietnam vets — a stock broker, a cowboy, and a martial arts instructor — who are enlisted by the CIA to execute dangerous missions in three distinct super-cars.

They take their orders from a CIA officer who they never see, and have a liaison who directs and helps facilitate their missions. If any of this sounds familiar, it’s because the premise borrows heavily from three other very successful shows of its day. I imagine the pitch for the series went something like “It’s Knight Rider meets The A-Team meets Charlie’s Angels.”

If you were a fan of action/adventure shows in the 1980s and are wondering why you haven’t heard of this show, it’s because it never saw the light of day. That’s not uncommon though. Plenty of shows have pilots filmed and then don’t get a series order and are lost to history. But Force III was a bit different. By all available accounts, 65 episodes were ordered, not just the pilot, and it’s possible that some or all of them were actually filmed! But nobody seems to know for sure.

Galoob Toys did announce a partnership with the producers to sell toy vehicles and action figures, so there was a merchandising plan in the works. But little else is known, and the question of why the series never aired with a full season of half-hour episodes ordered is a complete mystery. One of the cars, the Trans Am, was sold at auction in 2003, but nobody seems to know what became of the other two vehicles.

Being from Detroit, I’ve always loved painting cars whenever I’ve had the opportunity, but the real thrill of this assignment was a cool Batman connection! In order to draw and paint the press kit image, I was sent out to North Hollywood to photograph the actual vehicles used in the show — which were at the shop belonging to none other than George Barris, creator of the 1966 TV Batmobile!

When I arrived at Barris Kustom City, I was greeted by George himself, who already had the cars out in the paved yard area of his shop, just waiting for me to shoot. As I moved around the vehicles, trying to get every possible angle for my reference, I couldn’t help but notice what had to be other cars under tarps in the service bays of his shop.

I asked George if the Batmobile was here, and he pointed to a cloth-covered heap and said “Yes, that’s it over there.” Naturally I asked to see it, but he declined, saying it was too much trouble to uncover it and then cover it again. He then pointed to other tarp-covered mounds and identified them, saying “That’s a car I did for Elvis,” “That’s the Munster Koach,” etc. But all remained under wraps. (Note from Dan: I was able to visit the shop before it closed. If you want to see more, click here.)

Years later. — Dan

I haven’t done an illustration of a car in several years, but after discovering the Force III press kit in my archives and seeing my illustration of the three “Vehicles of Justice” for the first time in decades, I’ve got the itch to get my airbrush out and paint a cool TV car! Now I just have to decide between my favorites — the Batmobile, the Munster Koach, or the Monkeemobile!

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