Identify this TV show?

[Point Blank]

Hi, this is really starting to bug me, so I thought I'd ask for some help.

In the late 70s/early 80s, I'd guess, there was a (presumably US) programme on TV in the UK about a boy/young man who'd grown up in the wild (might even have been raised by wolves or something), and I think got reintroduced to civilisation. All I can remember is that he had a nice line in wolf-like snarls, I think he perhaps didn't actually speak (because who would he have learned from?), and I have a feeling the actor's name was Kevin something. Or possibly Keith something ...

Can anyone identify it from that little bit of information?

 

[superintelligentone]

Geez, that's not enough information to work with.

You'd need to be a genius to piece those bits together to come up with an answer.

I'll see what I can do. I'll have to think of a coherent search parameter, first.

 

[superintelligentone]

I think that I've found what you're describing: Lucan (1977).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucan_(TV_series)

The television drama Lucan aired on ABC from 1977 to 1978. The core cast was Kevin Brophy, John Randolph, and Don Gordon.

A 20-year old man (Brophy) spent the first 10 years of his life running wild in the forest after being raised by wolves. Lucan is taken to a research institute where he is taught the ways of human society. Lucan is befriended by a kind research doctor with whom he bonded during his journey to civilization. Lucan's continued freedom at the research center is put in peril once his doctor friend and mentor is hurt.

Unable to insure Lucan's well being at the institute the now barely civilized Wolf Boy is encouraged by his doctor friend to embrace his dream by striking out on his own in search of his identity. The short lived TV series chronicled the encounters, challenges and intrigues Lucan faced interacting with people both good and bad using his new learned social graces and old Wolfen instincts.

Lucan did have special Wolfen skills that were invoked when he was made very angry. When upset to the point of violence his eyes glowed amber. He also had heightened senses of smell and hearing. In a few episodes he was able to call on his old wolf family/pack for help.

This series was based on a 1977 made-for-TV movie of the same name directed by David Greene.

http://www.tv.com/lu...subtabs;summary

Lucan was a show about a baby boy lost in the wilderness of Minnesota, USA. This child was found and raised to age ten by a she wolf as her own. The child grew up in the wild learning his own unique form of socialization.

At age ten the wild child discovered by hunters was subsequently captured and taken to a university research center. At the research center this Wolf Boy was experimented upon while being taught basics of coping in so called human civilization.

The child raised by wolves started saying "LUCAN" upon hearing a doctor friends encouragement saying 'YOU CAN'. Thinking this was his name so the doctor named him LUCAN. LUCAN grew into a fine well educated 20 year old man just as the research university made both he and the research project that supported him a hotbed of political infighting.

Lucan's stressed out old scientist, protector, now mentor and close friend "John Randolph" as Dr. Hoagland suffers a non-fatal acccident.

In The Pilot Episode: The good doctor no longer able to defend LUCAN against corrupt heartless University foes begged his wolf boy-human hybred friend to escape by melting into the uncharted wilderness of human civilization.

In The Lucan Series: show viewers join Lucan on his journey doing good while searching for his natural parents. Lucan always had a strong abiding urge to find his natural parents. The old sick doctor friend felt it was time Lucan left his protected university research world to join mainstream human society. LUCAN used skills honed growing up with wolves to escape the research institute venturing out into humankind's civilization on a quest to find his parents.

The series basically chronicle's LUCAN's search for his parents played against a backdrop of different intrigues. In each episode LUCAN attempts to cope with human civilization by further developing his own hybred human-wolfen brand of socialization skills. Lucan is dogged without mercy by money grubbing, cold hearted, inept bounty hunter special police investigator and all around boob Don Gordon as "Prentiss".

Lucan is sometimes helped by his research doctor friend and mentor Dr. Hoagland throughout the series. Lucan meets new challenges, people and animals who are changed after encountering his unique wolfen-human hybrid manner.

While Lucan makes many dear new friends, he lets nothing stop his quest following all leads to his real parents, giving the series its reason to continue.

Since the series never made it beyond 12 episodes the concept was never fully developed beyond what is stated here.

The series may have been inspired by the French movie "L'Enfant Sauvage" (The Wild Child) by Francois Truffaut. This movie recounts the authentic case of Victor of Aveyron, a wild boy captured by huntsmen in the depths of a French forest in 1798. And made the subject of a prolonged study by Dr. Jean Itard of the Deaf and Dumb Institute in Paris, an imposing building in the rue Saint-Jacques. The film was released to American audiences in 1970, but has recently been re-released on DVD.

Also look at: http://www.imdb.com/...35/usercomments

Man raised by wolves, gets super powers., 26 February 2005

Author: icelandknight from Reykjavik, Iceland
I've only seen two episodes in this TV series, but the ones I saw totally captured me. I have been trying to get local TV stations to show the series without success. They claim they can't find anything about this show! Now I can point them to this web space! Lucan was raised by wolves and somehow this gives him super powers. When he's enraged his eyes glow red and he goes berserk, a one man army. In one episode I saw he was coerced into becoming a boxer, and was titled something like "ONE HIT WONDER", because that's all it took when he became enraged enough, to knock out his opponents. Of course the plot thickens when he is commanded to take a DIVE so some mobsters can make a bundle, since everyone is betting on him winning. This means he has to keep his unnatural rage in check while being hammered on in the ring.

When watching these shows one can't help but feel someone sat down and tried to find out what possible super powers wolves MIGHT have... and give the super version to Lucan. Among powers he had were keen eyesight in darkness, allowing him to identify creatures at a distance which was very reminiscent of "Six Million Dollar Man". In fact, the show might be compared to many super hero TV series, like the incredible "Hulk" and "Bionic Woman", but in both cases the reason for their super powers is better explained, and possibly more "reasonable".

Like in the TV series "Kung Fu", each show had a moral message, or a social comment, for example how WE, the supposedly "civilized people, can seem more like animals than someone who was raised by them.

I'd love to see MORE shows like this one! 5/5 No question.

 

[Point Blank]

I think that I've found what you're describing: Lucan (1977).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucan_(TV_series)


http://www.tv.com/lu...subtabs;summary


Also look at: http://www.imdb.com/...35/usercomments

Brilliant! You really are superintelligent, obviously . I had a feeling it began with an L, but wasn't sure. Many thanks!

And don't worry, I won't try you on the obscure Finnish film I'm also trying to identify