Archive: Hulk Hogan's Thunder in Paradise

After three near misses, Terry 'Hulk' Hogan has finally scored a hit with Thunder in Paradise. The pilot for his action-packed new t.v. series is out on video, and a must-see for fans of Baywatch, The A-Team and WWF wrestling. The problem with Hogan's earlier vehicles No Holds Barred and Suburban Commando was that they saw him deliver performances at but one volume: LOUD! Mr Nanny was a step in the right direction, but many fans found the mix of The Hulkster and some Home Alone kiddie antics a little hard to take. Finally, with Thunder in Paradise, the REAL Terry Hogan steps into the limelight, and we are presented with a hero who is as likeable as he is lethal, as huggable as he is huge. If Thunder goes to series, it's certain to be a hit. If not, then Thunder in Paradise will remain the best 'movie' so far in Hulk Hogan's career.

"Baywatch was very popular," says Hogan, "but the one element people felt was missing was action. For Thunder, we used the whole technical crew from Baywatch, and we have that same combination of beautiful women and gorgeous beaches AND we have the action as well." Thunder in Paradise stars Hogan as former Navy SEAL R.J. 'Hurricane' Spencer. He and partner Martin Brubaker (Chris Lemmon) have designed and built a high-tech superboat, Thunder, as a prototype to win them a contract with the U.S. Navy. When the contract goes to a rival bidder, the pair decide to go into the business for themselves, using Thunder to take on assignments in order to earn back the money they spent building it. The stage is set for any number of adventures, with Spence and Bru hurtling across the waves from their Miami beach base. Once the initial outline had been put together, it was up to The Hulkster to provide the selling power to allow the series to fly. "I met with (Italian communications magnate) Silvio Berlusconi," remembers Hogan. "We're both Italians, and it only took one cappuccino for us to come to an agreement!"

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