popular thinking

STOP TURNING MY FAVORITE TV SHOWS INTO CRAPTACULAR MOVIES: Maybe I should tone that down a bit. Then again, no. Really, how many times do you think I'm going to fall for that logic -- the trailer for Dukes of Hazzard says it's the most anticipated film of the summer. C'mon. Even in jest, it's not in jest. You know it'll be horrible. So anyhows, I wrote up a list of some memorable TV shows from the 1970s and 1980s that haven't yet been adapted to the big screen. Some colleagues in the newsroom suggested The Love Boat would make a great movie. Um, no. That's a TV-movie. Not even in the same league as Cannonball Run. I didn't have room for all of the possibilities, so here is some of what made the cut in print.

Fantasy Island - Ramp up the thriller/horror aspects from this surreal be-careful-what-you-wish-for show. For Mr. Roarke, go with Armand Assante, Antonio Banderas or heck, even Ricardo Montalban, still working at 84 (which would add an extra dose of creepiness). For Tattoo, how about Peter Dinklage? No, wait. Make it Tom Cruise, now that he's extra jumpy.

Scarecrow and Mrs. King - Talk about made for the big screen. A bored suburban divorcee house wife falls in league with a secret-agent man. Calling Teri Hatcher. For fun, reunite her with Dean Cain. For campy fun, reunite her with Howie Long.

The Greatest American Hero - Believe it or not, nobody has tried adapting this superhero spoof that finds teacher Ralph Hinkley handed a costume with special powers he cannot control. Unless you count Jackie Chan's The Tuxedo. Oh, well. This was the superhero flick Ben Affleck should have made.

Read my other suggestions in today's Boston Herald: Screen gems: It's prime time for film directors to raid TV's finest

Or make your own suggestions by leaving a comment.