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The premise was a variety of adventures surrounding the then-new sport of skydiving. The men and their private aircraft were placed in unusual situations where the team's special skills and abilities were needed. This led them on weekly adventures from chasing criminals to performing daring, if not occasionally absurd, rescues.
The series starred Larry Pennell (who portrayed Dash Riprock on The Beverly Hillbillies) as Ted McKeever and Ken Curtis (who became famous as Festus on Gunsmoke) as Jim Buckley, his older mentor. Pilot Chuck Lambert, as played by Paul Comi, was replaced for the second season by Charlie Kern, portrayed by Shug Fisher (who also appeared on The Beverly Hillbillies as Shorty Kellems).
Guest stars included Harry Carey, Jr., Lee Van Cleef, Pat Conway, Richard Eastham, Lang Jeffries, Dayton Lummis, Tyler McVey, Denver Pyle, and the then little-known James Coburn.
The stuntmen performing the actual skydiving were Bob Fleming (a non-sked airline pilot) and Joe Mangione, who were both from Brooklyn, New York. Fleming also doubled as the pilot at the controls when not involved in the scene.
The show sponsored a popular Ripcord toy consisting of a large plastic parachute with a skydiver figure attached which could be thrown in the air and would float to the ground.- from Wikipedia
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Art by Ray Bailey.
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Thanks for posting! Love these, as an erstwhile skydiver (D-10747) who used to jump off of high places as a kid growing up in Maryland...
ReplyDeleteAs Larry Pennell (1928-2013) as the handsome, headstrong, youthful, colorful, audacious and brave Ripcord skydiver Theodore (Ted) McKeever said at the end of the exciting episode "Radar Rescue": "Parachuting is a fast-growing, exciting sport. To join the fun, follow the basic safety regulations that govern parachuting, use only the best equipment and, above all, get qualified instructions and remember: Keep it safe!"
ReplyDeleteAlso, as he said at the end of another exciting Ripcord episode, "Mile High Triangle": "Hi! Parachuting is an exciting, fast-growing sport, but don't try without qualified instructions, be sure you use good equipment, even so it'll take tens of jumps before you can tackle the hazardous job as Jim (Buckley) and I do as professionals."