Ripcord (TV series)

Ripcord
Title screen
Genre	Adventure
Created by	Harry Redmond Jr./James Carl (Jim) Hall
Directed by	Leon Benson Jack Herzberg
Presented by	Larry Pennell
Starring	Larry Pennell Ken Curtis Paul Comi (1961–62) Shug Fisher (1962–63)
Narrated by	Larry Pennell
Theme music composer	Judith Pines
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	76
Production
Executive producer(s)	Ivan Tors Babe Unger
Producer(s)	Leon Benson Stanley Colbert Maurice Unger
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	30 minutes
Production company(s)	Ziv Television Programs (first 39 episodes) Rapier Productions Inc./United Artists Television (last 37 episodes)
Distributor	Ziv-United Artists (1961-1962) (seasons 1-2) United Artists Television (1962-1963) MGM Television Peter Rodgers Organization
Release
Original network	Syndication
Picture format	Black and White - Season 1 Color - Season 2
Audio format	Monaural
Original release	June 3, 1961 – September 1, 1963

Ripcord is an American syndicated television series that ran for a total of 76 episodes from 1961 to 1963 about the exploits of a skydiving operation of its namesake.

Overview

The premise was a variety of adventures surrounding the then-new, thrilling sport of skydiving. The two men and their private Cessna airplane were placed in unusual situations where their special skills and abilities were needed. This led them on exciting weekly adventures from chasing dangerous criminals to performing difficult and daring, if occasionally absurd, rescues.

This series starred Larry Pennell as the handsome, headstrong, youthful, colorful, audacious, intrepid and brave skydiver Theodore (Ted) McKeever, with Ken Curtis as his inseparable level-headed older mentor and best buddy James (Jim) Buckley. Airplane pilot Chuck Lambert, played by Paul Comi, was replaced midway through the first season by Charlie Kern, portrayed by fellow Sons of the Pioneers' bandmate Shug Fisher.

Guest stars included Richard Arlen, Harry Carey, Jr., Pat Conway, Richard Eastham, Lang Jeffries, Dayton Lummis, Tyler McVey, Denver Pyle, Lurene Tuttle, Paul Fix, Dick Sargent, Russell Johnson, Dawn Wells, Burt Reynolds, Biff Elliott, Alan Baxter, BarBara Luna, John Agar, Robert Clarke, Paul Birch, Carol Ohmart, Michael Pataki, Philip Ober, Vinton Hayworth, Lane Bradford, Kenneth Tobey, Bernie Kopell, Tim Matheson, Tracy Olsen, John Considine, Walter Mathews, Page Slattery, Robert Sampson, Kathie Browne, Jack Hogan, William Bryant, William Boyett, Harry Townes, Arthur Franz, Gerald Mohr, Edward Platt, Leo Penn, Lee Van Cleef, Russ Conway, Charles Knox Robinson, Richard Simmons, Robert F. Simon, Steve Terrell, Allison Hayes, Susan Silo, Dyan Cannon and the then little known James Coburn.

The stuntmen performing the actual skydiving were Bob Fleming, an airline pilot, and Joe Mangione, both from Brooklyn, New York. Fleming also doubled as the pilot at the controls when not involved in the scene.

Cameramen included Tom Ryan, whose previous experience included early parachute development, testing and design. Ryan was a pioneer in capturing closeup movies of free-falling skydivers.

In 1962, the filming of this series involved the transfer of a stuntman between two planes, which was being filmed from a third one. Due to the air turbulence, the two planes of the transfer touched and both subsequently crashed. The pilots of both planes and the stuntman were all able to parachute to safety. Later, the dramatic footage from this event was subsequently used in two Ripcord episodes.^[1]

This show sponsored a popular Ripcord tie-in toy, consisting of a large plastic parachute with a plastic skydiver figure attached to it, which could be thrown in the air and would float down to the ground, just like a real parachute. It was a big toy seller. At the end of every episode, Larry Pennell as Theodore (Ted) McKeever, along with Ken Curtis as James (Jim) Buckley, delivered a brief comment, addressing to viewers the importance of sport parachuting safety. Some of the Ripcord episodes can be found on YouTube, Veoh.com. and Uncle Earl's Classic Television Channel.

==Episode list== (in alphabetical not broadcast order)

Syndication outside the US

Ripcord aired in Brazil in the 1960s under its original title at the same time as in the United States. Ripcord aired in the UK (under its original title) on BBC1 in 1964, with repeats airing the following year until October 1965. ^[2]

Adaptations

Ray Bailey adapted the series into a comic strip.^[3]

Home media

On July 23, 2013, TGG Direct released both seasons of Ripcord on Region 1 DVD.^[4]

References

External links

• Ripcord on IMDb
• Ripcord at TV.com