Ripcord (TV series)

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.

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 Shug Fisher
Narrated by	Larry Pennell
Theme music composer	Judith Pines
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	76
Production
Executive producers	Ivan Tors Babe Unger
Producers	Leon Benson Stanley Colbert Maurice Unger
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	30 minutes
Production companies	Ziv Television Programs (first 39 episodes) Rapier Productions Incorporated and United Artists Television (last 37 episodes)
Distributor	Ziv Television Programs (episodes 1-39) United Artists Television (episodes 40-76)
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

Premise

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.

Cast

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.

Production

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 film footage of free-falling skydivers.

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

Episodes

Season 1 (1961–1962)

1. The Sky Diver - Pilot (Thursday September 28, 1961 - guest starred Russell Johnson)
2. Air Carnival
3. Airborne
4. Chuting Stars (guest starred John Agar)
5. Colorado Jump
6. The Condemned (guest starred Michael Pataki)
7. Counter-Attack
8. Crime Jump (Thursday October 5, 1961 - guest starred Burt Reynolds)
9. Dangerous Night, a.k.a. DARB (Distressed Airman Rescue Beacon) - guest starred Harry Townes
10. Death Camp
11. Derelict
12. Top Secret
13. Radar Rescue (Thursday December 28, 1961 - guest starred John Considine and Jack Hogan)
14. Sierra Jump
15. The Silver Cord
16. Thoroughbred
17. Ransom Drop (guest starred Tracy Olsen)
18. Escape
19. Double Drop
20. The Financier
21. Sentence of Death
22. Desperate Choice
23. Diplomatic Mission (guest starred Richard Simmons)
24. Hagen Charm (guest starred Arthur Franz)
25. The Helicopter Race (Thursday March 15, 1962 - guest starred Dyan Cannon)
26. Jungle Survivor
27. High Jeopardy
28. Hi-Jack
29. The Human Kind
30. Hurricane Charley
31. Elegy for a Hero
32. Cougar Mesa
33. Last Chance
34. Log Jam
35. Mile High Triangle (Thursday May 31, 1962 - guest starred Walter Mathews, Page Slattery, Robert Sampson and Kathie Browne)
36. Millionaire Doctor
37. One for the Money
38. Para-Nurse (guest starred Harry Carey, Jr. and Allison Hayes)

Season 2 (1962–1963)

1. Aerial Backfire (Thursday October 18, 1962)
2. Among Those Missing (Thursday October 25, 1962)
3. Chute to Kill
4. Day of the Hunter
5. Devil's Canyon
6. Expose
7. The Final Jump (Thursday April 18, 1963 - guest starred Tim Matheson)
8. Flight for Life
9. Flight to Terror
10. A Free Falling Star
11. Hostage Below
12. The Hunter
13. Infiltration
14. The Inventor
15. Jump or Die
16. Jump to a Blind Alley
17. Jump to Freedom
18. Man on a Mountain
19. The Last Chapter (Tuesday January 15, 1963)
20. The Losers
21. The Lost Ones
22. The Lost Tribe
23. Million Dollar Drop
24. The Money Mine (Thursday January 3, 1963)
25. Panic at 10,000
26. Picture of Terror
27. A Present for Felipe
28. The Proud Little Man
29. Race Morgan: Bounty Hunter
30. Reprisal
31. Run, Joby, Run
32. Semper Paratus Any Time
33. The Suicide Club
34. The Trouble with Denny Collins
35. The Well
36. Where Do Elephants Go to Die?
37. Willie (Tuesday March 26, 1963 - guest starred Dawn Wells)
38. Wrong Way Down

International broadcast

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]

Home media

On July 23, 2013, TGG Direct released both seasons of Ripcord as a Region 1 DVD.[3]

Comic

Ray Bailey adapted the series into a comic strip.[4]

Toy

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 and Uncle Earl's Classic Television Channel.

References

1. Ripcord TV Show Accident 1962, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ5EKD_GBUc, accessed 7 January 2015
2. Ripcord on the BBC
3. "Ripcord DVD news: Date Change for Ripcord Season 1 and Season 2 - TVShowsOnDVD.com". Archived from the original on 2013-08-03.
4. https://www.lambiek.net/artists/b/bailey_ray.htm

External links

• Ripcord at IMDb
• Ripcord at TV.com