''Ripcord'' was an American syndicated

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

starring Larry Pennell, with Ken Curtis, which ran for a total of 76

episode An episode is a narrative unit within a larger dramatic work or documentary production, such as a serial (radio and television), series intended for radio, television or Streaming media, streaming consumption. Etymology The noun ''episode'' is ...

s from 1961 to 1963 about the exploits of a

skydiving Parachuting and skydiving are methods of descending from a high point in an atmosphere to the ground or ocean surface with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or multiple parachutes. For hu ...

operation of its namesake.

Premise

The premise was a variety of adventures surrounding the then-new, thrilling sport of

. The two men and their private

Cessna Cessna () is an American brand of general aviation aircraft owned by Textron Aviation since 2014, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Originally, it was a brand of the Cessna Aircraft Company, an American general aviation aircraft manufactu ...

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

* Larry Pennell as Theodore "Ted" McKeever (skydiver) handsome, audacious, intrepid, clever, courageous, cunning, headstrong, brave. * Ken Curtis as James "Jim" Buckley (skydiver) older, level-headed mentor and best buddy to Ted McKeever. * Paul Comi as Chuck Lambert (airplane pilot) - this character was phased out midway through first season, replaced by... * Shug Fisher as Charlie Kern (airplane pilot) - replaced the Chuck Lambert character played by Paul Comi midway through the first season. Fisher and Curtis were bandmates in the musical group Sons of the Pioneers. Curtis was later Marshall Dillon's bumbling deputy Festus Hagin in

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

. Pennell, on the other hand, guest starred as handsome movie star Dash Riprock in ten episodes of

The Beverly Hillbillies ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor backwoods family ...

between 1965 and 1969.

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 a ''Ripcord'' second season two-parter episode.

Episodes

Season 1 (1961–1962)

# The Sky Diver - Pilot (Thursday September 28, 1961 - guest starred

Russell Johnson Russell David Johnson (November 10, 1924 – January 16, 2014) was an American actor. He played Professor Roy Hinkley in '' Gilligan's Island'' and Marshal Gib Scott in '' Black Saddle''. Early life Johnson was born in Ashley, Pennsylvania, ...

) # Air Carnival # Airborne # Chuting Stars (guest starred

John Agar John George Agar Jr. (January 31, 1921 – April 7, 2002) was an American film and television actor. He is best known for starring alongside John Wayne in the films ''Sands of Iwo Jima'', '' Fort Apache'', and '' She Wore a Yellow Ribbon''. In h ...

) # Colorado Jump # The Condemned (guest starred Michael Pataki) # Counter-Attack # Crime Jump (Thursday October 5, 1961 - guest starred

Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor most famous during the 1970s and 1980s. He became well known in television series such as ''Gunsmoke'' (1962–1965), '' Hawk'' (1966) and '' Dan Augus ...

) # Dangerous Night, a.k.a. DARB (Distressed Airman Rescue Beacon) - guest starred Harry Townes # Death Camp # Derelict # Top Secret # Radar Rescue (Thursday December 28, 1961 - guest starred John Considine and Jack Hogan) # Sierra Jump # The Silver Cord # Thoroughbred # Ransom Drop (guest starred Tracy Olsen) # Escape # Double Drop # The Financier # Sentence of Death # Desperate Choice # Diplomatic Mission (guest starred Richard Simmons) # Hagen Charm (guest starred Arthur Franz) # The Helicopter Race (Thursday March 15, 1962 - guest starred Dyan Cannon) # Jungle Survivor # High Jeopardy # Hi-Jack # The Human Kind # Hurricane Charley # Elegy for a Hero # Cougar Mesa # Last Chance # Log Jam # Mile High Triangle (Thursday May 31, 1962 - guest starred Walter Mathews, Page Slattery, Robert Sampson and

Kathie Browne Kathie Browne (September 19, 1930 – April 8, 2003) was an American stage, film and television actress. Early life Browne was born Jacqueline Sue Browne on September 19, 1930, in Humansville, Missouri, to Winn Roscoe Browne and Erma Mae Wood ...

) # Millionaire Doctor # One for the Money # Para-Nurse (guest starred Harry Carey, Jr. and Allison Hayes)

Season 2 (1962–63)

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 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and Flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...

in 1964, with repeats airing the following year until October 1965.

Home media

On July 23, 2013, TGG Direct released both seasons of Ripcord as a Region 1 DVD. Some of the ''Ripcord'' episodes can be found on YouTube, Veoh and Uncle Earl's Classic Television Channel.

Comic

adapted the series into a comic strip.

Toy

This show sponsored a popular ''Ripcord'' tie-in toy, consisting of a large plastic

parachute A parachute is a device designed to slow an object's descent through an atmosphere by creating Drag (physics), drag or aerodynamic Lift (force), lift. It is primarily used to safely support people exiting aircraft at height, but also serves va ...

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 Parachuting and skydiving are methods of descending from a high point in an atmosphere to the ground or ocean surface with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or multiple parachutes. For hu ...

safety.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=0055698, title=Ripcord 1961 American television series debuts 1963 American television series endings Television series by MGM Television First-run syndicated television programs in the United States Black-and-white American television shows American action television series American English-language television shows American aviation television series Skydiving in fiction Television shows adapted into comics