June 3, 1961 (1961-06-03)– September 1, 1963 (1963-09-01)
Ripcord is an American syndicated television series starring Larry Pennell, with Ken Curtis, which ran for a total of 76 episodes from 1961 to 1963 about the exploits of a skydiving operation of its namesake.
The premise is a variety of adventures surrounding the then-new, thrilling sport of skydiving. The two men and their private Cessna airplane are placed in unusual situations where their special skills and abilities were needed. This leads 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. Pennell, on the other hand, guest starred as handsome movie star Dash Riprock in ten episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies 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.[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.
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