Ripcord (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Ripcord is an American
syndicated
television series that ran for 76 episode
s from 1961 to 1963 about the exploits of a skydiving operation by the same name.
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.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
television series that ran for 76 episode
Episode
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...
s from 1961 to 1963 about the exploits of a skydiving operation by the same name.
Overview
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
Larry Pennell
Larry "Bud" Pennell , aka Alessandro Pennelli, is an American television and film actor.Born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, he is mainly a supporting actor, best known for his role as "Dash Riprock," the conceited, image-conscious, and macho Hollywood movie star courting "Elly May Clampett" in the...
(who portrayed Dash Riprock on The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for nine seasons on CBS from 1962 to 1971, starring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer, Jr....
) as Ted McKeever and Ken Curtis
Ken Curtis
Ken Curtis was an American singer and actor best known for his role as Festus Haggen on the long-running CBS western television series Gunsmoke.-Early years:...
(who became famous as Festus on Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
) as Jim Buckley, his older mentor. Pilot Chuck Lambert, as played by Paul Comi
Paul Comi
Paul Domingo Comi is an American film and television actor. Mr. Comi was invited to join and is active voting member of the Actor's Branch of the :Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.- Biography :...
, was replaced for the second season by Charlie Kern, portrayed by Shug Fisher
Shug Fisher
Shug Fisher , born George Clinton Fisher, Jr., was an American character actor, singer, songwriter, musician and comedian. During a 50-year career, he appeared in many Western films, often as a member of The Sons of the Pioneers in Roy Rogers serials...
(who also appeared on The Beverly Hillbillies as Shorty Kellems).
Guest stars included Harry Carey, Jr.
Harry Carey, Jr.
Harry Carey, Jr. is an American film actor. He appeared in over 90 films. He is mostly remembered for appearing in Western films — notably those by his friend John Ford — and in television programs.-Early life:...
, Lee Van Cleef
Lee Van Cleef
Lee Van Cleef was an American film actor who appeared mostly in Western and action pictures. His sharp features and piercing eyes led to his being cast as a villain in scores of films such as High Noon, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and The Good The Bad and the Ugly.-Early life:Van Cleef was...
, Pat Conway
Pat Conway
Patrick Douglas Conway, known as Pat Conway , was an American actor best known for his role as young but tough Sheriff Clay Hollister on the ABC and then syndicated western television series Tombstone Territory . He was a maternal grandson of silent film star Francis X...
, Richard Eastham
Richard Eastham
Richard Eastham, born as Dickinson Swift Eastham , was an American actor of stage, film, and television and a concert singer known for his deep baritone voice.-Tombstone Territory:...
, Lang Jeffries
Lang Jeffries
Lang Jeffries was a Canadian-American actor of television and film who was married to actress Rhonda Fleming from 1960-1962....
, Dayton Lummis
Dayton Lummis
Dayton Lummis. Sr. , was an American actor of film and television who specialized in the genre of anthology and western series, often playing authority figures. From 1959-1960, he appeared as Marshal Andy Morrison in nine episodes of NBC's Law of the Plainsman western, with Michael Ansara and...
, Tyler McVey
Tyler McVey
Tyler McVey was an American character actor.-Early life and career:McVey was born in Bay City on Saginaw Bay in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. His first screen role, uncredited, came at the age of 39 in 1951, when he portrayed Brady in the The Day the Earth Stood Still...
, Denver Pyle
Denver Pyle
Denver Dell Pyle was an American film and television actor. He is best remembered for playing Uncle Jesse in The Dukes of Hazzard .-Early life:...
, and the then little-known James Coburn
James Coburn
James Harrison Coburn III was an American film and television actor. Coburn appeared in nearly 70 films and made over 100 television appearances during his 45-year career, and played a wide range of roles and won an Academy Award for his supporting role as Glen Whitehouse in Affliction.A capable,...
.
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
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
with a skydiver figure attached which could be thrown in the air and would float to the ground.