Vote for why you think it jumped
Never Jumped
The Nurses came to the island
New Kid In Town (Long-haired pilot)
Black Sheep Squadron
Day One
Shark Bytes
Kind of a goofy show, nothing like the real Colonel Gregory Boyington, winner of the Medal of Honour, who died an alcoholic, but I liked it as a kid.
But when "Jeb" came on with his blond '70s hair...I have yet to see any real U.S. Marines with hair like that!
SGT Micklin (Red West) fits my idea of a Marine better.
But when "Jeb" came on with his blond '70s hair...I have yet to see any real U.S. Marines with hair like that!
SGT Micklin (Red West) fits my idea of a Marine better.
BBBB may have JTS as badly as any show in history, after season one. Initially, it was a pretty decent WW2 saga, fairly believable, although Conrad was way too old to be a fighter pilot. Still, it had some decent plotlines and I loved the aerial scenes. But then in year 2, they got rid of James Whitmore Jr as Gutterman, the XO, brought in that silly loudmouth Red West as Micklin and made him a regular [1 episode would have been enough] and worst of all, added "Pappy's Lambs" the hot nurses who all had Farrrah Fawcett hair-do's. I generally appreciate T & A on tv, but this was utter nonsense, as the scripts concentrated on on getting the gals in tight tee-shirts and shorts, swimsuits, and the scripts turned to romantic plots with the avaiators.
Seemingly lost much historical accuracy with the appearance of "Pappy's Lambs". Those hot girls looked too much like something out of the 1970's. On the other hand from the very get-go with the rather confusing tv series pilot (more or less a tv movie) called "Flying Misfits" the show was always a bit weak on period flavor.
Interesting (on other points) that they managed to say racial slurs against the Japanese on this 70's show (though remember that the Japanese were actually very aggresive in the 1930's and 40's before you feel bad for them).
PS The reason I say that Flying Misfits was confusing and was more or less a tv movie was that I couldn't find it in a book written in the 80's that listed thousands of tv movies. I wonder if it was ever shown as a tv movie or was it shown just as the first ep of Baa Baa Black Sheep? Like I said--rather confusing!
Interesting (on other points) that they managed to say racial slurs against the Japanese on this 70's show (though remember that the Japanese were actually very aggresive in the 1930's and 40's before you feel bad for them).
PS The reason I say that Flying Misfits was confusing and was more or less a tv movie was that I couldn't find it in a book written in the 80's that listed thousands of tv movies. I wonder if it was ever shown as a tv movie or was it shown just as the first ep of Baa Baa Black Sheep? Like I said--rather confusing!
Ok people, you don't seem to understand what "jumping the shark" means. It does not mean that a show is not believable, or takes artistic liscense with history. It means using a shameless gimmick to boost ratings that are failing (Fonz jumping the shark on Happy Days, get it?)
By the way, VFW-214 did have Corsairs by the time Pappy got there. In fact, the squadron spent the first part of their tour on Espiritu Santo training in the Corsair.
P.S. IT WAS A TV SHOW, NOT A DOCUMENTARY
By the way, VFW-214 did have Corsairs by the time Pappy got there. In fact, the squadron spent the first part of their tour on Espiritu Santo training in the Corsair.
P.S. IT WAS A TV SHOW, NOT A DOCUMENTARY
The only reason to watch this show was the sheer sexiness of it's main star - Robert Conrad. He was sexy in Wild, Wild West and remained sexy in this series as well. If he only hadn't gotten so egotistical in the Battle of the Network Stars!
JTS when that Japanese guy knocked the everready battery off of Pappy's shoulder and Pappy turned around and ran like a scared little bitch.
Well First I'll fix the error about AT-6 Texans and Zeros. The Zero was not a knock off af the T-6 But rather the Hughs H-1 Experimental plane. T-6's are used as Zeros for several reasons. They can be adatped to look like Zeros easily. A great number were converted in the 70's for the movie Tora Tora Tora. Those mostly stayed converted because shortly after the movie Midway came out and now you had a market for Zero knockoff in Hollywood. I read every post and it is a good mix of morons and people who know what they are talking about. Name callers I dismiss as Morons. Sopmething that was not mentioned when babbling about paint schemes was the lack of beer cans riveted to the side and wings.
Some of you act like you know hwat went on when you have really never read the true history. When a plane crash landed on its return to the field it was stripped. What makes you think the sun faded wing off one4 plane didn't end up on another. Cowls were changed, adn repaired. This stuff was sheet aluminum. It got bent and repaired and the color of paint on hand didn't always match the color on from the factory.
This was TV. If you want to bitch about using the wrong plane bitch about History Ch. showing a b-25 when they are telling you how B-24's bombed this or that target.
Now they are trying to tell history and yet they constantly use the wrong footage for scenes. I have seen footage of a Corsair dropping napalm on a hill in Korea and the show is about WWII. The guys doing these shows are TV people and the historians they use likely don't get to see the footage they are going to be using because they are there for an interview.
The Nurses and Jeb were the big reasons but the show was being played out on the ground a lot more in the second season already. I was losing interest and then the bomb was dropped.
BTW pilots were assigned planes but the previous post was correct in saying the guy on the days flight roster took whatever planee was ready that day His could be down for a million reasons. You didn't want to fly "YOUR" F4U if it was running out of gas on take off. You tool one that was actually ready to fly a mission. However the Marine Corp did not allow personallizing aircraft in WWII. No nose art, No names. It was well into the war before they started allowing flags for kills. All this was a tactic. The enemy could not ident. or single out a given pilot. Air Corp and Navy had squadron marking and nose art and even had marks on flight leaders for pilots to re-form on after a fight.
This show was for all about watching the flying. I didn't care about the fighting and the kissing in the Sheeps Pin. As for the fat guy. Dirk Blocker was over weight and yse the jungle would have likely done a lot to solve that but the Corsair has a very roomy cockpit. And as large as he was for his size he was a little guy overall and if you have never been in the military don't talk about standards. They are not nearly as strick as you think. There were 4 ways to be able to weigh more than the standard height to weight chart. I know I had to use them in my final years when the standards DID start to get tighter. I was supposed to weigh 185 by the chart and with other measurements I was ok weighing 212. That's a lot. If you think you know you probly don't. It appears here that there are people who do know so offering an opinion as a fault or evidence to history will get you caught as many of you have been here. It was entertaining reading tho. I watch Baa Baa Blacksheep in Hsitory and I have seen the real guys when they do History vs Hollywood and I have never heard one say anything bad about how Hollywood did the show. They chuckle and say no nurses and stuff like that but in the many interviews I have seen none have ever blasted Conrad or Boyington. I too saw the real Pappy at an Airshow inthe 80's The previous post was correct. A few people showed up to talk but it was mostly him standing alone. I never saw him with the Jap.
Some of you act like you know hwat went on when you have really never read the true history. When a plane crash landed on its return to the field it was stripped. What makes you think the sun faded wing off one4 plane didn't end up on another. Cowls were changed, adn repaired. This stuff was sheet aluminum. It got bent and repaired and the color of paint on hand didn't always match the color on from the factory.
This was TV. If you want to bitch about using the wrong plane bitch about History Ch. showing a b-25 when they are telling you how B-24's bombed this or that target.
Now they are trying to tell history and yet they constantly use the wrong footage for scenes. I have seen footage of a Corsair dropping napalm on a hill in Korea and the show is about WWII. The guys doing these shows are TV people and the historians they use likely don't get to see the footage they are going to be using because they are there for an interview.
The Nurses and Jeb were the big reasons but the show was being played out on the ground a lot more in the second season already. I was losing interest and then the bomb was dropped.
BTW pilots were assigned planes but the previous post was correct in saying the guy on the days flight roster took whatever planee was ready that day His could be down for a million reasons. You didn't want to fly "YOUR" F4U if it was running out of gas on take off. You tool one that was actually ready to fly a mission. However the Marine Corp did not allow personallizing aircraft in WWII. No nose art, No names. It was well into the war before they started allowing flags for kills. All this was a tactic. The enemy could not ident. or single out a given pilot. Air Corp and Navy had squadron marking and nose art and even had marks on flight leaders for pilots to re-form on after a fight.
This show was for all about watching the flying. I didn't care about the fighting and the kissing in the Sheeps Pin. As for the fat guy. Dirk Blocker was over weight and yse the jungle would have likely done a lot to solve that but the Corsair has a very roomy cockpit. And as large as he was for his size he was a little guy overall and if you have never been in the military don't talk about standards. They are not nearly as strick as you think. There were 4 ways to be able to weigh more than the standard height to weight chart. I know I had to use them in my final years when the standards DID start to get tighter. I was supposed to weigh 185 by the chart and with other measurements I was ok weighing 212. That's a lot. If you think you know you probly don't. It appears here that there are people who do know so offering an opinion as a fault or evidence to history will get you caught as many of you have been here. It was entertaining reading tho. I watch Baa Baa Blacksheep in Hsitory and I have seen the real guys when they do History vs Hollywood and I have never heard one say anything bad about how Hollywood did the show. They chuckle and say no nurses and stuff like that but in the many interviews I have seen none have ever blasted Conrad or Boyington. I too saw the real Pappy at an Airshow inthe 80's The previous post was correct. A few people showed up to talk but it was mostly him standing alone. I never saw him with the Jap.
I love the show when I was ten, but half the time the network would choose that timeslot to have their "Specials" so most of the time I would set down at in front of the TV ready to watch "my favorite show" only to be disappointed that I would see that stupid spinning "SPECIAL" logo. Back to the subject the nurses were a distraction to the good parts that included flying and stock footage of smoking TEXANS (modified to look like ZEROs).
I recently pitched an idea to John Larroquette about a follow up series. It takes place in the 1970's and the actors (playing the same characters) would be gathered in Hollywood to serve as advisors on a TV series (Black Sheep Squadron). They would be close to the right age now to play the pilots in the 1970's. The series would be toung in cheek along the lines of "That 70's Show", "Starsky & Hutch: the Movie", and "The Brady Bunch Movie". While the characters are together for the TV series they would be involve in detective work, investigating UFO's, or fighting a villian (RED WEST)with a fight spilling over into a Charlie's Angels set. John Larroquette actually took the time to write me back and tell what was wrong with the idea. He wrote that people just would not get a "period" series. Makes sense, but man just imagine the possibilities, bell-bottoms, disco, big-ass car chases, stolen airplanes, and gold chains.
I recently pitched an idea to John Larroquette about a follow up series. It takes place in the 1970's and the actors (playing the same characters) would be gathered in Hollywood to serve as advisors on a TV series (Black Sheep Squadron). They would be close to the right age now to play the pilots in the 1970's. The series would be toung in cheek along the lines of "That 70's Show", "Starsky & Hutch: the Movie", and "The Brady Bunch Movie". While the characters are together for the TV series they would be involve in detective work, investigating UFO's, or fighting a villian (RED WEST)with a fight spilling over into a Charlie's Angels set. John Larroquette actually took the time to write me back and tell what was wrong with the idea. He wrote that people just would not get a "period" series. Makes sense, but man just imagine the possibilities, bell-bottoms, disco, big-ass car chases, stolen airplanes, and gold chains.
Good show while it lasted. Thanks to the History channel for airing it recently. Enjoyed it more today than when it was on originally. I agree they could have done better casting but most t.v. shows don't do so well when it comes to the military.
You guys! All the footage was totally accurate, right down to when riceball was mocking Boyington on the radio while they were flying. Even the nurses underwear were stock. Come on, haven't you ever seen a more realistic show before?
I can't believe there is a debate on this show for realism. Its entertainment! Like Gilligan's Island. maybe they were on the same island!
I can't believe there is a debate on this show for realism. Its entertainment! Like Gilligan's Island. maybe they were on the same island!
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