Sky King
Sky King
Sky King is an American radio and television series. Its lead character was Arizona rancher and aircraft pilot Schuyler "Sky" King.
The series had strong Western elements. Cattle rancher King usually captured criminals and spies and found lost hikers, though he did so using his airplane, the Songbird. King used two twin-engine Cessna airplanes during the TV series. The first was a Cessna T-50, and in later episodes, a Cessna 310B was used till the series's end. The 310's make and model type number was prominently displayed during the closing titles.
King and his niece Penny lived on the Flying Crown Ranch, near the fictitious town of Grover, Arizona. Penny's brother, Clipper, also appeared during the first season. Penny and Clipper were also pilots, although they were inexperienced and looked to their uncle for guidance. Later, Penny became an accomplished air racer, rated as a multiengine pilot, whom Sky trusted to fly the Songbird.
Radio synopsis
The radio show began in 1946 and was based on a story by Roy Winsor, the brainchild of Robert Morris Burtt and Wilfred Gibbs Moore, who also created Captain Midnight. Several actors played the part of Sky, including Earl Nightingale, John Reed King, and Roy Engel. Jack Bivans played Clipper, and Beryl Vaughan portrayed Penny.
Radio premiums were offered to listeners, as with many radio shows. For example, the Sky King Secret Signalscope was used in the Mountain Detour episode on November 2, 1947. Listeners were advised to get their own for only 15 cents and the inner seal from a jar of Peter Pan Peanut Butter, which the sponsor, Derby Foods, produced. The Signalscope included a glow-in-the-dark signaling device, whistle, magnifying glass, and Sky King's private code. With the Signalscope, one could also see around corners and trees. The premiums were innovative, such as the Sky King Spy-Detecto Writer, which had a decoder (cipher disk), magnifying glass, measuring scale, and printing mechanism in a single package slightly over two inches long. Other notable premiums were the Magni-Glo Writing Ring, which had a luminous element, a secret compartment, a magnifier, and a ballpoint pen, all in the crown piece of a "fits any finger" ring.
The radio show continued until 1954, broadcasting simultaneously with the first portion of the television version.
Television synopsis
The television version starred Kirby Grant as Sky King and Gloria Winters as Penny. Other regular characters included Sky's nephew, Clipper, played by Ron Hagerthy, and Mitch the sheriff, portrayed by Ewing Mitchell. Mitch, a competent and intelligent law enforcement officer, depended on his friend Sky's flying skills to solve the more complicated cases. Other recurring characters included Jim Bell, the ranch foreman, played in four episodes by Chubby Johnson, as well as Sheriff Hollister, portrayed by Monte Blue in five episodes, and Bob Carey, portrayed in ten episodes by Norman Ollestad.
After appearing in the first 19 episodes of the show, Hagerthy was drafted into the Army; the show said Clipper had joined the Air Force. Leaving the army in 1955, he was more interested in motion pictures than rejoining the show. Unlike Grant and Winters, he never made any personal appearances for the show.
Many storylines feature the supporting cast repeatedly finding themselves in near-death situations, and the hero rescuing them with seconds to spare. Penny would often fall into the hands of spies, bank robbers, and other ne'er-do-wells.
Sky never killed the villains, as with most television cowboy heroes. Sky King was primarily a show for children, although it sometimes broadcast in prime time. The show also became an icon in the aviation community. Many pilots, including American astronauts, grew up watching Sky King and named him as an influence.
Plot lines were often simplistic, but Grant brought a casual, natural treatment of technical details, leading to a level of believability not found in other TV series involving aviation or life in the Western United States.
Likewise, villains and other characters were usually depicted as reasonably intelligent and believable, rather than as two-dimensional and cartoonish. The antagonists usually had fairly logical motivations as opposed to seemingly random evil, as was common in many action dramas of the time. The writing was generally above the standard for contemporary half-hour programs, although sometimes critics suggested that the acting was not.
Later television show episodes were notable for the dramatic opening with an air-to-air shot of the sleek, second Songbird banking sharply away from the camera and its engines roaring. At the same time, the announcer proclaimed, "From out of the clear blue of the Western sky comes Sky King!" The short credit roll that followed was equally dramatic, with the Songbird swooping at the camera across El Mirage Lake, California, then pulling up into a steep climb as it departed. The end title featured a musical theme, with the credits superimposed over an air-to-air shot of the Songbird, cruising at altitude for several moments, then banking away to the left.
The show also featured low-level flying, especially with the later Songbird, highlighting the desert flashing by in the background.
Cast
- Kirby Grant as Schuyler "Sky" King
- Gloria Winters as Penny King
- Ewing Mitchell as Sheriff Mitch Hargrove
- Ron Hagerthy as Clipper King
- Gary Hunley as Mickey (final season)
Notes
- ↑ ""Sky King" was one of the best reasons for owning a TV set 'way back then,' and little Gloria Winers was THE reason. As put-upon Penny, she wore a gag almost as often as he cowboy hat
External links
- Review Sky King at the Internet Movie Database
- Official website
- Sky King's Final Landing
- Missoula City Website states Kirby Grant was a pilot
- Celebrity Pilots, Famous Pilots, Darren Smith, Flight Instructor, CFI Homepage This Web site list famous actors that were pilots with no FAA records on file; Kirby Grant is listed as a pilot with no FAA records on file.
- More information is available at [ Wikipedia:Sky_King ]
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