Ripcord

Starring: Larry Pennell, Ken Curtis, Shug Fisher, Paul Comi, Allison Hayes
First Aired: June 3, 1961
Number of Seasons: 2
Estimated Production Cost: $200,000 per episode*

The television series Ripcord was about a skydiving firm and its adventures, as you could have guessed from the name of the show. The show was syndicated, and it aired for seventy-six episodes from 1961 to 1963, with a total of seventy-six episodes. Larry Pennell played Theo McKeever in Ripcord, which was created by Jim Hall and Harry Redmond Jr., and starred in the film. Kenneth McKeever and his friends (Ken Curtis, Paul Comi, and Shug Fisher) had a private Cessna airplane, which they used whenever they were ordered to do so by the authorities. They were involved in perilous criminal pursuits and dangerous, if not slightly weird, rescue missions. As a new activity at the time, skydiving injected even more thrill into the series’ already high level of excitement.

Ripcord

My Mother the Car

Starring: Jerry Van Dyke, Ann Sothern, Cindy Eilbacher, Maggie Pierce
First Aired: September 14, 1965
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $50,000 per episode*
Those who have seen Arrested Development may be familiar with this title, as one of the episodes of the contemporary sitcom spoofs the television show My Mother the Car. My Mother the Car was a show that was a little far-fetched. Undoubtedly, it had an original premise. The plot of the play revolved around a 1928 Porter vehicle, which turns out to be the reincarnation of the purchaser’s mother. A radio broadcast featuring the voice of the deceased mother (Ann Sothern) leads the purchaser, played by Jerry Van Dyke, to believe that it is his deceased mother who is being sold. When she speaks, the lights in the room flicker on and off. The zany show only lasted one season, but it was a memorable one.

My Mother The Car