Call to Glory
Encyclopedia
Call to Glory was an American television series that aired 23 episodes during the 1984-1985 TV season on the ABC-TV
network. Starring Craig T. Nelson
as a USAF
pilot, Colonel
Raynor Sarnac. In the course of its production run, it drifted away from its original reasonably authentic setting and storyline which was centered at Edwards Air Force Base
in the early 1960s time period. The show was cancelled at the end of the season, because of low ratings (due to having to compete with the Top 20 hits Scarecrow and Mrs. King
on CBS and TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes on NBC).
Somewhat inspired by the test pilot accounts in the Tom Wolfe
book The Right Stuff
, it was the first post-Vietnam War
television show to portray the military in a favorable light.
Heavily promoted during ABC's broadcast of the 1984 Summer Olympics
; its pilot episode, which aired August 13, 1984, related to the U-2
flights over Cuba
during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis
. The pilot episode was filmed at Laughlin Air Force Base
, near Del Rio, Texas
, which was the Air Force's original U-2 base and where the initial U-2 flights during the Crisis originated, prior to their shifting to McCoy Air Force Base
, Florida for the remainder of the crisis.
Much of the show's early episodes related to the loneliness experienced by wife Vanessa Sarnac (Cindy Pickett
) while stationed on base and what she would do to spend time in productive pursuits while enduring the Antelope Valley
's then more noticeable isolation from civilization. One of Mrs. Sarnac's acquired desert pursuits was painting
- one of several realistic touches seen in the show.
It also helped start the career of actors Elisabeth Shue
, who starred as the Sarnacs' daughter, Tom O'Brien
as neighbor Patrick Thomas, as well as younger co-star Gabriel Damon
, but also marked the last series for former child star David Hollander
.
The series, produced by Paramount Television
, aired from August 1984 to February 1985.
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
network. Starring Craig T. Nelson
Craig T. Nelson
Craig Theodore Nelson is an American actor. He is probably best known for his Emmy-winning roles as Hayden Fox on the TV series Coach, and as Steve Freeling in the 1982 film Poltergeist. He also starred in The Incredibles in 2004 as Mr...
as a USAF
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
pilot, Colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
Raynor Sarnac. In the course of its production run, it drifted away from its original reasonably authentic setting and storyline which was centered at Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County, Los Angeles County, and San Bernardino County, California, in the Antelope Valley. It is southwest of the central business district of North Edwards, California and due east of Rosamond.It is named in...
in the early 1960s time period. The show was cancelled at the end of the season, because of low ratings (due to having to compete with the Top 20 hits Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Scarecrow and Mrs. King is an American television series that aired from October 3, 1983, to May 28, 1987 on CBS. The show starred Kate Jackson and Bruce Boxleitner as divorced housewife Amanda King and top-level "Agency" operative Lee Stetson who begin a strange association, and eventual romance,...
on CBS and TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes on NBC).
Somewhat inspired by the test pilot accounts in the Tom Wolfe
Tom Wolfe
Thomas Kennerly "Tom" Wolfe, Jr. is a best-selling American author and journalist. He is one of the founders of the New Journalism movement of the 1960s and 1970s.-Early life and education:...
book The Right Stuff
The Right Stuff (book)
The Right Stuff is a 1979 book by Tom Wolfe about the pilots engaged in U.S. postwar experiments with experimental rocket-powered, high-speed aircraft as well as documenting the stories of the first Project Mercury astronauts selected for the NASA space program...
, it was the first post-Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
television show to portray the military in a favorable light.
Heavily promoted during ABC's broadcast of the 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
; its pilot episode, which aired August 13, 1984, related to the U-2
Lockheed U-2
The Lockheed U-2, nicknamed "Dragon Lady", is a single-engine, very high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated by the United States Air Force and previously flown by the Central Intelligence Agency . It provides day and night, very high-altitude , all-weather intelligence gathering...
flights over Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
. The pilot episode was filmed at Laughlin Air Force Base
Laughlin Air Force Base
Laughlin Air Force Base is a facility of the United States Air Force located five miles east of the central business district of Del Rio, Texas.-Overview:...
, near Del Rio, Texas
Del Rio, Texas
Del Rio is a border city in and the county seat of Val Verde County, Texas, United States.. Del Rio is connected with Ciudad Acuña via the Lake Amistad Dam International Crossing and Del Río-Ciudad Acuña International Bridge...
, which was the Air Force's original U-2 base and where the initial U-2 flights during the Crisis originated, prior to their shifting to McCoy Air Force Base
McCoy Air Force Base
With McCoy's closure as an active air force installation in 1975, the site was redeveloped and is known today as Orlando International Airport, which carries the airport code MCO .- History :...
, Florida for the remainder of the crisis.
Much of the show's early episodes related to the loneliness experienced by wife Vanessa Sarnac (Cindy Pickett
Cindy Pickett
Cindy Lou Pickett is an American actress best known for her 1970s role as Jackie Marler-Spaulding on the CBS soap Guiding Light; her role as Dr. Carol Novino on the hugely popular television drama St...
) while stationed on base and what she would do to spend time in productive pursuits while enduring the Antelope Valley
Antelope Valley
The Antelope Valley in California, United States, is located in northern Los Angeles County and the southeastern portion of Kern County, California, and constitutes the western tip of the Mojave Desert...
's then more noticeable isolation from civilization. One of Mrs. Sarnac's acquired desert pursuits was painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
- one of several realistic touches seen in the show.
It also helped start the career of actors Elisabeth Shue
Elisabeth Shue
Elisabeth Judson Shue is an American actress and producer, most famous for her roles in the films The Karate Kid, Adventures in Babysitting, Cocktail, Back to the Future Parts II and III and Leaving Las Vegas, for which she won five acting awards and was nominated for an Academy Award, a Golden...
, who starred as the Sarnacs' daughter, Tom O'Brien
Tom O'Brien (actor)
Thomas Patrick "Tom" O'Brien is an American actor since the age of sixteen, having first trained at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, where he appeared in ACT's mainstage productions of The Holdup; and A Midsummer Night's Dream as Puck, opposite Annette Bening.O'Brien's feature...
as neighbor Patrick Thomas, as well as younger co-star Gabriel Damon
Gabriel Damon
Gabriel Damon , is an American actor born in Reno, Nevada.-Biography:He was exposed to the performing arts as early as 3 years old, when his parents and family moved to Los Angeles, California. After doing more than 100 commercials, his first role was in the 1984 TV series Call to Glory...
, but also marked the last series for former child star David Hollander
David Hollander
David Hollander is an American TV writer and producer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and is most notably known as the creator, screenwriter, and an executive producer of The Guardian, a Pittsburgh-based legal drama which aired on CBS...
.
The series, produced by Paramount Television
Paramount Television
Paramount Television was an American television production/distribution company that was active from January 1, 1968 to August 27, 2006.Its successor is CBS Television Studios, formerly CBS Paramount Television...
, aired from August 1984 to February 1985.
Trivia
- Craig T. NelsonCraig T. NelsonCraig Theodore Nelson is an American actor. He is probably best known for his Emmy-winning roles as Hayden Fox on the TV series Coach, and as Steve Freeling in the 1982 film Poltergeist. He also starred in The Incredibles in 2004 as Mr...
received familiarization rides in USAF jets at Edwards Air Force BaseEdwards Air Force BaseEdwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County, Los Angeles County, and San Bernardino County, California, in the Antelope Valley. It is southwest of the central business district of North Edwards, California and due east of Rosamond.It is named in...
during the filming of the series, including flights in the T-38 TalonT-38 TalonThe Northrop T-38 Talon is a twin-engine supersonic jet trainer. It was the world's first supersonic trainer and is also the most produced. The T-38 remains in service as of 2011 in air forces throughout the world....
, the F-4 Phantom IIF-4 Phantom IIThe McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
, and the F-16 Fighting FalconF-16 Fighting FalconThe General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...
. On one particular flight in the F-16, the aircraft suffered an electrical failure. Nelson and his pilot prepared to bail out, however, the pilot was able to safely land the aircraft.