"BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP" First Season on DVD

[DiggerWW2]

Gang, I just got the Complete First Season of "BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP" on DVD. It's available at Amazon for $28. The Video & Audio quality are outstanding. It's a very good set that includes the original 2 hour pilot. I like the early episodes better. They're more realistic than the embarrassing later episodes with "Pappy's Lambs", etc. Where are all those Corsairs today??

Here's the opening of the show to refresh Your Memory:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VKM9M1bUSU

"BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP" Show Clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErDZiMHB ... ed&search=

Here's some more Classic Shows You might remember:

"McHALE'S NAVY"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ7E9_H2NwA

"LOST IN SPACE"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNoNuVve ... ed&search=

"ADAM 12"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdXR-TohG5o

"GET SMART"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cscedJQ3PFU

"ROOM 222"
(Watch the idiot teacher leave the Top Down on His Convertible .... in a High School Parking Lot!!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=barGEYaPF90

"ASTRO BOY"
USA Version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLP_tV6AXJQ

Japanese Version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4HVYZhohGw

"SPEED RACER"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auszi9bUr3o

"SPIDERMAN"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o29VoxtsFk

"WONDER WOMAN"
"In Your Satin Tights .... Fighting For Your Rights" Ha! Ha! This Show wouldn't last 5 Minutes today.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_blOQEu9ws

"STEVE CANYON'S JET HELMET"
http://www.ifilm.com/video/2784077/coll ... ommercials

"BULLITT" Steve McQueen's Classic Car Chase:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cTU5DRf ... ed&search=

Digger

Last edited by DiggerWW2 on Sat Mar 03, 2007 8:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Steve Nelson]

...but can I get WKRP In Cincinnati? Nnnnooooooo......

I've heard there are too many licensing issues with the music to make it cost effective to release on DVD. Probably have to wait until all the original artists are dead.

SN

[DiggerWW2]

Hang in there ...
I'm a Huge WKRP Fan Myself. The Complete First Season of "WKRP In CINCINNATI" will be released on DVD on April 24.
Apparently, they worked out all the Music Copyright issues. Read the WKRP "Reviews" at Amazon for more info:

http://www.amazon.com/WKRP-Cincinnati-C ... 181&sr=8-1

Do You remember Les Nessman's notorious Thanksgiving "Turkey Drop" Disaster. Ha! Ha! He had a Helicopter drop live Turkeys on the parking lot. Ha! Ha! An All-Time Classic. Here's the Clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZByndN_ffyw

There's a whole bunch of Classic TV Shows being released this Spring. Including "McHALE'S NAVY" on March 20th & "THE UNTOUCHABLES" Series on April 10th ... Digger

[Steve Nelson]

Ironically enough, I make my living as a radio news announcer...the infamous "Turkey Drop" is one of the greatest moments in television history. WKRP is a bit like M*A*S*H..some of the most unbelievable bits are the most true-to-life.

Great news to hear the show is finally coming out on DVD...I just hope it's not the version that aired in syndication, in which they replaced all the original songs with "generic" music. They did that with another one of my favorites, "Northern Exposure." One episode had a scene set to "Whiter Shade of Pale," which was replaced with some unknown song for the DVD..just isn't the same.


SN

[mustangdriver]

I actually have a T-shirt that says "The annual Les Nessman Turkey drop on it. Any time I wear it out, people always comment on it.

[Steve Nelson]

Well, a little more searching seems to indicate that the music will indeed be raplaced on the DVDs. Bastards! The music WAS the show..without the original songs, why even bother?

SN

[DiggerWW2]

I'm guessing they'll replace some of the songs, but not all of them...
Certainly not enough reason not to order the series on DVD. They had the same problem with the SCTV Comedy Series. I didn't realize how much music was involved with that show. They got the rights to some of the music, but several songs had to be replaced.
It's still worth watching though. Early John Candy stuff is priceless..

Here's an article on the "WKRP Music Changes"

http://members.allstream.net/~jacjud/wkrpmusic.html

Here's an interesting bunch of "WKRP" comments on "Jump the Shark"

http://www.jumptheshark.com/topic/wkrp- ... ments/2197

Here's some interesting "BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP" comments:

http://www.jumptheshark.com/topic/baa-b ... eneral/130

Including this little gem:

"Pappy Boyington was a dickhead who got tossed out of the Marines prior to WWII for being a drunk that wrote bad checks to cover his gambling debts. He then went on to get tossed out of the Flying Tigers when General Chennault AND the other Tigers couldn't stand him anymore. He then went back to Seattle, Washington, where he became a parking lot attendant until after the war started and his experience counted for enough to get him back into the military, sad sack of sugar that he was. The whole show is just a big cartoon OF MADE UP GARBAGE that is an embarrassment to the real Black Sheep Squadron members.
Pre Feb 28, 2007
Guest"

Hmmmmm.... Sounds like someone who probably washed-out of flight school ....
Digger

[Jack Cook]

"Pappy Boyington was a dickhead who got tossed out of the Marines prior to WWII for being a drunk that wrote bad checks to cover his gambling debts. He then went on to get tossed out of the Flying Tigers when General Chennault AND the other Tigers couldn't stand him anymore. He then went back to Seattle, Washington, where he became a parking lot attendant until after the war started and his experience counted for enough to get him back into the military, sad sack of sugar that he was. The whole show is just a big cartoon OF MADE UP GARBAGE that is an embarrassment to the real Black Sheep Squadron members.

Hmmmmm.... Sounds like someone who probably washed-out of flight school

Actually it's a fairly accurate statement that just touches the tip of the Boyington iceberg. Boyington was the ONLY officer with a regular (all the others held reserve) commision who was allowing to resign to join the AVG. The commandant was only to happy to see him out. GB was about to be thrown out of the Corps for many things including drunkeness, bad checks written from coast to coast and conduct unbecomming a marine office.

[mustangdriver]

This is a little of a sore subject to me. If they were not a misfit squadron then why did they want to name themselves Boyington's Bastards? The PR man would not let them, so they came up with Black sheep. Now there are records of them driving jeeps down sidewalks while drinking, and fighting on a regular basis. Why does everyone say that it sounds nothing like the show? Was the show extreme in making it look like this happened all the time? Sure. But I have several photos of VMF 214 drunk at parties and giving people the finger. The TV show was not meant to be nor is it a documentary. but to say that there is no truth in it, that 214 is just another unit is a bit wrong as well. After all they really did steal the unit number.

[Jack Cook]

After all they really did steal the unit number.

No they didn't. The air echelon of VMF-214 had just finished
it's combat tour and the pilots were either tour expired or up
for reassignment so the number was available. Boyington's
un-named air echelon was assigned the number. They had nothing
to do with recieving the number 214. The pilots didn't like the
214 insignia or name Swashbucklers and created their own.

records of them driving jeeps down sidewalks while drinking, and fighting on a regular basis.

where are these records? I don't think there was a single sidewalk in the SW Pacific
Drinking was common place and even encouraged by many flight surgeons to relieve the stress
and tension of air combat. There werefew if any drunken brawls or fighting. Maybe some drunken wrestling
instigated by GB.
Mostly the 214 pilots drank and sang songs in the evenings. You should read Dr. Lyle Herrman's report
covering VF-17 Jolly Rogers combat tours.

[oscardeuce]

All the Black Sheep I've met and spoken with at length (6-7) readily ackknowledged Boyinton's short comings. On the otherhand they would follow him anywhere. Now, maybe they were giving me the "company line", but I'm of the opinion they really did respect him, even in the face of his problems.

214 was unique in that they were "cast-offs" from other squadrons. So 214 under Boyington was almost all veteran pilots. They tried to play on their unique heritage by using the bar sinister and "bastard" moniker.

I grew up with Boyington as one of my heroes, I still respect him. He may have been abrasive, but he was able to "Git r' done". I think his personal record and that of the Blacksheep under him speaks toward his true worth to the war effort. How is it the "drunk" Boyington came up with innovations like the fighter sweep and many of his men engineered field mods to the Corsair. John Bolt IIRC came up with an effective mix of ammo against the Zero.

[Jack Cook]

214 was unique in that they were "cast-offs" from other squadrons.

Sorry OD but not one single pilot was a cast-off from another squadron.
All Marine pilots served 3 combat tours. 214 was made up of 1 and 2 tour vets whose previous squadrons had completed 3 tours or newly arrived replacement pilots. Quite a few vets like Henry McCarthy, Bill Case, Fred Avey and Stan Bailey had kills before joining 214. Most people don't realize than top Corsair ace Bob Hanson scored his first 2 kills with the original 214 which also included Tom Lanphier (of Yamamoto mission fame)'s brother Charlie who scored 2 kills with 214 before being downed over Rabaul, captured and finally executed.

[mustangdriver]

Actually Jack a lot of them were cast off's from other squadrons and un assigned replacement pilots from other squadrons. It was Boington's idea, he presented it to Gen. Moore, who gave them the old swashbuckler unit numbers. I got my info form The Black Sheep by Bruce Gramble. As for the jeep thing, it is on a history channel documentary I own about them. A few of the pilots were second and third tour guys, but just a few. Soon after the foreward echelon sailed for the states, Boyington recieved approval gather pilots from the replacement pool from backchannels.

[Jack Cook]

I'm not sure of your use of the word cast-off. The way you use it means or implies removed, kicked out or discarded. Not one single pilot in the reconstituted 214 fits that description except Boyington himself. The veteran pilots who joined 214 were 1 or 2 tour pilots who simply needed 1-2 additional combat tours before being eligible to return to CONUS. Their previous squadrons had completed 3 tours and returned stateside so they were simply unattached and available. The series has polluted the real history of this squadron. They felt they were Blacksheep because they were in the pilot pool with no unit assignment.

[mustangdriver]

Cast off is not my word, but the word used by Bruce Gamble. My previous statement was a direct quote from the book.