OCR Text |
Show r i FROM BUILDERS MILL & SUPPLY CO. Custom Built FIREPLACE FRONTS r hours and flies daily to achieve his goal of piloting a Corsair. He flies to the shows location site about 30 miles north of Los Angeles which, of course, has its own runway. I think the show last year could be compared to Tampa Bay, as a football team, he says. We had a lot of kinks, made mistakes, we didnt know what direction the show would take. by Jerry Buck Associated Press Writer - LOS ANGELES Robert Conrad is, in his own words, a "cocky little SOB. Which, as it turned out, was just what was needed for the task at hand. Conrad, in his fifth television series, is cast as Gregory Pappy Boyington, maverick leader of the Black Sheep Squadron and nemesis of the Marine brass. I try to play Pappy as he But was, says Conrad. there is so much similarity between our personalities. A man can give you the impression of being overbearing or obnoxious. Or extremely aggressive when he has a peculiar talent that is his. Boyingtons talent was that he happened to be one of the finest pilots that ever lived. "1 would have no qualms about getting in a Corsair and going up there. LAST SPRING, NBC canceled "Baa Baa Black Sheep at the end oi its first season, a move Conrad did not take lying down. I'm a lot calmer than I A he says. used to be, decade ago I'd have said, The hell with NBC and their senes. That's what I said after CBS canceled Wild Wild West.' Who cares'5 But I like the show and its important to me to continue, especially in a series I think is better than anything on television. I didnt want to have to start over again trying to get the excellence in writing and performing Ive already got. Conrad went after the NBC brass, armed with ratings charts, reinforced with a bit of arm twisting, and abetted by the failure of the network's fall schedule. Conrad was particularly annoyed The that his replacement, Richard Pryor Show," was a dismal failure THE SERIES, renamed The Black Sheep Squadron, returned to the air last Wednesday. Other shows have jumped network after cancellation, and CBS and NBC had second thoughts after cancelling "The Dick Van Dyke Show and "Star Trek " But seldom has a its become a personality show. The kids and what they do and how I relate to them is whats interesting. We still go up in the air and do a lot of flying. We have plane buffs who demand that. Now, 0 Handsome wood mantels or shelves make your fireplace a beauty to behold Choose from a large selection of styles available custom made to your order FRONT ENTRIES SPECIAL DOORS SIDE LITES FACADES DOORJAMBS CASINGS BASES MOTIFS CEILING CUSTOMIZING in QUALITY MILLWORK & SPECIALTIES W000CN STAIRWAY PANEL MOLDS 266-882- JL 9 ON A All the Black Sheep fliers are back for the new show except James Whitmore Jr., who was the volatile Capt. Gutterman. "I fought for Jimmy The new show also has more women m an attempt to appeal to women viewers. Conrads daughter Nancy, one of his five children, plays a nurse. There will be other nurses, and some women ferry pilots on the show. Robert Conrad, star of The Black Sheep Squadron, fought to have his cancelled adventure-dram- a reinstated to the NBC schedule and was successful. Now he's learning to fly the Corsair fighters in the hour-lonseries which returns Wednesdays on KUTV at 8 p.m. g rebeen canceled, placed and then returned "I would have to say that it was primarily my enthusiasm, but we cant negate the influence of Universal Studios, says Conrad. "I mean, here's a studio that has 19 or 21 hours on the air and a show that cost over $1 million in deficit financing last year. that wanted to continue Late in the summer, NBC to Univgave the ersal to make six shows But Conrad wasnt through making waves He directed two of the shows and ended up butting heads with the show studios production cost countants. ac- CONRAD SAID he brought of the show in ahead schedule but still went over budget. They had forced him to work overtime one day because, according to their count, he had not shot enough pages of script that day. Calling them he said, Im going for heads. I don't $19,000 "page-counter- s, think cost accountants should tell directors how to direct One thing "Baa Baa Black Sheep" did was introduce Conrad to the airplane He has logged more than tk) GIANT to stay with the show, Conrad I thought it would says create a void, but it didnt. It brought me closer to the remaining six principals. He seemed for some reason to be a buffer, which I wasn't aw are of. Now I dont have to go through the Gutterman character to reach the lieutenants. ASKED HOW he feels playing a character called Pappy, he answers. "Well, I am. You can see how I relate to the other Black Sheep. I treat them like what they are. young, inexperienced men With courtesy, but, Come on, lets get in here, quiet, let's rehearse. Im well suited to the role of Pappy because I am. I have children who are older than some of these kids. Conrad says he wasn't looking for the grind of another series when he agreed to do the Black Sheep movie pilot, but I realized I was in love with the role and it w as better television than I had done Quality is what you strive for in television, so when it got canceled I fought to continue this." molds SCREEN TV 4 TIMES MORE VIEWING AREA THAN A 25" Call Tape Head Co. TV SET 1099.95 NOW' 521-383- 8 665 SOUTH ST A COMPLETE (Kits from 699.95) TE SALT LAKE CITY 1 0 'til 1 0 Open 7 days 12 'til S Sundays GENERAL REMODELI LOWER WINTER RATES CARPORTS TO FAMILY ROOM OR GARAGE BASEMENT ROOMS CLOSE-I- N The Salt ROOM ADDITIONS GARAGES Lake FINANCING AVAILABLE Inquiries Welcome Call Colled Within Area LOW-COS- T n 100-Mil- CALI 272-002- 1 e Sundays Cal! a77-976- 8 MIDWEST BUILDERS ndSOF. 3750 South 18, l77 T 3 m |