R/X for a Sick Bird (20 Sep. 1965)

Something nefarious is afoot in the 918th. Stricken by a series of mechanical mishaps that have already cost several planes, Gen. Savage's group is tasked with ferrying a beautiful spy to a... See full summary »

Director:

Richard Donner

Writers:

William C. Anderson, William Hamilton,

Stars:

Paul Burke, Frank Overton, Chris Robinson

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Paul Burke	...	Col. Joseph Anson Gallagher
Frank Overton	...	Maj. Harvey Stovall
Chris Robinson	...	Sgt. Sandy Komansky
Gia Scala	...	Ilka Zradna
J.D. Cannon	...	Brig. Gen. Dave Creighton
Tige Andrews	...	Master Sgt. Tony Podesta
Don Quine	...	Sgt. Hansen
Tom Stern	...	Sergeant Pete Pierson
Eric Braeden	...	Capt. Zoller (as Hans Gudegast)
Charles Kuenstle	...	Sgt. Garnet
James Brolin	...	Sgt. Thibideaux
John Crowther	...	Captain Langgaard
Paul Comi	...	Maj. Adams

Storyline

Something nefarious is afoot in the 918th. Stricken by a series of mechanical mishaps that have already cost several planes, Gen. Savage's group is tasked with ferrying a beautiful spy to a parachute drop over Nazi-occupied Poland. Once again, the bomber assigned the mission is struck by gremlins that bring her down with the loss of a popular pilot and co-pilot, but the spy survives for another try. With this latest disaster, tensions between the air crews and ground crews explode into mayhem. But evidence starts to appear that indicates the miscues may not be accidental, and suspicion runs rampant through the base, endangering the spy's mission and the confidence of the troops.

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 September 1965 (USA)

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Quinn Martin Productions (QM), 20th Century Fox Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

In the final scene, stock footage of a B-17 is shown. However, the serial number of the tail is reversed, indicating that the footage has been flipped from left to right.

User Reviews

Spies and counterspies at the 918th

This one was probably written to quench the audience thirst during the first James Bond/espionage craze of the mid 60s. It plays more like an episode of 'I Spy' or even 'The Man From UNCLE' than it does a World War II bomber show. (there's a scene where the bad guys where special rings which would be right out of the UNCLE show). There are spies - saboteurs really - causing maintenance problems for Gallagher's aircraft. B-17s are suffering mechanical failures, bombers are falling out of the sky and targets are not being struck. What to do? Well Bomber Command has got to ferret out the Reich's sympathizers at Archbury. This one has enough twists and turns to satisfy the thriller thirst in any fan, and comes across as a good entry in the series, with Gallagher sort of going off and letting people know what he thinks about spy games vs. his duty to pound the Reich in the process. Again, solid performances all around - especially from J.D. Cannon, a Quinn Martin favorite. Gia Scala is both striking in looks and her acting in this one. She doesn't get a chance to shine - being she basically has no lines - in "The Guns of Navarone," but she really had the most lovely of voices and her ability to act off others with facial expressions surprised me. Tragic that her life was blighted and she ended up passing away a few years after this episode was filmed. She would have been a great talent for stage and film.