240-Robert

240-Robert
John Bennett Perry, Joanna Cassidy and Mark Harmon
GenreDrama
Created byRick Rosner
Written by
Directed by
Starring
Theme music composer
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes16
Production
Executive producerRick Rosner
ProducerRichard M. Rosenbloom
Editors
  • Dann Cahn
  • Mike Renaud
  • Randy Roberts
  • Jack Tucker
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time45–48 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseAugust 28, 1979 (1979-08-28) –
March 21, 1981 (1981-03-21)

240-Robert is an American drama television series that ran on ABC from August 28, 1979, to March 21, 1981.[1] The series title is a reference to the call-sign designation for the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department's search and rescue/paramedic teams.

Synopsis

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The series chronicles the missions of "240-Robert", a specialized unit of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD), that utilized four wheel drive vehicles and a helicopter. Most of the assignments were sea/air/land search and rescue operations in the extensive (over 4,000 sq mi (10,000 km2)) jurisdiction. The show's creator was Rick Rosner (himself an LASD reserve deputy), who created the hit series CHiPs two years earlier for NBC.

The vehicles used at that time were 1979 Ford Broncos, while the helicopter was a Hughes HA-500C (similar in design to the current MD 500).

The series was based on real life cases encountered by the LASD's Emergency Services Detail. The real life ESD is actually headquartered in East Los Angeles. Rick Rosner took artistic liberty and portrayed the headquarters as a beach-side station. The actual filming location was at a State of California ranger station located at Sycamore Cove in Ventura County, California. The series was inspired, in part, on the experiences of Officer Charles Thibaudeau of the Hermosa Beach Police Department.

Cast

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  • John Bennett Perry as Deputy Theodore Roosevelt "Trap" Applegate III
  • Mark Harmon as Deputy Dwayne "Thib" Thibideaux (episodes 1–13)
  • Joanna Cassidy as Deputy Morgan Wainwright (episodes 1–13), the unit's helicopter pilot
  • Stephen W. Burns as Deputy Brett Cueva (episodes 14–16), who replaced Thib
  • Pamela Hensley as Deputy Sandy Harper (episodes 14–16), the new pilot of the unit

Cassidy and Hensley both had an expert helicopter pilot take over for them in the actual helicopter flight sequences; this regular stunt pilot was Charles 'Chuck' Tamburro who wore a wig to give the appearance of a female pilot.

Matthew Perry's first credited role was a small part in the show, where he played a child actor in a 1979 episode.[2]

Cancellation

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Harmon and Cassidy left the series when their contracts expired after the first season. Burns and Hensley were brought in to replace them, but the second season (returning mid-season in early 1981 due to an actor's strike) only lasted three episodes before ABC cancelled it due to poor ratings.

Episode list

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Season 1 (1979)

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No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"The Apology"Paul KrasnyStory by : Rick Rosner
Teleplay by : John Furia Jr.
August 28, 1979 (1979-08-28)
22"Stuntman"Ric RondellStory by : Rudy Dochtermann & Lew Hunter
Teleplay by : Lew Hunter
September 3, 1979 (1979-09-03)
33"Bathysphere"Phil BondelliJames SchmererSeptember 10, 1979 (1979-09-10)
44"Models"Phil BondelliL. Ford Neale & John HuffSeptember 17, 1979 (1979-09-17)
55"Acting Sergeant"Sutton RoleyStory by : Rudy Dochtermann & Simon Muntner
Teleplay by : Simon Muntner
September 24, 1979 (1979-09-24)
66"Bank Job"Sigmund Neufeld, Jr.Rudy DochtermannOctober 1, 1979 (1979-10-01)
77"Out of Sight"Christian I. Nyby IIJames SchmererOctober 15, 1979 (1979-10-15)
88"Time Bomb"Christian I. Nyby IIPatrick MathewsOctober 22, 1979 (1979-10-22)
99"Double Trouble"John FloreaSimon MuntnerOctober 29, 1979 (1979-10-29)
1010"Poison Air"Sigmund Neufeld, Jr.Story by : Peter Dixon & Anthony Yerkovich
Teleplay by : Anthony Yerkovich
November 5, 1979 (1979-11-05)
1111"Earthquake"Christian I. Nyby IICharlene BralverNovember 19, 1979 (1979-11-19)
1212"The Applicant"Phil BondelliRobert SpechtNovember 26, 1979 (1979-11-26)
1313"Oil and Water"Bruce KesslerStory by : Rudy Dochtermann & Glen Olson & Rod Baker
Teleplay by : Glen Olson & Rod Baker
December 3, 1979 (1979-12-03)

Season 2 (1981)

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No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
141"A Cool Welcome"Reza BadiyiStory by : Rudy Dochtermann
Teleplay by : E. Nick Alexander and Alan Godfrey
March 14, 1981 (1981-03-14)
152"First Loss"John PeyserWilliam F. NolanMarch 21, 1981 (1981-03-21)
163"Hostages"James SheldonHerman GrovesMarch 28, 1981 (1981-03-28)

References

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  1. ^ 240-Robert (Adventure), Filmways Television, Rosner Television, 1979-08-28, retrieved 2022-03-11
  2. ^ Tinoco, Armando; Patten, Dominic (October 29, 2023). "Matthew Perry Dies: 'Friends' Actor Was 54". Deadline. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
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