Shark Bytes

The series of airplane models from Revell (IIRC) was pretty cool. Even my grandad the ship geek liked them. He gave me an F-111 with wings that moved through the swing-wing arc.

It JTS when it became more of the "Adventures of Raynor Sarnac" than about him and his family.

This show was intelligent, well written, and maintained its historical context. Craig T. Nelson did an outstanding job as the lead early in his career. Too bad the networks didn't have the courage to continue it.

The pilot episode was fantastic and then it was never the same. This show jumped the shark for me when Elizabeth Shue's character had sex with a stranger, and she broke the heart of some other kid who was in love with her. I read that the pilot was a surprise hit and ABC ordered six more episodes to be written and filmed immediately; the original writers and producers had a tough time with the deadline and were very disappointed in the material they created.

Call to Glory was an excellent short lived show it never jumped the shark. Great to she Elizabeth Shue so early on in her career. She looked just fabulous and her acting talent was strong at that time too. Hopefully somewhere someone has all the episodes on tape.

It didn't really ever jump the shark but only because it never was good enough to get to that point. It was a decent show that tried to capitalize on the popularity of The Right Stuff. Who the hell is that moron that linked this show to a JFK conspiracy? That has got to be a first. Of all the wacko theories out there, this one takes the cake. How about you never see these shows in re-runs because no one watched them to begin with so why re-run them?

ABC shouldn't have gotten this show. NBC or CBS would have done a much better job with it. As everyone else said, ABC just messed around with the characters too much, until they became unwatchable. I couldn't stand Wesley, the oldest son. "Oh, I'm a wussy momma's boy! Daddy could get me into the Air Force Academy, but I'm a leftist commie pinko, and I can't get my mommy's titty out of my mouth! Let's see what left-wing organization I can hook up with this week!" I knew some kids like that in real life, growing up as a military brat. The Air Force put the bread on their table, but they didn't appreciate it because they were too liberal. As a kid, I really only followed this show because of the airplanes and flying sequences, and even when I look back on it now, as an Air Force veteran, I think of how silly it was. Every week it seemed, Sarnac was flying a new plane. An F-4 here, an SR-71 there...Oh, it's Tuesday, I must be a U-2 pilot, but tomorrow, I'll be flying a T-38! Now, I realize he was a test pilot, but even this many different jets for a test pilot is a little much. Oh yeah, and seeing as he was a test pilot, how did he end up on so many combat missions, like Cuba, Vietnam, and wherever else he would go? Not unreal, just a little silly.

If I remember correctly, they had a "wrap-up" show that was years later in which the son returned from Canada as a draft dodger...the show was GREAT till that sappy episode. I LOVED the show, but this last episode made me want to smash the TV

I loved it no matter what because at the time I was in the Air Force and had just returned from overseas working with a U-2 squadron. I was just happy to be back in the States watching TV with commercials!! It's funny what you miss when you're away from home for 2 years.

It JTS when:: In every situation in the 1960s, Sarnac was there. His wife...though beautiful was just a loon. The day I watched it and this 1979 pick up truck drove by the ramp at Edwards with a beret wearing skycop all decked out in modern AF uniform while Raynor was on a phone at a hangar at Edwards.

I still get misty when I think of CALL TO GLORY. I was 12 when the show premiered and I remember being quite jealous of Cindy Pickett because I thought Craig T. Nelson was so sexy. [I know, I know, I should get out more.] The scenes when they were in bed together...hooah! What a lucky lady Cindy Pickett was! I only regret that Craig T. doesn't doff his shirt anymore on COACH or THE DISTRICT (just as well, I'm afraid). But back then...wow! Talk about chemistry!

That this show made it onto primetime is a Jump. It appeared to be just another hour-long Network Recruiting Ad disguised as entertainment (See: Jag. See: GI Joe. See: China Beach.), but then it redeemed itself by having poor old Raynor Sarnac's perfect American family kind of implode on him. His kids turned into pinko drug fiends and his wife cheated on him (wasn't it with the BBQ neighbour?). Didn't his teenage daughter get pregnant? I'm not sure about that last one, but I do remember her smoking, and that's a slippery slope... It actually became a very well written piece of satire, which was essentially a scathing commentary on JFK's America, the 60s counterculture vs. the 'establishment', and even the Reagan Years. So it Reverse Jumped. One more thing: what was up with the name "Raynor Sarnac"? It must have been an anagram, but for what? I tried a bunch of different combinations, and the most sensible I could find was "So R. Canary ran". Baffling, simply baffling. Who is "R. Canary", and where is he going in such a hurry??

This show never jumped, it was awesome from day 1!! Does anyone remember the last episode called "Call to Glory: JFK?" It had footage of the Kennedy procession in Dallas on Nov 22, 1965. This is the only bit of footage I've seen where you can see a bullet coming at JFK from the FRONT of the car. (and it was NOT new film, it was footage from the scene that day!) That's probably why you never see that particular episode recycled in syndication, they don't want anything to debunk the single bullet theory.

I loved this show, until they turned the wifey from a supportive woman to Broomhilda on PMS. Nelson was fantastic, and still is!

After having all the other serious drama shows have a liberal point of view, I thought for once the conservatives might have a shot. But, NOOOO! I quit watching when Craig T. Nelson's son ran off to join Martin Luther King's crusade. Why couldn't he have joined the Goldwater brigade or Young Americans for Freedom instead? Lots of young people were at the time.