We are poor (er) little lambs, who have lost our way.

[Fly320s]

Actor Bob Conrad of Wild, Wild West and Black Sheep Squadron died todayy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pvzA6-tSqE

[Ron]

Actor Bob Conrad of Wild, Wild West and Black Sheep Squadron died todayy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pvzA6-tSqE

Two of my favorite shows as a yout.

RIP

[Hawkmoon]

I loved Black Sheep Squadron.

[RoadKingLarry]

RIP
Decent actor, don't remember seeing him in anything  I didn't like.

[Ben]

RIP. I too, thought he was great in BSS. I recall he had a rep as a tough guy, but was an overall decent sort. I remember watching Wild, Wild, West as a kid.

[WLJ]

I loved Black Sheep Squadron.

Not to start a thread derailment but many may not be aware that VMF-214 (Black Sheep) and Gregory "Pappy" Boyington actually existed although most of the show was complete fiction. Boyington himself actually appeared on the show 2 or 3 times. I have his book,  Baa Baa Black Sheep, around here somewhere.
VMF-214, now known as VMA-214, is still around

[HankB]

Not to start a thread derailment but many may not be aware that VMF-214 (Black Sheep) and Gregory "Pappy" Boyington actually existed although most of the show was complete fiction. Boyington himself actually appeared on the show 2 or 3 times. I have his book,  Baa Baa Black Sheep, around here somewhere.
VMF-214, now known as VMA-214, is still around

I understand parts of the Black Sheep's WWII airstrip are still visible on Vella La Vella. (not the fictitious "Vella La Cava" from the TV show).

In an interview about the TV series, one of the surviving VMF-214 pilots said an awful lot of the show - pilot screw ups and other wild hijinks - were fiction. But the BIGGEST departure from reality was the presence of pretty nurses on the show.

Interesting tidbit: during WWII, Boyington (the real one) traveled once on a Dutch ship, the Boschfontein. I remember my Dad traveled at least once on the same ship during the war, though probably not at the same time as Boyington. He told me the Dutch crew was worse than the English about having their tea - at tea time, everything on board just . . . stopped.

I enjoyed the show anyway. Bob Conrad, R.I.P.

[RocketMan]

I was fortunate enough to meet Pappy Boyington at a couple of airshows during my warbirding days.  He was a very nice guy, a pleasure to talk to.  Bought a copy of his book that he graciously autographed for me.

[Brad Johnson]

Not to start a thread derailment but many may not be aware that VMF-214 (Black Sheep) and Gregory "Pappy" Boyington actually existed although most of the show was complete fiction. Boyington himself actually appeared on the show 2 or 3 times. I have his book,  Baa Baa Black Sheep, around here somewhere.
VMF-214, now known as VMA-214, is still around

I have an autographed copy of his book.

Back to the OP...

Looks like someone finally knocked that battery off his shoulder.  RIP

Brad

[TommyGunn]

I loved Black Sheep.   I liked Wild Wild West,  but it was  really only what we watched while waiting for STAR TREK to come on.   As a college student I worked with the son of a man who'd flown with Pappy Boyington,  and informed me of the show's technical inaccuracies (nurses,  Vella la Cava ,  etc)  but still like the show.

My father once ran into Boyington at the U. S. Naval Sub Base in Groton Connecticut ....had to be 1953-4.   My father had a rather direct way of expressing himself, so when I asked him what he thought of the real Boyington,  he only said, "drunken bum."

R. I. P.  Robert Conrad.  You did well.


Of note:  actor Orson Bean also died yesterday after being struck by a car.   I didn't even realize he was still around....must have been in his 90s.

[230RN]

Orson Bean was 91.  I remember him being the cuckolded older hubby in 2 1/2 Men whose trophy wife was upstairs in Charley Harper's bedroom.

RIP, Robert Conrad.

I liked BBBS a lot and liked Robert Conrad in it, but the main thing was the Corsairs.  
Terry

[Tim L]

| attended a VMF-214 reunion in 2001 or 2002 I think.  It was held in Mt Pleasant IN. and was billed as the Gathering of Corsairs.  They had 3 or 4 Corsairs,  a dozen squadron pilots, 2 or 3 actors from the series, and Cook Cleland.   Red West and Robert Ginty were the 2 actors I met that day.  Cook Cleland flew an F2G2 Super Corsair in the Thompson Trophy races. 


R.I.P Robert Conrad.

[Tim L]

I understand parts of the Black Sheep's WWII airstrip are still visible on Vella La Vella. (not the fictitious "Vella La Cava" from the TV show).

In an interview about the TV series, one of the surviving VMF-214 pilots said an awful lot of the show - pilot screw ups and other wild hijinks - were fiction. But the BIGGEST departure from reality was the presence of pretty nurses on the show.

Interesting tidbit: during WWII, Boyington (the real one) traveled once on a Dutch ship, the Boschfontein. I remember my Dad traveled at least once on the same ship during the war, though probably not at the same time as Boyington. He told me the Dutch crew was worse than the English about having their tea - at tea time, everything on board just . . . stopped.

I enjoyed the show anyway. Bob Conrad, R.I.P.

This link seems to indicate that it is right on the coast.   If so, it is visible.

https://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/vmf-214-black-sheep-squadron-airfield/view/google

[Hawkmoon]

My father once ran into Boyington at the U. S. Naval Sub Base in Groton Connecticut ....had to be 1953-4.   My father had a rather direct way of expressing himself, so when I asked him what he thought of the real Boyington,  he only said, "drunken bum."

I have read that opinion of Boyington in more than one source. Your father was probably not far off the mark.

[Hawkmoon]

This link seems to indicate that it is right on the coast.   If so, it is visible.

https://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/vmf-214-black-sheep-squadron-airfield/view/google

That looks correct.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Vella+Lavella+Island/@-7.9133301,156.7059621,1999m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x68d2ffa16f404c3f:0x9ea06cdcb38d6d3a!8m2!3d-7.7587665!4d156.6652785

There appears to be another abandoned air strip at the north end of the island, but I don't have any idea what it might have been -- or when.

[Ben]

I never  noticed when I first watched the show as a kid, but I watched it again after having put in several years of survey flights around the Channel Islands under my belt to where I knew every inch of the coastlines. I was quite surprised when  I watched it the second time around to see that almost all the stock footage of island shots was from the Northern Channel Islands. They must have rented a plane in LA, done a few go rounds, then just kept inserting different angles from different parts of the islands over the seasons.

[RoadKingLarry]

That looks correct.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Vella+Lavella+Island/@-7.9133301,156.7059621,1999m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x68d2ffa16f404c3f:0x9ea06cdcb38d6d3a!8m2!3d-7.7587665!4d156.6652785

There appears to be another abandoned air strip at the north end of the island, but I don't have any idea what it might have been -- or when.

The one on the north end actually looks to be an active strip, possibly for smaller island hoppers.

[Hawkmoon]

The one on the north end actually looks to be an active strip, possibly for smaller island hoppers.

Active? This one?

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Vella+Lavella+Island/@-7.5760865,156.5986149,1772m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x68d2ffa16f404c3f:0x9ea06cdcb38d6d3a!8m2!3d-7.7587665!4d156.6652785

[makattak]

RIP, Mr. West. Looks like Loveless finally caught up with you.

I always loved watching you as I was growing up. (James West is who he'll always be to me.)

(Never seen the Black Sheep Squadron, though. That looks good.)

[RoadKingLarry]

Active? This one?

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Vella+Lavella+Island/@-7.5760865,156.5986149,1772m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x68d2ffa16f404c3f:0x9ea06cdcb38d6d3a!8m2!3d-7.7587665!4d156.6652785

Dirt strip, small planes, quite a few buildings and relatively recent agricultural activity in close proximity.
Here are a few examples close to home:
This is my cousin's place, strip runs East/West just South of the house and hangars .
https://www.google.com/maps/place/36%C2%B029'20.9%22N+95%C2%B008'03.0%22W/@36.489147,-95.1363447,904m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x0:0x0!7e2!8m2!3d36.4891468!4d-95.1341558

Here is another grass strip
https://www.google.com/maps/place/36%C2%B028'06.6%22N+95%C2%B040'02.7%22W/@36.468499,-95.6689766,904m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x0:0x0!7e2!8m2!3d36.4684993!4d-95.6674288

And another
https://www.google.com/maps/place/36%C2%B031'22.5%22N+95%C2%B027'44.0%22W/@36.522923,-95.4633083,452m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x0:0x0!7e2!8m2!3d36.5229225!4d-95.4622143

It doesn't take much for small planes.

[grampster]

In my younger daze I watched BSS and MASH which were on TV back to back.  My best friend had just come home from his 2nd tour in Viet Nam and he had ceramic skull full of some decent pot.  So we'd smoke a bit and watch both programs while tipping a couple beers.  We did that for a couple years.  Good times.

[Tim L]

Dirt strip, small planes, quite a few buildings and relatively recent agricultural activity in close proximity.
Here are a few examples close to home:
This is my cousin's place, strip runs East/West just South of the house and hangars .
https://www.google.com/maps/place/36%C2%B029'20.9%22N+95%C2%B008'03.0%22W/@36.489147,-95.1363447,904m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x0:0x0!7e2!8m2!3d36.4891468!4d-95.1341558

Not to change the subject, but I see roundels!   Nice place.

[Jim147]

Rip.
Enjoyed the show growing up and meet Boyington when my dad and I used to go out to the combat air museum in Topeka years ago.

[RoadKingLarry]

Not to change the subject, but I see roundels!   Nice place.

I'm not sure what all he has now. I can see 5 on the ground and I'd bet he still has the Jenny in the hangar.