"Sky King" (1951) TV series 1951-1962

Writers:

Dwight V. Babcock (writer) (episode)
Leslie Edgley (story)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

16 September 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Plot:

"From out of the clear blue of the western sky comes Sky King" was the familiar opening to television's premier aviation program...

Plot Keywords:

Aviation | Arizona | Uncle Niece Relationship | Modern Western | Character Name In Title

Cast

Kirby Grant	...	Sky King / ... (72 episodes, 1952-1959)
Gloria Winters	...	Penny King (72 episodes, 1952-1959)

Runtime:

30 min | USA:30 min (72 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Company:

Jack Chertok Television Productions

Trivia:

There were two "Songbirds" used in the series - the first was a Cessna T-50 Bobcat, the second was a Cessna 310B.

Quotes:

[first lines of each episode]
Narrator: Out of the clear blue of the Western sky comes... Sky King!

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Movie Orgy (1968)

America's Most Famous Flying Cowboy

Sky King came roaring into American living rooms every Saturday with action and adventure. The stories were well written for juvenile television fare. The cast usually consisted of minor character actors. Sky was played with gusto by Kirby Grant who was an ace pilot in real life. His niece, Penny, was portrayed by Gloria Winters who tended to overact but exuded a winning personality that everyone loved.

This was my wife's favorite TV show when she was a child. We recently watched several episodes on DVD and were surprised at how well the shows have held up over the past fifty years. They are still entertaining, action-packed with good aerial photography for the time period. One with an ecological angle was "The Wild Man" featuring Jethro Beaudine's (Max Baer, Jr.) uncle, Buddy Baer, a mountain of a man, standing 6'5" tall. In this episode, he is falsely accused of trying to kill a driver for a logging company and stealing the payroll. It's up to Sky and Penny to prove his innocence. The loggers are out to shoot him because he has been trying to sabotage their work in order to save the homes of the woodland creatures. Penny, as usual, plays an active role in helping her Uncle Sky.