"Sky King" (1951) TV series 1951-1962

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Writers:

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

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)

(more)

Series Directed by
Hollingsworth Morse		(15 episodes, 1952)
Jodie Copelan		(12 episodes, 1956-1958)
Stuart E. McGowan		(12 episodes, 1956-1958)
Clark L. Paylow		(11 episodes, 1956-1959)
Paul Landres		(9 episodes, 1952-1959)
William Witney		(4 episodes, 1959)
William J. Hole Jr.		(2 episodes, 1958-1959)
Oliver Drake		(2 episodes, 1958)
Richard C. Kahn		(2 episodes, 1958)
Herbert L. Strock		(2 episodes, 1958)

Series Writing credits
Burt Sims		(7 episodes, 1956-1959)
William Welch		(7 episodes, 1957-1958)
Adrian Gendot		(5 episodes, 1956)
Tom Seller		(4 episodes, 1952)
Douglas Johnson		(4 episodes, 1958)
C. Ray Stahl		(4 episodes, 1959)
Harry Poppe Jr.		(3 episodes, 1952-1956)
Curtis Kenyon		(3 episodes, 1952)
Charles Larson		(3 episodes, 1952)
David P. Sheppard		(3 episodes, 1952)
John Grey		(3 episodes, 1958-1959)
Fran Harris		(3 episodes, 1958)
Joe Richardson		(2 episodes, 1952)
Orville H. Hampton		(2 episodes, 1956)
Fran Van Hartsveldt		(2 episodes, 1956)
Pat Cherr		(2 episodes, 1957-1958)
Tom Murray		(2 episodes, 1957-1958)
Sloan Nibley		(2 episodes, 1959)
P.K. Palmer		(2 episodes, 1959)
Dwight V. Babcock		(1 episode, 1958)
Leslie Edgley		(unknown episodes)
Polly James		(unknown episodes)
Marilyn Murphy		(unknown episodes)
Roy Winson		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
Dorrell McGowan	....	executive producer (51 episodes, 1956-1959)
Clark L. Paylow	....	producer (47 episodes, 1956-1959)
Stuart E. McGowan	....	executive producer (20 episodes, 1956)
Jack Chertok	....	producer (19 episodes, 1952)
Harry Poppe	....	associate producer / producer (19 episodes, 1952)

Series Original Music by
Eve Newman		(8 episodes, 1956)
Alec Compinsky		(unknown episodes)

Series Cinematography by
Carl Berger		(20 episodes, 1956)
Robert Pittack		(14 episodes, 1952)
William Bradford		(12 episodes, 1958-1959)
Hal McAlpin		(11 episodes, 1958)
Brydon Baker		(9 episodes, 1957-1958)
Mack Stengler		(2 episodes, 1952)

Series Film Editing by
Ben Marmon		(11 episodes, 1952-1958)
Everett Dodd		(7 episodes, 1952-1959)
Jerry Young		(5 episodes, 1956-1959)
Frank Capacchione		(4 episodes, 1952)
Leon Selditz		(3 episodes, 1956)
Axel Hubert Sr.		(2 episodes, 1952)
Warren Adams		(2 episodes, 1958)
Sherman A. Rose		(2 episodes, 1958)
Jack Wheeler		(2 episodes, 1958)

Series Art Direction by
Alfeo Bocchicchio		(31 episodes, 1957-1959)
Howard Campbell		(3 episodes, 1952)

Series Makeup Department
Ernie Young	....	makeup artist (4 episodes, 1959)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Harry M. Slott	....	assistant director (18 episodes, 1956-1959)
Lester D. Guthrie	....	assistant director (16 episodes, 1952)
Herbert E. Mendelson	....	assistant director (14 episodes, 1956)
Bob White	....	assistant director (7 episodes, 1958)
Clark L. Paylow	....	assistant director (4 episodes, 1957-1958)
Harrold Weinberger	....	assistant director (4 episodes, 1959)
Jack Gertsman	....	assistant director (3 episodes, 1958)

Series Art Department
G.W. Berntsen	....	set dresser (32 episodes, 1957-1959)
Leo J. Cornett	....	property master (17 episodes, 1956-1958)
Walter Veady	....	property master (12 episodes, 1958-1959)
Ernest Johnson	....	property master (6 episodes, 1958)
Gene Gossert	....	property master (4 episodes, 1958)

Series Sound Department
Verna Fields	....	sound effects / sound effects editor (42 episodes, 1956-1959)
T.T. Triplett	....	sound (27 episodes, 1956-1958)
Max M. Hutchinson	....	sound recordist / sound (17 episodes, 1952)
Woodruff H. Clarke	....	sound (12 episodes, 1958-1959)
Clarence Peterson	....	sound (10 episodes, 1958)

Series Stunts
Dale Van Sickel	....	stunt double: Kirby Grant (2 episodes, 1952)
Bill Catching	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Charles Horvath	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Fred Krone	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Boyd 'Red' Morgan	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Harvey Parry	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Boyd Stockman	....	stunts (unknown episodes)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Wilbur Kinnett	....	lighting director / lighting / ... (15 episodes, 1956)

Series Editorial Department
Arthur H. Nadel	....	supervising film editor / supervising editor (51 episodes, 1956-1959)
Jack Ruggiero	....	supervising editor (16 episodes, 1952)
Gilbert Mandelik	....	supervising editor (unknown episodes)

Series Music Department
Alec Compinsky	....	music supervisor (22 episodes, 1958-1959)
Herbert Taylor	....	composer: theme music (19 episodes, 1952)
Milton Raskin	....	composer: theme music (18 episodes, 1952)
Eve Newman	....	music editor (8 episodes, 1956)
Byron Chudnow	....	music editor (2 episodes, 1956)

Series Other crew
Paul Mantz	....	aerial advisor (16 episodes, 1952)

Production Companies

• Jack Chertok Television Productions
• McGowan Productions

Distributors

• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1951-1952) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1952-1954) (USA) (TV) (season 2)
• Moviecraft (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Reel Media International (2004) (worldwide) (VHS) (4 episodes)
• Alpha Video Distributors (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Critics' Choice Video (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)

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:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Gamera (#4.2)" (1991)

It's all coming back to me now!

I fondly recall watching this show during my childhood. Although I haven't seen it since I was about 7 or 8 years old, my memories of it are filled with good, warm feelings, possibly because of the simpler times (seemingly) we enjoyed then. I'm sure that seen through the eyes of today this show would appear to be lacking in some respects, but so what? I had completely forgotten about this one until I had a song request recently to perform Jimmy Buffett's "Pencil Thin Moustache" (an old song of his and one of a very few which I DIDN'T learn to play 30 years ago). I was catapulted into my past as I read and learned Jimmy's lyrics:

Oh, I remember bein' buck toothed and skinny Writin' fan letters to Sky's niece Penny Oh, I wish I had a pencil-thin mustache, then I could solve some mysteries too...

The light bulb is back on now. God Bless Gloria Winters and Kirby Grant! Thanks for the memories and a really great show....