I enjoyed this show for the flying sequences and nothing else. Reality departed early in the series and never came back. The fact is VMF-214 was formed just like every other squadron. There was no misfit aspect to it so it was all BS from the get-go. When this show aired in the mid-70s the majority of the real squadron members were still alive and the real Pappy Boyington caught an earful at one of their reunions during that time.
The problem with doing a war series is that war is largely repetitive. You are trained to do a job and you do it over and over. Tough to come up with new plots on a regular basis whil remaining true to the concept. Some series got around that by doing different things. Combat had guest stars who joined the squad ever week while bringing their problems with them. 12 O'clock High did the same thing but also had much of the action take place at the base where they could interact with civilians. Shows like Black Sheep and Rat Patrol couldn't really do that so lasted about two years. As the plots of each show got more ridiculous in the second year, people tuned out. The writers of both shows must have been going crazy after about 25 episodes.
The cast is actually pretty good. Veteran actors in Conrad, Simon Oakland, and Dana Elcar did the job well and many of the younger guys would go on to other successes when the show ended, both in acting and directing.
Again, a rather goofy show not very realistic regarding war but never pretended to be. Of course, saying that is like saying Conrad's Wild, Wild West wasn't a realistic western. You'd be right on both counts. The two shows have that in common. If you want realism, I recommend Peter Jackson's They Shall Never Grow Old on WWI and Into The Cold Blue on B-17 bombers in WWII. Both are excellent docs.
Black Sheep Sqdn is not "must see" TV but it is a harmless way to pass an hour.
Stray fact - Robert Conrad and Larry Manetti are half- brothers.
Second stray fact - Pappy Boyington was shot down and presumed to be dead but he spent roughly two years in a prison camp. Liberated at the war's end, he was awarded the MOH by Truman and the Navy Cross by the Commandant of the Marine Corps.
The problem with doing a war series is that war is largely repetitive. You are trained to do a job and you do it over and over. Tough to come up with new plots on a regular basis whil remaining true to the concept. Some series got around that by doing different things. Combat had guest stars who joined the squad ever week while bringing their problems with them. 12 O'clock High did the same thing but also had much of the action take place at the base where they could interact with civilians. Shows like Black Sheep and Rat Patrol couldn't really do that so lasted about two years. As the plots of each show got more ridiculous in the second year, people tuned out. The writers of both shows must have been going crazy after about 25 episodes.
The cast is actually pretty good. Veteran actors in Conrad, Simon Oakland, and Dana Elcar did the job well and many of the younger guys would go on to other successes when the show ended, both in acting and directing.
Again, a rather goofy show not very realistic regarding war but never pretended to be. Of course, saying that is like saying Conrad's Wild, Wild West wasn't a realistic western. You'd be right on both counts. The two shows have that in common. If you want realism, I recommend Peter Jackson's They Shall Never Grow Old on WWI and Into The Cold Blue on B-17 bombers in WWII. Both are excellent docs.
Black Sheep Sqdn is not "must see" TV but it is a harmless way to pass an hour.
Stray fact - Robert Conrad and Larry Manetti are half- brothers.
Second stray fact - Pappy Boyington was shot down and presumed to be dead but he spent roughly two years in a prison camp. Liberated at the war's end, he was awarded the MOH by Truman and the Navy Cross by the Commandant of the Marine Corps.