240-Robert (found American drama series; 1979-1981)

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250px-TV show 240-Robert.jpg

Lead cast of the TV series 240-Robert: John Bennett Perry, Joanna Cassidy and Mark Harmon

Status: Found

Date found: 17 Feb 2021

Found by: Halofan

240-Robert is an American drama series that ran for two seasons between 1979 and 1981.

Premise

The series focuses on the various missions of a specialized unit of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, known as "240-Robert." Their missions included air/land/sea search and rescue operations using four-wheel-drive vehicles, boats, and helicopters. The series and its cases were based on the real-life 240 unit in the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).

Development/Cancellation

The show was created by Rick Rosner, who had also created the hit series CHiPs two years earlier for NBC. 240-Robert was filmed at a ranger station located at Sycamore Cove in Ventura County, California. Even though the real 240 unit had its headquarters in East Los Angeles, Rosner took some artistic liberty and made the headquarters a "beachside station." The helicopter used in the show was a Hughes HA-500C, while one of the cars was a 1979 Ford Broncos. The series lasted for two seasons (season 1 had 13 episodes, while season 2 had three episodes) before it was cancelled by ABC due to poor ratings.

Cast

  • Deputy Theodore Roosevelt "Trap" Applegate III - John Bennett Perry (father of actor Matthew Perry)
  • Deputy Dwayne "Thib" Thibideaux - Mark Harmon
  • Deputy Morgan Wainwright - Joanna Cassidy
  • Deputy Brett Cueva - Stephen W. Burns
  • Deputy Sandy Harper - Pamela Hensley

Both Mark Harman and Joanna Cassidy left the show after the first season, so Stephen Burns and Pamela Hensley took their roles on the show for the final three episodes. Also, during the helicopter chase/stunt scenes, Cassidy and later Hensley's stunt double was Charles "Chuck" Tamburro. He wore a wig during filming to give the appearance of a girl.

Availability

No official VHS or DVD releases are known to exist, aside from a few long-out-of-print PAL VHS releases in Europe. Only a small handful of very low-quality Spanish dubs of some episodes, as well as the intro in English, can be found on YouTube. However, on February 17th, 2021, Lost Media Wiki user Halofan would upload the entire series onto Google Drive, making this the first time the series has been available. The Google Drive files have since been deleted but have later been re-uploaded to the Internet Archive.

Episodes

Season 1

# Title Summary Status
1 Apology Emergencies include a mountainside car accident and a plane crash linked to illegal drug traffic. Found
2 Stuntman Publicity from his auto accident prompts a stuntman to attempt a comeback. Found
3 Bathysphere Thib rescues a woman who could boost his songwriting career, but he's not sure he wants her help. Found
4 Models Rescue missions involve Trap and Thib with a modelling agency, a dune-buggy chase, and a deep-sea diving stint. Found
5 Acting Sergeants The deputies locate a missing hiker but the rescue is imperilled by a mountain storm. Found
6 Bank Job Morgan wants another chance to chase a helicopter that eluded her in a robbery getaway. Meanwhile, Trap and Thib get hung up diving for the loot and rescuing a cliff-hanging hiker. Found
7 Out of Sight Thib loses his eyesight and shares a hospital room with a suicidal comedian. Found
8 Time Bomb The team confronts an escaped lion, and a time bomb attached to a tanker. Found
9 Double Trouble The deputies must care for lost twins while they search for two pick-pockets. Found
10 Poison Air The deputies respond to a call from a runaway hot-air balloon; a young man tampers with Trap's scuba tank. Found
11 Earthquake An earthquake's aftershock traps Thib and Trap in an underwater cave. Found
12 The Applicant A new recruit creates a shark scare by misstating the facts of a beach rescue to a reporter. Found
13 Oil and Water The deputies' rescue of an oil-covered diver sets them searching for an oil spill off the coast. Found

Season 2

# Episode Title Summary Status
1 Cool Welcome Two newcomers join the rescue team: chopper pilot Sandy Harper and Traps's partner Brett Cueva. Found
2 First Lost A radio traffic reporter crashes his helicopter in the mountains with Cueva on board. Found
3 Hostages Trap and Sandy are taken hostage by bank robbers. Found

[1]

Gallery

The intro (English).

Interview with Mark Harmon where he talks about the show.

Collection of stills from the show's production.

A scene from the show that is credited as Matthew Perry's first acting job.

An 8mm "Behind the Scenes" production video.

The song Saddle My Dreams, which is featured on the show.

Scene from the episode "Poison Air."

A promo for the show.

Another song for the show, titled Teddy Bear.

External Links

Reference

  1. TV Guide page on 240-Robert. Retrieved 24 Apr '19