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

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

Status: Partially Found

240-Robert is an American drama series the 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

The whereabouts of the series are unknown as of April 2019. 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.

Episodes

Season 1

#	Title	Summary	Status
1	Apology	Emergencies include a mountainside car accident and a plane crash linked to illegal drug traffic.	Partially Found
2	Stuntman	Publicity from his auto accident prompts a stuntman to attempt a comeback.	Lost
3	Bathysphere	Thib rescues a woman who could boost his songwriting career, but he's not sure he wants her help.	Partially Found
4	Models	Rescue missions involve Trap and Thib with a modeling agency, a dune-buggy chase, and a deep-sea diving stint.	Lost
5	Acting Sergeants	The deputies locate a missing hiker but the rescue is imperiled by a mountain storm.	Partially 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.	Partially Found
7	Out of Sight	Thib loses his eyesight, and shares a hospital room with a suicidal comedian.	Lost
8	Time Bomb	The team confronts an escaped lion, and a time bomb attached to a tanker.	Lost
9	Double Trouble	The deputies must care for lost twins while they search for two pick-pockets.	Partially 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.	Partially Found
11	Earthquake	An earthquake's aftershock traps Thib and Trap in an underwater cave.	Lost
12	The Applicant	A new recruit creates a shark scare by misstating the facts of a beach rescue to a reporter.	Lost
13	Oil and Water	The deputies' rescue of an oil-covered diver sets them searching for an oil spill off the coast.	Partially 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.	Lost
2	First Lost	A radio traffic reporter crashes his helicopter in the mountains with Cueva on board.	Lost
3	Hostages	Trap and Sandy are taken hostage by bank robbers.	Lost

Gallery

The intro (English).

Interview with Mark Harmon which 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

• Wikipedia page on 240-Robert. Retrieved 24 Apr '19
• IMDb page on 240-Robert. Retrieved 24 Apr '19
• 240-Robert fansite. Retrieved 24 Apr '19