Code Red (American TV series)

Last updated
Code Red
Code Red (TV series)cast.jpg
Genre Drama
Action
Created byLaurence Heath
Written byLaurence Heath
Carole and Mike Raschella
Cliff Ruby
Elana Lesser
Directed by J. Lee Thompson
Fernando Lamas
Don Weis
Starring Lorne Greene
Andrew Stevens
Martina Deignan
Julie Adams
Sam J. Jones
Adam Rich
Theme music composer Morton Stevens
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes19
Production
Production locations Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time90 minutes (pilot), 60 minutes (series)
Production companiesIrwin Allen Productions
Columbia Pictures Television
Original release
ReleaseNovember 1, 1981 (1981-11-01) 
September 12, 1982 (1982-09-12)

Code Red is an American action drama television series that ran on ABC from November 1, 1981, to September 12, 1982 and was produced by Irwin Allen. [1] This was Allen's sixth and final television series, and his only series not produced for 20th Century Fox Television.

Contents

Overview

The series stars Lorne Greene as Battalion Fire Chief Joe Rorchek and his family, some of whom, his elder sons Ted (Andrew Stevens) and Chris (Sam J. Jones), serve as firemen under his direct command as part of the Los Angeles Fire Department. In addition, Haley Green (Martina Deignan), the first female firefighter in the LAFD, is under Rorchek's command and serves with distinction both professionally and as a friend of the Rorcheks.

In addition, Joe Rorchek's preteen adopted son, Danny Blake (Adam Rich) serves as a member of the Firefighter Explorers organization, complete with his own uniform and turnout gear. Although still a child, Danny dreams of joining the family profession and enjoys privileged access to his family's professional activities. As a result, he has numerous adventures of his own armed with a cool head in the face of crisis and considerable fire safety and first aid skills for his age. Despite the danger, the male members of the Rorchek family have the full support of Ann Rorchek (Julie Adams), Joe's wife, who is proud of her family's calling.

In addition to family drama, the characters have numerous adventures with the various fires and other emergencies that happen in their operating area.

The series began with a television movie as Joe Rorchek as an arson investigator who is pursuing a dangerous arsonist who uses firebombs to start serious blazes that Rorchek's sons have to fight. Meanwhile, Green, recently assigned to the Rorcheks' unit, strives to prove herself to skeptical fire fighter Al Martelli (Jack Lindine). When the series was approved for production, Greene's character was reassigned to command the task force "Station 1" (in actuality, the real LAFD Station 49, which was used for establishing and exterior shots during the show's production), located on the city's waterfront as a more suitable premise for the series. The station is a large one, equipped with not only a varied ground fleet of vehicles including a personal car for Chief Rorchek, but also a helicopter piloted by Chris Rorchek and a fireboat moored at a dock built into the station.

Given that the series was scheduled for early Sunday evening for a family audience, many episodes end with a coda where a cast member addresses the audience about fire safety and first aid.

Episode list

TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
0"Code Red"J. Lee ThompsonLaurence HeathSeptember 20, 1981 (1981-09-20)
90-minute pilot episode.
1"A Saved Life"Georg FenadyLee Hunter, Carol Raschella & Michael Raschella (t),
Lee Hunter (s)
November 1, 1981 (1981-11-01)
2"Death of a Fireman" James Sheldon Don BoyleNovember 8, 1981 (1981-11-08)
3"Dark Fire" Earl Bellamy Jackson Gillis (t),
Ray Brenner (s)
November 15, 1981 (1981-11-15)
4"The Little Girl Who Cried Fire"Ben MasselinkChristian I. Nyby IINovember 22, 1981 (1981-11-22)
5"All That Glitters"UnknownUnknownNovember 29, 1981 (1981-11-29)
6"Fireworks"Phil BondelliRick Edelstein (t),
Carole Raschella (s/t),
Mike Raschella (s/t)
December 6, 1981 (1981-12-06)
7"Framed by Fire"Don WeisCarole & Michael RaschellaDecember 13, 1981 (1981-12-13)
8"From One Little Spark"Fernando LamasRick EdelsteinJanuary 3, 1982 (1982-01-03)
9"Wildfire"UnknownUnknownJanuary 10, 1982 (1982-01-10)
10"My Life Is Yours"Don WeisRick EdelsteinJanuary 17, 1982 (1982-01-17)
11"Happy Birthday"UnknownUnknownJanuary 31, 1982 (1982-01-31)
12"Revenge" Ernest Pintoff George Geiger (t),
Rift Fournier (s)
February 7, 1982 (1982-02-07)
13"Burnout"Phil BondelliB.W. SandefurFebruary 14, 1982 (1982-02-14)
14"Trapped by Time"Fernando LamasDonald R. BoyleFebruary 21, 1982 (1982-02-21)
15"Trial by Fire"Phil BondelliCliff Ruby,
Elana Lesser
February 28, 1982 (1982-02-28)
16"Riddle in the Flames"Ernest PintoffDonald R. BoyleMarch 14, 1982 (1982-03-14)
17"No Escape"Phil BondelliCliff Ruby,
Elana Lesser
March 21, 1982 (1982-03-21)
18"Fire Below"Ernest PintoffDonald R. BoyleJuly 11, 1982 (1982-07-11)
19"Land of Make Believe"TBDTBDN/A

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles Fire Department</span> Fire department of the city of Los Angeles, California, U.S.

The Los Angeles Fire Department provides Firefighting Services as well as Technical Rescue Services,Hazardous Materials Services and Emergency Medical Services to the citizens of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. The LAFD is responsible for approximately 4 million people who live in the agency's 471 square miles (1,220 km2) jurisdiction. The Los Angeles Fire Department was founded in 1886 and is the third largest municipal fire department in the United States, after the New York City Fire Department and the Chicago Fire Department. The department may be unofficially referred to as the Los Angeles City Fire Department or "LA City Fire" to distinguish it from the Los Angeles County Fire Department which serves the county and whose name may directly confuse people, as the county seat is the city. Another possible reason is that the city and the unincorporated county are often bordering each other and thus the two appear to be serving the same area. The department is currently under the command of chief Kristin Crowley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lorne Greene</span> Canadian actor (1915–1987)

Lorne Hyman Greene was a Canadian actor, musician, singer and radio personality. His notable television roles include Ben Cartwright on the Western Bonanza and Commander Adama in the original science-fiction television series Battlestar Galactica and Galactica 1980. He also worked on the Canadian television nature documentary series Lorne Greene's New Wilderness and in television commercials.

<i>Emergency!</i> American television series

Emergency! is an American action-adventure medical drama television series jointly produced by Mark VII Limited and Universal Television. Debuting on NBC as a midseason replacement on January 15, 1972, replacing the two short-lived situation comedy series The Partners and The Good Life, it ran for a total of 122 episodes until May 28, 1977, with six additional two-hour television films during the next two years, 1978 and 1979.

Irwin Allen was an American film and television producer and director, known for his work in science fiction, then later as the "Master of Disaster" for his work in the disaster film genre. His most successful productions were The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and The Towering Inferno (1974). He also created and produced the popular 1960s science-fiction television series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, The Time Tunnel, and Land of the Giants.

<i>Rescue Me</i> (American TV series) American firefighter comedy-drama TV series

Rescue Me is an American comedy-drama television series that aired on FX from July 21, 2004, to September 7, 2011. The series focuses on the professional and personal lives of a group of New York City firefighters.

<i>Londons Burning</i> (TV series) British television drama series (1986–2002)

London's Burning is a British television drama programme, produced by London Weekend Television for the ITV network. It was based on the 1986 TV movie of the same name, and focused on the lives of members of the London Fire Brigade, principally those of the Blue Watch, at the fictional Blackwall fire station. It began with the movie (pilot), broadcast on 7 December 1986. This was then followed by a total of 14 series, which ran from 20 February 1988 to 25 August 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles County Fire Department</span> Firefighting service in California

The Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD) provides firefighting and emergency medical services for the unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County, California, as well as 59 cities through contracting, including the city of La Habra which is located in Orange County and is the first city outside of Los Angeles County to contract with LACoFD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Fire Brigade</span> Fire and Rescue service in London

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) is the fire and rescue service for London, the capital of the United Kingdom. It was formed by the Metropolitan Fire Brigade Act 1865, under the leadership of superintendent Eyre Massey Shaw. It has 5,992 staff, including 5,096 operational firefighters and officers based at 102 fire stations.

<i>Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins</i> 2000 American animated film by Tad Stones

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins is a 2000 American animated science fiction comedy film directed by Tad Stones, who is also the producer with Mark McCorkle and Bob Schooley. It serves as a spin-off of the Toy Story franchise and released on direct-to-video in the United States on August 8, 2000. The film later led to a television series, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, which aired on UPN and ABC from October 2000 to January 2001, and Pixar's feature film, Lightyear, which was theatrically released in the United States in June 2022, serving as an origin story for the character, voiced by Chris Evans. The film was nominated for two Video Premiere Awards: Best Animated Video Premiere and Best Animated Character Performance for Tim Allen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seattle Fire Department</span>

The Seattle Fire Department provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of Seattle, Washington, United States. The department is responsible for an area of 142.5 square miles (369 km2), including 193 miles (311 km) of waterfront, with a population of 713,700. There is a total of 1,065 employees with 981 uniformed personnel and 84 civilian employees.

Tom Irwin is an American film, television, and stage actor. Irwin is best known for his roles as Adrian Powell in the Lifetime comedy-drama series Devious Maids and as Graham Chase in the mid-1990s drama My So-Called Life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fire Service Exploring</span>

Fire Service Exploring is one of the career-oriented programs offered by Learning for Life, a branch of the Boy Scouts of America.

"Scorched" is the 11th episode of the second season of the American television series Numbers. Marking the first produced script for series writer Sean Crouch, the episode features Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents and mathematicians investigating a series of arsons that may have been started by an ecoterrorist group. Bill Nye "The Science Guy", who is a fan of the show, guest stars as a colleague of scientists Dr. Charlie Eppes and Dr. Larry Fleinhardt.

Danger Rangers is an American animated television series that aired on PBS Kids from September 5, 2005 to December 26, 2006.

Chris Petersen is an American actor. Beginning his career as a child actor at the age of 12, he is best known for his roles in the feature films When Every Day Was the Fourth of July, The Swarm and The Little Dragons. Rising to prominence among teen audiences during the late 1970s and 1980s, he is also remembered for starring in various teen anthology series of the time including ABC Afterschool Specials, CBS Afternoon Playhouse and NBC Special Treat, as well as for his co-starring role on Norman Lear's "interactive" situation comedy, The Baxters.

<i>Burning Flame</i> Hong Kong TV series or program

Burning Flame is a TVB modern action drama that focuses on the duties and challenges of Hong Kong firefighters. It is the first installment in the Burning Flame series. The series was specifically filmed to celebrate TVB's 31st Anniversary and was supported by Hong Kong Fire Services Department.

<i>Chicago Fire</i> (TV series) American drama television series

Chicago Fire is an American drama television series created by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas, with Dick Wolf as an executive producer. It is the first installment of Wolf Entertainment's Chicago franchise, which deals with different public services in Chicago, Illinois. The show follows the professional and personal lives of firefighters, rescue personnel, and paramedics of the Chicago Fire Department at the fictional Firehouse 51. The series premiered on NBC on October 10, 2012. As of January 17, 2024, the series has aired 240 episodes. In April 2023, the series was renewed for a twelfth season, which premiered on January 17, 2024.

<i>The Smoke</i> (TV series) British drama television series

The Smoke is a British firefighter television drama that debuted on Sky1 on 20 February 2014. The series was created and written by Lucy Kirkwood and stars Jamie Bamber, Taron Egerton, Jodie Whittaker and Rhashan Stone.

The Stentorians are a fraternal organization of African American firefighters, based in Los Angeles, California, and founded in 1954.

References

  1. Dennis Fischer (17 June 2011). Science Fiction Film Directors, 1895-1998. McFarland. pp. 39–. ISBN   978-0-7864-8505-5.