The "Whistling Death" F4U Corsair planes are the actual stars of this movie, the best combat planes ever with killing ratio 11:1 in their short times during 1943-1945. And VMF-214 Black Sheep Squadron is just the legend Ace Squadron with high killing ratio (average 5+) during the pacific war with Pappy Boyington as great fighter and leader. I watched this series when I was a kid, and always in my memory ever since. I even collect the F4U Corsair model planes afterward. I am still trying to watch the FIRST episode the "Flying Misfits" a.k.a episode zero, so if anyone know how to get it kindly advice. This is a good series of the pacific war, yes it dramatized and fictionalized events, but it is very nice to see many REAL Corsairs in formation! Great respect to Pappy Boyington and VMF-214 for your great dedication, you folks did a great job!
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unixfreaxjp28 December 2014
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rwalk0911 February 2007Black Sheep Squadron is a series that is fascinating to watch, over and over. I first started watching it on the History Channel and have numerous tapes that are wearing out from use. These are quite interesting since they contain the comments of the original Black Sheep members, as well as some by Conrad.
The stories, for the most part, are quite interesting and the acting is top-notch. Conrad is a seasoned actor going back many years and does very well in all sorts of roles, including this one. Clyde Kusatsu in his role as a captured Zero pilot was believable and has been in many other movies since. The regulars...Dana Elcar, Robert Ginty, W. K. Stratton, Simon Oakland, James Whitmore, Jr. were well-placed in their roles. -
MiketheWhistle16 February 2020With the passing of Robert Conrad and H&I showing the show again I wanted to comment on it. This is one of the first shows I remember watching because my Grandfather served with the actual Boyington during WW2 and we watched several eps shortly before he died.
I read Boyington's autobiography when I was a young teen. Needless to say the show isn't accurate, and was said by former members of the unit in the 80s at a reunion and the former members expressed great displeasure at Boyington. My Grandfather's overlap of service was limited as he was in the Army Air Corps and knew him from base overlap and because he was a mechanic which was as important as pilots because of limited replacement parts.
So while the show was inaccurate, it was generally inspiring (I believe one of the reasons I enlisted when I was 17) and entertaining. Today if I want history, I've got the History and Military Channels, so all one needs to do is expect it to entertain which it does. I'd make it akin to MASH which certainly wasn't real either, but was entertaining.
What a lot of people won't remember is the time period when this was on being post-Vietnam and there was a negative attitude towards the service that post 9/11 isn't remembered by many (I served in the late 80s and Desert Storm and the military was viewed positively in my opinion by most then, but not as high as after 9/11).
so watch it for what it's meant to be, entertainment. -
middlega24 February 1999The tales of Boyington's Black Sheep may not have been the most historically accurate, best written, or even best acted WW II series on television.
What it WAS, however, was an entertaining hour in front of the tube, with a likable cast & easy to like/care about characters.
The Bellisaro hand in the casting in easy to see, with a number of familiar faces that returned to become regulars or recurring characters on Magnum P.I.
In short, a usually enjoyable show that never failed to deliver exactly what you expected from it. -
I remember i was just a kid when i came home from some where and the first episode came on and i watched it with my grand dad i was hooked from then on. my grand dad remembered the black sheep from his days on Guadalcanal and told me about the real Boyington and the black sheep. we knew the TV show was pretty much hokam but we enjoyed the spirit of the show and how good it made us feel. i later was given a copy of the book pappy wrote by my grand mother and i would build corsairs from kits and hang them in my room. i never got to meet pappy before he died but if i ever get back to Arlington national cemetery i will go to his grave as i do grand dads and say a word of thanks. i was also lucky to grow up not far from the little town where Audie Murphy was born in Kingston Texas. and my other favorite military person was general George s Patton Ole blood and guts himself. it is too bad we do not have those type of men around any more but to them all a heartfelt thanks. they were in deed the greatest generation.
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njg7616 January 2007It was an excellent program... and miles above the competition! Baa Baa Blacksheep (Blacksheep Squadron) will always hold a special place in my heart. I not only knew the cast (Great people!), but I was acquainted with the real "Pappy" Boyington as well. He had a great time working the set of Baa Baa Blacksheep and I know it meant a lot to him... Anyone not familiar with Greg "Pappy" Boyington should read the book "Blacksheep One"... It really lets the reader into the kind of person he really was. Highly recommended!
Here's to Greg...He was one hell of a combat pilot, and a hell of a man.
He is sorely missed. -
jaimehk20 September 2009They were young, good looking, their lives move around flying those wonderful blue planes, they lived in tropical paradises, and between each flight they used to hang out with really hot girls, mock authority and play sports. What else an anxious pre-teen could ask from a TV Screen? (Actually I saw the reruns in the 80's once and again). Only occasionally they mourned the loss of a fella, and that their business was about killing and hurting other people was of minor importance. A pretty sweetened version of war, indeed. And about historical accuracy, it faired only slightly better than, say, "Operation Petticoat" (another 70's series about WW2) or MASH. In the plus side, it gives good messages about camaraderie, friendship, loyalty, and even tolerance (it wasn't openly anti-jap), and, at least speaking of myself, you fell compelled to learn more about actual history. As a present-day WWII buff, I wouldn't buy a DVD, but I'd gladly spend one hour of my lifetime watching a rerun of some episode. I would recommend it for parents with teens and preteens, but I'm sure they would find it slow and boring.
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georgeszaslavsky26 September 2013I watched Baa Baa Black sheep for the first time in 1983. I really liked the dislikable characters like Miklin and Colonel Lard who were good in their roles. The Japanese actor who played the ace Arachi was excellent. The atmosphere between the black sheep is often rivalry, humor, boxing fights against each other sometimes, teamwork with sense of duty and responsibility, also all the black sheeps share a big interest in women. Pappy is a hero like there have been a few during the second world, Conrad portrays him as a man liking his crew men and with sense of responsibility and huge courage.It is a great TV series for those interested in the aerial combat in the South Pacific.
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If I had written this review when I was 14 (the year the show first aired) as opposed to now, with hindsight, research, and more than a little experience, I might be as exuberant as an earlier reviewer.
Do yourself a favor - read "Baa Baa Black Sheep" by LTC Boyington. Then... if you want the non-biased true story of LTC Boyington and some of the Black Sheep (warts and all), find a copy of "Black Sheep One" by Bruce Gamble. Look (online on You Tube) for the History Channel's "True Story of the Black Sheep".
I began reading at the age of four years old, and began reading High School level books at the age of eight. I was enamored of WWII aircraft and war stories, and read hundreds of books on the subject. My interest was helped along by a brother who was in the USAF and father who served in the US Army Air Corps. I was already very familiar with aviation and WWII when this series premiered to my absolute delight.
"Baa Baa Black Sheep" (later re-named "Black Sheep Squadron" for syndication reasons)is loosely based on LTC Gregory "Pappy" Boyington's memoir of the same name. That book, as well as most of what is portrayed in this, is, as Pappy once put it "Fiction based on reality".
Some aspects of the television series are very accurate. For instance, there is an area of the planet Earth referred to as "The South Pacific" and there was an event called World War II. Gregory Boyington was a real person, VMF-214 (Now VMA-214) was a real Marine Corps Fighter squadron, during part of the afore-mentioned WWII they flew the F4U "Corsair" series of aircraft, and the Corsairs were mostly painted blue. Other than that... certain "liberties" are taken with historical fact and the quest for accuracy.
This series is a prime example of "fantasy-based history" or "history- based fantasy" however you prefer. It was NEVER meant to be historically accurate. It is, in the words of the series creator Stephen Cannell "entertainment".
The stories are, for the most part, fairly simple and some are actually plausible. But anyone who watches this series and expects to gain an accurate knowledge of USMC air, land, and sea operations in WWII needs to do some basic research at their local library.
It is the finest example of mid-1970's "campy" television with the worst results. By "campy" I mean.. well, ...corny.
It is the typical "fighter-pilot-gets-drunk-and-laid-as-often-as-possible" story, with the usual obligatory bouts of fisticuffs at every opportunity. Add in the usual defiance of the incompetent higher echelon ("Colonel Lard") who is eventually won over by the protagonist's charm and results, and finally the "let's win the war for White America" mindset, and you have the series in a nutshell.
But, unfortunately, this was the age of disco, "Charlie's Angels" and long-haired teeny-boys with feathered hair. "Special Guest Stars" like Peter Frampton (bushy fro hairdo and all), George Takei, and others showed that people wanted and needed their "stars" or so the writers thought.
It was the addition of the previously mentioned feather-haired teenager "Lt. Jeb Pruitt" (as a teenage flying prodigy who was 15 and sneaked his way through USMC Fighter Pilot training, boot camp, aeronautical school,etc. looking like an effeminate member of the "Our Gang"comedies) and then (gulp!) ..."Pappy's Lambs"- USMC nurses in 1970's Farrah Fawcett-Majors hair, halter-tops and Daisy-duke-style shorts,and loose morals.
Why do we try to sneak contemporary aspects of current life and culture into period and historical pieces like "BBBS"? It was simply doomed from the start and the fact that it lasted as long as it did was a miracle.
Now - It is being resurrected again on "METV" and I won't miss an episode. What? After all my opinionated drivel regarding what made it so bad? Simple: It has the following very appealing elements:
1. It shows the greatest fighter plane ever built (F4U-1 Corsair) flying - both in series-filmed elements and stock footage. Other aircraft are shown often and a lot of gun camera footage.
2. It has Robert Conrad, who is the greatest television star/actor of all time.
3. It is loosely - very loosely based on the exploits of a great pilot and someone (I too) met as a teenager - LTC Gregory "Pappy" Boyington. His motto - taken from F. Scott Fitzgerald: "Just name a hero, and I'll prove he's a bum" has become my motto and a part of my life.
4. Red West - the example of what every Enlisted mechanic in the US Military should strive for.
5. It reminds me that television was once fun - very much full of crap when "Crap was King!".. but fun. -
theguy28 November 2019I absolutely loved this show. The aircraft scenes were top notch - very well filmed. If anyone from the studio is reading this, you need to make a "movie reboot" version of Black Sheep Squadron! It would do very well at the theaters right now!
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grantss5 September 2021When the US enters WW2, Greg "Pappy" Boyington is flying with the American Volunteer Group, "The Flying Tigers", in China. Once the US gains a foothold on the Japanese empire in the Solomon Islands he heads there and rejoins the Marine Corps. By hook and by crook he gains the rank of Major and forms his own fighter squadron. He recruits his pilots from those being court martialled for a variety of offences. The ragtag squadron he forms will turn out be one of the most successful in the Pacific Theatre: VMF-214 - The Black Sheep Squadron.
I was initially disappointed with this series because I was expecting a gritty, accurate telling of the history of Pappy Boyington, VMF-214 and the air war over Guadalcanal and the Solomons. This most certainly is not: huge liberties are taken with history and military equipment and procedures. Even the geography is wildly inaccurate at times (e.g. Corsairs flying a 5,500 km round trip from the Solomon Islands to Ulithi for a mission).
However, once you learn to live with all the inaccuracies and suspend disbelief it turns out to be quite fun. The series is less about the military action and more about the goings-on within the squadron, covering things like personal relationships and team management. These are generally quite interesting and entertaining.
Moreover, the aircraft used are real WW2 stock and get a lot of screentime: actual Corsairs plus a few Zeroes and the occasional P-38, C-47 etc. Makes a very pleasant change from game-like CGI or fake equipment (e.g. Modern-day US tanks being used as Panzer IVs, Panthers, Tigers etc in many war movies of the 60s and 70s). There's a few liberties taken, e.g. Val and Kate dive/torpedo bombers masquerading as Zeroes, but these are quite minor and barely noticeable.
The use of archival war footage is also well done and is woven into the action scenes very convincingly.
However, some of the lustre does go off the series in the second season. The plots become weaker and there are some largescale character/casting changes. Some of the more colourful characters leave, never to return, and are either not replaced or replaced by some irritating characters. The additions of Sergeant Micklin and Lt. Pruitt were particularly irritating: Micklin (played by Red West) being a very one-dimensional, cartoonish character and Pruitt (Jeb Adams) seeming straight out of a Disney kid's movie. I didn't mind the addition of Samantha Greene (Denise DuBarry) though...
Season ratings: Season 1: 7.5/10, Season 2: 6/10. -
I loved this series. When I was in the Marines I was fortunate to be stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay with Marine Air Group 13 (MAG 13). The the three flying squadrons included, you guessed it, VMA 214, The Black Sheep Squadron. They were obviously not the original pilots but they carried on the tradition. At the present I am reading "Baa Baa Black Sheep" written by Black Sheep One himself, Gregory "Pappy" Boyington. He pulls no punches. In the book he details all his personal problems, his being shot down and captured by the Japanese, and his time spent in a Japanese camp. He also goes into details about his time with the American Volunteer Group (Flying Tigers). A great book written by a famous marine.
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Mirella776 February 2022Pretty much everyone knows from a scant review of the real Squadron 214 under the leadership of Greg "Pappy" Boyington that attention to accuracy was not a major feature of this television series. . . With that said, Series 1 was an enjoyable show that highlighted aerial combat & camaraderie across a number of Pacific Islands in WWII
Robert Conrad was an excellent choice as Pappy Boyington, as were all the other cast choice for series 1 . . . Sadly, Series 2 lost it's way as it sought to replicate a No of other popular series of the time, including Charlie's Angels . . suddenly several of the original cast members disappeared without explanation, scantily clad nurses became a more prominent element of the series, new cast members with little personality appeared and attention to details such as fashions & hairstyles became even more problematic with every cast member looking as though they were in the late 1970s rather than the 1940s
Because of the way BBBS lost it's way, I have combined scores for Series 1 & 2 to arrive at an average of 7/10 . . . (Series 1: 9/10 and Series 2: 5/10 . . . Total: 14/20=7/10)
On a personal note, I really enjoyed BBBS when it aired in my home country, Australia, in the 1970s. I was very young & greatly enjoyed the series. . . For some reason, I cannot recall Series 2 being aired at the time . . . Probably as the Channel airing the series could see what a train wreck the second series was & chose not to air it.
May I offer my thanks to all the military who patrolled the Pacific during WWII, including Squadron 214 of the Marines. We owe you so much!! -
Guad4224 February 2022I 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. -
Hessian4999 December 2001Set in the South Pacific during World War Two, the series dealt with a squadron of US pilots known as the Black Sheep (called such due to the fact most were misfits and disciplinary cases before joining the outfit). The best part of the series were the aerial combat sequences; using a mix of archived material from the war, newly filmed sequences, and superbly edited tapings of radio transmissions, the producers made it seem like you were up there in the sky with the squadron in the encounters with the Japanese. On the ground, the dramatic scenes were often done just as well; you got to realize that even though the squadron was made up of screwballs they behaved as a unit and worked as a team to make it through whatever came up.
Later episodes in the series tend to be rather lacking in entertainment value. The addition of "Pappy's Lambs" - a group of nurses assigned to the island - was probably meant to help ratings, but at the same time the focus started to swing towards them and away from the war against the Japanese, which had been the backbone of the more successful earlier episodes. The overall writing of the series seems to have deteriorated as the show got towards the end of its run as well.
While mixed in quality through its run, the show is definitely worth watching, if nothing else for the Corsairs that were restored to be used on the show - great aircraft! -
jacobse_en_van_es11 April 2016This series has 'childhood memory' written all over it. I simply loved it.
Being interested in WW2 aviation at an early age I watched and read everything I could get my hand on. And one day I found this series on TV. I was blown away. What were these beautiful blue aircraft? I knew of Spitfires, Mustangs and Messerschmitts but what was this?? It was the beginning of a life long adoration for the Corsair which is still there today.
The series was far from being historical accurate, in fact it only has very few connections with the real Black Sheep Squadron (VMF- 214). But this does not matter. Sure, the story line is over the top and incredibly fictional and the same goes for the characters which are way too 'Hollywoodlike' (with Robert Conrad's role getting 1st price there). But all of this is not annoying and as a viewer you accept this as other parts in the show (like the dog fighting scenes) make up for this.
The actors chosen also fitted their parts very well. They all seemed to be cast just right and all have their specific place in the squadron and all share the same amount of attention (except for Pappy of course) . They "jumped the shark" as they say in Hollywood when the nurses arrived in the series in order to save the ratings. Too bad it was canceled. The show had much more potential.
When I found out many years later that the series could be bought on DVD, I ordered it immediately without even checking the price. Many a rainy day has been spent watching the series. Now it's my young son asking what these beautiful blue aircraft are. -
scv_nc8 March 2022When Major Gregory Boyington took command of Squadron VMF-214, they called themselves "Boyinton's Bastards". But that name assured they would not get coverage in the theater's newsreels that were shown at theater's at that time. The name was changed to Black Sheep in order to get some press coverage.
My Dad flew an F4U in Korea and I was named Gregory at birth in honor of "Pappy"!! -
angelsunchained7 October 2023Another anti establishment series ala MASH. Nothing new. Nothing original. Also, all reality goes completely out of the window. Considering the fact these men are Marine Corp officers, there are generally out of uniform, sloppy, unkept, stinking drunk and disobedient. Robert Conrad wears a t-shirt even when meeting an admiral. He talks back to all his superior officers and most of the time disobeys orders. The nurses are all gorgeous and look and act like Playboy playmates. All of them have 1970s hairstyles. As a matter of fact, despite the fact that it is World War II everyone acts like people in the 1970s. Anyhow, entertaining enough when there is nothing to do.
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schultznicholas20 November 2021First, if you want historical accuracy, turn on the history channel or go read a book.
This is a fun tv show with plenty of action and lots of aviation. Robert Conrad is great as Greg Boyington. -
marsnook200726 September 2021Black Sheep was a great show and Robert Conrad fit the role as Pappy. It would have gone on for more Seasons but just like Robert's Series's The Wild Wild West the Women's Movement and Congress are the ones who got it cancelled.
They said it was too violent which is so dumb because it was about a a War not a Fairytale and the WWW was about Cowboys back when they used guns.
That movement is long gone and can you imagine what they would think of the Shows etc today. -
wbainton25 March 2024This show is on every Saturday at 6 PM EST and 7 PM EST on heroes and icons channel. Definitely watch it if you have heroes and icons TV network. The show is funny, entertaining, and very enlightening for anybody who ever wanted to be a fighter pilot or fly a original F1 Corsair after the war ended, it was used in Korea for ground troop support. During the Korean conflict. It saved many American soldiers and was a fantastic Ground support plane because it could dive down and supply not just bombs, but also accurate ground Fire against enemy troops.
Anybody interested in flying World War II prop aircraft should definitely watch the show. -
venitianfun23 June 2021Started off as a pretty decent WW2 action series. I had read the book by Pappy Boyington and again, was entertained by the early shows. Then of course, it goes Hollywood. They had to introduce a character, young male of course, hotshot pilot who sports a very 1970's look, hair mostly. Kinda lost me there.
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dindy-221 March 2001I watch this every day on the History Channel. Great show, maybe not the most historically accurate, but you get a sense of what life was like for these young pilots in the Pacific. Gutterman and Pappy are my favorite characters. Most everyone with a speaking role in the series carved out a nitche for himself and made his character fairly memorable. This is a show the whole family can watch together and learn a little about WW2. One thing I like about the History Channel is that each commercial break has a blurb from a real member of the Black Sheep Squadron giving insights into areas where the show is not accurate.
Why did they cancel this show?? The show went WAY down hill with the addition of the T&A factor (aka Pappy's Lambs). What was a pathetic attempt to boost ratings further detracted from the historical accurateness of the show by depicting woman with no acting talent, often scantily dressed, with 70s hairstyles positioned on the front lines in WW2. Pappy Boyington was a technical advisor to the show and should have put a stop to this!!!
Attention Hollywood: Pappy Boyington and his brave men would make an excellent feature film. The TV series just scratches the surface of the adventures of the Black Sheep. -
hhsdc349 February 2024As an Army brat I loved this show until they introduced Jeb Stuart Adams. When he showed up with hair down to his shoulders the show had jumped the shark. I knew this show was wildly historically inaccurate, but as a teen it was a fun show. Since my dad was in the Army I was taught that all military haircuts had to at least be above the ears and above the collar. Clearly Jeb was put on the show to appeal to teenage girls. What it did, was destroy the illusion that the show took place in the early 40's. No way would he be allowed to have his hair so long that it rested on his shoulders and still serve in the Army. Certainly not in the 40's. Ironic that they placed Jeb on the show to improve ratings and it did the opposite. The show was soon canceled.
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raiderfan-412284 October 2021I watched this show first run in the 70s as a kid. 7 to 8 I was and this was my show. I played Ba Ba Black Sheep at school substituting Coursairs for swings. I was always Pappy. Hey, it was my show. I loved it and remember a trip to see my aunt in Denver. I thought I had missed the show and broke down. Turns out there is this thing called Time Zones I didn't know anything about this. I was just a kid.
But, as a kid this show was a horrible example for kids my age, as were most of the shows at that time. Hard drinking and smoking and fighting were normal. So as a kid that was what adults do. So when I wanted to be an adult at 13 what did do? Yep. All those things. I'm not saying tv caused me issues but now in my 50s I'm rewatching these shows and see a pattern. Tv in the 60s and 70s were a very bad example for young kids.
This show stoked my love for World War II aviation and aircraft that burns today. So it wasn't all bad. But I can't be alone in my thoughts here. Still a great show. Holds up today pretty decent.