1 9 5 8 – 1 9 5 9 (USA)
74 x 30 minute episodes
Rescue 8 revolved around the experiences of Wes Cameron (Jim Davis) and Skip Johnson (Lang Jeffries), two paramedics with the Rescue 8 Division of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Stories depicted their attempts to rescue people trapped in unusual predicaments – from a crazed killer trapped in a bear pit at the county zoo, to injured survivors in the burning wreck of a plane crash, to coaxing an AWOL sailor off a building ledge six storeys above the ground.
Guest stars across 74 episodes included Robert Redford, Richard Chamberlain, Harry Dean Stanton, Mike Connors, Joe Flynn, and Jay Silverheels.
Producer Bert Leonard went to great lengths to ensure realism in the stories – buying a vintage transcontinental bus and demolishing it with sledgehammers and even purchasing an amusement concession so he could push a ferris wheel into the ocean on cue.
Wes Cameron
Jim Davis
Skip Johnson
Lang Jeffries
Patty Johnson
Nancy Rennick
Susan Johnson
Mary K. Cleary