This period drama series first screened on ABC on 13 August 1984. It told the story of Raynor Sarnac (Craig T. Nelson), a US Air Force colonel commanding a group of pilots with the 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing during the bleak days of the Cold War in the early 1960s.
Sarnac, his pilots and their families were amongst the first to be affected by some of the dramatic events of the period – from the Cuban Missile Crisis to the incipient US involvement in Vietnam.
He also faced turmoil at home from his worried wife Vanessa (Cindy Pickett) and his three growing children: 15-year-old Jackie (Elisabeth Shue) who was dating a somewhat confused young man called Patrick (Thomas O’Brien); fun-loving 14-year-old Wesley (David Hollander) and 8-year-old RH (Gabriel Damon), who was going through a phase where he refused to talk to anyone.
They all felt the pressure of military life, with its danger and constant relocation.
Carl (Keenan Wynn) was the colonel’s walrus-moustached dad, who offered sage advice about duty to family and country.
Bits of 1960s songs, vintage newsreels and references to such issues of the day as air raid drills and the Civil Rights movement helped give the series an authentic period flavour.
The series was originally set at the Loughlin Air Force Base in Texas but later changed to Edwards Air Force Base in California when Raynor received a transfer and became a commandant of a test pilot school.
Following the cancellation of the series in early 1985, scenes from unaired episodes were subsequently pieced together for a two-hour TV movie, Call to Glory: JFK, set in November 1963 and broadcast on 30 June 1985.
Col. Raynor Sarnac
Craig T. Nelson
Vanessa Sarnac
Cindy Pickett
Jackie Sarnac
Elisabeth Shue
Wesley Sarnac
David Hollander
RH Sarnac
Gabriel Damon
Patrick Thomas
Thomas O’Brien
Airman Tom Bonelli
David Lain Baker
Carl Sarnac
Keenan Wynn
General Hampton
J.D. Cannon
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He also faced turmoil at home from his worried wife Vanessa (Cindy Pickett) and his three growing children: 15-year-old Jackie (Elisabeth Shue) who was dating a somewhat confused young man called Patrick (Thomas O’Brien); fun-loving 14-year-old Wesley (David Hollander) and 8-year-old RH (Gabriel Damon), who was going through a phase where he refused to talk to anyone.
