Salvage 1
A salvage operator builds a spaceship to reach the Moon.
Salvage 1 is an American science fiction series that aired on ABC in 1979, based on the pilot film Salvage broadcast earlier that year. The series ran for 16 episodes out of 20 produced.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Science fiction
- Creator
- Mike Lloyd Ross
- Starring
- Andy Griffith
- Joel Higgins
- Trish Stewart
- Richard Jaeckel
- Jacqueline Scott
- J. Jay Saunders
- Heather McAdam
- Theme music
- Walter Scharf
- Composer
- Jack Hayes; Ken Harrison
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Seasons
- 2
Facts from the source article.
Premise
Harry Broderick runs a salvage business dealing in scrap, electronics, aircraft, and other gear, and he’s always cooking up big, sometimes shady money-making ideas. In the first episode, his big plan is to fly to the Moon and haul back the leftover Apollo equipment, figuring the scrap value will pay off. He gets former astronaut Skip Carmichael on board, a guy who left NASA because his wild, unconventional ideas about spaceflight were seen as too dangerous. Skip introduces Harry to Mel Slozar, a brilliant fuel and explosives whiz who’d been doing pyrotechnics for movies. Mel has cooked up a super-powerful but risky fuel called monohydrazine, which can push a ship straight to the Moon and back without staging. FBI agent Jack Klinger starts sniffing around after Mel buys tons of explosive chemicals. The crew builds a spacecraft called the Vulture, and Skip and Mel fly it to the Moon, grab the junk, and come home. For the rest of the series, the team chases after various schemes Harry dreams up, but the Vulture barely gets used after that first trip, even though it’s all over the opening credits. The Vulture was cobbled together from scrap and old NASA parts—a cement mixer, a gasoline tanker trailer, and surplus rocket engines bought cheap at auction when the space program was struggling. After the pilot, the Vulture mostly sat idle; in the second-season opener, one of its engines blew up, and it never flew again.
Cast
Andy Griffith stars as Harry Broderick, who runs the Jettison Scrap and Salvage Company. Joel Higgins plays Skip Carmichael, a former NASA astronaut. Trish Stewart is Melanie Slozar, a onetime NASA colleague of Skip’s. J. Jay Saunders portrays Mack, a past NASA engineer who now serves as Harry’s technical right hand. Richard Jaeckel appears as FBI agent Jack Klinger during the first season. In the second season, Heather McAdam plays Michelle Ryan, an orphaned girl Mel hopes to adopt. Jacqueline Scott, in the pilot only, was Lorene, Harry’s ex-wife and Jettison’s office manager; the character was later dropped.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who created Salvage 1?
Salvage 1 was created by Mike Lloyd Ross.
When did Salvage 1 first air?
Salvage 1 first aired on 20 January 1979.
When did Salvage 1 end?
Salvage 1 last aired on 9 December 1979.
More in American Broadcasting Company Science Fiction Dramas
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