''Salvage 1'' is an American

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

series that was broadcast for 16 episodes (of the 20 produced) on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

during 1979. The

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

film, ''Salvage'', was shown on January 20, 1979, to high ratings.

Plot

The pilot centers on Harry Broderick (

Andy Griffith Andy Samuel Griffith (June 1, 1926 – July 3, 2012) was an American actor, comedian, television producer, southern gospel singer and writer whose career spanned seven decades in music and television. Known for his Southern drawl, his characte ...

) who owns the Jettison Scrap and Salvage Co. and is a specialist in reclaiming trash and junk to sell as

scrap Scrap consists of Recycling, recyclable materials, usually metals, left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap Waste valorization, has monetary ...

. His dream is to recover equipment left on the Moon during Apollo Program missions. In the show's opening title narration, Harry states:

"I wanna build a spaceship, go to the Moon, salvage all the junk that's up there, bring it back, sell it."

He invites the former

astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...

Addison "Skip" Carmichael (

Joel Higgins Joel Franklin Higgins (born September 28, 1943) is an American actor and singer with a stage career spanning over 40 years. Life and career A graduate of Michigan State University where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta International Fraternit ...

) and

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

fuel A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chemical energy but ...

expert Melanie "Mel" Slozar (

Trish Stewart Trish Stewart (born June 14, 1946) is an American television actress. She was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas. She is most recognized for her regular role as Chris Brooks Foster on the CBS soap ''The Young and the Restless''. She was part of th ...

) to assist him in this effort. During Slozar's fuel experiments, the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

becomes concerned over the purchases of chemicals. Broderick and his ragtag crew complete their mission and go on to further adventures in the subsequent series. A recurring subplot drives numerous attempts to find the appropriate explosive mixture to break an iceberg from the Arctic Shelf, to be transported to the California coast as a source of fresh water.

Richard Jaeckel Richard Hanley Jaeckel (October 10, 1926 – June 14, 1997) was an American actor of film and television. Jaeckel became a well-known character actor in his career, which spanned six decades. He received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominatio ...

had a recurring role as Jack Klinger, the FBI agent tasked with keeping an eye on Broderick and his associates. Their relationship is generally rocky, but the Salvage crew fly to his rescue when he is captured during a mission to a Latin American dictatorship.

The ''Vulture''

Harry builds a spaceship dubbed ''Vulture'', made completely from reclaimed salvage and powered by a chemical called mono

hydrazine Hydrazine is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a simple pnictogen hydride, and is a colourless flammable liquid with an ammonia-like odour. Hydrazine is highly toxic unless handled in solution as, for example, hydrazine ...

. The main body of ''Vulture'' is composed of a

Texaco Texaco, Inc. ("The Texas Company") is an American Petroleum, oil brand owned and operated by Chevron Corporation. Its flagship product is its Gasoline, fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owned the Havoline motor oil brand. Texaco was an Indepe ...

gasoline

semi-trailer A semi-trailer is a trailer without a front axle. In the United States, the term is also used to refer to the combination of a truck and a semi-trailer; a tractor-trailer. A large proportion of a semi-trailer's weight is supported by a tracto ...

tank truck A tank truck, gas truck, fuel truck, or tanker truck (American English) or tanker (British English) is a motor vehicle designed to carry liquids or gases on roads. The largest such vehicles are similar to railroad tank cars, which are also design ...

with a

cement mixer A concrete mixer (often colloquially called a cement mixer) is a device that homogeneously combines cement, aggregate such as sand or gravel, and water to form concrete. A typical concrete mixer uses a revolving drum to mix the components. For ...

as the capsule. This is augmented with three shorter rocket boosters placed 120 degrees around the main tank.

Episodes

Season 1 (1979)

The first season ranked 48th out of 114 shows that season with an average 17.7/26 rating/share.

Season 2 (1979)

The last four episodes were shown in the early 1990s on The Nostalgia Channel, and overseas in the UK in some

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

regions in 1981.

Production

Science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

author

Isaac Asimov yi, יצחק אזימאװ , birth_date = , birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR , spouse = , relatives = , children = 2 , death_date = , death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S. , nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...

was the show's scientific adviser.

Merchandise

Estes Rockets made a prototype of a

model rocket A model rocket are small rockets designed to reach low altitudes (e.g., for model) and be recovered by a variety of means. According to the United States National Association of Rocketry (NAR) Safety Code, model rockets are constructed of p ...

version of the ''Vulture''. It was never brought to market. Article & photos of Vulture Model Rocket
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References

External links

* * * {{curlie, Arts/Television/Programs/Science_Fiction_and_Fantasy/S/Salvage_1/, ''Salvage 1'' 1979 American television series debuts 1979 American television series endings 1970s American science fiction television series American Broadcasting Company original programming English-language television shows Isaac Asimov Television series about the Moon Television series by Sony Pictures Television Television shows set in Los Angeles