AIRWOLF: DADDY'S GONE A-HUNT'N (TV)
Summary
One in this action/adventure series about Stringfellow Hawke, a helicopter pilot who conducts top-secret missions for the U.S. government in the high-tech helicopter Airwolf.
In this episode, in Ho Chi Minh City, a young street child, Ho Minh, is caught stealing, and informs officer Carl Zimmer that his father is an American pilot. Back in the United States, Archangel and Marella convince Hawke to investigate the case of a traitorous pilot who is apparently planning to sell a top-secret aircraft to the Russians; he reluctantly agrees to go undercover in the Army exchange program. Arriving at the base, he is stunned to encounter former flame Nhi Houng, who coldly tells him that she is there to reunite her family. Hawke tells Santini, who is unhappily posing as a janitor, to investigate Nhi Houng; back in Vietnam, Zimmer aggressively demands a visa for young Ho Minh. Hawke spends an evening drinking with two other soldiers, including Major Sam Roper, who guesses that Hawke is on a secret mission and demands to know his true purpose on the base, though Hawke evades his questions.
Hawke eventually concludes that Roper is the traitorous pilot in question and informs him that he is grounded, much to Roper's outrage. Hawke reports back to Archangel, who reveals that Roper is actually now married to Nhi Houng, whose son was left behind in Vietnam after the evacuation of Saigon; he is now a ward of the USSR, thanks to Zimmer. Roper planned to fly to Alaska, a mere 180 miles from the USSR border, and exchange the plane for the boy. Hawke points out that he is not a traitor yet and suggests that he will trade Airwolf for the boy in order to protect American secrets and save the boy at the same time. He confronts Roper about his plans; Zimmer and the other Russians discuss the plan, with Zimmer noting that he is entirely unconcerned with Ho Minh's safety in the event that the exchange is a trap.
Roper swears that he intended to fake an emergency and ditch the plane before landing in Alaska, hoping that the Russians would give him Ho Minh "just for trying"; Nhi sternly tells Hawke not to interfere, reminding him that Roper once saved his life. Roper soon flies off on his assigned mission, but "loses contact" with the Army and lands with Hawke. Next, Hawke leaves Roper behind as he heads off to Alaska in Airwolf with Dom. Archangel, having figured out his plan, requests that Hawke attempt to save the high-priced plane as well as the boy; as the Army scrambles to figure out why Roper has deviated from the flight plan, Dom and Hawke narrowly avoid the Russians' fighter jets and land just in time to save Ho Minh. Zimmer surrenders the boy when Hawke nearly runs him over with Airwolf; Archangel admits that he is impressed with Hawke's risky, clever plan. Hawke then asks Nhi Houng about Ho Minh's paternity, but she firmly states that her son's surname is "Roper" – though adds that his new American name will be "Stringfellow," thus honoring both "dads." Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: January 28, 1984 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:49:34
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:11205
- GENRE: Drama, action/adventure
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, action/adventure; Helicopters; Pilots
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1984-1986; USA - 1987
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Donald P. Bellisario … Executive Producer, Created by
- Alan J. Levi … Supervising Producer
- Clyde Ware … Producer
- Burton Armus … Producer, Writer
- John David … Co-Producer
- Leon Ortiz-Gil … Associate Producer
- Carol Gillson … Associate Producer
- Virgil W. Vogel … Director
- Sylvester Levay … Music by
- Jan-Michael Vincent … Cast, Stringfellow Hawke
- Alex Cord … Cast, Michael "Archangel" Coldsmith Briggs III
- Ernest Borgnine … Cast, Dominic Santini
- James Whitmore Jr. … Cast, Major Sam Roper
- Deborah Pratt … Cast, Marella
- Charles Knox Robinson … Cast, Carl Zimmer
- Irene Yah-Ling Sun … Cast, Nhi Houng
- Aki Aleong … Cast, Colonel Quoc
- John Sanderford … Cast, Lt. John Winner
- Paul Tuerpe … Cast, Lt. Simms
- Chad Allen … Cast, Ho Minh Truong
- Larry Margo … Cast, Radar Station Lieutenant
- Duncan Wilmore … Cast, Radar Station Controller
- Radu Gavor … Cast, Russian Officer
- Gene Bicknell … Cast, Jeep Driver
- Stan Roth … Cast, MP