Stingray

 Print This Article |  Email This Article

In 1986-1987 there was a show that left a lasting impression on me. It was a “pay it forward” type of show on long before that idea became popular. The plot of the show was similar in some ways to the Equalizer. Someone would be in trouble and they would find an ad in the paper for a ‘65 Corvette Stingray for sale. How exactly they found it (luck or word of mouth) escapes me at the moment. Then the meeting with the car’s owner…the mysterious but ever cool “Ray.”

This man of mystery on the show “Stingray” would always help those who needed it and he only asked one thing in return…a favor. He would later make contact at any time or any place and you MUST pay the favor back. No conditions. No questions. That’s how it worked, but this guy was no ordinary dude.

To provide someone help, he used his considerable skills, his cool car, and also a favor from someone he helped in the past. When fighting the bad guys, they always tried finding out who this mystery man was by tracing his ever changing license plates or identifications. Usually the plates or addresses he had lead back to whatever State’s Governor’s mansion (who happened to be out of town at the time) or even the White House itself. He was truly a man with no identity or name.

The skills he would employ would be the usual spy-type stuff that actually spawned the idea for shows like The Pretender. He could do anything and fake anything. Pose as a doctor? No problem. He would read books all night and the next day could recite enough jargon to convince the best of them. The Stingray car itself was always involved in a chase or showed some cool gadget each week. My favorite was a simple light bar that he plugged in the front that had about 10 lights on it (rally car style). When following the bad guys at night, he would just flip a switch at each corner and he was always a different car.

*flip* a jeep
*flip* a motorcycle
*flip* you get the idea…

Eventually there was something he couldn’t do and a previous favor was called in. Sometimes it was a flower shop owner who had to deliver flowers. “That’s it? I spent years wondering about this day” they would exclaim. Other times it was a Judge, a Senator, a General, a janitor, whatever. When he needed help, he got it.

This was one of my favorite shows of the time and I thought I would share it with you. Some of you might remember it, but it was definitely ahead of it’s time in some areas. Many later shows used ideas that came from this one. Ray was the cool hero that saved the day, won the girl, and then always disappeared driving off to the horizon.

“Who was that masked man?”

Share, Promote and Bookmark to:

Related Entries:

1. Stingray the NBC show of the 80s