Steve Canyon Redux...

Don Stauffer

So how does one watch Steve Canyon.  What network is he on?

 

Don, the network is called "Decades." All the network airs is old programming, the shows we watched with our parents when we were kids. If you have the Spectrum cable monopoly I'm sure you have Decades.

I think in your area Decades is on KCCW-DT2. Looks like Steve Canyon airs at 3:00am Central Time. The show airs here at 4:00am so I have to record the show and watch it later in the day. Open the link below and scroll down to 3:00am.

https://www.tvpassport.com/tv-listings/stations/decades-kccwdt2-minneapolis-mn/19380

So how does one watch Steve Canyon.  What network is he on?

Steve Canyon was interesting today. Canyon was once again airplane commander of a B-52. This time the mission was a aflight from Rio de Janeiro to Edwards AFB, California. During the flight a crew member was stricken with meningitis and and to be subdued and sedated. When they arrived over Edwards and the landing gear was lowered, there was no "three and green" indication meaning the gear was down but not locked. Canyon and the crew elected to land anyway in order to save the life of the stricken crewman. On touchdown, the rear mains collapsed and the B-52 dragged its tail the length of the runway.

Some things that struck me about the B-52. As big as the airplane is, the interior is quite cramped. When a crewman moves around inside the airplane, that crewman carries a walk-around bottle but doesn't have his oxygen mask on. If the crosswind on landing is strong enough, the airplane will actually tip over onto a wingtip. Lastly, for a Lt. Col., Canyon sure must have had lots of type ratings! There must not have been anything in the Air Force inventory that he wasn't qualified to fly.

tankboy51

I remember as a little kid watching the TV show.  I liked the closing shot of I think was a F-100 under side.   Man was it a long time ago!  I also remember the comic strip Milton Caniff (fixed) had.  By the way the of Steve Canyon is in Idaho Springs, Colorado.  I used to see it all the time.

 

Yeah, Tankboy, I was twelve years old when the show first aired in 1958, and now I'm watching the show again sixty years later at age 72. Jeepers!

I remember as a little kid watching the TV show.  I liked the closing shot of I think was a F-100 under side.   Man was it a long time ago!  I also remember the comic strip Milton Canif (sp) had.  By the way the of Steve Canyon is in Idaho Springs, Colorado.  I used to see it all the time.

Canyon dropped a hydrogen bomb today. He was commander of the aircraft that delivered the weapon. It was interesting. After the bomb was released, the B-52 executed the same turn away from Ground Zero that Tibbets did on that fateful day in 1945. I think it was a 153° turn away from the detonation so the airplane would be headed away on a perpendicular heading from Ground Zero. The show gave a cursory overview of the preparation for such a test mission. It was very 1950s USAF for sure right down to the 1505 uniforms everyone wore. There were all sorts of support aircraft. F-84s and B-57s that flew through the cloud to collect radioactive particles from the atmosphere. F-101, B-66 and B-47 aircraft and even a B-36 appeared in the episode. There was no indication as to what the B-36 was used for. Could have been an RB-36 used to record the event. There were some MATS aircraft involved as well. One C-54 had the cargo doors removed and a structure built into the doorway that held what looked like a dozen cameras with lenses of various focal lengths. This was the most interesting episode I've watched since the show began airing on Decades. One thing for sure, the jet engines of the period sure were dirty! Huge clouds of dark exhaust behind every airplane as they took off. Oh yeah, the show was sponsored by Chesterfield cigarettes, so everyone is smoking. Canyon's copilot for this episode was Sam Edwards, one of the pilots in the 1949 movie Twelve O'clock High.

    I caught one episode, Operation Moby D**k.  Mostly all original footage about the Atlas Rocket.   It was more Documentary but very enjoyable.

   Stayed up till 4AM to catch the show.  It was worth it but I am dragging today.

      Nino

As I understand, the episodes have been restored so they should view OK on your cable system. We have lame Spectrum here in central Florida and the show looks very good even when DVR-ed.

If you can find it:

4am?  No problem. I'm retired.

 I was 6 back in '58. I watched Westerns with my Dad back then. I  missed the Steve Canyon series.   By the 60's my favorites were all the WWII Tv shows: Combat, Gallent Men, etc.

    Thanks for the tip. I watch "Decades" over the air. It is much better quality.  My Cable Company compresses the signal too much so resolution is poor on the old  shows.

  I'll be glad to be able to see what I missed while watching Rin Tin Tin and Wagon Train.

 The Steve Canyon statue:

   Thanks.

           Nino.