Call to Glory

6.5
198457m

Call to Glory is an American drama series created by Ronald M. Cohen, and starring Craig T. Nelson as USAF Colonel Raynor Sarnac and his family as they navigated the political tensions and military duties of the early 1960s. Heavily promoted during ABC's broadcast of the 1984 Summer Olympics, the two-part pilot aired August 13, 1984. The first episode is related to the U-2 flights over Cuba during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. During production, the plot came to focus more on the loneliness experienced by wife Vanessa while stationed on base and what she and the family would do to spend time in productive pursuits while enduring the Antelope Valley's isolation from civilization. The series, set near Edwards Air Force Base, blended historical events with the challenges of military family life, featuring themes of duty, family relationships, and the looming Vietnam War.

Production

Logo for Paramount Television

Trailers & Videos

Thumbnail for video: Call To Glory - Opening Credits

Call To Glory - Opening Credits

Seasons

22 Episodes • Premiered 1984

Still image for Call to Glory season 1 episode 1: Pilot

1. Pilot

During the darkest days of the Cuban missile crisis, Raynor is ordered to fly over Cuba to obtain proof that the Russians are installing nuclear warheads.

Still image for Call to Glory season 1 episode 2: The Move

2. The Move

The entire Sarnac family is thrown into turmoil when Raynor receives a lucrative job offer in the private sector.

Still image for Call to Glory season 1 episode 3: Blackbird

3. Blackbird

Raynor faces one of his toughest missions as he tries to prevent a bitter ex-pilot from exposing the details of a top secret mission.

Still image for Call to Glory season 1 episode 4: Paper Tiger

4. Paper Tiger

A dangerous top-secret mission takes Raynor over Red China to see if the Chinese have developed an Atomic Bomb.

Still image for Call to Glory season 1 episode 5: A Nation Divided

5. A Nation Divided

The violence spawned by the Civil Rights Movement hits home when Wesley and a Black friend are beaten by teenage racists.

Still image for Call to Glory season 1 episode 6: Go/No Go

6. Go/No Go

Sarnac is sent on a classified mission to Vietnam by Kennedy, to meet with and assess President Diem; to help determine in which direction diplomatic relations should go. Strained relations between Vietnamese Catholics and Buddhists complicate the issue.

Still image for Call to Glory season 1 episode 7: Call It Courage

7. Call It Courage

Raynor's involvement in a bitter political controversy could cost him a valued friendship...and ruin his military career.

Still image for Call to Glory season 1 episode 8: A Wind from the East

8. A Wind from the East

Forced to bail out of a crippled plane, Raynor and a JAF officer struggle to survive in a dangerous wilderness.

Still image for Call to Glory season 1 episode 9: A Moment in the Sun

9. A Moment in the Sun

Raynor is torn between duty and friendship when an Air Force buddy suddenly develops a crippling fear of flying.

Still image for Call to Glory season 1 episode 10: Cover Story

10. Cover Story

While testing a new flight system, Sarnac is hounded by an investigative reporter probing for revelations about defense spending.

Still image for Call to Glory season 1 episode 11: Realities

11. Realities

Raynor and Vanessa are so involved in their friends' marital problems, they don't notice Carl is facing a crisis of his own.

Still image for Call to Glory season 1 episode 12: The Wake

12. The Wake

Tension mounts in the Sarnac household as Raynor prepares for a mission that has already claimed the life of one of his best test pilots.

Still image for Call to Glory season 1 episode 13: Medals All of Brass

13. Medals All of Brass

Raynor is forced to face the harsh truth that an old friend is really a spy for the KGB.

Still image for Call to Glory season 1 episode 14: A Wind of Change

14. A Wind of Change

Sarnac is sent on a second fact-finding mission to Vietnam. His helicopter is shot down in enemy territory. Along with Clayton Jones, a enlisted Black man, Raynor is captured and tortured for information by the Viet Cong.

Still image for Call to Glory season 1 episode 15: Give Unto Caesar

15. Give Unto Caesar

Stiff penalties await a pilot who disobeys orders and brings a Russian defector back to America.

Still image for Call to Glory season 1 episode 16: Moonchild

16. Moonchild

The news that a child is on the way puts a wedge in the Sarnacs' marriage as they both try to cope with feelings of doubt and guilt.

Still image for Call to Glory season 1 episode 17: Images

17. Images

The Sarnac family faces an uncertain future when Vanessa decides she needs a break from her husband and children.

Still image for Call to Glory season 1 episode 18: Fathers and Sons

18. Fathers and Sons

Raynor finds himself on an emotional rollercoaster when he discovers the truth about Carl's illness...and about his daughter's new boyfriend.

Still image for Call to Glory season 1 episode 19: Just in Time

19. Just in Time

Sarnac is sent to Vietnam a third time with the knowledge that a coup is planned that will end the rule of Pres. Diem and his family. He hopes to adopt the orphan son of Quan and spends a night on the town in Saigon with Clayton Jones. His adoption plans are thwarted when the boy is kidnapped by the Viet Cong.

Still image for Call to Glory season 1 episode 20: JFK

20. JFK

Raynor and his family face difficult personal challenges in the days leading up to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Still image for Call to Glory season 1 episode 21: Fathers and Daughters

21. Fathers and Daughters

Jackie is left to consider her future upon learning that she is unable to enter the Air Force Academy.

Still image for Call to Glory season 1 episode 22: The End, the Beginning

22. The End, the Beginning

In Feb. 1973, the North Vietnamese release all their American POWs, including Sarnac, who has been captive for three years. He is accused by the Air Force of having murdered two CIA agents while in captivity. He also finds America and his family have changed much in his absence: Jackie is now in college student and is a single mother; Wesley has gone to Canada to avoid the draft; and Jackie’s ex-boyfriend Patrick is now an Air Force officer, but lost a leg in Vietnam.

Cast

Photo of Craig T. Nelson

Craig T. Nelson

Col. Raynor Sarnac

Photo of Cindy Pickett

Cindy Pickett

Vanessa Sarnac

Photo of Elisabeth Shue

Elisabeth Shue

Jackie Sarnac

Photo of Gabriel Damon

Gabriel Damon

R. H. Sarnac

Photo of Keenan Wynn

Keenan Wynn

Carl Sarnac

Photo of Tom O'Brien

Tom O'Brien

Patrick Thomas

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