Roll Out 

Drivers and the other largely African-American staff at the U.S. Third Army's Red Ball Express during WWII try to squeeze in a life and a few laughs dealing with the Army and being thousands of miles from hometowns and families.

Creators:

Larry Gelbart, Gene Reynolds

Stars:

Stu Gilliam, Hilly Hicks, Mel Stewart

Cast

Series cast summary:
Stu Gilliam	...	Cpl. 'Sweet' Williams 12 episodes, 1973-1974
Hilly Hicks	...	Pfc. Jed Brooks 12 episodes, 1973-1974
Mel Stewart	...	Sgt. B.J. Bryant 12 episodes, 1973-1974
Val Bisoglio	...	Capt. Rocco Calvelli 12 episodes, 1973-1974
Ed Begley Jr.	...	Lt. Robert W. Chapman 12 episodes, 1973-1974
Garrett Morris	...	Wheels 9 episodes, 1973
Teddy Wilson	...	High Strung 8 episodes, 1973
Darrow Igus	...	Jersey 7 episodes, 1973
Penny Santon	...	Madam Delacort 5 episodes, 1973
Rod Gist	...	Phone Booth 5 episodes, 1973

Storyline

In an attempt to cash-in on the success of M*A*S*H, this rarely funny sitcom was stuck into the line-up. Loosely based upon the film "Red Ball Express"(1952) and set during WWII, "Roll Out" attempted to comment on race relations the way M*A*S*H was commenting on Korea.

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Plot Keywords:

truck | army | 

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Genres:

Comedy | War

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 October 1973 (USA)

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

20th Century Fox Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Photophone Sound Recording)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Happy Memories of this Forgotten Show.

This was one of my grandfather's favorite shows. The last summer he was alive, I remember watching this show with him.

The basic premise is about the trials and tribulations of supply drivers during World War Two. As is mentioned in the Plot Summary, it did have a similarity to M*A*S*H, and dealt with race relations. Being only 12 when it aired, I missed the deeper meaning, and just plain enjoyed the humor.

I'd like to see it, again, I'd guess, to bring back memories of that summer, but as it was a single season show, chances are good that it's lost to TV history, forever.

The network TVLand could have some fun with a series like this, that died in it's freshman year, and show several of them over the course of a week. I suspect that copy write issues would probably keep this from happening, but it's a thought, right?