Roll Out
| Roll Out | |
|---|---|
Stu Gilliam (top) and Hilly Hicks.
|
|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by |
Larry Gelbart Gene Reynolds |
| Written by | Gene Reynolds Don Weis Richard Kinon William Wiard |
| Directed by | William Wiard |
| Starring |
Ed Begley, Jr. Garrett Morris Rod Gist Mel Stewart Jimmy Lydon Stu Gilliam Hilly Hicks Darrow Igus |
| Theme music composer | Dave Grusin |
| Composer(s) |
Benny Golson Dave Grusin JJ Johnson ("Dark Victory") |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Gene Reynolds Larry Gelbart |
| Cinematography | Robert C. Moreno |
| Editor(s) | Joseph Gluck Neil Travis |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production company(s) | 20th Century Fox Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | October 5, 1973 – January 4, 1974 |
Roll Out is an American sitcom that aired Friday evenings on CBS during the 1973-1974 television season. Starring nightclub comedian Stu Gilliam and Hilly Hicks, and featuring Ed Begley, Jr. and Garrett Morris, the series was set in France during World War II and was loosely based on the 1952 film Red Ball Express.
Actor Jimmy Lydon, familiar as a juvenile lead in the 1940s, was cast as an Army captain. His character's name was Henry Aldrich; the same name he used in Paramount's comedy features of the forties.
In an effort to cash in on the success of M*A*S*H, CBS decided to air another Army comedy. Instead of Army medics, Roll Out highlighted the pratfalls of the supply drivers of the 5050th Quartermaster Trucking Company of the U.S. Third Army's Red Ball Express, whose staff was mainly African American. The series attempted to use the World War II setting as a commentary on race relations, just as M*A*S*H's Korean War setting was also a commentary on the Vietnam War.
The show aired opposite ABC's sitcom, The Odd Couple. Subsequently, Roll Out failed to win its timeslot and was canceled after one season. It was replaced on February 8, 1974, by Good Times, a spin-off of Maude starring Esther Rolle and John Amos, which would run for six seasons.
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