Ranger Bill, Warrior of the Woodland.
Ranger Bill, Warrior of the Woodland.
Struggling against extreme odds, traveling dangerous trails, fighting the many enemies
of nature.
This is the job of the guardian of the forest, Ranger Bill.
Pouring rain, freezing cold, blistering heat, snow, floods, bears, rattlesnakes, mountain
lions.
Yes, all this in exchange for the satisfaction and pride of a job well done.
Say boys and girls, there are many men who are vitally concerned about the defense of
our country, but little is ever said about the dangerous lives they live so that we can
have and keep our freedom.
These men work hard and have many contests between themselves and death.
They risk life and limb to develop new fighting equipment so that we can be safe from invasion,
whether it be on land or sea or in the air.
Here is the story about one man who lived dangerously for us.
This is Ceiling Zero.
Boy, what a day this is.
Wow.
You're right, pal.
This is the kind of day that makes you glad to be alive.
You said it, Bill.
Boy, today I'm doubly glad.
Wow, you speak great truth.
This perfect day.
If you think this is perfect, what do you think it'll be like when we get to heaven?
That thought make me plenty happy to be Christian.
Me too, Grey Wolf.
Hey Bill, how come we're crossing this mesa?
Get on the other side, Henry.
Oh, very funny.
Hey, you asked for it up there, didn't you?
Hey, oh, McKinley.
Easy, boy.
What's the matter with that jet pilot?
Is he crazy?
You said it, Henry.
He like to scare the daylights out of me.
He hit mountain if you're not careful.
Look at that.
He almost hit straight up peak.
Boy, he didn't miss it by much.
What's the matter with that feller?
Oh, he's climbing right up to the clouds.
Oh, he having trouble, I think.
I believe you're right, Grey Wolf.
Look, he climbed like spider up wall.
Hey Bill, something just shot out of the plane.
Yeah, I saw it, pal.
Now the plane's dropping like a lump of lead.
He gonna crush unless he pull out soon.
He won't pull out now.
He can't.
He's going down behind the mountains.
That pilot doesn't have a chance.
Major Metzger reported in yet, Captain?
No, sir, he hasn't.
He's long overdue, Colonel Garty.
Yes, I know.
Why are you pacing around, Captain?
Worried?
Frankly, I am, sir.
Major Metzger is testing our top secret plane.
On paper, it worked fine.
The takeoff had punged like a watch.
But, well, you know, the meat grinder, Gary, puts a new plane through, sir.
Yes, I do, Captain.
I think he's had trouble and either made a forced landing or cracked up.
He can always build another plane, but we can't get another pilot like the Major.
I'll order out Squadron 3 to make an air search.
Also the helicopters.
Thank you, sir.
Meanwhile, we've got to keep this to ourselves.
Security reasons.
Bill, did you hear that explosion?
Boy, that pilot doesn't have a chance.
Yes, he has, Henry. He's got a good chance.
Well, what do you mean?
Remember the object that shot out of the plane?
Yeah.
Yep.
That object was the pilot.
Look up in the sky.
A parachute.
I didn't see him jump.
What's that about the pilot, Bill?
He was shot out of the plane.
Oh, ejected, you mean.
That's right.
Well, let's not stand around wagging a chin.
Let's get over there and help that fellow.
Get him up here.
Right, Zombie, come on, boy.
Well, it's easy to see where the plane landed all right.
Ah, why, these smokes still come from burning planes.
The question is, where's the pilot?
It's a good thing that fellow jumped.
He'd be nothing but ashes now.
Nobody could ever come out of that alive.
I can't see any signs of him with my glasses.
Let's go to the plane and use that as a central point to spread out.
Come on, Storm.
Get him up here, boy.
Whoa, Storm.
Whoa, my gildie.
Man, what a blazing inferno.
That jet fuel really burns.
Yep, sure does.
Any worse than fire.
Ah, good description, Stumpy.
Look at it, would you?
Once there was a jet plane costing half a million dollars.
Yeah, and now it's junk.
Yep.
Not even good junk.
Well, fellas, let's take a look around
and see if we can find the driver of this supersonic missile.
Boy, that'll be a tough job in these mountains.
Keep your eyes open for his parachute.
Probably see it draped over the rocks somewhere.
How'd you make out, Henry?
I didn't see a thing, Bill.
Not a trace.
Oh, there, Bess.
Looks like Grey Wolf hasn't found him either.
He's coming down the ridge over to our left.
Yeah, I wonder where he went to.
I don't know, Henry.
Surely the wind wasn't strong enough to carry him over another rain.
Hey, rifle shot.
That Stumpy, he's found something.
Is he in pretty bad shape, Bill?
Yes, pal.
The up and down drafts and the winds must have beat him against the rocks pretty badly.
That's too bad.
If this flat country, he'd probably be all right now.
Yeah, he sure doesn't look good.
Hey, he's opening his eyes, Bill.
The instruments.
Got to spend...
Jump.
Control jam.
Instruments going to...
Jump.
Got to get...
Oh!
Smash.
Jump.
He's saying smash the instruments.
Yes.
Poor fellow's had a rough time of it.
You know, young fellow, this lad looks kind of familiar to me.
I was thinking the same thing, Stumpy.
Hey, wait a minute.
There's his identification bracelet.
Gary Metzger.
Why, of course, now I know him.
He's Paul Metzger's brother.
He's a test pilot for the Air Force.
I know him, too.
That explains trouble with plane.
You mean he was flying a test model?
Right.
Stumpy, you and Henry go back to the plane and see that all the instruments still intact are destroyed.
Check first.
Maybe there are signs of that effect posted nearby.
And if we don't find any, we will fix them good anyhow, young fellow.
They look like busted alarm clocks after we're through with them.
Meet us back at headquarters, fellas.
How's Gary this morning, Doctor?
There isn't much change, Bill.
One minute he's rational and talks coherently, and the next he's off the deep end.
That's too bad.
Can you help him to overcome this?
Well, the mind is a strange organ, Henry.
We can't give it a hundred thousand units of an antibiotic and clear up the trouble.
Gary will have to do this by himself.
Maybe a psychiatrist can help him.
Do you suspect that he has developed a fear complex?
Or is this just the temporary result of shock?
I don't know, Bill. I'm stumped.
He keeps referring to something about the plane, but I can't make out what it is.
May we see him?
Oh, yes, of course.
If he goes into a mental lapse, just press the buzzer.
We will. Thanks, Doctor.
Hello, Gary.
Hello, fellas.
You're Bill Jefferson, aren't you?
The one who picked me up out there.
That's right. This young man's Henry Scott.
Sure. I met you fellas at my brother's ranch.
Right, Gary.
We were working with Paul on a soil conservation project.
How do you feel, Gary?
Oh, not too badly.
I guess I have my moments, though, as you can tell by the restraining straps they have on me.
I called the air base and talked with them, Gary.
They know we've got you here.
Thanks, Bill.
Will you do me a couple of favors, please?
Sure. What are they?
Call Colonel Garrity at the base and talk to him personally.
Then let my brother know what's happened.
I'll be glad to do that for you, Gary.
And for the Colonel and your brother.
We'll see you later.
Hello, Colonel Garrity.
Colonel, this is Bill Jefferson speaking. United States Forest Ranger.
Oh, yes, Mr. Jefferson. Sorry I missed your call last evening.
I want to thank you for all you've done.
I understand you've destroyed what's left of the plane's instruments.
That's right, Colonel.
I could tell even through a major massacre's babbling that that was the thing to be done.
Thank you. That was right.
The reason for my call is that Gary asked me to do it.
Oh, you must be improving, then.
Well, I don't think the doctor is optimistic, Colonel.
What do you mean by that, sir?
He has periods of irrationalism, Colonel.
They've been forced to put restraining straps over him in his bed.
Oh, I see. That is bad.
Uh, Colonel?
Oh, excuse me, Mr. Jefferson. I was lost in thought.
Will you tell the doctor that we'll have Gary brought to the base hospital here as soon as he's able to travel?
You see, the Major is by far the best pilot we have.
I wouldn't want him to lose his flying nerve.
Hello, Bill. Henry.
Hello, Paul. How are things?
Fine, Bill. How's the forest ranging business these days?
Okay. Hello, Henry.
Hi, Paul. Things are fine, huh?
Oh, yes. Things are going along wonderfully well for me.
Tell me, uh, is this a social visit, Bill, or a business, or...
Well, this time, Paul, I got some bad news for you.
Yes? Well, what?
Maybe you can guess what I have to say.
Gary?
How'd you know?
Well, I kind of felt it.
A fella can't fly test planes all of his life without one of them acting up and doing him in.
Is, uh, is he, uh...
No, he jumped in time.
Oh, praise the Lord.
Paul, you have a peculiar tone in your voice.
Is it something more than just joy that your brother is alive?
That's right. You see, Bill, Gary's not a Christian.
Oh, I see.
Uh, look, ride back to town with us, and I'll tell you the story on the way.
Doctor, this is Paul Metzger. Paul, this is Dr. Fitzgerald.
How do you do, Paul?
How do you do, Doctor? How's Gary?
Well, he's progressing slowly. Very slowly.
Paul, how close are you and your brother?
Well, we're very close, Doctor. You're asking a strange question.
Not necessarily, Paul. Some brothers aren't close.
I've even seen some who hated each other.
Not Gary and I. There's only one point we differ strongly on, and that's religion.
You may be able to help your brother recover, Paul.
But, uh, what's your plan, Dr. Fitzgerald? How can I help him?
Well, first by staying with him night and day.
For how long?
Oh, a week or ten days, anyway.
How will that help?
Well, it's hard to explain. Like everything else, the proof of the pudding will be in the eating.
Morning, Gary. Have a good night's rest?
Ah, did I. Not since I've been here. But I still feel tired.
You look rested.
Hey, the restraining straps have been taken off my bed.
And Doc must think I'm doing all right.
You are. Good boy.
Now, take it easy, Gary.
You said it, Paul. I'm sure got rubber legs all right.
Maybe I should stay here a while, yes.
Yeah, each day now you'll walk more and longer. Pretty soon you'll be your old self again.
I don't know.
Gary, the doctor says you're going to be released today. Now you can go back to active duty.
No. I'm not going back to active duty. I'm not flying any more planes.
Do you understand that? Paul? Do you understand?
Gary, here's your sign release. I'll see your commanding officer has ordered you back to the base.
He says if you don't report within ten hours, you'll be subject to court-martial.
Hey, I heard Gary's back.
You heard right, Jerry. Only it's in the base hospital.
Huh? You sure about that?
Sure, sure, Jerry. The old man's about to blow his top.
Gary refused to fly. They won't give us cover any reason.
You don't say. Yeah, Gary's got it. He's got it bad.
He'll never fly again, unless there's a kite.
Paul, Colonel Garrett here and I have asked you here to talk about your brother.
I know, Dr. Houston. You mean what makes him so irrational and violent.
He's certainly different.
Well, it frequently happens to the pilot, Paul, who's had an aero escape.
But I certainly didn't expect it to happen to Gary.
Why, that boy's given me the shivers time and again when he's put a test plane through the meat grinder, as he calls it.
I understand, sir, but how can I help? If Gary doesn't want to fly, then he doesn't want to...
He's physically fit to fly, Paul.
I know that, Dr. Houston. Wait a minute.
You have an idea, Paul? Yes, I do, Colonel Garrity.
I know the man who can make Gary fly if anybody can.
Oh, that's good. Who is he? Bill Jefferson.
He's a great guy and he'll do the job if my name isn't Paul Metzger.
And you'll help Gary, Bill? I'll do the best I can to help Gary, Paul.
That's wonderful. Now, is there anything I can do to help?
I... Yes. What is it?
Don't become alarmed at some of the things I may do or say.
What do you mean, Bill? I don't understand.
Well, I may sound harsh with Gary at times and perhaps even take drastic steps to snap him out of this.
Bill!
I didn't mean to startle you, Gary.
I got your straight clothes on. I'm going for a walk.
A walk? I don't know if I'm up to it, Bill.
Nonsense. A walk will do you good. Fresh air? I never hurt anybody.
I checked with Dr. Houston. He said it'd be a good idea.
Well, I don't think... Tell me you don't know how to walk.
Of course I do. Bill, it's good to see you again.
Look, I'll be ready in about five minutes. Fine.
I've got an errand to take care of first. Meet you out front, six or seven minutes.
Everything all set, Paul? All set, Bill.
I'll give him the high sign as soon as you and Gary walk under the windows.
Colonel Gary will be there in a minute.
Okay, it's gotta be rough, Paul. Real rough.
You gotta get Gary so angry, he'll bite nails.
A lot of Gary's friends are there, too. They're all set to go along with this.
They want to see him fly again, too.
Is the two-seat trainer out on the ramp?
I haven't seen it, but Colonel says it's there already.
Okay. Five minutes, and we'll be walking toward the officer's club.
We'll be ready, Bill. And please, Lord, help Gary snap out of it.
I'll be praying for him, too, Paul.
Ah, nice day for a walk, Bill.
Sure is, Gary. Just the thing.
Hey, we're walking right in front of the officer's club.
Mm-hmm.
Bill, let's go back the other way.
Nonsense. We'll be past you before you can count to a hundred.
I'll be right there.
Okay, I'll be right there.
Bill, let's go back the other way. Nonsense. We'll be past you before you can count to a hundred.
Well, the fellas are out flying anyway, aren't they?
I guess so. Unless the old man has them grounded for school or other reasons.
I don't see anybody around. You?
No.
Oh, well, what's the difference? We'll be by at no time.
Bill, wait a minute.
They're talking about me.
No, Gary met Scrag.
Yes, that's right.
Colonel, Colonel Gertie, are you sure Gary will never fly again?
Positive, Captain Cloud. I thought the boy had plenty of what it takes, but I guess I was wrong.
What?
The old man thinks that about us.
Well, what are you going to do with him, sir? Use him as an instructor?
Instructor? I should say not, Major Potlick.
A man who's lost his courage can't carry flight enthusiasm to his pupils.
He's finished. Just a wet blanket, that's all. I'll ask for his resignation.
Resign? I'll give him resign? I never thought the skipper would say that about me.
The man's a quick one. I have another name for it, of course, and it begins with Y.
No, let's not call him Yellow. Let's just say he's lost his courage. He just doesn't have what it takes.
Aye, aye, aye.
Hey, Gary, where are you going?
I'm going to get my flight gear on, Bill. I'll show those two-timing, double-crossing so-called friends of mine, me, the best test pilot in the service.
Come on, let's make it on the double. I'm going to fly if it's the last thing I ever do.
Ah, there's a jet on the ramp. I'm taking it up right now.
Whoa, boy, you aren't taking any jet out.
What? Who says I'm not?
I do.
Hey, stop pushing me.
I'll do more than that if you don't behave. We're taking that trainer up.
We? Trainer? What do you think I am, a novice pilot on first solo? I don't need a nursemaid. I'm taking a jet.
Now you listen to me, Gary Metzger. I'll take you by the back of your neck like a puppy and throw you into that trainer, and I can do it, too.
You're rusty. Besides, you need to be checked out before taking a jet up, or have you lost all your common sense?
Those guys are calling me yellow and a quitter. The old man is going to ask me to resign.
Okay, okay. Just the same, you get in that trainer and ask for runway clearance.
The fact that you're angry is only an added reason why you're not going to fly alone.
Okay, you win. Let's go.
How's it feel to be holding the stick again, Gary?
Just like old times, Bill. I'll show those pumpkin-headed friends of mine how to fly. I'm going to dive now.
Well, what are you waiting for?
I said I was going to dive.
Well, go ahead, dive.
You mean you trust me?
Why, certainly I trust you.
Certainly I trust you.
Okay, Bill. Thanks. Here goes.
How was that?
Smooth as a skislide, Gary.
First thing in the morning, I'm taking a jet up. I'll show the old man who is going to ask for a resignation.
Looks like Gary's ready to take off, Bill.
He will, Paul, as soon as he gets runway clearance for that jet.
I've got it fixed so I can talk to him right in the plane.
You'd better check up on him, Bill.
Right, Colonel.
Gary, Gary, how are you coming along?
Fine, Bill. Tell the skipper to put his seeing glasses on because I've got runway clearance.
Okay, boy. Give her the gas.
You got your seeing glasses on, Colonel Garrity?
I most certainly have, Bill. Oh, you've done a wonderful job with the boy.
And how. Terrific. My brother's his old self again.
Well, gentlemen, there's a very old but very true remark I'm going to make.
Don't count your chickens before they're hatched.
Gary hasn't flown a test plane yet.
Major Meskip, I got a brand spanking new test plane for you to fly.
What about it? Why, certainly, Colonel.
Major, the test flight's scheduled in 45 minutes.
Okay, Captain. Say, tell the boys to be watching, will you?
Bill, where's Gary?
I don't know, Colonel. These are mini-laves.
I'll find him.
Bill, Bill, Gary's in his room. He won't fly.
What's the matter, Gary?
I don't know, Bill.
Come on now, old boy. How about talking man to man, will you? I want to help you.
I know you do, Bill. It's not easy for me to tell you what's bothering me.
It's, well, it's, well...
Gary, Paul tells me you're not a Christian.
What? Oh, that preaching brother of mine, why doesn't he...
I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I guess I'm a little mixed up.
Gary, tell me, are you afraid to die?
Yeah. I didn't used to be, but...
I'm sure you know how to overcome that fear, since you come from a Christian home.
Yeah. Bill, I don't want to give in to God now that I've got my back against the wall.
Gary, no matter what you do with your life and the years to come,
when the Holy Spirit shows you what's wrong, you'll never be happy.
The fear of death will follow you till the day you die.
Why not let God take over the controls, huh?
What do you say?
Well, what if I should never fly again?
There's a more important question to answer than that just now, Gary.
Do you think you can hide from the Lord? Adam couldn't? Moses couldn't?
No man can hide from God, Gary.
Your life will be miserable until you say yes. Let Jesus come into your heart.
Do it, Gary.
All right, Bill. You win. Or rather, God wins. Will you pray with me?
I don't know whether I can pray or not.
Certainly, Gary. Then when you get things straightened out with the Lord,
you go out there and fly that plane.
Oh, she handles like a dream, Skipper. A terrific plane.
Bill, let me talk to him, please.
Certainly, Colonel.
Gary, this is Colonel Garethay.
Yes, Colonel.
Gary, I've got a confession to make. The unkind remarks you overheard weren't true.
I just wanted to make you come to yourself. Will you accept my apology?
Certainly, sir. It doesn't matter anyway, Colonel. I'm not angry.
I'm just grateful to all of you for making me see things right side up.
But mostly, mostly I'm grateful to the Lord for setting me free.
Good boy, I'm glad. The test plane is secondary to your own recovery. Good testing, Major.
Thank you, sir. Bill.
Yes, Gary.
Thanks a million for all you've done. Now that I'm flying on the Lord's side,
there's no ceiling zero anymore.
That's right, Gary. It was hard fighting the Lord, wasn't it? But it was wonderful losing to him.
See you next week, boys and girls, for more Adventure with Ranger Bill.