Kenneth Tobey - Television

Television

Tobey appeared in the episode "Counterfeit Plates" of the 1952-1953 CBS series Biff Baker, U.S.A. an espionage drama starring Alan Hale, Jr.

He appeared too in the 1954-1955 CBS legal drama, The Public Defender, starring Reed Hadley. He guest starred in three episodes of NBC's western anthology television series, Frontier. His Frontier roles were Wade Trippe in "In Nebraska" (1955) and as Gabe Sharp in "Out from Texas" and "The Hostage" (1956). In 1955, he also portrayed legendary frontiersman Jim Bowie on ABC's Davy Crockett, a Walt Disney Production starring Fess Parker in the title role. After Bowie's death at the Battle of the Alamo, Tobey played a second character, Jocko, in the two final Crockett episodes.

Thereafter, he appeared in the syndicated series Sheriff of Cochise starring John Bromfield. In 1957, he co-starred with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara in John Ford's The Wings of Eagles.

In 1957, Tobey launched his own television series The Whirlybirds, a successful CBS and then syndicated adventure produced by Desilu Studios, in which he played the co-owner of a helicopter charter service along with fellow actor Craig Hill. In the series Tobey and Hill did not themselves fly the helicopters, but stunt men handled that task. The Whirlybirds was a major hit in the U.S. and abroad, with 111 episodes filmed through 1959. It remained in syndication worldwide for many years.

In 1960, he guest starred in the episode "West of Boston" of the NBC western series, Overland Trail starring William Bendix and Doug McClure.

In 1978, he appeared as Captain Gordon Trigg, captain of the Washington State ferry MV Klickitat, in the two hour Emergency! episode "The Most Deadly Passage."