For Love and Honor

Series pilot about life, romance and ambition in an Army airborne unit. Allard: Cliff Potts. China: Yaphet Kotto. Stephen: Gary Grubbs. Carolyn: Shelley Smith. Grace: Rachel Ticotin. Lucas: Eddie Velez. Duke: Keenen Ivory Wayans. Utah: Tony Becker., First telecast September 23, 1983, For Love and Honor was the opening episode of the same-named TV series. Cliff Potts heads the cast as First Sergeant Gene Allard, assigned to a small “army town.” His brothers (and sisters) in khaki include Shelley Smith as medical corps Captain Carolyn Engel, Gary Grubbs as promotion-chasing Captain Steven Wiecek, and Yaphet Kotto as troubled Vietnam vet Sgt. China Bell. Apparently inspired by the 1982 theatrical feature An Officer and a Gentleman, For Love and Honor concentrated more on the “love” angle than the other commodity mentioned in the title. At first, each episode was self-contained; when viewership dropped off, the series was refashioned as a prime time soap opera. By December 27, 1983, For Love and Honor had left the airwaves, another casualty of the ratings wars (the winner in its timeslot was Falcon Crest).