Major Roger That is a test pilot stationed at Estes Keefauver Air Force Base ("Keev") in the California desert. He is a widower, and he lives with his pre-teen daughter, Jenny. They have a Hawaiian housekeeper named Hilo.
Jenny's mother, Grace, died just before the series started. Roger was on a mission when Grace died, and he was away when Jenny needed him most. Roger will never let that happen again.
Jenny, in Roger's words, is the "biggest part" of his life. In many ways, Jenny is precociously sensible, pointing out to Roger at key moments what all-too-obvious things he's missing.
Roger's father, General Watson That (USAF, Ret.) was a war hero and a career Air Force officer. He and Roger's mom, Helen, live in Connecticut. The General doesn't like the track Roger has put his career on, and he constantly tries to see what he can do about altering Roger's career.
Roger's boss at Keev is General Talbot (Tall) Story. General Story is frequently annoyed by Roger's habit of destroying billion-dollar test planes by letting them crash into mountains and such. Story's emotions about Roger run a mix of being annoyed, envious, admiring, and just plain angry. General Story puts up with all the disasters, though, because he knows Roger is his best pilot.
One of Roger's best friends is Chet McCabe, who is also Roger's flight engineer. His job is best described by Roger's phrase: "Make it work, Chet."
Roger had many girlfriends during the series. His most serious relationship was with Melanie Hobbs. Melanie was a Navy intelligence officer assigned to Keev for tests on photo-reconnaissance equipment. Melanie wound up at odds with Roger, but an air crash and a delayed rescue left them in a romantic relationship.
(This part is not completed)
Although there were a number of guest stars who passed away shortly after
appearing on Roger That, it's really not fair to foster the "Death
Show Curse" mythos of the series. First, many of the guest stars were aging
actors, and their lifespan was nearing an end. Second, out of 131 guest
stars, a total of 62 guests died within 24 months of completing their
appearance on the show. This amounts to less than 50% of the guests appearing on
the show.
Some devotees of the show track the deaths of the former guest stars and series
regulars and count these actors as part of the "Death Show Curse" - -
which is ridiculous, because *all* shows will lose *all* their guest stars over
time.
Here's a brief list of some of the more famous guest stars who would fall under
the "curse"...
|
Guest Star |
Date of Last Appearance | Date of Death |
| Jackie Coogan | 1983 | 1984 |
| Ethel Merrman | 1982 | 1984 |
| Andy Kaufman | 1982 | 1984 |
| Richard Deacon | 1984 | 1984 |
| Richard Basehart | 1984 | 1984 |
| Carol Wayne | 1983 | 1985 |
| Victor Buono | 1981 | 1982 |
| Hans Conreid | 1981 | 1982 |
| Paul Lynde | 1982 | 1982 |
| Reta Shaw | 1981 | 1982 |
| Joe E. Ross | 1981 | 1982 |
| Carolyn Jones | 1981 | 1983 |
| William Demerast | 1981 | 1983 |
| Simon Oakland | 1982 | 1983 |
(This part is not completed)