Stingray
chronicled the adventures of a mysterious
man who spent his life doing favors for
other people. Adding to the mystery was
the fact that no one ever learned the real
name of the series' hero. Therefore, the
hero's clients referred to him as "Stingray"
based on the fact that he drove around in
a vintage '65 Stingray Corvette. Some of
Stingray's friends did call him Ray. However,
it was never clear whether this nickname
was short for Stingray or for Raymond.
Although it was revealed that Ray, an expert
in martial arts, had served in Vietnam and
was once a top government operative, details
regarding his background remained as mysterious
as his real name. Probably as a result of
experiences he faced while working for the
government, Ray disdained money and instead
charged a "favor" to anyone who utilized
his services. In other words, anyone Ray
helped would be required to do him some
form of favor in the future. (Even more
mysterious than Stingray's name was how
Ray managed to maintain a "supply" of favors
as he usually used up two to three favors
per episode in order to earn a single favor.)
As in The Greatest American Hero,
most of the episodes of the series included
original songs composed by Mike Post and
lyricist Stephen Geyer. Also, the producers
provided an interesting look into the making
of a television show by including a look
"behind the scenes" during the end credits
of each episode.
