Anchor legend Roger Grimsby defies WABC bosses, goes skydiving in 1981, teases Bill Beutel

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Your lead anchorman should not be leaping from a plane in a daredevil stunt. But Roger Grimsby was not your typical anchorman.

"Channel 7's station manager said I shouldn't. Channel 7's news director said I shouldn't. My girlfriend said I shouldn't, and Bill Beutel said he wouldn't," Grimsby said in his classic deadpan delivery, that unique blend of serious and subversive that made him so riveting to watch.

You just never knew what Roger would say, or clearly in this case, do. Roger just couldn't stop himself, and joined a team of parachute enthusiasts who helped him take a flying leap from a plane near New Paltz, New York for this report that aired on Oct. 5, 1981.

Safely back at the anchor desk at 7 Lincoln Square, Roger decided to chide Bill about his reluctance to jump out a plane with him. And Bill's response to his taunts is a reminder of why these two were such a great anchor team, truly one for the ages.