Soldiers of Fortune is a syndicated half hour American television adventure series that ran from 1955 to 1956. It starred John Russell as Tim Kelly, and Chick Chandler as his sidekick Toubo Smith, who were international adventurers. Episodes take place in different countries.[1] Many of the film crew had worked at Republic Pictures studios with the show filmed on Republic's backlot[citation needed] then used by television's Revue Productions.[2] The series ran for 52 episodes,[3] and was constantly rerun on American television into the 1960s.
| Soldiers of Fortune | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Adventure |
| Starring | John Russell Chick Chandler |
| Theme music composer | Paul Dunlap |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 52 |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production company | Revue Studios |
| Original release | |
| Network | Syndication |
| Release | January 10, 1955 – March 10, 1957 |
Cast
editMain
edit- John Russell as Tim Kelly
- Chick Chandler as Toubo Smith
Guest stars
edit- Frances Bavier
- Andy Clyde in "Hate at Forty Fathoms" (1955)
- Carol Thurston as Nari in "Massacre in Mokhara" (1956)
- Uncredited actors include Filipino Hollywood actor Rudy Robles acting on various roles.[citation needed]
Production
editThe series began as a television pilot called Adventure in Java that was shown on the Chevron Theatre on 10 February 1953.[citation needed] The show starred Tim Holt[4] and Charles Bronson then credited as Charles Buchinsky.[5]
The show was sponsored for two years by 7 Up soft drink with the firm also sending the stars out on national publicity tours.[6]
One year after Soldiers of Fortune was cancelled, John Russell went on to star as Marshal Dan Troop in the successful ABC/Warner Brothers western series Lawman.[7]
DVD release
editTimeless Media Group (TMG) released a Region 1 five disc DVD set titled Soldiers of Fortune: The Complete Television Series on November 30, 2010. It includes all 29 episodes of Season 1 and all 23 episodes of Season 2.[8]
References
edit- ^ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1999). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (7th ed.). New York: The Ballentine Publishing Group. p. 941. ISBN 0-345-42923-0.
- ^ McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 771. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
- ^ Erickson, Hal (1989). Syndicated Television: The First Forty Years, 1947-1987'. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 44. ISBN 0-7864-1198-8.
- ^ p. 322 Miller, Lee O. The Great Cowboy Stars of Movies & Television Arlington House, 1979
- ^ p. 263 Pitts, Michael R. Charles Bronson: The 95 Films and the 156 Television Appearances McFarland, 1 Jan. 2003
- ^ p. 9 Sponsors Lose Values Visa Poor P.A. Routings Billboard 16 Mar 1957 ISSN 0006-2510 Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
- ^ "Billboard - Google Books". 1956-02-11. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
- ^ "Soldiers of Fortune - The Complete Television Series 52 Episodes!: John Russell, Chick Chandler, Boyd Stockman, Red Morgan, Paul Baxley, John Doucette, X. Brands, Michael Ansara: Movies & TV". Retrieved 2013-11-01.