Hong Kong (TV series)
Hong Kong is a 26-episode adventure/drama series (plus an initial pilot episode) which aired on ABC television during the 1960–1961 season and helped to catapult Australian actor Rod Taylor into a major film star, primarily in the 1960s, beginning with his role in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. The series was a production of 20th Century Fox Television, and the final credit of each episode stated: "Filmed by Twentieth Century Fox Television Inc. at its Hollywood studios and in the Crown Colony of Hong Kong".
| Hong Kong | |
|---|---|
 Rod Taylor as Glenn Evans and Lloyd Bochner as Inspector Neil Campbell. | |
| Genre | Adventure/Drama |
| Created by | Robert Buckner |
| Starring | Rod Taylor Lloyd Bochner |
| Theme music composer | Lionel Newman |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 26 (+ pilot) |
| Production | |
| Producers | Herbert Hirschman Fletcher Markle Art Wallace |
| Production company | 20th Century Fox Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | September 28, 1960 – March 29, 1961 |
Synopsis
Hong Kong was set in the then British Crown Colony of Hong Kong. Taylor portrayed Glenn Evans, a U.S. journalist who worked in the exotic Far Eastern city. His search for stories led him into encounters with smugglers, murderers, drug peddlers, and mysterious women who would disappear behind beaded curtains. Taylor’s principal costars were Lloyd Bochner, who portrayed Chief Inspector Neil Campbell, and Jack Kruschen as Tully the bartender.
In the television series, Evans' residential address is often given as the fictitious 24 Peak Rd. As shown in various episodes, the interior of Evans' bachelor apartment (actually a Hollywood set constructed on a sound stage at 20th Century Fox Studios) includes a large, sliding-glass door which opens to a small patio with a sweeping vista that overlooks the harbor and distant peaks. Evans' regular drive was a white Series 1 Sunbeam Alpine.
Hong Kong was loosely based on the film Soldier of Fortune, which had Michael Rennie in a police inspector role similar to Lloyd Bochner's. Kruschen appeared in the film as well, in a role different from the one he played in the series. The series premiered on Wednesday, September 28, 1960, and ceased new episodes on March 29, 1961; repeats continued until September 27. Hong Kong ran opposite NBC’s Wagon Train, when midway in the season Ward Bond died in Dallas, and his trail boss character, Seth Adams, was succeeded without explanation by John McIntire as Chris Hale. CBS at the hour offered the short-lived The Aquanauts, renamed at mid-season as Malibu Run.
Cast
Main
- Rod Taylor as Glenn Evans
- Lloyd Bochner as Neil Campbell
- Harold Fong as Ahting
- Gerald Jann as Ling
- Jack Kruschen as Tully
- Mai Tai Sing as Ching Mei
Episodes
| No. | Title [1] | Directed by [1] | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code [1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBA | "Pilot" "Blind Justice" | Christian Nyby | Robert Buckner | TBA | 4101 |
| The unaired 30-minute television pilot, that was later reworked and aired as the regular episode "Blind Bargain".[1] | |||||
| 1 | "Clear for Action" | Ida Lupino | Robert Buckner | September 28, 1960 | 4103 |
| 2 | "Murder Royal" | Boris Sagal | Story by : Stanley Hough Teleplay by : Stanley Hough & Art Wallace | October 5, 1960 | 4102 |
| 3 | "Pearl Flower" | Boris Sagal | Jan Winters | October 12, 1960 | 4106 |
| 4 | "Freebooter" | Charles Haas | Louis Pelletier | October 19, 1960 | 4104 |
| 5 | "The Jade Empress" | Don Taylor | Jonathan Latimer | October 26, 1960 | 4107 |
| 6 | "The Jumping Dragon" | Justus Addiss | Robert Buckner | November 2, 1960 | 4105 |
| 7 | "Blind Bargain" | Christian Nyby | Robert Buckner | November 9, 1960 | 4101[1] |
| 8 | "Colonel Cat" | Bud Boetticher | Robert Buckner | November 16, 1960 | 4109 |
| 9 | "The Turncoat" | Ida Lupino | John T. Kelley | November 23, 1960 | 4108 |
| 10 | "To Catch a Star" | John Peyser | Story by : Louis Vittes Teleplay by : Sidney Ellis & Art Wallace | November 30, 1960 | 4110 |
| 11 | "Nine Lives" | Boris Sagal | Story by : Michael Pertwee Teleplay by : Abram S. Ginnes & Michael Pertwee | December 7, 1960 | 4111 |
| 12 | "The Dragon Cup" | Walter Doniger | Jonathan Latimer | December 14, 1960 | 4112 |
| 13 | "When Strangers Meet" | Boris Sagal | Story by : Fred Freiberger Teleplay by : Fred Freiberger & Art Wallace | December 21, 1960 | 4113 |
| 14 | "Suitable for Framing" | Stuart Rosenberg | Story by : Leo Rosten Teleplay by : Art Wallace | January 4, 1961 | 4114 |
| 15 | "Lesson in Fear" | Boris Segal | Donn Mullally | January 11, 1961 | 4115 |
| 16 | "The Survivor" | Boris Segal | Whitfield Cook | January 18, 1961 | 4116 |
| 17 | "Night Cry" | Walter Doniger | Art Wallace Based on a novel by William A. Stuart | January 25, 1961 | 4117 |
| 18 | "Double Jeopardy" | Stuart Rosenberg | George W. George & Judy George | February 1, 1961 | 4118 |
| 19 | "Lady Godiva" | Robert Florey | William Froug | February 8, 1961 | 4119 |
| 20 | "The Hunted" | Stuart Rosenberg | TBA | February 15, 1961 | 4122 |
| 21 | "With Deadly Sorrow" | Paul Henreid | Dorothy Robinson & Robert Blees | February 22, 1961 | 4121 |
| 22 | "Murder by Proxy" | Sutton Roley | Jonathan Latimer | March 1, 1961 | 4123 |
| 23 | "The Woman in Grey" | Stuart Rosenberg | TBA | March 8, 1961 | 4120 |
| 24 | "Love, Honor and Perish" | Byron Paul | Donn Mullally | March 15, 1961 | 4124 |
| 25 | "The Innocent Exile" | Fletcher Markle | Sam Ross | March 22, 1961 | 4125 |
| 26 | "The Runaway" | Arthur Hiller | Robert Buckner | March 29, 1961 | 4126 |
Reception
The show struggled in the ratings against Wagon Train and was cancelled after one season. However it proved popular in syndication and was the third most popular drama series on TV in Australia in 1961.[2]
References
- From the United States Copyright Office catalog: "Public Catalog - Copyright Catalog (1978 to present) - Basic Search [search: "Hong Kong : show no."]". United States Copyright Office. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
- Stephen Vagg, Rod Taylor: An Aussie in Hollywood, Bear Manor Media 2010 p 77