Hong Kong (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Hong Kong is a 26-episode adventure
/drama series
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
.
. Taylor portrayed Glenn Evans, an American journalist
who worked in the exotic Far Eastern city. His search for stories led him into encounters with smugglers, murder
ers, drug peddlers, and mysterious women who disappear behind beaded curtains. Taylor’s principal costar was Lloyd Bochner
, who portrayed Chief Inspector Neil Campbell.
Hong Kong was loosely based on the film Soldier of Fortune
, which had Michael Rennie
in the Lloyd Bochner role and Jack Kruschen
as Tully. 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.
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.
Adventure (genre)
The adventure genre, in the context of a narrative, is typically applied to works in which the protagonist or other major characters are consistently placed in dangerous situations...
/drama series
Dramatic programming
Dramatic programming in the UK, or television drama and television drama series in the US, is television program content that is scripted and fictional along the lines of √a traditional drama. This excludes, for example, sports television, television news, reality show and game shows, stand-up...
which aired on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
during the 1960–1961 season and helped to catapult Australian actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Rod Taylor into a major film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
star, primarily in the 1960s, beginning with his role in Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
's The Birds
The Birds (film)
The Birds is a 1963 horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock based on the 1952 short story "The Birds" by Daphne du Maurier. It depicts Bodega Bay, California which is, suddenly and for unexplained reasons, the subject of a series of widespread and violent bird attacks over the course of a few...
. The series was a production of 20th Century Fox Television
20th Century Fox Television
20th Century Fox Television is the television production division of 20th Century Fox Film Corporation, and a production arm of the Fox Broadcasting Company...
.
Synopsis
Hong Kong was set in the then British Crown Colony of Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. Taylor portrayed Glenn Evans, an American journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
who worked in the exotic Far Eastern city. His search for stories led him into encounters with smugglers, murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ers, drug peddlers, and mysterious women who disappear behind beaded curtains. Taylor’s principal costar was Lloyd Bochner
Lloyd Bochner
Lloyd Wolfe Bochner was a Canadian actor, usually playing the role of suave, rich leading men.- Career :...
, who portrayed Chief Inspector Neil Campbell.
Hong Kong was loosely based on the film Soldier of Fortune
Soldier of Fortune (film)
Soldier of Fortune is a 1955 adventure film about the rescue of an American held prisoner in the People's Republic of China in the 1950s. It was directed by Edward Dmytryk, starred Clark Gable and Susan Hayward and was written by Ernest K...
, which had Michael Rennie
Michael Rennie
Michael Rennie was an English film, television, and stage actor, perhaps best known for his starring role as the space visitor Klaatu in the 1951 classic science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still. However, he appeared in over 50 other films since 1936, many with Jean Simmons and other...
in the Lloyd Bochner role and Jack Kruschen
Jack Kruschen
Jack Kruschen was a Canadian-born character actor who worked primarily in American film, television and radio.-Radio:...
as Tully. 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
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
’s Wagon Train
Wagon Train
Wagon Train is an American Western series that ran on NBC from 1957–62 and then on ABC from 1962–65...
, when midway in the season Ward Bond
Ward Bond
Wardell Edwin "Ward" Bond was an American film actor whose rugged appearance and easygoing charm were featured in over 200 movies and the television series Wagon Train.-Early life:...
died in Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, and his trail boss character, Seth Adams, was succeeded without explanation by John McIntire
John McIntire
John McIntire was an American character actor.-Career:The craggy-faced film actor was born in Spokane in eastern Washington State but reared in Montana, growing up around ranchers and cowboys, an experience that would later inspire his performances in dozens of westerns.A graduate of USC, McIntire...
as Chris Hale. CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
at the hour offered the short-lived The Aquanauts, renamed at mid-season as Malibu Run.
Reception
The show struggled in the ratings against Wagon TrainWagon Train
Wagon Train is an American Western series that ran on NBC from 1957–62 and then on ABC from 1962–65...
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.
Cast
- Rod Taylor....Glenn Evans
- Lloyd Bochner....Neil Campbell
- Harold Fong....Ahting
- Gerald Jann....Ling
- Jack Kruschen....Tully
- Mai Tai Sing....Ching Mei
Notable guest stars
- Joan CaulfieldJoan CaulfieldJoan Caulfield was an American actress and former fashion model. After being discovered by Broadway producers, she began a stage career in 1943 that eventually led to signing as an actress with Paramount Pictures....
- Joanna Cook MooreJoanna Cook MooreJoanna Moore was an American film and television actress best known for her guest roles on the popular television shows of the 1960s, most notably as Sheriff Andy Taylor's love interest, Peggy "Peg" McMillan in four episodes of The Andy Griffith Show...
- Felicia FarrFelicia FarrFelicia Farr is a former American actress and model.-Biography:Felicia Farr appeared in several modeling photo shoots and advertisements throughout the 1950s and 1960s...
- Rhonda FlemingRhonda FlemingRhonda Fleming , is an American film and television actress.She acted in more than 40 films, mostly in the 1940s and 1950s, and became renowned as one of the most beautiful and glamorous actresses of her day...
- Anne FrancisAnne FrancisAnne Lloyd Francis was an American actress, best known for her role in the science fiction film classic Forbidden Planet , and as the female private detective in the television series Honey West . She won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Emmy award for her role in Honey West...
- Beverly GarlandBeverly GarlandBeverly Garland was an American film and television actress, businesswoman, and hotel owner. Garland gained prominence for her role as Fred MacMurray's second wife, "Barbara Harper Douglas", in the 1960s sitcom My Three Sons...
- James HongJames HongJames Hong is an American actor and former president of the Association of Asian/Pacific American Artists . A prolific acting veteran, Hong's career spans over 50 years and includes more than 350 roles in film, television, and video games.-Early life:Hong was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His...
- Susan KohnerSusan KohnerSusan Kohner is an American actress.-Early life and career:Born as Susanna Kohner in Los Angeles, Kohner is the daughter of Mexican actress Lupita Tovar and Jewish film producer Paul Kohner who was born in Bohemia part of Austria-Hungary...
- Bethel LeslieBethel LeslieBethel Leslie was an American theatre, film, and television actress and a screenwriter.Born in New York City, Leslie was discovered by George Abbott, who cast her in the play Snafu in 1944...
- Julie LondonJulie LondonJulie London was an American singer and actress. She was best known for her smoky, sensual voice. London was at her singing career's peak in the 1950s. Her acting career lasted more than 35 years...
- Dina MerrillDina Merrill-Early life:Merrill was born Nedenia Marjorie Hutton in New York City, New York, the only child of Post Cereals heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post and her second husband, Wall Street stockbroker Edward Francis Hutton...
- Suzanne PleshetteSuzanne PleshetteSuzanne Pleshette was an American actress, on stage, screen and television.After beginning her career in theatre, she began appearing in films in the early 1960s, such as Rome Adventure and Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds...
- Gia ScalaGia ScalaGia Scala was an English actress and model of Italian and Irish descent.-Early life:She was born Giovanna Scoglio in Liverpool, England, to an Sicilian father, Pietro Scoglio, and an Irish mother, Eileen Sullivan...
- Pippa ScottPippa ScottPippa Scott is an American actress who has appeared in movies and television since the 1950s. She was also married to a founding partner of Lorimar Productions, Lee Rich...
Writers
- Robert Buckner
- Sidney Ellis
- Fred FreibergerFred FreibergerFred Freiberger was an American film and television screenwriter and television producer, with a career spanning four decades including The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, Star Trek, and Space: 1999...
- Abram S. Ginnes
- Stanley Hough
- John T. Kelley
- Jonathan LatimerJonathan LatimerJonathan Wyatt Latimer was an American crime writer-Life:Born in Chicago, Illinois, he attended the Mesa Ranch School in Arizona from 1922-1925 and later studied at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1929...
- Donn Mullally
- Louis PelletierLouis PelletierLouis Pelletier was an American author of radio dramas and screenplays for motion pictures and television....
- Michael PertweeMichael PertweeMichael Pertwee was a British playwright and screenwriter. Among his credits were episodes of The Saint, Danger Man, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, B-And-B, Ladies Who Do, and many other films and TV series....
- Jan Winters
Directors
- Justus Addiss
- Budd BoetticherBudd BoetticherOscar "Budd" Boetticher, Jr. was a film director during the classical period in Hollywood most famous for the series of low-budget Westerns he made in the late 1950s starring Randolph Scott.Known for their sparse style, dramatic rocky locations near Lone Pine, California, and recurring stories of...
- Walter Doniger
- Charles F. HaasCharles F. HaasCharles Friedman Haas was an American film and television director. He was born in Chicago, Illinois....
- Arthur HillerArthur HillerArthur Hiller, OC is a Canadian film director. His filmography includes 33 major studio releases, including the 1970 film Love Story...
- Ida LupinoIda LupinoIda Lupino was an English-born film actress and director, and a pioneer among women filmmakers. In her 48-year career, she appeared in 59 films and directed seven others, mostly in the United States. She appeared in serial television programmes 58 times and directed 50 other episodes...
- Christian NybyChristian NybyChristian Nyby was an American television and film director.Born in Los Angeles, California, he started his career as a film editor in the 1940s. During this period, he worked on four films for famous director Howard Hawks, of which one led to an Academy Award nomination...
- John Peyser
- Stuart RosenbergStuart RosenbergStuart Rosenberg was an American film and television director whose notable works included the movies Cool Hand Luke , Voyage of the Damned , The Amityville Horror , and The Pope of Greenwich Village .-Early life and career:Born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, Rosenberg studied Irish...
- Boris SagalBoris SagalBoris Sagal was a Ukrainian-born American television and film director.-Early life and career:Born in Yekaterinoslav, Soviet Union, Sagal emigrated to the United States where he attended the Yale School of Drama. Sagal's many TV credits include directing episodes of The Twilight Zone, "T.H.E...
- Don TaylorDon Taylor (director)Donald Victor Taylor was an English writer, director and producer, active across theatre, radio and television for over forty years...
Episode list
| Episode # | Production Code | Episode Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | |
"Blind Justice" (Pilot) | September 19, 1960 |
| 1 | 4103 | "Clear For Action" | September 28, 1960 |
| 2 | 4102 | "Murder Royal" | October 5, 1960 |
| 3 | 4106 | "Pearl Flower" | October 12, 1960 |
| 4 | 4104 | "Freebooter" | October 19, 1960 |
| 5 | 4107 | "The Jade Empress" | October 26, 1960 |
| 6 | 4105 | "The Jumping Dragon" | November 2, 1960 |
| 7 | 4101 | "Blind Bargain" | November 9, 1960 |
| 8 | 4109 | "Colonel Cat" | November 16, 1960 |
| 9 | 4108 | "The Turncoat" | November 23, 1960 |
| 10 | 4110 | "To Catch a Star" | November 30, 1960 |
| 11 | 4111 | "Nine Lives" | December 7, 1960 |
| 12 | 4112 | "The Dragon Cup" | December 14, 1960 |
| 13 | 4113 | "When Strangers Meet" | December 21, 1960 |
| 14 | 4114 | "Suitable for Framing" | January 4, 1961 |
| 15 | 4115 | "Lesson in Fear" | January 11, 1961 |
| 16 | 4116 | "The Survivor" | January 18, 1961 |
| 17 | 4117 | "Night Cry" | January 25, 1961 |
| 18 | 4118 | "Double Jeopardy" | February 1, 1961 |
| 19 | 4119 | "Lady Godiva" | February 8, 1961 |
| 20 | 4112 | " The Hunted" | February 15, 1961 |
| 21 | 4121 | "With Deadly Sorrow" | February 22, 1961 |
| 22 | 4123 | "Murder By Proxy" | March 1, 1961 |
| 23 | 4120 | "The Woman In Gray" | March 8, 1961 |
| 24 | 4124 | "Love, Honor, and Perish" | March 15, 1961 |
| 25 | 4125 | "The Innocent Exile" | March 22, 1961 |
| 26 | 4126 | "The Runaway" | March 29, 1961 |