Rocky Fortune
Encyclopedia
Rocky Fortune was the title of an American
radio drama
that aired weekly on NBC Radio
beginning in October 1953 (see 1953 in radio
). The series ended its run in March 1954 after 25 episodes. The program was created by George Lefferts
. Frank Sinatra
voiced the title role of Rocky Fortune for the entire series.
Rocky Fortune aired Tuesday nights on NBC at 9:35pm Eastern
, immediately following Dragnet
(and a five-minute John Cameron Swayze
newscast). It was a sustaining series
, meaning that NBC presented the program without corporate sponsorship. The premiere episode, "Oyster Shucker", originally aired on October 6, 1953.
portrayed Rocco Fortunato, also known as Rocky Fortune, a young man of several talents constantly in need of employment and who accepts odd jobs from the fictitious Gridley Employment Agency., often referred to simply as "the Agency." During the course of the series, he would work as a process server, museum tour guide, cabbie, bodyguard, chauffeur, truck driver, social director for a Catskills resort and a carny, in addition to various musical jobs. These assignments typically led Rocky into situations where he would track down criminals, often rescuing people (especially women) in need of help, and ultimately needing to find yet more work. Rocky made many wise remarks, using "hep" slang of the times, and seemed to attract trouble wherever he went.
Sinatra infused the role of Rocky with a witty, tongue-in-cheek quality that acknowledged Sinatra's own career. For example, in the episode "Football Fix", Rocky begins to sing "I've Got the World on a String
" while walking down the street, a song Sinatra had performed prior to playing the role of Rocky.
Aside from Sinatra, the only other recurring role on the series was that of Hamilton J. Finger, a not terribly smart but solid and dependable police sergeant voiced by Barney Phillips
. Other guest roles on Rocky Fortune were voiced by actors such as Raymond Burr
, Ed Begley
and Jack Kruschen
.
Creator of the show George Lefferts
was also one of the primary scriptwriters, along with Ernest Kinoy
. The two had previously collaborated on other radio programs such as X Minus One
and Dimension X
: in the episode "Rocket Racket", Fortune's job is apparently to fly a prototype spaceship. An eccentric oil millionaire tells of his fascination with science fiction and space travel, to which Rocky knowingly acknowledges, "Dimension X." Lefferts and Kinoy would go on to become award-winning writers and producers in the years that followed.
Edward "Eddie" King was the show's narrator, who began each episode by stating, "NBC presents Frank Sinatra, starring as that footloose and fancy-free young gentleman, Rocky Fortune!" (though it was "footloose and frequently unemployed..." for the first two episodes).
The final episode, "Boarding House Doublecross", aired on March 30, 1954, less than a week after Sinatra won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
for his role as Private Angelo Maggio in the 1953 film, From Here to Eternity
. As a running gag towards the end of the show's run, Sinatra would work the phrase "from here to eternity" into the script as a reference to his film role in almost every episode.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
radio drama
Radio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
that aired weekly on NBC Radio
NBC Red Network
The NBC Red Network was one of the two original radio networks of the National Broadcasting Company. After NBC was required to divest itself of its Blue Network , the Red Network continued as the NBC Radio Network.It, along with the Blue Network, were the first two commercial radio networks in the...
beginning in October 1953 (see 1953 in radio
1953 in radio
The year 1953 saw a number of significant happenings in radio broadcasting history.-Events:*January 15: Harry Truman becomes the first US president to broadcast his farewell address on radio and television....
). The series ended its run in March 1954 after 25 episodes. The program was created by George Lefferts
George Lefferts
George Lefferts is a writer, producer, playwright, poet, and director of television dramas, motion pictures, radio dramas, and socially conscious documentaries...
. Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
voiced the title role of Rocky Fortune for the entire series.
Rocky Fortune aired Tuesday nights on NBC at 9:35pm Eastern
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
, immediately following Dragnet
Dragnet (series)
Dragnet is a radio and television crime drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners...
(and a five-minute John Cameron Swayze
John Cameron Swayze
John Cameron Swayze was a popular news commentator and game show panelist in the United States during the 1950s.- Early life :...
newscast). It was a sustaining series
Sustaining program
Sustaining program is a term used in the United States broadcasting industry for a program which does not have commercial sponsorship or advertising...
, meaning that NBC presented the program without corporate sponsorship. The premiere episode, "Oyster Shucker", originally aired on October 6, 1953.
Characters and story
Frank SinatraFrank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
portrayed Rocco Fortunato, also known as Rocky Fortune, a young man of several talents constantly in need of employment and who accepts odd jobs from the fictitious Gridley Employment Agency., often referred to simply as "the Agency." During the course of the series, he would work as a process server, museum tour guide, cabbie, bodyguard, chauffeur, truck driver, social director for a Catskills resort and a carny, in addition to various musical jobs. These assignments typically led Rocky into situations where he would track down criminals, often rescuing people (especially women) in need of help, and ultimately needing to find yet more work. Rocky made many wise remarks, using "hep" slang of the times, and seemed to attract trouble wherever he went.
Sinatra infused the role of Rocky with a witty, tongue-in-cheek quality that acknowledged Sinatra's own career. For example, in the episode "Football Fix", Rocky begins to sing "I've Got the World on a String
I've Got the World on a String
"I've Got The World on a String" is a 1932 popular song composed by Harold Arlen, with lyrics written by Ted Koehler. It was written for the 1932 Cotton Club Parade....
" while walking down the street, a song Sinatra had performed prior to playing the role of Rocky.
Aside from Sinatra, the only other recurring role on the series was that of Hamilton J. Finger, a not terribly smart but solid and dependable police sergeant voiced by Barney Phillips
Barney Phillips
Barney Phillips was an American film, radio and television actor.-Biography and career:He was born Bernard Philip Ofner in St. Louis, Missouri, to Harry Nathan Ofner, a commercial salesman for the leather industry, and Leona Frank Ofner, a naturalized citizen of German origin, who went by the...
. Other guest roles on Rocky Fortune were voiced by actors such as Raymond Burr
Raymond Burr
Raymond William Stacey Burr was a Canadian actor, primarily known for his title roles in the television dramas Perry Mason and Ironside. His early acting career included roles on Broadway, radio, television and in film, usually as the villain...
, Ed Begley
Ed Begley
Edward James Begley, Sr. was an Academy Award-winning American actor.-Biography:Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Begley began his career as a Broadway and radio actor while in his teens. He appeared in the hit musical Going Up on Broadway in 1917 and in London the next year. He later acted in...
and Jack Kruschen
Jack Kruschen
Jack Kruschen was a Canadian-born character actor who worked primarily in American film, television and radio.-Radio:...
.
Creator of the show George Lefferts
George Lefferts
George Lefferts is a writer, producer, playwright, poet, and director of television dramas, motion pictures, radio dramas, and socially conscious documentaries...
was also one of the primary scriptwriters, along with Ernest Kinoy
Ernest Kinoy
-Early life:Kinoy was born in New York City on April 1, 1925; his father and mother were both high-school teachers. His older brother Arthur Kinoy later became a leading constitutional lawyer. Kinoy attended the Ethical Culture Fieldston School and later Columbia University, although his studies...
. The two had previously collaborated on other radio programs such as X Minus One
X Minus One
X Minus One was a half-hour science fiction radio drama series broadcast from April 24, 1955 to January 9, 1958 in various timeslots on NBC.-Overview:...
and Dimension X
Dimension X
Dimension X was an NBC radio program broadcast on an unsponsored, sustaining basis from April 8, 1950 to September 29, 1951. The first 13 episodes were broadcast live, and the remainder were pre-recorded...
: in the episode "Rocket Racket", Fortune's job is apparently to fly a prototype spaceship. An eccentric oil millionaire tells of his fascination with science fiction and space travel, to which Rocky knowingly acknowledges, "Dimension X." Lefferts and Kinoy would go on to become award-winning writers and producers in the years that followed.
Edward "Eddie" King was the show's narrator, who began each episode by stating, "NBC presents Frank Sinatra, starring as that footloose and fancy-free young gentleman, Rocky Fortune!" (though it was "footloose and frequently unemployed..." for the first two episodes).
The final episode, "Boarding House Doublecross", aired on March 30, 1954, less than a week after Sinatra won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
for his role as Private Angelo Maggio in the 1953 film, From Here to Eternity
From Here to Eternity
From Here to Eternity is a 1953 drama film directed by Fred Zinnemann and based on the novel of the same name by James Jones. It deals with the troubles of soldiers, played by Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra and Ernest Borgnine stationed on Hawaii in the months leading up to the...
. As a running gag towards the end of the show's run, Sinatra would work the phrase "from here to eternity" into the script as a reference to his film role in almost every episode.
Episodes
| # | Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Oct 6, 1953 | "Oyster Shucker" (aka "Pearl Smugglers") |
| 02 | Oct 13, 1953 | "Steven in a Rest Home" (aka "Insurance Fraud"; "Steven Crandall"; "Double Indemnity") |
| 03 | Oct 20, 1953 | "Ship's Steward" (aka "Shipboard Jewel Robbery") |
| 04 | Oct 27, 1953 | "Pint-Sized Payroll Bandit" (aka "Short Order Cook") |
| 05 | Nov 10, 1953 | "$100 an Hour Messenger" (aka "Messenger Boy"; "Messenger For Murder") |
| 06 | Nov 17, 1953 | "A Little Jazz Goes a Long Way to Murder" (aka "A Hepcat Kills the Canary") |
| 07 | Nov 24, 1953 | "Drama Critic's Bodyguard" (aka "Nursemaid to a Drama Critic"; "Murder on the Aisle") |
| 08 | Dec 1, 1953 | "Art Store Handyman" (aka "Parlormaid to a Statue"; "Murder Among the Statues") |
| 09 | Deb 8, 1953 | "The Kid and the Carnival" (aka "Carnival One Way") |
| 10 | Dec 15, 1953 | "Paid Companion" (aka "Companion to a Chimp") |
| 11 | Dec 22, 1953 | "Department Store Santa" (aka "The Plot to Murder Santa Claus") |
| 12 | Dec 29, 1953 | "Prize Fighter" (aka "Prize Fighter Setup") |
| 13 | Jan 5, 1954 | "On the Trail of a Killer" (aka "Love and Death"; "Sister Ellie's Dead") |
| 14 | Jan 12, 1954 | "Ride 'em Cowboy" (aka "Rodeo Murder") |
| 15 | Jan 19, 1954 | "Murder In the Museum (aka "The Museum Murder"; "Museum of Ancient History") |
| 16 | Jan 26, 1954 | "Hollywood or Boom" (aka "Hauling Nitro") |
| 17 | Feb 2, 1954 | "Football Fix" |
| 18 | Feb 9, 1954 | "Social Director" (aka "Catskills Cover-Up") |
| 19 | Feb 16, 1954 | "Too Many Husbands" (aka "The Too-Much-Married Blonde") |
| 20 | Feb 23, 1954 | "Hit List" (aka "Decoy For Death"; "The Grinder") |
| 21 | Mar 2, 1954 | "Drug Addict" (aka "The Doctor's Dilemma") |
| 22 | Mar 9, 1954 | "Let's Find a Murderer" (aka "Incident in a Bar"; "Fresh Corpse") |
| 23 | Mar 16, 1954 | "The Little Voice of Murder" (aka "Psychological Murder"; "Witness to a Kill"[or "Will"]) |
| 24 | Mar 23, 1954 | "Rocket to the Morgue" (aka "Rocket Racket"; "Zenith Foundation") |
| 25 | Mar 30, 1954 | "Boarding House Doublecross" |