''Soldiers of Fortune'' is a 1955-1956

syndicated Syndication may refer to: * Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system * Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips * Web syndication, ...

half hour American television adventure series. It starred John Russell as Tim Kelly and

Chick Chandler Fehmer Christy "Chick" Chandler (January 18, 1905 – September 30, 1988) was an American film character actor who appeared in more than 130 films from 1925 through the mid-1950s. Chandler was known for his starring role as Toubo Smith in ...

as his sidekick Toubo Smith who were international adventurers. Episodes take place in different countries. Many of the film crew had worked at

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City an ...

studios with the show filmed on Republic's backlot then used by television's

Revue Productions Universal Television LLC (abbreviated as UTV) is an American television production company that is a subsidiary of Universal Studio Group, a division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It serves as the network television production arm of NBC; a predeces ...

. The episodes ran for 52 weeks and were constantly rerun on American television into the 1960s.

Production

The series began as a television pilot called ''Adventure in Java'' that was shown on the ''

Chevron Theatre ''Chevron Theatre'' is an American, 30-minute, filmed television anthology series, produced by MCA/ Revue Productions for first-run syndication. A total of 105 episodes aired from 1952 to 1954. Among its guest stars were Natalie Wood, Raymon ...

'' on 10 February 1953. The show starred

Tim Holt Charles John "Tim" Holt III (February 5, 1919 – February 15, 1973) was an American actor. He was a popular Western star during the 1940s and early 1950s, appearing in forty-six B westerns released by RKO Pictures. In a career spanning more ...

and

Charles Bronson Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. Known for his "granite features and brawny physique," he gained international fame for his starring roles in action, Western, and war ...

then credited as Charles Buchinsky. The show was sponsored for two years by 7 Up soft drink with the firm also sending the stars out on national publicity tours. One year after ''Soldiers of Fortune'' was cancelled, John Russell went on to star as Marshal Dan Troup in the successful ABC/ Warner Brothers western series '' Lawman''.

DVD release

Timeless 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''.

Guest stars

* Frances Bavier *

Andy Clyde Andrew Allan Clyde (March 25, 1892 – May 18, 1967) was a Scottish-born American film and television actor whose career spanned more than four decades. In 1921 he broke into silent films as a Mack Sennett comic, debuting in ''On a Summer ...

in "Hate at Forty Fathoms" (1955) *

Carol Thurston Carol Thurston (born Betty Lou Thurston; September 27, 1920 – December 31, 1969) was an American film and television actress who played the fictitious Emma Clanton in eight episodes (1959-1961) of the ABC/Desilu western television series ...

as Nari in "Massacre in Mokhara" (1956) * Uncredited actors include Filipino Hollywood actor

Rudy Robles Rudy Robles (born Pastor Lluviosa Robles, 29 April 1910 – 11 August 1970) was a Filipino film and television actor. He was one of the first Filipino actors to appear in Hollywood movies. Career Robles was born in Tacloban, in the Eastern ...

acting on various roles. (1955-1956)

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=0047773, title=Soldiers of Fortune
Episode guide
1955 American television series debuts 1957 American television series endings American adventure television series Black-and-white American television shows English-language television shows 1950s American drama television series First-run syndicated television programs in the United States