''Soldiers of Fortune'' is a 1955-1956
syndicated half hour American television adventure series. It starred
John Russell as Tim Kelly and
Chick Chandler as his
sidekick
A sidekick is a slang expression for a close companion or colleague (not necessarily in fiction) who is, or is generally regarded as, subordinate to the one they accompany.
Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, ...
Toubo Smith who were international
adventurer
An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme sp ...
s. Episodes take place in different countries.
Many of the film crew had worked at
Republic Pictures studios with the show filmed on Republic's backlot then used by television's
Revue Productions.
The episodes ran for 52 weeks
and were constantly rerun on American television into the 1960s.
Production
The series began as a
television pilot
A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distr ...
called ''Adventure in Java'' that was shown on the ''
Chevron Theatre'' on 10 February 1953. The show starred
Tim Holt and
Charles Bronson then credited as Charles Buchinsky.
The show was sponsored for two years by
7 Up
7 Up (stylized as 7up outside North America) is an American brand of lemon-lime-flavored non-caffeinated soft drink. The brand and formula are owned by Keurig Dr Pepper although the beverage is internationally distributed by PepsiCo. 7 Up co ...
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
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
western series ''
Lawman''.
DVD release
Timeless Media Group
Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...
(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
Frances Elizabeth Bavier (December 14, 1902 – December 6, 1989) was an American stage and television actress. Originally from New York theatre, she worked in film and television from the 1950s until the 1970s. She is best known for her role o ...
*
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. (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