''Tales of the Vikings'' is an American first-run syndicated television series, first telecast on 8 September 1959 and ran through June 2, 1960. The series was produced by

Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in '' The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. Do ...

' production company,

Brynaprod Bryna Productions (later renamed The Bryna Company) is an American independent film and television production company established by actor Kirk Douglas in 1949. The company also produced a handful of films through its subsidiaries, Michael Produc ...

Plot

Set in tenth century

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swed ...

, the series presented the seafaring exploits of Viking chief Firebeard and his two sons, Leif and Finn.

Characters

*Firebeard, Viking chieftain -

Stefan Schnabel Stefan Artur Schnabel (February 2, 1912 – March 11, 1999) was a German-born American actor who worked in theatre, radio, films and television. After moving to the United States in 1937 he became one of the original members of Orson Welles's M ...

*Leif, Firebeard's younger son -

Jerome Courtland Jerome Courtland (December 27, 1926 – March 1, 2012) was an American actor, director and producer. He acted in films in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, and in television in the 1950s and 1960s. Courtland also appeared on Broadway in the musical '' ...

*Finn, Firebeard's elder son - Walter Barnes *Haldar, Viking crewman -

Buddy Baer Jacob Henry "Buddy" Baer (June 11, 1915 – July 18, 1986) was an American boxer and later an actor with important parts in seventeen films, as well as roles on various television series in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1941, he came extremely cl ...

Guest stars for the thirty-nine episode run included:

Christopher Lee Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a long career spanning more than 60 years, Lee often portrayed villains, and appeared as Count Dracula in seven Hammer Horror films, ultima ...

Patrick McGoohan Patrick Joseph McGoohan (; March 19, 1928 – January 13, 2009) was an Irish-American actor, director, screenwriter, and producer of film and television. Born in the United States to Irish emigrant parents, he was raised in Ireland and Engla ...

Robert Alda Robert Alda (born Alfonso Giuseppe Giovanni Roberto D'Abruzzo; February 26, 1914 – May 3, 1986) was an Italian-American theatrical and film actor, a singer, and a dancer. He was the father of actors Alan and Antony Alda. Alda was featured in ...

, and

Edmund Purdom Edmund Anthony Cutlar Purdom (19 December 19241 January 2009) was an English actor, voice artist, and director. He worked first on stage in Britain, performing various works by Shakespeare, then in America on Broadway and in Hollywood, and even ...

Production

In 1949 Douglas founded his own company,

Bryna Productions Bryna Productions (later renamed The Bryna Company) is an American independent film and television production company established by actor Kirk Douglas in 1949. The company also produced a handful of films through its subsidiaries, Michael Produc ...

, named after his mother. ''Tales of the Vikings'' was the company's first venture into television. The series, like the Douglas' 1958 film '' The Vikings'', was shot in Europe and used footage, sets, props, and costumes from the film. It was filmed in black and white, and distributed by

United Artists Television United Artists Television (UATV) was an American television production/distribution studio of United Artists Corporation that was formed on New Year's Day (January 1), 1958. The company is remembered for producing series such as '' This Man Daws ...

."Kirk Douglas's work in American Theater, Radio, and Television", Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research, University of Wisconsin - Madison
/ref> Since ''Tales of the Vikings'' aired in

syndication 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, ...

, air dates varied from one TV station to another during the 1959-1960 season. It also aired on British television, and in 1962 in Finland. Courtland has his hair and beard dyed blond for the series.

Ryan O'Neal Ryan O'Neal (born April 20, 1941) is an American actor and former boxer. He trained as an amateur boxer before beginning his career in acting in 1960. In 1964, he landed the role of Rodney Harrington on the ABC nighttime soap opera '' Peyton Pla ...

got his start on ''Tales of the Viking''. His parents, who were living abroad at the time, got the teenager a job as a stuntman, under veteran John Sullivan, learning fights, falls, and duels.Freese, Gene Scott. ''Hollywood Stunt Performers, 1910s-1970s'', McFarland, 2014
The theme song was written by Bert Grund with lyrics by Sid Morse.

References

External links

at Classic TV Archive *
Theme Song from ''Tales of the Vikings''
{{Bryna Productions First-run syndicated television programs in the United States American adventure television series 1959 American television series debuts 1960 American television series endings Bryna Productions films Television series by United Artists Television Television series set in the Viking Age Television series set in the 10th century