''The Adventurer'' is an
ITC Entertainment
The Incorporated Television Company (ITC), or ITC Entertainment as it was referred to in the United States, was a British company involved in production and distribution of television programmes.
History Incorporated Television Programme Compan ...
British TV crime thriller/adventure series created by
Dennis Spooner
Dennis Spooner (1 December 1932 – 20 September 1986) was an English television writer and script editor, known primarily for his programmes about fictional spies and his work in children's television in the 1960s. He had long-lasting profess ...
that ran for one series from 1972 to 1973. It premiered in the UK on 29 September 1972. The show starred
Gene Barry
Gene Barry (born Eugene Klass, June 14, 1919 – December 9, 2009) was an American stage, screen, and television actor and singer. Barry is best remembered for his leading roles in the films ''The Atomic City'' (1952) and ''The War of The World ...
as Gene Bradley, a government agent of independent means who poses as a glamorous American movie star.
The series contain plots and scenes that combine elements of the
crime thriller
Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...
,
adventure
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 spo ...
, and
secret agent drama genres.
Main cast
*
Gene Barry
Gene Barry (born Eugene Klass, June 14, 1919 – December 9, 2009) was an American stage, screen, and television actor and singer. Barry is best remembered for his leading roles in the films ''The Atomic City'' (1952) and ''The War of The World ...
as Gene Bradley
*
Barry Morse
Herbert Morse (10 June 19182 February 2008), known professionally as Barry Morse, was a British-Canadian actor of stage, screen, and radio, best known for his roles in the ABC television series '' The Fugitive'' and the British sci-fi drama '' ...
as Mr. Parminter (25 episodes).
*
Catherine Schell
Catherine Schell (born Katherina ''Freiin'' Schell von Bauschlott, 17 July 1944) is a Hungarian-born actress who came to prominence in British film and television productions from the 1960s. Her notable roles include the Bond girl Nancy in '' ...
as Diane Marsh (11 episodes)
*
Garrick Hagon
Garrick Hagon (; born September 27, 1939) is a British-Canadian actor in film, stage, television and radio, known for his role as Biggs Darklighter in '' Star Wars: A New Hope''. His many films include ''Batman'', ''Spy Game'', ''Me and Orson ...
as Gavin Taylor (10 episodes)
Supporting cast
*
Dennis Price
Dennistoun Franklyn John Rose Price (23 June 1915 – 6 October 1973) was an English actor, best remembered for his role as Louis Mazzini in the film '' Kind Hearts and Coronets'' (1949) and for his portrayal of the omnicompetent valet Jeeve ...
as Brandon (3 episodes)
*
Stuart Damon
Stuart Damon (born Stuart Michael Zonis; February 5, 1937 June 29, 2021) was an American actor and singer. He was best known for his 30-year portrayal of Dr. Alan Quartermaine on the American soap opera ''General Hospital'', for which he won an ...
as Vince Elliot (2 episodes)
*Sue Gerrard as Jane (2 episodes, plus opening titles)
Episode list
# ''Miss Me Once, Miss Me Twice and Miss Me Once Again''
# ''Poor Little Rich Girl''
# ''Thrust and Counter Thrust''
# ''The Bradley Way''
# ''Return to Sender''
# ''Counterstrike''
# ''Love Always, Magda''
# ''Nearly the End of the Picture''
# ''Deadlock''
# ''Has Anyone Here Seen Kelly?''
# ''Skeleton in the Cupboard''
# ''Target!''
# ''Action!''
# ''Full Fathom Five''
# ''I'll Get There Sometime''
# ''To the Lowest Bidder''
# ''Going, Going...''
# ''The Not-So Merry Widow''
# ''Mr. Calloway Is a Very Cautious Man''
# ''Double Exposure''
# ''The Case of the Poisoned Pawn''
# ''The Solid Gold Hearse''
# ''Make It a Million''
# ''Icons Are Forever''
# ''Somebody Doesn't Like Me''
# ''The Good Book''
DVD release
A Region 2
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
release of the show, which features interviews with Morse, Damon and Schell, is available from Network. Barry refused to be interviewed, and other cast members accused him of being "short-tempered" and "egomaniacal". Morse sums up the series in the DVD extras: "It wasn't the worst show ever made, but it certainly wasn't the best!"
External links
"The Morning After" ITC fansite*
The Adventurer episode guideThe Official Barry Morse Website
Television series by ITC Entertainment
ITV television dramas
1970s British crime television series
1972 British television series debuts
1973 British television series endings
Television series by ITV Studios
1970s British drama television series
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