| Hong Kong | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Adventure/Drama |
| Created by | Robert Buckner |
| Starring | Rod Taylor Lloyd Bochner |
| Theme music composer | Lionel Newman |
| Country of origin | USA |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 27 (26 + pilot) |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Herbert Hirschman Fletcher Markle Art Wallace |
| Running time | 60 mins. |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original run | September 28, 1960 – September 27, 1961 |
Hong Kong is a 26-episode adventure/drama series which aired on ABC television during the 1960–1961 season and helped to catapult Australian actor Rod Taylor into a major film star, primarily in the 1960s, beginning with his role in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. The series was a production of 20th Century Fox Television.
Contents |
Hong Kong was set in the then British Crown Colony of Hong Kong. Taylor portrayed Glenn Evans, an American journalist who worked in the exotic Far Eastern city. His search for stories led him into encounters with smugglers, murderers, drug peddlers, and mysterious women who disappear behind beaded curtains. Taylor’s principal costar was Lloyd Bochner, who portrayed Chief Inspector Neil Campbell.
Hong Kong was loosely based on the film Soldier of Fortune, which had Michael Rennie in the Lloyd Bochner role and Jack Kruschen as Tully. The series premiered on Wednesday, September 28, 1960, and ceased new episodes on March 29, 1961; repeats continued until September 27. Hong Kong ran opposite NBC’s Wagon Train, when midway in the season Ward Bond died in Dallas, and his trail boss character, Seth Adams, was succeeded without explanation by John McIntire as Chris Hale. CBS at the hour offered the short-lived The Aquanauts, renamed at mid-season as Malibu Run.[1]
The show struggled in the ratings against Wagon Train and was cancelled after one season. However it proved popular in syndication and was the third most popular drama series on TV in Australia in 1961.[2]
| Episode # | Production Code | Episode Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 |
|
"Blind Justice" (Pilot) | September 19, 1960 |
| 1 | 4103 | "Clear For Action" | September 28, 1960 |
| 2 | 4102 | "Murder Royal" | October 5, 1960 |
| 3 | 4106 | "Pearl Flower" | October 12, 1960 |
| 4 | 4104 | "Freebooter" | October 19, 1960 |
| 5 | 4107 | "The Jade Empress" | October 26, 1960 |
| 6 | 4105 | "The Jumping Dragon" | November 2, 1960 |
| 7 | 4101 | "Blind Bargain" | November 9, 1960 |
| 8 | 4109 | "Colonel Cat" | November 16, 1960 |
| 9 | 4108 | "The Turncoat" | November 23, 1960 |
| 10 | 4110 | "To Catch a Star" | November 30, 1960 |
| 11 | 4111 | "Nine Lives" | December 7, 1960 |
| 12 | 4112 | "The Dragon Cup" | December 14, 1960 |
| 13 | 4113 | "When Strangers Meet" | December 21, 1960 |
| 14 | 4114 | "Suitable for Framing" | January 4, 1961 |
| 15 | 4115 | "Lesson in Fear" | January 11, 1961 |
| 16 | 4116 | "The Survivor" | January 18, 1961 |
| 17 | 4117 | "Night Cry"[3] | January 25, 1961 |
| 18 | 4118 | "Double Jeopardy" | February 1, 1961 |
| 19 | 4119 | "Lady Godiva" | February 8, 1961 |
| 20 | 4112 | " The Hunted" | February 15, 1961 |
| 21 | 4121 | "With Deadly Sorrow" | February 22, 1961 |
| 22 | 4123 | "Murder By Proxy" | March 1, 1961 |
| 23 | 4120 | "The Woman In Gray" | March 8, 1961 |
| 24 | 4124 | "Love, Honor, and Perish" | March 15, 1961 |
| 25 | 4125 | "The Innocent Exile" | March 22, 1961 |
| 26 | 4126 | "The Runaway" | March 29, 1961 |