Hong Kong (TV series)

Hong Kong is a 26-episode adventure/drama series (plus an initial pilot episode) 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, and the final credit of each episode stated: "Filmed by Twentieth Century Fox Television Inc. at its Hollywood studios and in the Crown Colony of Hong Kong".

Hong Kong
Rod Taylor as Glenn Evans and Lloyd Bochner as Inspector Neil Campbell.
GenreAdventure/Drama
Created byRobert Buckner
StarringRod Taylor
Lloyd Bochner
Theme music composerLionel Newman
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes26 (+ pilot)
Production
ProducersHerbert Hirschman
Fletcher Markle
Art Wallace
Production company20th Century Fox Television
Release
Original networkABC
Picture formatBlack-and-white
Audio formatMonaural
Original releaseSeptember 28, 1960 (1960-09-28) –
March 29, 1961 (1961-03-29)

Synopsis

Hong Kong was set in the then British Crown Colony of Hong Kong. Taylor portrayed Glenn Evans, a U.S. 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 would disappear behind beaded curtains. Taylor’s principal costars were Lloyd Bochner, who portrayed Chief Inspector Neil Campbell, and Jack Kruschen as Tully the bartender.

In the television series, Evans' residential address is often given as the fictitious 24 Peak Rd. As shown in various episodes, the interior of Evans' bachelor apartment (actually a Hollywood set constructed on a sound stage at 20th Century Fox Studios) includes a large, sliding-glass door which opens to a small patio with a sweeping vista that overlooks the harbor and distant peaks. Evans' regular drive was a white Series 1 Sunbeam Alpine.

Hong Kong was loosely based on the film Soldier of Fortune, which had Michael Rennie in a police inspector role similar to Lloyd Bochner's. Kruschen appeared in the film as well, in a role different from the one he played in the series. 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.

Cast

Main
  • Rod Taylor as Glenn Evans
  • Lloyd Bochner as Neil Campbell
  • Harold Fong as Ahting
  • Gerald Jann as Ling
  • Jack Kruschen as Tully
  • Mai Tai Sing as Ching Mei

Notable guest stars

Episodes
No.Title [1]Directed by [1]Written byOriginal air dateProd.
code [1]
TBA"Pilot"
"Blind Justice"		Christian NybyRobert BucknerTBA4101
The unaired 30-minute television pilot, that was later reworked and aired as the regular episode "Blind Bargain".[1]
1"Clear for Action"Ida LupinoRobert BucknerSeptember 28, 1960 (1960-09-28)4103
2"Murder Royal"Boris SagalStory by : Stanley Hough
Teleplay by : Stanley Hough & Art Wallace		October 5, 1960 (1960-10-05)4102
3"Pearl Flower"Boris SagalJan WintersOctober 12, 1960 (1960-10-12)4106
4"Freebooter"Charles HaasLouis PelletierOctober 19, 1960 (1960-10-19)4104
5"The Jade Empress"Don TaylorJonathan LatimerOctober 26, 1960 (1960-10-26)4107
6"The Jumping Dragon"Justus AddissRobert BucknerNovember 2, 1960 (1960-11-02)4105
7"Blind Bargain"Christian NybyRobert BucknerNovember 9, 1960 (1960-11-09)4101[1]
8"Colonel Cat"Bud BoetticherRobert BucknerNovember 16, 1960 (1960-11-16)4109
9"The Turncoat"Ida LupinoJohn T. KelleyNovember 23, 1960 (1960-11-23)4108
10"To Catch a Star"John PeyserStory by : Louis Vittes
Teleplay by : Sidney Ellis & Art Wallace		November 30, 1960 (1960-11-30)4110
11"Nine Lives"Boris SagalStory by : Michael Pertwee
Teleplay by : Abram S. Ginnes & Michael Pertwee		December 7, 1960 (1960-12-07)4111
12"The Dragon Cup"Walter DonigerJonathan LatimerDecember 14, 1960 (1960-12-14)4112
13"When Strangers Meet"Boris SagalStory by : Fred Freiberger
Teleplay by : Fred Freiberger & Art Wallace		December 21, 1960 (1960-12-21)4113
14"Suitable for Framing"Stuart RosenbergStory by : Leo Rosten
Teleplay by : Art Wallace		January 4, 1961 (1961-01-04)4114
15"Lesson in Fear"Boris SegalDonn MullallyJanuary 11, 1961 (1961-01-11)4115
16"The Survivor"Boris SegalWhitfield CookJanuary 18, 1961 (1961-01-18)4116
17"Night Cry"Walter DonigerArt Wallace
Based on a novel by William A. Stuart		January 25, 1961 (1961-01-25)4117
18"Double Jeopardy"Stuart RosenbergGeorge W. George & Judy GeorgeFebruary 1, 1961 (1961-02-01)4118
19"Lady Godiva"Robert FloreyWilliam FrougFebruary 8, 1961 (1961-02-08)4119
20"The Hunted"Stuart RosenbergTBAFebruary 15, 1961 (1961-02-15)4122
21"With Deadly Sorrow"Paul HenreidDorothy Robinson & Robert BleesFebruary 22, 1961 (1961-02-22)4121
22"Murder by Proxy"Sutton RoleyJonathan LatimerMarch 1, 1961 (1961-03-01)4123
23"The Woman in Grey"Stuart RosenbergTBAMarch 8, 1961 (1961-03-08)4120
24"Love, Honor and Perish"Byron PaulDonn MullallyMarch 15, 1961 (1961-03-15)4124
25"The Innocent Exile"Fletcher MarkleSam RossMarch 22, 1961 (1961-03-22)4125
26"The Runaway"Arthur HillerRobert BucknerMarch 29, 1961 (1961-03-29)4126

Reception

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]

References
  1. From the United States Copyright Office catalog: "Public Catalog - Copyright Catalog (1978 to present) - Basic Search [search: "Hong Kong : show no."]". United States Copyright Office. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  2. Stephen Vagg, Rod Taylor: An Aussie in Hollywood, Bear Manor Media 2010 p 77
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