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".
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.
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
Robert Burton
Robert Carricart
Joan Caulfield
Joanna Cook Moore
Lawrence Dobkin
Felicia Farr
Rhonda Fleming
Anne Francis
Mario Gallo
Beverly Garland
Harry Holcombe
James Hong
Susan Kohner
John Lasell
Bethel Leslie
Julie London
Leon Lontoc
Dina Merrill
Jay Novello
Peter Oliphant
Joseph V. Perry
Barney Phillips
Suzanne Pleshette
Sam Reese
Gia Scala
Pippa Scott
Simon Scott
Leonard Strong
Elen Willard
Episodes
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.