Convoy

Produced in quasi-documentary style, this series chronicles a fictional World War II journey of nearly 200 ships from the United States to war-torn Europe. Less impressive than its sci-fi descendant Battlestar Galactica or its soul mate Victory at Sea, the producers interspersed plenty of stock footage of US ships into the episodes. These dull and uninspiring stories detailed the problems of transporting ships, supplies and men through U-boat infested waters.

Commander Talbot and Lt. O'Connell were in charge of the US Navy military escort 'DD 181'. Captain Foster and CO Kirkland were their civilian counterparts aboard the merchant freighter (only referred to as 'Flagship'). Their different styles of command (and priorities) also provided another source of dramatic conflict.

The show can boast, however, of an interesting array of guest stars ranging from the Kingston Trio (making their first - and probably only - dramatic appearance) to Dennis Hopper, Jack Palance, Leslie Nielsen and James Doohan.

The score for the series was done by Academy Award winner Bernard Herrmann, the man responsible for many early TV themes (Have Gun, Will Travel; Twilight Zone; Gunsmoke; The Virginian) and one of the most famous movie themes of all time, "Psycho".

1st Season 1965

1. "Passage to Liverpool"
   gs: Gia Scala [ Madeline Duval ], Jack McLiam [ Dr. Farris ], Micele Montau [ Unknown ], James McMullen [ Unknown ], Scott Hale [ Unknown ], James McCallion [ Unknown ]

   Radio silence is broken on a convoy bound for England and Commander Talbot learns that the signal is coming from the convoy's flag ship, under the command of Captain Foster.

   b: 17 Sep 65 pc: _________ w: Alfred Hayes d: ______________

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2. "Flight from Norway"
   gs: Dana Wynter [ Dr. Elsa Aufricht ], Donnelly Rhodes [ Major Leslie ], Simon Scott [ General Walther Korsch ], Paul Carr [ Lt. Kleiner ], Joseph Turkel [ Hauptman Launer ]

   On special orders, Talbot's destroyer leaves the convoy and heads for Norway to pick up some British commandos and a captured German research physicist.

   b: 24 Sep 65 pc: _________ w: Albert Aley d: ______________

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3. "Felicia"
   gs: Katherine Crawford [ Felicia Farrington ], Liam Sullivan [ Unknown ], Antoinette Bower [ Kay ]

   In London, Kirkland looks up the sweetheart of an officer killed in an air attack, but is upset by the girl's callous reaction to the news.

   b: 1 Oct 65 pc: _________ w: Mark Rodgers d: ______________

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4. "The Many Colors of Courage"
   gs: Jack Palance [ Harvey Bell ], Barbara Rush [ Alice Bell ], Dennis Hopper [ Unknown ], Jeannine Riley [ Unknown ]

   Foster's ship heads for England with an explosive combination aboard: a famous novelist, a cargo of ammunition and a seaman smuggling a hand grenade.

   b: 8 Oct 65 pc: _________ w: Paul Mason d: ______________

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5. "Lady on the Rock"
   gs: Eleanor Parker [ Kate Fowler ], Sean McClory [ Major Perth-Whittaker ], James Doohan [ Lt. Wells ], Peter Mamakos [ Dancer ], John Marley [ Gitano ], Brendon Dillon [ Commodore Morris ], Felipe Turich [ Waiter ], Lynne Beaul [ Secretary ], Richard Angarola [ Marcel Broussard ]

   In Gibraltar, Foster finally tracks down his pre-war sweetheart - unaware that she now is married and is about to give herself up to the Germans in exchange for her husband, a British intelligence agent.

   b: 15 Oct 65 pc: _________ w: Don Brinkley d: ______________

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6. "The Duel"
   gs: Edward Mulhare [ Captain Kurt Von Krug ], Frank Marth [ Commander Fritz Werner ], Milton Selzer [ Eric Sturm ], The Kingston Trio [ Themselves ]

   Talbot recieves an intelligence report that says a German heavy cruiser is within striking distance of the convoy.

   b: 22 Oct 65 pc: _________ w: ______________ d: ______________
   NOTE: The Kingston Trio sing "Hard Travelin'" and "Blowin' in the Wind".

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7. "Katya"
   gs: Nehemiah Persoff [ Dimitri Federenko ], Diana Hyland [ Lt. Katya Katrovich ], Barbara Morrison [ Proprietress ]

   Katya, a spirited Russian officer and a passenger on Foster's convoy flagship, is disrupting ship's routine with her Spartan customs.

   b: 29 Oct 65 pc: _________ w: ______________ d: ______________

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8. "Admiral Do-Right"
   gs: Andrew Prine [ Tillman ], Seymour Cassell [ Phelps ], Ed Peck [ Unknown ], Paul Genge [ Unknown ]

   Tillman, Foster's new third mate, was at the head of his class at the Merchant Marine Academy - and he starts whipping the ship into shape the minute he gets aboard.

   b: 5 Nov 65 pc: _________ w: ______________ d: ______________

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9. "Sink U-116!"
   gs: Leslie Nielsen [ Unknown ]

   Talbot puts his destroyer into the neutral Portuguese harbor of Oporto - where the German submarine he is hunting is also moored.

   b: 12 Nov 65 pc: _________ w: Alfred Hayes and Preston Wood d: ______________

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10. "The Heart of an Enemy"
    gs: Diane Baker [ Ruth Greene ], John Leyton [ Lt. Detley Henning ], Sandy Kenyon [ Dr. Reece ], Horst Ebersberg [ Unknown ]

    Badly wounded Lt. Detley Henning and members of his German submarine crew are captured and taken aboard the convoy's merchant flagship - where the injured Henning is shocked to learn the ship's only nurse is Jewish.

    b: 19 Nov 65 pc: _________ w: Theodore Apstein d: ______________

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11. "No More Souvenirs"
    gs: Jan Shepard [ Gillian Haney ], Harold Gould [ Dr. Simpson ]

    Taylor promises a dying young soldier that he'll personally deliver the boy's St. Christopher medal to his mother.

    b: 26 Nov 65 pc: _________ w: Gabrielle Upton d: ______________

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12. "The Assassin"
    gs: Jeremy Slate [ Erik Larsen ], Carl Esmond [ Field Marshal Von Speer ], Marion Collier [ Lt. Victoria Shepard ], Bart Burns [ Beach ], William Stevens [ Johnson ], John Lodge [ Doctor ], Vince Carroll [ Ashton ]

    The assassin is Erik Larson, a German agent, posing as a merchant marine officer, who's after a defecting German field marshal bound for America on the convoy flagship.

    b: 3 Dec 65 pc: _________ w: William Read Woodfield and Alan Balter d: ______________

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13. "The Man With the Saltwater Socks"
    gs: Don Galloway [ Craig ], Karl Swenson [ Lars Hanson ], Michael Stanwood [ Myers ]

    Talbot boards a struggling freighter to help secure a loose mine, leaving the destroyer in the command of Lt. Roger Craig - who's more interested in being liked than respected by the crew.

    b: 10 Dec 65 pc: _________ w: Theodore Apstein and Hank Searls d: ______________