Harold Robbins' The Survivors
The Survivors is a high-profile prime time soap opera aired by the ABC television network as part of its Fall 1969 lineup.[1]
| Harold Robbins' The Survivors | |
|---|---|
 Rossano Brazzi and Lana Turner in a scene from The Survivors | |
| Also known as | The Survivors |
| Genre | Soap opera |
| Created by | Richard De Roy Michael Gleason Harold Robbins |
| Starring | Lana Turner George Hamilton Diana Muldaur Ralph Bellamy Natalie Schafer Kevin McCarthy Jan-Michael Vincent Clu Gulager Louis Hayward |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 15 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production companies | The Harold Robbins Company Universal Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | 22 September 1969 – 17 September 1970 |
History
Hollywood film star Lana Turner made her only television appearance as a regular series character on The Survivors. The show also starred other "big names", including Jan-Michael Vincent, Ralph Bellamy, Diana Muldaur, George Hamilton, Louis Hayward, Kevin McCarthy, Clu Gulager, and Natalie Schafer.[2] Despite their presence, and that above the title of bestselling author Harold Robbins, since the characters were from his novel of the same name, the program was a ratings fiasco, losing badly to Mayberry R.F.D. and The Doris Day Show on CBS and The NBC Monday Movie on NBC. It was cancelled at midseason, although it was rerun the following summer.
Cast
- George Hamilton as Duncan Carlyle
- Lana Turner as Tracy Carlyle Hastings
- Kevin McCarthy as Philip Hastings
- Rossano Brazzi as Antaeus Riakos
- Diana Muldaur as Belle Wheeler
- Robert Lipton as Tom Steinberg
- Jan-Michael Vincent as Jeffrey Hastings
- Louise Sorel as Jean Vale
- Ralph Bellamy as Baylor Carlyle
- Kathy Cannon as Sheila Riley
- Louis Hayward as Jonathan Carlyle
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Chapter One" | Michael Ritchie | TBA | September 29, 1969 | |
| Baylor Carlyle demands the resignation of his son-in-law Philip Hastings because of embezzlement. | |||||
| 2 | "Chapter Two" | Paul Henreid | TBA | October 6, 1969 | |
| Baylor learns that he only has a short time to live and decides to bring Duncan into the bank. | |||||
| 3 | "Chapter Three" | TBA | TBA | October 13, 1969 | |
| Baylor grants Duncan's request for a bank loan to Miguel Santerra after meeting with the revolutionary. | |||||
| 4 | "Chapter Four" | TBA | TBA | October 20, 1969 | |
| Tracy and Antaeus meet again after a twenty-year absence. | |||||
| 5 | "Chapter Five" | TBA | TBA | October 27, 1969 | |
| Jeff leaves home to go live with his friends Tom and Sheila. | |||||
| 6 | "Chapter Six" | TBA | TBA | November 10, 1969 | |
| Philip offers Tracy a divorce in exchange for her share of the bank when Baylor dies. | |||||
| 7 | "Chapter Seven" | Marc Daniels | TBA | November 17, 1969 | |
| Philip discovers that the Carlyle Bank has financed Santerra's revolution. | |||||
| 8 | "Chapter Eight" | TBA | TBA | November 24, 1969 | |
| Tracy tells Jeff that Philip is not his father. | |||||
| 9 | "Chapter Nine" | Lee Phillips | TBA | December 1, 1969 | |
| Riakos tells Senator Jennings (Clu Gulager) of the Carlyle Bank's involvement in the Santerra revolution. | |||||
| 10 | "Chapter Ten" | Lewis Allen | TBA | December 8, 1969 | |
| Baylor is subpoenaed to testify before the Senate about his bank loan to Santerra's revolutionary group. | |||||
| 11 | "Chapter Eleven" | Paul Henreid | Story by : Walter Doniger Teleplay by : Norman Katkov | December 15, 1969 | |
| Duncan finds Baylor dead. | |||||
| 12 | "Chapter Twelve" | TBA | TBA | December 22, 1969 | |
| Duncan tells Tracy he suspects Philip of murder. | |||||
| 13 | "Chapter Thirteen" | Lewis Allen | TBA | December 29, 1969 | |
| The reading of Baylor's will is interrupted by the appearance of his widow, Eleanor (Natalie Schafer). | |||||
| 14 | "Chapter Fourteen" | TBA | TBA | January 5, 1970 | |
| Philip announces that he and Eleanor will fight Baylor's will. | |||||
| 15 | "Chapter Fifteen" | TBA | TBA | January 12, 1970 | |
| Duncan is injured in an automobile accident, and in the subsequent investigation, police find that it was no accident. | |||||
Television film
A made-for-TV-movie was made in 1971 based on the series titled The Last of the Powerseekers. Universal Television decided to re-edit two of The Survivors episodes into the TV movie.[3]
References
Citations
- Schemering, Christopher (1987). The Soap Opera Encyclopedia (2nd ed.). Ballantine Books. pp. 223–225. ISBN 0-345-35344-7.
- "The Survivors (1969) Cast". TVGuide.com. TV Guide. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
- Hyatt 2003, p. 193.
Sources
- Hyatt, Wesley (2003). Short-Lived Television Series, 1948-1978: Thirty Years of More Than 1,000 Flops (1st ed.). New York City: McFarland and Company. p. 193. ISBN 978-0786414208.
Further reading
Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows
External links
- Time Magazine, "Rescuing the Survivors"; Aug. 01, 1969
- The Survivors at IMDb