''Captain David Grief'' (also known as ''The Jack London Stories'') is an American

action Action may refer to: * Action (philosophy), something which is done by a person * Action principles the heart of fundamental physics * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video gam ...

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

television series that aired in syndication from October 1957 to 1960. The program was based on a series of

Jack London John Griffith London (; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors t ...

short-stories centered on the South Seas tradesman and adventurer David Grief, collected in ''A Son of the Sun''.

Overview

''Captain David Grief'' was a half-hour filmed series. The cast included the Irish-born actor Maxwell Reed as Captain Grief, Tudor Owen as Elihu Snow,

Mickey Simpson Mickey Simpson (December 3, 1913 – September 23, 1985) was an American supporting actor of burly roles, probably most familiar as "Sarge," the bigoted diner owner in the 1956 film ''Giant''. He appeared in over 175 films and television episode ...

as Boley, Mel Prestidge as Jackie-Jackie, and

Maureen Hingert Maureen Neliya Ballard (née Hingert) (born 9 January 1937), also professionally known as Jana Davi, is a Sri Lankan actress, dancer, model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Ceylon 1955 and represented her country at Miss Univ ...

as Anura.

Stuart Heisler Stuart Heisler (December 5, 1896 – August 21, 1979) was an American film and television director. He was a son of Luther Albert Heisler (1855–1916), a carpenter, and Frances Baldwin Heisler (1857–1935). He worked as a motion picture editor ...

was the director, and the producer was Duke Goldstone. ''Captain David Grief'' ran for two seasons with a total of 39 episodes. The first nine episodes were shot in Hawaii. The production later moved to southern California and then Cuba, before the final episodes were shot in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. The series was distributed by Guild Films. The program was the first TV series to be filmed on location in Hawaii. The three-masted

barquentine A barquentine or schooner barque (alternatively "barkentine" or "schooner bark") is a sailing vessel with three or more masts; with a square rigged foremast and fore-and-aft rigged main, mizzen and any other masts. Modern barquentine sailing ...

''California'' was used for scenes shot aboard ship. It was renamed ''The Rattler'' in the show. The Pioneer Inn in

Lahaina, Hawaii Lahaina (; ) or Lāhainā is a census-designated place (CDP) in Maui County, Hawaii, United States. On the northwest coast of the island of Maui, it encompasses Lahaina town and the Kaanapali and Kapalua beach resorts. At the 2020 census (be ...

, was used for scenes filmed on land. The program's budget was $1,912,000. Sponsors varied by region of the country. As of February 1957, they included West End Brewing Company, Utica, New York; Stroh Brewery, Detroit; Pearl Brewing Company, Texas; Standard Oil of California; and D-X Sunray Oil, Tulsa.

Guest stars

Among the series guest stars were boxers

Rocky Marciano Rocco Francis Marchegiano (September 1, 1923 – August 31, 1969; ), better known as Rocky Marciano (, ), was an American professional boxer who competed from 1947 to 1955. He held the world heavyweight championship from 1952 to 1956, and re ...

and

Buddy Baer Jacob Henry "Buddy" Baer (June 11, 1915 – July 18, 1986) was an American boxer and later an actor with parts in seventeen films, as well as roles on multiple television series in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1941, he came extremely close to b ...

. Other guest stars include: *

Allison Hayes Allison Hayes (born Mary Jane Hayes; March 6, 1930 – February 27, 1977) was an American film and television actress and model. Early life Allison Hayes was born to William E. Hayes and Charlotte Gibson Hayes in Charleston, West Virginia. She ...

Ruta Lee Ruta Lee (born Ruta Mary Kilmonis; May 30, 1935) is a Canadian-born American actress and dancer of Lithuanian descent. She was born in Montreal, Canada, to Lithuanian immigrant parents. Ruta Lee appeared as one of the brides in the musical ''Se ...

Lois Nettleton Lois June Nettleton (August 16, 1927 – January 18, 2008) was an American film, stage, radio and television actress. She received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations and won two Daytime Emmy Awards. Early life Lois Nettleton was born on Aug ...

* J. Pat O'Malley

Critical response

A review in the trade publication ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' found that the program's "beautiful color" and "beautiful scenery" were offset by a "script that was most ordinary". Although the original story was by Jack London, the program's writers "showed their grasp of corny dialog". Overall, the review found the show to be "adequate . . . to fill the demands of the syndication-starved tv stations around the country."

References

External links

* 1957 American television series debuts 1960 American television series endings 1950s American drama television series 1960s American drama television series American action television series American adventure television series Black-and-white American television shows American English-language television shows First-run syndicated television programs in the United States {{US-drama-tv-prog-stub