''Foreign Intrigue'' (also known as ''Foreign Assignment'') is a syndicated espionage drama television series produced in Europe by Sheldon Reynolds. The 30-minute series ran for four seasons from 1951 to 1955, producing 156 episodes. It was the first filmed television series from the United States to be broadcast on Canadian television. The program originally starred Jerome Thor for the first two seasons; in later reruns these episodes were titled ''Dateline Europe''. Thor was succeeded by James Daly for the duration of the third season; in reruns, the Daly episodes were retitled ''Overseas Adventure''. The fourth and final season starred Gerald Mohr as Christopher Storm; when these episodes were rerun they were renamed ''Cross Current''.

Premise

''Foreign Intrigue'' focused on activities of foreign correspondents for news services. Initially, the correspondents were Robert Cannon ( Jerome Thor) and Helen Davis ( Sydna Scott) for Consolidated News and Steve Godfrey ( Bernard Farrel) for Amalgamated News Service. In the third season which ran from 1953 to 1954, Michael Powers ( James Daly) and Patricia Bennett ( Anne Preville) of Associated News were the central characters. The third season consisted of 39 thirty-minute episodes, with plots dealing with the journalists' efforts to gather information for news stories. In the fourth and final season, the focus shifted to Christopher Storm ( Gerald Mohr), an American who operated a hotel in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

while working as an undercover agent for the United States government.

Cast

Main

* Jerome Thor as Robert Cannon (seasons 1–2) * Sydna Scott as Helen Davis (seasons 1–2) * James Daly as Michael Powers (season 3) * Anne Preville as Patricia Bennett (season 3) * Gerald Mohr as Christopher Storm (season 4)

Recurring

* John Padovano as Tony Forrest * Gilbert Robin as Dodo (season 4) * John Stark as Starky (season 4) Others seen in the series were Bernard Farrel as Steve Godfrey, an Amalgamated News Service reporter, Robert Arden as Steve Powers, Doreen Denning as Betty Carter, and Nikole Millinaire as a aide.

Production and locations

Principal photography for the first two seasons was shot in Filmstaden,

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

. Production moved to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

for the third season, and then to

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

for the final season, with locations throughout

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

, including

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

and

, utilized during the show's run. Hal Erickson noted in his book, ''Syndicated Television: The First Forty Years, 1947–1987'', the European production provided American viewers "something they weren't getting from their average domestic television product: breathtaking glimpses of the glamour spots of Europe."

Awards

The show was nominated for the ''Primetime Emmy Awards'' as follows: * 1953 – Nominated best mystery, action or adventure program * 1954 – Nominated best mystery, action or adventure program * 1955 – Nominated best mystery or intrigue series.

Follow-up film

Sheldon Reynolds also directed a subsequent eponymous 1956 movie, '' Foreign Intrigue'', based on the TV series, which starred

Robert Mitchum Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He is known for his antihero roles and film noir appearances. He received nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award. He received a star on the Holl ...

. John Padovano reprised his role of Tony Forrest for the film.

References

External links

* * {{IMDb title, 0043199 1951 American television series debuts 1955 American television series endings 1950s American drama television series American English-language television shows Television shows set in Vienna American spy drama television series American action television series American adventure television series Television series about journalism Television shows adapted into films Television shows filmed in Sweden Television shows filmed in Paris Television shows filmed in Austria First-run syndicated television programs in the United States