Comics on Television in the 1950s

Terry and the Pirates
Terry and the Pirates
18 Episodes sponsored by Canada Dry Ginger Ale

originally broadcast 6/26/53 thru 11/21/53

Character Name
Actor

Terry Lee
Hotshot Charlie

John Baer
William Tracy

Chopstick Joe

Jack Reitze

The Dragon Lady

Gloria Saunders

Burma

Sandra Spence


MACAO GOLD                                   Screenplay: ??
Hotshot Charlie (Charles C. Charles) flies a cargo of $2 million dollars in gold to Japan with Okura a representative of the Japanese Bank.  But his plane is hi-jacked by Mongolian pirates and Hotshot and Okura are left on a remote beach, where they are eventually found by Terry Lee.  Chopstick Joe suggests they search for the gold in Macao where it can bring almost any price.  This initial adventure reunites Terry with Burma and the Dragon Lady who is working under the name of Madam Roulette, and owns the Inn of the Thousand Swallows that is known for its gold smuggling operations.
Chopstick Joe: Jack Kruschen;   Burma: Mari Blanchard;   Okura: Key Luke;   Quote: Ben Wright;  Inspector: Edgar Barrier.

(Though originally shown out of order, this is probably the pilot for the series as it features two regular cast members who do not appear in subsequent episodes..)

BLACK MARKET IN DEATH      Screenplay: Lou Rusoff
Terry Lee and Hotshot are to fly a cargo of serum to the typhus infected village of Wangchu (on a sign at the airport it is spelled Whangchu). When they arrive at the clinic to pick up the serum they find the nurse at the clinic locked in a closet.  They encounter the Dragon Lady who they think is behind a plot to steal the serum and place it on the black market.  There are plenty of twists and turns in this compelling episode. 
Dr. Johnson: Phil Tead;    Pamela: Pamela Duncan;   Tsi Nan: Alfredo Santos:  Quedo: Than Wyenn.

THE BOXER’S REBELLION                   Screenplay: Oliver Crawford
Terry, Hotshot and Chopstick Joe attend a fight featuring a main bout with China Boy and Sailor Jenks.  They discover that China Boy, who has won every fight, is manipulated by an unscrupulous promoter to earn money for his extremely poor village.  Though he wins every fight he is never paid and believes himself tied to the promoter by a contract.
Che-Lu: Carol Thurston;    Kim: Weaver Levy;   Sailor Jenks: Lou Nova; 
Tate: John Harmon.

THE CASE OF THE LITTLE MANDARIN     Screenplay: ??
Terry and Hotshot are forced by gunpoint to participate in the kidnapping the young Mandarin Mandarin Ruler of Chin Wang, who is a pawn in a struggle for political powr out of Tansan. and/or  Terry and Hotshot become involved in com-plex Oriental intrigues, with political destinies and a fortune in tungsten ore at stake.
Baron De Bolai: Maurice Marsac;  Leader: Weaver Levy;   Oriental: Victor Sen Yung;   Boy: Stephen Wong.

CHINESE COFFIN      Screenplay: Oliver Crawford; Barney Sarecky
Terry and Hotshot fly the body of a deceased banker to Tansan.  When the body is stolen an heir shows up with an anonymous ransom note.  Terry believes this is  the work of the Dragon Lady and sets out to recover the body.  and/or  A wealthy Chinese concocts an elaborate scheme to have himself declared dead in order to swindle his heirs.
Sun-Lee/Harrison Koo: Leonard Strong;   Man: Russ Conklin

CHINESE LEGACY        Screenplay: Oliver Crawford, Barney Sarecky, Lou Rusoff
Terry and Hotshot have a young Chinese-American G.I., Jimmy Wong, for a passenger traveling to China for the first time to collect a quarter of a million dollar inheritance.  Wong is met at the airport by someone claiming to be a lawyer named Pyzon who is accompanied by Burma and two others.  But another Chinese boy replaces him, claiming to be Jimmy Wong. and/or  A young Chinese-American GI arrives in China for the first time to collect a legacy and is kidnapped at the airfield, and another Chinese takes his place.
Pyzon:  Michael Ansara;   Jimmy Wong:  Walter NG;   Ching: Leon Lontoc; Yang: Ralph Ahn;    Ahn: Clarence Lung.

COMPOUND C-3                     Screenplay: Larry Roman & Lou Rusoff
What Terry and Hotshot believe is a shipment of frozen meats turns out to be C-3, a dangerously explosive compound. Their lives are complicated when Hotshot eats some of the frozen “meats”.
Marlotta: Laura Mason;  Basil: John Harmon;  Lt. Col Carter: Dick Baronn;   Capt. Tang: Keye Luke;   Hong Po: Weaver Levy

THE CO-PILOTS                 Screenplay: Arthur Pierson; Oliver Crawford
Chopstick Joe and the Dragon Lady co-conspire to smuggle in the Dutch Diamonds, valued at $20,000, in the gizzards of two live gamecocks.  The birds are aboard a shipment piloted by Terry Lee and Charles C. (Hotshot) Charles.
Hollander: Harold Dyrenforth;   Angel Face: William Yip;    Ah Kee: Harold Fong

DEADLY SPECIES                          Screenplay:
Terry and Hotshot match wits with a veiled Snake Princes who’s  importing a cargo of large crates filled with poisonous snakes to be used for scientific studies.

THE DIAMOND MAKER              Screenplay:
An old pal of Terry Lee thinks he has found a quick way to make a fortune by making diamonds out of worthless stones. 

DIPLOMATIC PASSPORT            Screenplay: ??
A French diplomat is murdered and robbed of his passport by a beautiful young girl. and/or A stolen document is planted in Hotshot Charlie’s coat and he suddenly becomes the object of the Dragon Lady’s attention. 
Arlette: Karen Vengay;    Duplesis: Phil Van Zandt;    Lucky Laverne: Pete Mamakos.

EXTRA CARGO                              Screenplay: Frank Burt
Burma, disguised as a boy, is a stowaway on an Air Cathay flight to Singapore looking for a story that will land her a job as a foreign correspondent.  Terry Lee and Hot Shot must help her to avoid tragedy. and/or Terry learns that his Air Cathy plane is to be time-bombed in mid-air in order to assassinate the noted Maharajah of Tolman.
Wong: Weaver Levy:   Maharajah: Hal Gerard.

THE GREEN GOD                    Screenplay: Irwin Ashkenazy & Lou Rusoff

A beautiful girl hitchhikes a ride with Terry and Hotshot. When they arrive at their destination their passenger involves herself in the murder of a sailor when she claims a cheap Chinese statue that had been in the possession of the dead man.
Gloria Pedigrew: Phyllis Coates;   Dick Verick: Ted hecht;   Lt. Leong: Keye Luke;   Ed Norton: Pat Gleason;   Captain Greg: Otto Waldis.

THE LOADED DICE AFFAIR
Screenplay: Norman S. Hall; Adaptation: Lou Rusoff
Chopstick Joe loses a plane to a hill bandit named Yat Chang Hoy, aided by the Dragon Lady, in a loaded dice game.  The bandit also wins the services of Terry and Hotshot who must teach his aids how to fly.  What Terry doesn’t realize is that their purpose is to enhance Yats’ smuggling operation.
Y
at Chang Hoy: Ted Hecht;    Sigdee: Henry Corden.

THE MAITLAND AFFAIR           Screenplay: Norman S. Hall, Lou Rusoff
Dr. Maitland is sent to China by the U.N. to inspect and purchase rice shipments. He is kidnapped from a C-47 and held prisoner and threatened with being fed to the sharks unless he signs health clearances for a shipment of contaminated rice. and/or Desperadoes divert a shipload of American Relief rice to sell to the Dragon Lady and substitute a contaminated load.
Thompson: Lyle Talbot;  Capt. Lomar: Richard Karlan;  Tony Morrell: Shep Menken;    Dr. Maitland: Charles Seel.

THE OVERSEER                             Screenplay:
Terry and Hotshot go to Mama Gismo’s Café for an elaborate European dinner and meet a friend of the owner’s who solicits their aid. and/or A dying man is the only clue to the rightful owners of a plantation, and a lovely girl claims the estate. and/or Terry helps a man and his beautiful daughter regain a stolen plantation, when they are sought out by Mama ‘s friend, Mr. Zanders, for help.

THE RANDALL AFFAIR               Screenplay:
During the war, two former friends hide a chest full of jewels and loot stolen from Oriental temples. Each of them now possesses half a map giving the location of the treasure. Terry and Hotshot fly the temple looters into the jungle to locate their buried treasure. The boys are saved from death by the timely arrival of the Dragon Lady.

TEA HEE                                          Screenplay: Lou Rusoff
A sweet little old lady from New England forces her way into the Dragon Lady’s house by beating a guard over the head with an umbrella. and/or A valuable collection of emeralds, a box of China tea, a professor of Orientology, and a sweet old lady from Vermont become mysteriously intermixed.
Roger Bartlett/Homer Zoothers: Byron Foulger;    Martha Witherspoon: Mary Young;  Guard: Robert Bice.

SPECIAL NOTE:  In viewing 14 of the 18 episodes we noted that in several of the episodes (annotated with a double question mark??) the name of the screenplay writer was carefully edited out of the credits.  This edit was very definite and seemed to be on purpose, and we are wondering what the reason may have been?

PRODUCTION CREDITS

MACAO GOLD
Director: Richard Irving                                           Producer: Warren Lewis
Executive Producer: H. Alexander MacDonald      Production Supervisor: Sherman A. Harris
Director of Photography: Jack MacKenzie        Film Editor: Robert Golden
Music Supervisor: Leon Klatzkin            Assistant Director: Joseph DePew A Dougfair Production       Official Films Presentation              Represented by Don W. Sharp

DIPLOMATIC PASSPORT
Director: Lew Landers                                              Producer: Warren Lewis
Executive Producer: H. Alexander MacDonald         Production Supervisor: Frank Parmenter
Director of Photography: William Snyder, A.S.C.                       Art Director: Duncan Cramer
Editorial Supervisor: Maurice Wright                   Set Dresser: Ray Robinson
Makeup: Don Cash                                       Assistant Director: James Casey
A Dougfair Production               Official Films Presentation

LOADED DICE AFFAIR
Director: Arthur Pierson                                           Producer: Warren Lewis
Executive Producer: H. Alexander MacDonald         Production Supervisor: Frank Parmenter
Director of Photography: William Snyder, A.S.C.                       Art Director: Duncan Cramer
Editorial Supervisor: Maurice Wright                   Set Dresser: Ray Robinson
Makeup: Don Cash                                       Assistant Director: James Casey
Music Supervisor:  Leon Klatzkin                              A Dougfair Production  
Official Films Presentation

CHINESE LEGACY
Director: Lew Landers                                              Producer: Warren Lewis
Executive Producer: H. Alexander MacDonald         Production Supervisor: Frank Parmenter
Director of Photography: William Snyder, A.S.C.                       Art Director: Duncan Cramer
Editorial Supervisor: Elmo Billings                       Set Dresser: Ray Robinson
Makeup: Don Cash                                       Assistant Director: James Casey
Music Supervisor: Edward Haire                    A Dougfair Presentation            
                                      Official Films Presentation

BLACK MARKET FOR DEATH
Director: Lew Landers                                              Producer: Warren Lewis
Executive Producer: H. Alexander MacDonald         Production Supervisor: Frank Parmenter
Director of Photography: William Snyder, A.S.C.                       Art Director: Duncan Cramer
Editorial Supervisor: Maurice Wright                   Set Dresser: Ray Robinson
Makeup: Don Cash                                       Assistant Director: James Casey
Music Supervisor: Edward Haire                           A Dougfair Production        
                                            Official Films Presentation

CO-PILOTS
Director: Lew Landers                                              Producer: Warren Lewis
Executive Producer: H. Alexander MacDonald         Production Supervisor: Frank Parmenter
Director of Photography: William Snyder, A.S.C.                       Art Director: Duncan Cramer
Editorial Supervisor: Maurice Wright                   Set Dresser: Ray Robinson
Makeup: Don Cash                                       Assistant Director: James Casey
Music Supervisor: Edward Haire                     A Dougfair Production              
                                           Official Films Presentation

LITTLE MANDARIN
Director: Arthur Pierson                                           Producer: Warren Lewis
Executive Producer: H. Alexander MacDonald         Production Supervisor: Frank Parmenter
Director of Photography: William Snyder, A.S.C.                       Art Director: Duncan Cramer
Editorial Supervisor: Maurice Wright                   Set Dresser: Ray Robinson
Makeup: Don Cash                                       Assistant Director: James Casey
A Dougfair Production               Official Films Presentation

THE BOXER’S REBELLION
Director: Lew Landers                                              Producer: Warren Lewis
Executive Producer: H. Alexander MacDonald         Production Supervisor: Frank Parmenter
Director of Photography: William Snyder, A.S.C.                       Art Director: Duncan Cramer
Editorial Supervisor: Maurice Wright                   Set Dresser: Ray Robinson
Makeup: Don Cash                                       Assistant Director: James Casey
Music Supervisor: Leon Klatzkin                     A Dougfair Production              
Official Films Presentation

THE MAITLAND AFFAIR
Director: Lew Landers                                              Producer: Warren Lewis
Executive Producer: H. Alexander MacDonald         Production Supervisor: Frank Parmenter
Director of Photography: William Snyder, A.S.C.                       Art Director: Duncan Cramer
Editorial Supervisor: Maurice Wright                   Set Dresser: Ray Robinson
Makeup: Don Cash                                       Assistant Director: James Casey
A Dougfair Production               Official Films Presentation

TEA HEE
Director: Lew Landers                                              Producer: Warren Lewis
Executive Producer: H. Alexander MacDonald         Production Supervisor: Frank Parmenter
Director of Photography: William Snyder, A.S.C.                       Art Director: Duncan Cramer
Editorial Supervisor: Elmo Billings                       Set Dresser: Ray Robinson
Makeup: Don Cash                                       Assistant Director: James Casey
Music Supervisor: Edward Haire                       A Dougfair Production            
Official Films Presentation

GREEN GOD
Director: Lew Landers                                              Producer: Warren Lewis
Executive Producer: H. Alexander MacDonald         Production Supervisor: Frank Parmenter
Director of Photography: William Snyder, A.S.C.                       Art Director: Duncan Cramer
Editorial Supervisor: Maurice Wright                   Set Dresser: Ray Robinson
Makeup: Don Cash                                       Assistant Director: James Casey
Music Supervisor: Edward Haire                        A Dougfair Production           
   Official Films Presentation

CHINESE COFFIN
Director: Arthur Pierson                                           Producer: Warren Lewis
Executive Producer: H. Alexander MacDonald         Production Supervisor: Frank Parmenter
Director of Photography: William Snyder, A.S.C.                       Art Director: Duncan Cramer
Editorial Supervisor: Maurice Wright                   Set Dresser: Ray Robinson
Makeup: Don Cash                                       Assistant Director: James Casey
Music Supervisor: Maurice Klatzkin                  A Dougfair Production           
Official Films Presentation

COMPOUND C-3
Director: Lew Landers                                              Producer: Warren Lewis
Executive Producer: H. Alexander MacDonald         Production Supervisor: Frank Parmenter
Director of Photography: William Snyder, A.S.C.                       Art Director: Duncan Cramer
Editorial Supervisor: Maurice Wright                   Set Dresser: Ray Robinson
Makeup: Don Cash                                       Assistant Director: James Casey
Music Supervisor: Edward Haire                     A Dougfair Production              
Official Films Presentation

EXTRA CARGO     
Director: Lew Landers                                              Producer: Warren Lewis
Executive Producer: H. Alexander MacDonald         Production Supervisor: Frank Parmenter
Director of Photography: William Snyder, A.S.C.                       Art Director: Duncan Cramer
Editorial Supervisor: Elmo Billings                       Set Dresser: Ray Robinson
Makeup: Don Cash                                       Assistant Director: James Casey
Music Supervisor: Edward Haire                     A Dougfair Production              
Official Films Presentation


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