THE ROGUES (1964-65)
Posted: Sun Sep 28, 2014 3:50 am
So who all here has actually heard of this show, and who would have believed that there was once an hour-long weekly television comedy/drama starring David Niven, Charles Boyer, and Gig Young along with Robert Coote and Gladys Cooper in weekly support, and a slew of top Guest Stars?
THE ROGUES ran on NBC for the 1964-65 season, won the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series in 1965 and only ran 30 episodes before it was cancelled. Me bets its because it had to be a top dollar show for Four-Star Productions, which included both Niven and Boyer at the time, especially when they were also shelling out for weekly guest stars like Walter Matthau, Everett Sloane, George Sanders, Broderick Crawford, Darren McGavin, Sally Kellerman, Tol Avery, Dina Merrill, Eddie Albert, Ida Lupino, Marie Windsor, Raquel Welch, Elsa Martinelli, and Telly Savalas, and after 30 episodes if it was not in the top ten Nielsens, even with stellar reviews, it had to be dripping red ink.
Niven, Boyer, and Young play a trio of International Con Men who spend more time swindling those rich scum who deserve it than any suckers that might make them unlikable. Like so many shows in the early 60’s, one star takes the lead for the week, but sometimes two or three will have scenes together in various episodes. Niven is obviously seen the least, he was still a top film star at the time, but it is fun to watch Boyer play so much comedy, and Gig Young was always underrated, and gets many chances to shine as he does take the majority of the leads (though apparently even he departed before the shows cancellation as they bring in Larry Hagman to replace him in the last two shows).
And apart from the Guest Stars, you also get the cream of the crop of TV supporting actors of the time, it really is an All-Star venture for the film and TV buff, but having only 30 episodes kept it out of syndication and it has been rarely revived since.
But here they are, all of them:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... XIYzSkbf7e
Definitely worth a look.
RICHARD M ROBERTS
THE ROGUES ran on NBC for the 1964-65 season, won the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series in 1965 and only ran 30 episodes before it was cancelled. Me bets its because it had to be a top dollar show for Four-Star Productions, which included both Niven and Boyer at the time, especially when they were also shelling out for weekly guest stars like Walter Matthau, Everett Sloane, George Sanders, Broderick Crawford, Darren McGavin, Sally Kellerman, Tol Avery, Dina Merrill, Eddie Albert, Ida Lupino, Marie Windsor, Raquel Welch, Elsa Martinelli, and Telly Savalas, and after 30 episodes if it was not in the top ten Nielsens, even with stellar reviews, it had to be dripping red ink.
Niven, Boyer, and Young play a trio of International Con Men who spend more time swindling those rich scum who deserve it than any suckers that might make them unlikable. Like so many shows in the early 60’s, one star takes the lead for the week, but sometimes two or three will have scenes together in various episodes. Niven is obviously seen the least, he was still a top film star at the time, but it is fun to watch Boyer play so much comedy, and Gig Young was always underrated, and gets many chances to shine as he does take the majority of the leads (though apparently even he departed before the shows cancellation as they bring in Larry Hagman to replace him in the last two shows).
And apart from the Guest Stars, you also get the cream of the crop of TV supporting actors of the time, it really is an All-Star venture for the film and TV buff, but having only 30 episodes kept it out of syndication and it has been rarely revived since.
But here they are, all of them:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... XIYzSkbf7e
Definitely worth a look.
RICHARD M ROBERTS