Surfside 6is anABCtelevision series that aired from 1960 to 1962. The show centers on aMiami Beachdetectiveagency set on ahouseboat,and featuresTroy Donahueas Sandy Winfield II,Van Williamsas Kenny Madison (a character recycled fromBourbon Street Beat), andLee Pattersonas Dave Thorne.Diane McBainco-stars as socialite Daphne Dutton, whose yacht is berthed next to their houseboat. Spanish actressMargarita Sierraalso plays a supporting role as Cha Cha O'Brien, an entertainer who works at the Boom Boom Room, a popular Miami Beach hangout at theFontainebleau Hotel,directly across the street from Surfside 6.
| Surfside 6 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | William T. Orrand Hugh Benson |
| Starring | Troy Donohue Van Williams Lee Patterson Diane McBain Margarita Sierra |
| Theme music composer | Jerry LivingstonandMack David |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No.of seasons | 2 |
| No.of episodes | 74(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | William T. Orr |
| Producers | Jerry Davis Charles Hoffman Ed Jurist Joel Rogosin Tom McKnight Mack David Gordon Bau (make-up) |
| Production location | California |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company | Warner Bros. Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | October 6, 1960– June 25, 1962 |
| Related | |
Surfside 6 was, in fact, a real address in Miami Beach, where an unrelated houseboat was moored at the time; it can also be seen in the sweeping aerial establishing shot of the Fontainebleau in 1964'sGoldfinger.
Description
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Surfside 6was one of four detective TV series produced byWarner Bros.around that time, the others being77 Sunset Strip(set in Los Angeles),Hawaiian Eye(set in Hawaii), and the aforementionedBourbon Street Beat(set inNew Orleans). Plots, scripts (changing the names and locales), characters, and almost everything else crossed over from one series to another, not a difficult feat since they were all actually shot on the studio's backlots in Los Angeles.
Surfside 6's memorable theme song, written byJerry LivingstonandMack David,has often been parodied in popular culture. The lyrics have many variations for each episode,, but "Surfside 6" and "In Miami Beach!" stay intact. When the women are introduced, the melody picks up with back-up singers singing "Cha Cha Cha" when the announcer introduces Margarita Sierra, who vamps exaggeratedly and winked at the camera during this brief weekly sequence.
In its first season,Surfside 6was aired opposite theCBSsitcomsBringing Up BuddyandThe Danny Thomas ShowandNBC'sWesternTales of Wells FargostarringDale Robertson.In the second year,Surfside 6competed against Danny Thomas andThe Andy Griffith Showon CBS and NBC's short-lived, but highly acclaimed87th PrecinctstarringRobert Lansing,a series about a fictitious New York Citypolice precinct.
Episodes
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Cast and characters
edit- Troy Donahueas Sandy Winfield II moved to Miami to escape the shadow of his father, Jonathan Winfield I, who wanted him to be a Wall Street attorney. His father pays for Sandy's room and board at the Racquet Club in Miami Beach. At first, Sandy was not part of the firm, but he was friends with Kenny and Dave and he eventually joined their business.
- Van Williamsas Kenny Madison, who graduated from law school and worked as a private investigator in New Orleans, inBourbon Street Beat.He then moved to Miami.
- Lee Pattersonas Dave Thorne, who served in the Air Force in the Korean War and worked in the New York District Attorney's office before moving to Miami.
- Diane McBainas Daphne Dutton, a socialite who has the berth next to the Surfside houseboat for her yacht, theDaffy II.
- Margarita Sierraas Cha Cha O'Brien, a featured performer at the Boom Boom Room, across the road from where the boys live.
- Mousie Garneras Mousie
Background
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The series was announced in April 1960 as a replacement forBourbon Street Beat.[1]One paper described it as like "replacing a violin with a fiddle".[2]It was given a Monday-night slot at 8:30.[3][4]
Reception
editAccording to one critic,Surfside 6"was one of TV's weakest shows; for the most part it was poorly written and not exactly endorsed by the Actors Studio, but the teenagers loved it."[5]TheLos Angeles Timescalled it "inept".[6]
The show managed to be renewed for a second season.[7]By April 1962, the show was cancelled.[8]
Follow-up
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After the show was cancelled, Troy Donahue moved over to the cast ofHawaiian Eyeto replaceAnthony Eisley.Donahue played hotel social director Philip Barton.
Also, a book was released,Surfside 6by Jay Flynn (US,Dell8388, October 1962).
Margaret Sierra died in 1963 of a congenital heart condition.[9]
Four years later, in 1966, Van Williams went on to his own short-lived TV series (which later became a cult classic),The Green Hornet,which co-starredBruce Lee.
The houseboat was damaged in 1964, whenHurricane Cleohit Miami.[10]
References
edit- ^Jack Gaver (April 17, 1960). "TV Tips: Balloting to Begin for Emmys".The Washington Post and Times-Herald.p. G18.
- ^L.L. (April 17, 1960). "Writers taking spotlight".The Washington Post and Times-Herald.ProQuest141086241.
- ^R. F. (June 9, 1960). "SENATOR KENNEDY TO BE PAAR GUEST".New York Times.ProQuest114954358.
- ^VAL ADAMS. (June 12, 1960). "NEWS OF TELEVISION AND RADIO -- CIVIL WAR".New York Times.p. 127.
- ^Page, Don. (September 5, 1962). "A Critic's Opinions Make Him Unloved".Los Angeles Times.p. C12.
- ^Smith, Cecil. (May 17, 1961). "Plan Revived to Bring Allen Back".Los Angeles Times.p. A8.
- ^Wolters, L. (June 25, 1961). "In prospect for next fall".Chicago Daily Tribune.ProQuest182939061.
- ^Lawrence Laurent. (April 14, 1962). "Fall Schedules Cut Anti-Crime Crews".The Washington Post.p. C9.
- ^Lyon, Herb. (September 9, 1963). "TOWER TICKER".Chicago Tribune.p. 22.
- ^JAY CLARKE. (September 6, 1964). "AFTER THE STORM: Miami Beach Acts Quickly to Remove Scars Left by Hurricane Cleo".New York Times.p. X15.
External links
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- Surfside 6at Thrilling Detective website
- Surfside 6at Classic TV Hits website
- Surfside 6atIMDb