The Everglades (TV series)
Encyclopedia
The Everglades is an American crime-adventure television series that aired in first-run syndication
for one season from 1961–62 and in reruns. Ron Hayes
starred as Constable Lincoln Vail, a law enforcement officer of the fictional Everglades County Patrol who traveled the Florida Everglades
in an airboat, which was often the star of the show. Hayes, a northern California actor and stuntman, was an avid outdoorsman and conservationist.
Gordon Casell appeared in five of the 38 half-hour episodes as Chief Anderson, Vail's superior. Steve Brodie
made three appearances as Capt. Andy Benson; and Dan Chandler appeared twice as Vail's sidekick, airboat guide Pete Hammond. Guest stars included Burt Reynolds
, Victor Buono
, Dawn Wells
and Tyler McVey
.
The show was produced by Ivan Tors
and distributed by Ziv-United Artists
.
estuaries in the shallow water, and the native Seminole
s. His son Scott recalled that Wilmore decided to meld a wildlands backdrop and the Seminoles with a park ranger and high-speed airboats. Wilmore pitched the story to a number of production companies in Miami and Hollywood, Florida. He originally cast himself as the star but ultimately played a number of other roles.
After Wilmore's wife died, Scott discovered a deed for an acre of land within Everglades National Park
. Wilmore explained it was a gift from the Seminoles acknowledging his efforts for their inclusion. Scott Wilmore later sold the land, under threat of eminent domain
, to the National Park Service for approximately $300.
, Coopertown, Frog City, Sweetwater and Forty Mile Bend along the Tamiami Trail
.
The original plan was to use white actors as Seminoles with makeup and studio-produced costumes, but native Seminoles, wearing their traditional dress, were used. They were pleased have the comparatively easy work as both extras and, because of their expertise and mechanical abilities, to operate and maintain the airboats; and to have any employment other than beading, giving airboat rides and wrestling with alligators for the tourist trade. Few were given speaking parts and nearly all were denied entry into the Screen Actors Guild.
Because the show was on a tight budget (an episode was completed every two-and-a-half days), Chandler was given little training on airboats, so there were a few unintentional "flybys" and at least one crash, leaving the actor swinging from an overhanging tree. Hays, however, became an accomplished airboat driver and formed close bonds with the locals who supplied them.
During 1961, Tors was filming the first of his two Flipper
feature films in Miami and the Florida Keys; Chandler was signed for a recurring role in his Flipper
TV series, and for a part in the 1964 movie sequel, Flipper's New Adventure
.
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
for one season from 1961–62 and in reruns. Ron Hayes
Ron Hayes
Ronald G. Hayes was an American television actor who, as an activist in the environmental movement, worked for the establishment of the first Earth Day, observed on April 22, 1970. He was a member of the Sierra Club and a founder of the ecological interest group Wilderness World...
starred as Constable Lincoln Vail, a law enforcement officer of the fictional Everglades County Patrol who traveled the Florida Everglades
Everglades
The Everglades are subtropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large watershed. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee...
in an airboat, which was often the star of the show. Hayes, a northern California actor and stuntman, was an avid outdoorsman and conservationist.
Gordon Casell appeared in five of the 38 half-hour episodes as Chief Anderson, Vail's superior. Steve Brodie
Steve Brodie (actor)
Steve Brodie was an American movie and television actor.Born John Stevenson in El Dorado, Kansas, he took his screen name from the Steve Brodie who claimed that he jumped from the Brooklyn Bridge in 1886 and survived...
made three appearances as Capt. Andy Benson; and Dan Chandler appeared twice as Vail's sidekick, airboat guide Pete Hammond. Guest stars included Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
, Victor Buono
Victor Buono
Charles Victor Buono was an American actor and comic.-Early life and career:Buono was born in San Diego, California, the son of Myrtle Belle and Victor Francis Buono . His maternal grandmother, Myrtle Glied , was a Vaudeville performer on the Orpheum Circuit...
, Dawn Wells
Dawn Wells
Dawn Elberta Wells is an American actress known for playing Mary Ann Summers on the sitcom Gilligan's Island during its run from 1964 until 1967.- Early life :...
and Tyler McVey
Tyler McVey
Tyler McVey was an American character actor.-Early life and career:McVey was born in Bay City on Saginaw Bay in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. His first screen role, uncredited, came at the age of 39 in 1951, when he portrayed Brady in the The Day the Earth Stood Still...
.
The show was produced by Ivan Tors
Ivan Tors
Ivan Tors was a Hungarian playwright, film director, screenwriter, and film and television producer with an emphasis on non-violent but exciting science fiction, underwater filmed television and films, and films about animals...
and distributed by Ziv-United Artists
Ziv Television Programs
Ziv Television Programs, Inc. was an American television syndication and production company, producer of popular syndicated TV programs in the 1950s.- History :...
.
Background
The original script for the series, "Son of the Everglades", was written by Miami, Florida model and actor Albert Wilmore, who spent his free time sailing and fishing in Whitewater Bay before the Everglades became a national park. Wilmore was fascinated by the myriad birds, wildlife and mangroveFlorida mangroves
The Florida mangroves comprise an ecosystem of the coasts of the Florida peninsula, including the Florida Keys. The Florida mangrove community includes three mangrove species, Red Mangrove , Black Mangrove and White Mangrove , and one species that is variously classified as a mangrove or a...
estuaries in the shallow water, and the native Seminole
Seminole
The Seminole are a Native American people originally of Florida, who now reside primarily in that state and Oklahoma. The Seminole nation emerged in a process of ethnogenesis out of groups of Native Americans, most significantly Creeks from what is now Georgia and Alabama, who settled in Florida in...
s. His son Scott recalled that Wilmore decided to meld a wildlands backdrop and the Seminoles with a park ranger and high-speed airboats. Wilmore pitched the story to a number of production companies in Miami and Hollywood, Florida. He originally cast himself as the star but ultimately played a number of other roles.
After Wilmore's wife died, Scott discovered a deed for an acre of land within Everglades National Park
Everglades National Park
Everglades National Park is a national park in the U.S. state of Florida that protects the southern 25 percent of the original Everglades. It is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States, and is visited on average by one million people each year. It is the third-largest...
. Wilmore explained it was a gift from the Seminoles acknowledging his efforts for their inclusion. Scott Wilmore later sold the land, under threat of eminent domain
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
, to the National Park Service for approximately $300.
Production
South Florida shooting locations included Everglades National Park, AndytownAndytown, Florida
Andytown, Florida, was a town located in Broward County at the intersection of U.S. 27 and SR 84. It was demolished in 1979 in order to allow for the expansion of the Alligator Alley portion of Interstate 75. Andytown can be found on maps from the 1970s . It still remains today on some online...
, Coopertown, Frog City, Sweetwater and Forty Mile Bend along the Tamiami Trail
Tamiami Trail
The Tamiami Trail is the southernmost of U.S. Highway 41 from State Road 60 in Tampa to U.S. Route 1 in Miami. The road also has the hidden designation of State Road 90....
.
The original plan was to use white actors as Seminoles with makeup and studio-produced costumes, but native Seminoles, wearing their traditional dress, were used. They were pleased have the comparatively easy work as both extras and, because of their expertise and mechanical abilities, to operate and maintain the airboats; and to have any employment other than beading, giving airboat rides and wrestling with alligators for the tourist trade. Few were given speaking parts and nearly all were denied entry into the Screen Actors Guild.
Because the show was on a tight budget (an episode was completed every two-and-a-half days), Chandler was given little training on airboats, so there were a few unintentional "flybys" and at least one crash, leaving the actor swinging from an overhanging tree. Hays, however, became an accomplished airboat driver and formed close bonds with the locals who supplied them.
During 1961, Tors was filming the first of his two Flipper
Flipper (1963 film)
Flipper is an American feature film released on August 14, 1963 written by Ricou Browning and Jack Cowden. Produced by Ivan Tors and directed by James B. Clark, it portrays a 12-year old boy living with his parents on the Florida Keys, who befriends an injured wild dolphin...
feature films in Miami and the Florida Keys; Chandler was signed for a recurring role in his Flipper
Flipper (1964 TV series)
Flipper, from Ivan Tors Films in association with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television, is an American television program first broadcast on NBC from September 19, 1964, until April 15, 1967. Flipper, a bottlenose dolphin, is the companion animal of Porter Ricks, Chief Warden at fictional Coral Key Park...
TV series, and for a part in the 1964 movie sequel, Flipper's New Adventure
Flipper's New Adventure
Flipper's New Adventure is an American feature film released on June 24, 1964 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, written by Art Arthur, and directed by Leon Benson...
.