The Islanders (TV series)
Encyclopedia
The Islanders, an adventure television series on ABC
from 1960-1961, starred William Reynolds
(born 1931), James Philbrook
(1924-1982), and Diane Brewster
(1931-1991).
At the beginning of the series, Sandy Wade (Reynolds) and Zack Malloy (Philbrook), co-owners of a Grumman Goose
amphibious aircraft
, start their one-plane airline in the Moluccas or Spice Islands of the southeastern Pacific Ocean
. Throughout the series they experience a variety of adventures where seemingly harmless charter flights put them into danger. They are frequently aided in their endeavours by Wilhelmina ”Steamboat Willy” Vanderveer (Brewster) and Shipwreck Callighan (Roy Wright).
The Islanders, primarily sponsored by Liggett & Myers' Chesterfield cigarettes, aired at 9:30 Eastern time on Sunday evenings opposite The Jack Benny Program
and Candid Camera
on CBS and the second half of The Dinah Shore Show
and the last season of The Loretta Young Show on NBC
. Reynolds stated in an interview "The series went from being sort of like a Terry and the Pirates
or a Maverick
type of concept to becoming just a bunch of people skulking around. It wasn't very good."
After The Islanders, Philbrook co-starred in the 1962-1963 season as a magazine
publisher and the love interest of Loretta Young
in her short-lived The New Loretta Young Show
, which aired Mondays on CBS. Reynolds went on to star in two other ABC series,The Gallant Men
, a World War II
series, and The FBI with Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.
. Diane Brewster had earlier portrayed gambler "Samantha Crawford" in the first two seasons of Maverick
(1957) and appeared in 1957-1958 in the first season of Leave It to Beaver
as schoolteacher "Miss Canfield," later replaced by Sue Randall
(1935-1984) as "Miss Landers." Subsequently in the 1960s, as a favor to writer/producer Roy Huggins
, she occasionally portrayed without screen credit the murdered wife "Helen Kimble" (in flashbacks) in The Fugitive
.
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
from 1960-1961, starred William Reynolds
William Reynolds (actor)
William Reynolds is a retired American television and film actor. He is best known for television roles in the 1960s and 1970s....
(born 1931), James Philbrook
James Philbrook
James Philbrook was an American actor who appeared in supporting roles in three short-lived television series between 1959 and 1963: The Islanders on ABC and The Investigators and The New Loretta Young Show, both on CBS...
(1924-1982), and Diane Brewster
Diane Brewster
Diane Brewster was an American television actress most noted for playing three distinctively different roles in US TV series of the 1950s and 60s: confidence trickster Samantha Crawford in Maverick; pretty young second-grade teacher Miss Canfield in Leave It to Beaver; and doomed wife Helen...
(1931-1991).
At the beginning of the series, Sandy Wade (Reynolds) and Zack Malloy (Philbrook), co-owners of a Grumman Goose
Grumman Goose
The Grumman G-21 Goose amphibious aircraft was designed as an eight-seat "commuter" plane for businessmen in the Long Island area. The Goose was Grumman’s first monoplane to fly, its first twin-engined aircraft, and its first aircraft to enter commercial airline service...
amphibious aircraft
Amphibious aircraft
An amphibious aircraft or amphibian is an aircraft that can take off and land on either land or water. Fixed-wing amphibious aircraft are seaplanes that are equipped with retractable wheels, at the expense of extra weight and complexity, plus diminished range and fuel economy compared to planes...
, start their one-plane airline in the Moluccas or Spice Islands of the southeastern Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. Throughout the series they experience a variety of adventures where seemingly harmless charter flights put them into danger. They are frequently aided in their endeavours by Wilhelmina ”Steamboat Willy” Vanderveer (Brewster) and Shipwreck Callighan (Roy Wright).
The Islanders, primarily sponsored by Liggett & Myers' Chesterfield cigarettes, aired at 9:30 Eastern time on Sunday evenings opposite The Jack Benny Program
The Jack Benny Program
The Jack Benny Program, starring Jack Benny, is a radio-TV comedy series that ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th-century American comedy.-Cast:*Jack Benny - Himself...
and Candid Camera
Candid Camera
Candid Camera is a hidden camera/practical joke reality television series created and produced by Allen Funt, which initially began on radio as Candid Microphone June 28, 1947...
on CBS and the second half of The Dinah Shore Show
The Dinah Shore Show
The Dinah Shore Show is an American variety show which was broadcast by NBC from November 1951 to January 1956, sponsored by General Motors' Chevrolet division...
and the last season of The Loretta Young Show on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
. Reynolds stated in an interview "The series went from being sort of like a Terry and the Pirates
Terry and the Pirates
Terry and the Pirates is the title of:* Terry and the Pirates , the comic strip created by Milton Caniff* Terry and the Pirates , a radio serial based on the comic strip...
or a Maverick
Maverick (TV series)
Maverick is a western television series with comedic overtones created by Roy Huggins. The show ran from September 22, 1957 to July 8, 1962 on ABC and stars James Garner as Bret Maverick, a cagey, articulate cardsharp. Eight episodes into the first season, he was joined by Jack Kelly as his brother...
type of concept to becoming just a bunch of people skulking around. It wasn't very good."
After The Islanders, Philbrook co-starred in the 1962-1963 season as a magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
publisher and the love interest of Loretta Young
Loretta Young
Loretta Young was an American actress. Starting as a child actress, she had a long and varied career in film from 1917 to 1953...
in her short-lived The New Loretta Young Show
The New Loretta Young Show
The New Loretta Young Show, which aired for twenty-six weekly episodes on CBS television from September 24, 1962 to March 18, 1963, featured Loretta Young in a combination drama and situation comedy about a free-lance writer in suburban Connecticut named Christine Massey, the widowed mother of...
, which aired Mondays on CBS. Reynolds went on to star in two other ABC series,The Gallant Men
The Gallant Men
The Gallant Men is a 1962-1963 ABC television series which depicted an infantry company of American soldiers fighting their way through Italy in World War II.-Description:...
, a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
series, and The FBI with Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. is an American actor known for his starring roles in the television series 77 Sunset Strip and The F.B.I. He is also known as recurring character "Dandy Jim Buckley" in the series Maverick and as the voice behind the character Alfred Pennyworth in Batman: The Animated Series...
. Diane Brewster had earlier portrayed gambler "Samantha Crawford" in the first two seasons of Maverick
Maverick (TV series)
Maverick is a western television series with comedic overtones created by Roy Huggins. The show ran from September 22, 1957 to July 8, 1962 on ABC and stars James Garner as Bret Maverick, a cagey, articulate cardsharp. Eight episodes into the first season, he was joined by Jack Kelly as his brother...
(1957) and appeared in 1957-1958 in the first season of Leave It to Beaver
Leave It to Beaver
Leave It to Beaver is an American television situation comedy about an inquisitive but often naïve boy named Theodore "The Beaver" Cleaver and his adventures at home, in school, and around his suburban neighborhood...
as schoolteacher "Miss Canfield," later replaced by Sue Randall
Sue Randall
Marion Burnside Randall, who acted under the name Sue Randall, was an American actress best known for her role as the kindly Alice Landers, Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver's grade-school teacher in ABC's sitcom, Leave It to Beaver.Philadelphia-born Randall's debut on the small screen was in the 1955...
(1935-1984) as "Miss Landers." Subsequently in the 1960s, as a favor to writer/producer Roy Huggins
Roy Huggins
Roy Huggins was an American novelist and an influential writer/creator and producer of character-driven television series, including Maverick, The Fugitive, and The Rockford Files....
, she occasionally portrayed without screen credit the murdered wife "Helen Kimble" (in flashbacks) in The Fugitive
The Fugitive (TV series)
The Fugitive is an American drama series produced by QM Productions and United Artists Television that aired on ABC from 1963 to 1967. David Janssen stars as Richard Kimble, a doctor from the fictional town of Stafford, Indiana, who is falsely convicted of his wife's murder and given the death...
.