The Troubleshooters (1959 TV series)
Encyclopedia
The Troubleshooters is a 26-segment half-hour adventure
series starring Keenan Wynn
(1916–1986) as Kodiak and Bob Mathias
(1930–2006) as Frank Dugan, which aired new episodes on NBC
Television
from September 11, 1959, to April 10, 1960. Based on unusual events at international construction sites, the program was directed
by Robert Altman
early in his career. It was the first TV series offered by United Artists
.
Wynn, the son of Ed Wynn
, starred nearly three hundred times in television programs from the 1950s
into the 1980s
. Mathias was the youngest Olympic
decathlon
champion and later a Republican
U.S. representative from California
.
The premiere episode "Liquid Death" introduced the supporting cast members, as Davis, Chet Allen
(born 1928) as Slats, Roland "Bob" Harris (born 1930 ) as Jim, Bob Fortier as Scotty, and stunt actor
Carey Loftin
(1914–1997) as Skinner. Forrest Compton
(born 1925) also appeared in two episodes as Davis.
Among the few guest stars on the program were:
Other episodes in which the cast primarily appeared were "Pipeline", "Moment of Terror", "Trouble at the Orphanage", "The Mountain That Moved", "The Big Blaze", "The Town That Wouldn't Die", "Incident at Rain Mountain", "The Landmark", and "No Stone Unturned". The series finale is called "The Carnival".
The Troubleshooters ran at 8 p.m. Eastern on Friday after NBC's People Are Funny
with Art Linkletter
. Its network competition was the second half of Rawhide
, the Clint Eastwood
western
on CBS then in its first year, and Walt Disney Presents on ABC
, two years before it switched to NBC.
Adventure
An adventure is defined as an exciting or unusual experience; it may also be a bold, usually risky undertaking, with an uncertain outcome. The term is often used to refer to activities with some potential for physical danger, such as skydiving, mountain climbing and or participating in extreme sports...
series starring Keenan Wynn
Keenan Wynn
Keenan Wynn was an American character actor. His bristling mustache and expressive face were his stock in trade, and though he rarely had a lead role, he got prominent billing in most of his film and TV parts....
(1916–1986) as Kodiak and Bob Mathias
Bob Mathias
Robert Bruce "Bob" Mathias was an American decathlete, two-time Olympic gold medalist, actor and United States Congressman representing the state of California.-Early life and athletic career:...
(1930–2006) as Frank Dugan, which aired new episodes 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...
Television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
from September 11, 1959, to April 10, 1960. Based on unusual events at international construction sites, the program was directed
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
by Robert Altman
Robert Altman
Robert Bernard Altman was an American film director and screenwriter known for making films that are highly naturalistic, but with a stylized perspective. In 2006, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized his body of work with an Academy Honorary Award.His films MASH , McCabe and...
early in his career. It was the first TV series offered by United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
.
Wynn, the son of Ed Wynn
Ed Wynn
Ed Wynn was a popular American comedian and actor noted for his Perfect Fool comedy character, his pioneering radio show of the 1930s, and his later career as a dramatic actor....
, starred nearly three hundred times in television programs from the 1950s
1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
into the 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
. Mathias was the youngest Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
decathlon
Decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
champion and later a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
U.S. representative from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
The premiere episode "Liquid Death" introduced the supporting cast members, as Davis, Chet Allen
Chet Allen (actor)
-Life and career:Allen was born in Chickasha, the seat of Grady County, Oklahoma.Allen was known for his supporting role as the 31-year-old "Slats" in the 1959-1960 NBC adventure/drama television series The Troubleshooters with costars Keenan Wynn and Bob Mathias...
(born 1928) as Slats, Roland "Bob" Harris (born 1930 ) as Jim, Bob Fortier as Scotty, and stunt actor
Stunt actor
A Stunt actor or Stunt actress is a person who both plays an essential acting role and actively perform his or her own physical demanding stunts without a stunt double for scenes in a film or television, commonly in the action genre...
Carey Loftin
Carey Loftin
Carey Loftin was an American actor and stuntman. One of his most famous roles was as the truck driver in Steven Spielberg's Duel, although his face was never seen...
(1914–1997) as Skinner. Forrest Compton
Forrest Compton
Forrest Compton is an American actor. He has appeared in many television series and films but is by far best known as attorney Mike Karr, the central character on the long-running soap opera The Edge of Night, on which he appeared from 1970 - 84...
(born 1925) also appeared in two episodes as Davis.
Among the few guest stars on the program were:
- Dabbs GreerDabbs GreerRobert William "Dabbs" Greer was an American actor who performed many diverse supporting roles in film and television for some fifty years. His distinctive, southern-accented voice fitted well in shows featuring rustic characters, such as westerns...
as Lepage and Dennis CrossDennis CrossDennis Cross was an American actor who was the lead star of the syndicated television series The Blue Angels, fictional stories of daredevil United States Navy pilots which aired from 1960-1961...
as Deputy Sheriff Morton in "The Law and the Profits" on September 18
- Dan BlockerDan BlockerDan Blocker was an American actor best remembered for his role as Eric "Hoss" Cartwright in the NBC western television series Bonanza.-Early life:...
, who began his Hoss Cartwright role on NBC's BonanzaBonanzaBonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the...
that same season, in the episode "Tiger Culhane" on October 9
- Harry TownesHarry TownesHarry Rhett Townes was an American television and movie actor.-Early life:Townes was born in Huntsville, the seat of Madison County in northern Alabama...
as Verne Lewis in "Moment of Terror" on October 16
- John LarchJohn LarchJohn Larch was an American film and television actor.After his lead role in the radio serial Captain Starr of Space , John Larch entered films in 1954. He usually appeared in westerns and action films, including Miracle of the White Stallions as General George S. Patton Jr...
in "Gino" on October 23
- Werner KlempererWerner KlempererWerner Klemperer was a comedic and dramatic actor, best known for his role as Colonel Klink on the CBS television sitcom, Hogan's Heroes.-Early life:...
in "Tunnel to Yesterday" on December 4
Other episodes in which the cast primarily appeared were "Pipeline", "Moment of Terror", "Trouble at the Orphanage", "The Mountain That Moved", "The Big Blaze", "The Town That Wouldn't Die", "Incident at Rain Mountain", "The Landmark", and "No Stone Unturned". The series finale is called "The Carnival".
The Troubleshooters ran at 8 p.m. Eastern on Friday after NBC's People Are Funny
People Are Funny
People are Funny is an American radio and television game show, created by John Guedel that remained popular throughout the 1940s. The program ran from 1942 to 1960. The program's stunts and audience participation were calculated to reveal the humorous side of human nature...
with Art Linkletter
Art Linkletter
Arthur Gordon "Art" Linkletter was a Canadian-born American radio and television personality. He was the host of House Party, which ran on CBS radio and television for 25 years, and People Are Funny, on NBC radio-TV for 19 years...
. Its network competition was the second half of Rawhide
Rawhide (TV series)
Rawhide is an American Western series that aired for eight seasons on the CBS network on Friday nights, from January 9, 1959 to September 3, 1965, before moving to Tuesday nights from September 14, 1965 until January 4, 1966, with a total of 217 black-and-white episodes...
, the Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
on CBS then in its first year, and Walt Disney Presents on ABC
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...
, two years before it switched to NBC.