Soldiers of Fortune

The only good thing about this episode is that the outdoor scenes were filmed outdoors, as opposed to, say, in a leaf-strewn cardboard jungle like the set where they filmed "Ramar of the Jungle". And John Russell plays the hero very well. Otherwise, it's just a curiosity piece- with psychological overtones, no less.

The script is the usual stuff- an American couple hires the two "soldiers"- Tim and Tebow- I mean Toubo- to take them through the jungles of Burma. They soon meet up with the local headhunters. This is where credibility exits, stage left. First of all, this is Burma, not Africa. There were no headhunters in Burma back then. Secondly, the Burmese men look mysteriously like Apaches, as if they wandered in from a John Ford western. They look to be dressed for winter on the prairie, wearing long-sleeved tops and buckskins. It's about 90 there, and our American entourage is sweating like pigs, yet here are some local natives who look like they live inside an icehouse. The viewer will have to watch to find out about the psychological drama previously referred to, which has to do with the husband's unfounded insecurity about his wife.

Speaking of curiosity, I, myself, am curious- about how this show lasted two years on the network. Presumably, the scripts got better.

Russell was in chess game with a Latin American dictator. He had help from a refugee European doctor. He won the game because the doctor was also "helping" the dictator. For a 10 yr old, the was a way cool plot twist.

I agree with the previous poster that the series was an example of the "White man's burden". Can't believe that it only ran a year. It was a period piece in a lull for mercenaries. Then again, with the Congo in 1960, the concept of mercenaries was revived and it was not an American dominated area.

Probably would have done better if they were CIA.

"Soldiers of Fortune" was one of my preferred t.v. shows in my youth.

I have too few souvenirs but I remember Tim Kelly and Toubo Smith as adventurers frequently in the jungle. Boy I am glad IMDB got me to remember this series !

When I was six years old this show was my idea of high adventure in exotic places! I still think that I became an avid reader of adventure fiction because of the mental stimulation I derived from the globe trotting exploits of Tim Kelly and Tubo smith. If memory serves the writing was first rate for a syndicated half hour show and the acting was enough to convince me that the show meant business. I've always had an irrational attachment to 7-Up as a soft drink because it was the sponsor for the show. Even the theme music was calculated to tickle the adrenal gland. I first learned about volcanic eruptions from one episode ; in another the two heroes hunted whales in open rowboats. In still another episode they brought a Latin American bandit on horseback to justice. Today I teach Global Studies in a High School because "Soldiers of Fortune" I wish it was available in syndication today.

"...starring John Russell and Chick Chandler!" went the introduction to this "cheapie" and (I believe) syndicated series. As a ten year old I loved the freebooter aspect of the heroes. Russell was solid as always, a typical fifties hero except he was not (re-)fighting World War 2 but was off in exotic places, mostly Africa, and hiring out his gun and talents to the highest bidder. Chandler was the obligatory sidekick as I recall. Pause with me a moment and consider this: could 21st century television support a positive view of hired mercenaries? Fifty years ago there were different sensitivities. But were they always worse? Or better? John Russell's character represented courage, self-determination, chivalry and freedom. It is odd how such qualities seem sorely lacking in so many of today's role models. But few of them are "Soldiers of Fortune"!