Tales of the Vikings

There was this time where the Vikings got stuck on this magnetic mountain. And another time they went to Spain where everyone wore 16th century clothes and fought with rapiers. They all had knitted chain-mail and Fifties-style haircuts. It amazes me that Max (Jethro Clampett) Baer was in this and I didn't recognize him later on. I think the "Beverly Hillbillies" was a step UP for him.

The theme song began, "From out of the North came an icy wind" but I don't remember any more of it. I think it had a few notes out of something Wagnerian, but I don't know which opera it came from. If there were an MP3 somewhere, I'd love to hear it.

Les

Inspired by the movie, "Tales of the Vikings" regularly used stock footage from "The Vikings" and starred Jerome Courtland (Brave Eagle, Andy Bernette, Major Rogers of Rogers Rangers on the show "Northwest Passage") as a quite civilized, charismatic, and sophisticated Viking adventurer. After we see the stock footage from "The Vikings" where Ragnar's ship hits a rock and sinks, Jerome Courtland as Lief would find himself shipwrecked and in a strange land. He'd have to prove himself by undergoing "Viking Tests" of sticking his hand in a fire, wrestling with the locals, and drinking a brew of grog, soil, and untold "spices." Of course, Jerome Courtland would always prevail. Inspired by such TV "Viking Tests", my adolescent brother and I invented and engaged in our own "Viking Tests" which were downright dangerous. In the interest of public safety, I will not give out the details here. Thirty years after the series had played on American television, I was taking a PhD course in Educational Research at the University of Hawaii and struck up a friendship with a fellow teacher/graduate student. When we were exchanging tales of the various places of the world in which we had lived, he mentioned spending some time in Norway, adding, "I won't tell you why I went there because you'd think it silly. Well, OK. It was because when I was a kid I was nuts about a TV show called 'Tales of the Vikings.' You probably never heard of it." Instead of saying, "I've heard of it", I sang him the theme song to "Tales of the Vikings."

I remember this series! I tried to look it up in "The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows" by Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh. It's not there!

Not only do I recall the theme music (based on a Wagner tune, I believe), but I even remember the plot of one episode. Our Viking heroes are visiting a medieval city and its citizens are rapidly succumbing to the plague, except in the Jewish quarter, which is somehow avoiding the disease. The townspeople are furious: the Jews must be in league with Satan. Upon investigating, our Viking friends discover that the Jews have a special potion which apparently cures them. The Vikings must convince the gentiles to take their medicine, which the Jews are more than willing to share. The miracle drug, it is revealed, is compounded from the green mold of stale bread and cheese. Of course, we in modern times know that the mold is called penicillium. Cool, huh?

I remember this show so well. I had an intense interest in the Vikings before this show appeared and became my favorite. While the other 12-year-old girls were mooning over the tall dark and handsome type, I was daydreaming about Jerome Courtland as Leif Erickson. I never missed an episode, except for one horrible, horrible time when my father watched a special about I think the Civil War. I didn't see the movie The Vikings when it was in theaters, so I didn't know the show was inspired by that. However, I did see the movie years later on TV, and loved it. Now that we have all these old shows on DVD, I'll be sure to get the whole series if I can. I'm so glad I stumbled onto this site! Also - this isn't old TV, but I also enjoyed The 13th Warrior, which is loaded with Leif Erickson types and has the added attraction of a youngish Antonio Banderas.

I'm 53 now, and I clearly remember how much my two older brothers and I enjoyed watching "The Vikings". I'm surprised there isn't more written about this series, or more people commenting. I was only about 6 or so when these series were running, and my older brothers and I lived in the basement since my mom and dad had seven children and not enough room upstairs. But on the plus side my brothers and I had our own TV room; shows like "The Vikings", old John Wayne movies, "Have Gun Will Travel" and later, "Bonanza" were our favorites. "The Vikings" was cool because of the soundtrack, the cinematography and authenticity of the costumes and props (the ships etc.) as well as, if I remember right, some reasonably good acting without being campy. To us boys, however, laden with testosterone as we were, it was the macho appeal of the rough-hewn, manly Viking warriors that struck a chord with us! Whenever "The Vikings" was coming on, I remember how excited I was to watch it on TV. We'd make Jiffy Pop popcorn and drink Coke from heavy glass bottles....ah I miss those days!!