The Great Adventure
(1963-64)
Episode Guide compiled by The Classic TV Archive
with contributions by:
Tom Alger,
Rina Fox
Miles Fowler [Updates March 2018]
references::
Library of Congress (telnet://locis.loc.gov)
Internet Movie Database (https://us.imdb.com)
UCLA Film and Television Archive
THE GREAT ADVENTURE
CBS
Executive Producer Bert Granet
Produced
by John Houseman
US Historical Dramatic Anthology Series 1963-64 26
episodes x 60 min
Narrated by
Van Heflin (eps
1-13) Russell Johnson (eps 14-26)
Music by Richard Rodgers
############## The Great Adventure ###########
############### season 1 1963-64 #############
##############################################
CBS Fridays 7:30-8:30pm Eastern (27-Sep 1963 to 01-May 1964)
1.01 [--] The Great Adventure: THE HUNLEY
27-Sep-1963 CBS Fri
starring
Jackie Cooper ....... Lt. Dickson
James MacArthur ..... Lt. Alexander
George Lindsey ...... Hampton
Wayne Rogers ........ Tombs
Gene Evans .......... Sgt. Winn
Stephen Lodge
David Macklin
Synopsis:
The salvaging of a Confederate submarine named The Hunley is the first of the historic tales.
The sub, which has sunk three times, is on the verge of being considered a loss.
But two young engineers from the 21st Alabama Infantry think they can save her. [RF]
* Note: The first submarine to sink an enemy warship.
1.02 [--] The Great Adventure: THE DEATH OF SITTING BULL
04-Oct-1963 CBS Fri
starring
Joseph Cotten ....... Captain Meehan
Ricardo Montalban ... Philip Crow
Claude Akins ........ Father Kranz
Kent Smith .......... General Nelson Miles
Lloyd Nolan ......... Colonel Fraser
Noah Beery Jr. ...... Jervis
Anthony Caruso ...... Sitting Bull
Miriam Colon ........ Sarah Crow
Rodolfo Acosta ...... Lt. Bullhead
James Dunn .......... Indian Agent McLean
Eddie Little Sky .... Left Hand
1.03 [--] The Great Adventure: THE MASSACRE AT WOUNDED KNEE
11-Oct-1963 CBS Fri
starring
same as above
1.04 [--] The Great Adventure: SIX WAGONS TO SEA
18-Oct-1963 CBS Fri
starring
Lee Marvin as Misok Bedrozian
Walter Koenig
Arthur Batanides as Porliades
Gene Lyons as Merier
Ellen Madison as Elissa
Richard X. Slattery as Tucker
1.05 [--] The Great Adventure: THE STORY OF NATHAN HALE
(aka Moment of Crisis, The Secret)
25-Oct-1963 CBS Fri (rerun 08May64)
Script by Sheldon Osborn & Robert Hilliard
starring
Jeremy Slate ........ Captain Nathan Hale
Torin Thatcher ...... General Howe
Nancy Malone ........ Jenny
John Anderson ....... Colonel Knowlton
Douglas Henderson ... Captain Hull
Dorothy Adams ....... Mrs. Woodhaven
John Kellogg ........ Winthrop
Sandy Kenyon ........ Captain James
Peter Mamakos ....... Decker
Nora Marlowe ........ Widow Chich
Sean McClory ........ Major Carlton
Maxwell Reed ........ Major Hardwick
Jon Drury ........... Guard
Arthur Gould-Porter.. British Guard
I. Sanford Jolley
Synopsis:
The story of Nathan Hale, the American patriot who was hanged
by the British for spying during the Revolution. [RF]
*
Famous last words spoken by Nathan Hale who was hung at 21.
"I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."
1.06 [--] The Great Adventure: GO DOWN, MOSES
01-Nov-1963 CBS Fri
written by James Bridges
directed by Paul Stanley
director of photography Neal Beckner
produced by John Houseman
Narrator Van Heflin
starring
Ruby Dee ............ Harriet Tubman
Ossie Davis ......... John Ross
Brock Peters ........ Joe Bailey
Ethel Waters ........ Rit
Mimi Dillard ........ Tillie
Gloria Calomée ...... Mary Ann
Betty Harford ....... Elizabeth Williams
Roy Barcroft ........ Dr. Thompson
Richard O'Brien ..... Tarry
Isabelle Cooley ..... Lydia
Rupert Crosse ....... William Still
Stephen Lander ...... Quaker
with
Robert Bice
Bill Walker
Charles Hradilac
Davis Roberts
Owen Bush
Bill Couch
Napoleon Whiting
Jacque Shelton
Synopsis:
Harriet Tubman, tonight's subject, was a major abolitionist in pre-Civil War times.
An escaped slave herself, she became known as the Moses of her people through
her work as a conductor on the Underground Railroad. Between 1850 and 1860,
Miss Tubman (with a price of $40,000 on her head) conducted over 300
slaves to freedom in the North. [RF]
1.07 [--] The Great Adventure: THE GREAT DIAMOND MOUNTAIN
08-Nov-1963 CBS Fri
starring
Barry Sullivan ...... William Ralston
J.D. Cannon ......... Clarence King
Philip Abbott ....... Janin
John Fiedler ........ Philip Arnold
Dick Foran .......... Colton
John McGiver ........ John Stack
1.08 [--] The Great Adventure: THE TREASURE TRAIN OF JEFFERSON DAVIS
15-Nov-1963 CBS Fri
starring
Michael Rennie ...... President Jefferson Davis
Katharine Bard ...... Mrs. Davis
Jeff Cooper ......... Micajah Clark
Tim O'Connor ........ General Breckinridge
Carl Benton Reid .... Trenholm
Harry Townes ........ Judah P. Benjamin
Ken Lynch ........... General Johnston
Byron Morrow ........ General Beauregard
Ken Mayer ........... Harrison
James Noah .......... Captain Parlter
Richard Bull ........ Landlord
Claude Johnson ...... Union Trooper
Jay Lanin ........... Union Lieutenant
1.xx [--] The Great Adventure: WILD
BILL HICKOK - THE LEGEND AND THE MAN
22-Nov-1963 CBS Fri preempted by the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Postponed to 03-Jan-1964 [MF]
1.09 [--] The Great Adventure: THE OUTLAW AND THE NUN
06-Dec-1963 CBS Fri (rerun 02May64)
starring
Joan Hackett ........ Sister Blandina
Leif Erickson ....... Abel Parrish
Marion Ross ......... Sister Marcella
Andrew Prine ........ Billy the Kid
Sally Brophy ........ Mrs. Pierce
Richard Carlyle ..... Mr. Pierce
Synopsis:
It is 1872, and when Sister Blandina arrives in a rowdy Western town
to teach school, she finds only two children in her classroom. [RF]
1.10 [--] The Great Adventure: THE MAN WHO STOLE NEW YORK CITY
13-Dec-1963 CBS Fri
starring
Carroll O'Connor .... O'Rourke
Edward Andrews ...... Mayor William March "Boss" Tweed
James Daly .......... George Jones
Russell Collins ..... Watson
Byron Morrow ........ Mayor Hall
Walter Brooke ....... Taylor
Frank Maxwell ....... Connolly
Don Keefer .......... Copeland
Frank Faylen ........ O'Brien
Willard Sage ........ Jennings
Ian Wolfe ........... Townsend
Tom Simcox .......... Ford
1.11 [--] The Great Adventure: A BOY AT WAR
20-Dec-1963 CBS Fri
starring
Jean Engstrom ....... Elizabeth
Flip Mark ........... Andy
Jack Chaplain ....... Tom Crawford
Richard Eyer ........ Robert
Karen Green ......... Anne
Bernard Fox ......... Redcoat Lieutenant
Synopsis:
In the episode "A Boy at War" (1.11) the character Andy, played by child actor
Flip Mark, is actually supposed to be the young Andrew Jackson,
future U.S. president. The episode portrays his harrowing experiences during the
American War of Independence. [MF]
1.12 [--] The Great Adventure: WILD BILL HICKOK - THE LEGEND AND THE MAN
03-Jan-1964 CBS Fri
starring
Lloyd Bridges ....... Wild Bill Hickok
Sheree North ........ Agnes Lake
Leo Gordon .......... McCanles
Tom Reese ........... Mike Williams
Len Lesser .......... Varnes
James Griffith ...... Harry Young
Neil Nephew ......... Jack McCall
Ed Knight ........... Brady
Larry Blake ......... Doyle
William Fawcett ..... Brink
Bill Walker ......... Charlie
Vito Scotti ......... Ticket Seller
Synopsis:
The episode "Wild Bill Hickok" (1.12) did, indeed, first air in January 1964,
but it was originally scheduled to air 22 November 1963 but was
preempted by the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Eerily, the episode re-enacts the assassination of Hickok in Deadwood, South
Dakota in 1876. [MF]
1.13 [--] The Great Adventure: THE COLONEL FROM CONNECTICUT
10-Jan-1964 CBS Fri (rerun 03Jul64)
Script by Raphael Hayes
starring
Whit Bissell ........ Benjamin Silliman
Wallace Ford ........ Uncle Billy Smith
Richard Kiley ....... Edwin L. Drake
Maggie McNamara ..... Laura Drake
John Alderson ....... Billy Robinson
Woodrow Parfrey ..... George Bissel
H.M. Wynant ......... District Attorney
Ian Wolfe ........... Brewer
Rayford Barnes ...... Eben
Walter Brooke ....... James Townsend
James Callahan ...... Josh
Howard Caine ........ Pitchman
Barry Kelley ........ Hughes
Guy Raymond ......... WIlson
Synopsis:
In 1859, Edwin L. Drake is hired to find a way to obtain
a larger supply of oil from the area near Titusville,
PA. [TA]
1.14 [--] The Great Adventure: TEETH OF THE LION
17-Jan-1964 CBS Fri
starring
Earl Holliman ........ Will Cross
Julie Sommars ........ Meg Jethro
Donald Losby ......... Billy
Collin Wilcox ......... Elizabeth Cross
Jesse Pearson ........ Tom Jethro
Kathie Sweet ........ Melissa
Steven Marlo ........ Red Deer
1.15 [--] The Great Adventure: RODGER YOUNG
24-Jan-1964 CBS Fri
starring
James MacArthur ....... Rodger Young
Patrick McVey ........ Dr. Crosley
George Kennedy ......... Sergeant Mulduney
Diane Ladd ........ Annie Thompson
H.M. Wynant ......... Lt. Waters
Hal Needham ........... Recruiting Officer
Geoffrey Horne
Ted Bessell
Paul Geary
Henry Beckman
Hampton Fancher
Synopsis:
A basketball injury has left him with a partial hearing loss, accompanied by
painful headaches as well as tinnitus (ringing in the ears). With war upon the
country he joins the National Guard and sets out to prove himself. [RF]
*Note: Based on a true story.
"Rodger Young" (1.15) is the story of an American man
who, in spite of severe hearing loss,
served in the Pacific Theater of World War II and won a posthumous Medal of
Honor. [MF]
1.16 [--] The Great Adventure: THE TESTING OF SAM HOUSTON
07-Feb-1964 CBS Fri
starring
Robert Culp ........ Sam Houston
Victor Jory ........ Andrew Jackson
Kent Smith ........... William Carroll
Katherine Crawford .......... Eliza Allen
Ralph Moody ........... Oo-Lo-Techka
David White ......... John C. Calhoun
Robert Emhardt .......... Stanbery
Mario Alcade .......... Too-Chee-La
Tom Palmer ......... Mr. Allen
June Vincent
Ken Drake
Francis De Sales
Edwin Mills
Robert Riordan
Dick Wilson
1.17 [--] The Great Adventure: THE SPECIAL COURAGE OF CAPTAIN PRATT
14-Feb-1964 CBS Fri
starring
Paul Burke ......... Captain Richard Pratt
John Marley ......... Grey Beard
Antoinette Bower .......... Anna Pratt
Ivan Dixon .......... Sergeant Willis
Denver Pyle .......... General Mills
Valentin de Vargas ......... Okahatan
1.18 [--] The Great Adventure: THE NIGHT RAIDERS
21-Feb-1964 CBS Fri
Produced by Ethel Winant
Directed by Philip Leacock
Written by Alvin Sapinsley
Director of photography Neal Beckner
Narrator Russell Johnson
starring
Jack Klugman ......... John Brown
Torin Thatcher .......... Col. Lewis Washington
James Westerfield ............ Thomas Green
Les Brown Jr. ........... Oliver Brown
James Beck ........... Watson Brown
Walter Burke .......... Higgins
Parley Baer ......... Mayor
Ward Wood ............ Edwin Coppock
John Wesley ........... John Copeland Jr.
Joel Fluellen ............ Newby
Alan Baxter ............. Judge
Russell Horton ........... Hoyt
Jordan Whitfield ........ Servant
Ashley Cowan
Nelson Olmsted
Synopsis:
The night raiders recounts abolitionist John Brown's 1859 raid on the
Harpers Ferry arsenal, and his subsequent trial for treason. [RF]
1.19 [--] The Great Adventure: THE PLAGUE
28-Feb-1964 CBS Fri
starring
Robert Cummings .......... Dr. Benjamin Waterhouse
Ron Howard ....... Daniel Waterhouse
Jacqueline Scott ......... Eliza Waterhouse
John Dehner ........... President Thomas Jefferson
John McLiam ............. John Howard
Gina Gillespie ........... Ellen Howard
Gene Lyons ......... Dr. Aspenwall
George Mitchell .......... Dr. Drury
David Lewis ........... Dr. Bartlett
Summary:
The discovery of anti-smallpox vaccine.
Synopsis:
"The Plague" (1.19) contains a memorable moment. President Thomas Jefferson asks
Dr. Waterhouse whether his confidence in the safety
of the small pox vaccine would be great enough for him to risk inoculating the
president himself. After Waterhouse asserts his confidence,
it turns out that the president has had the disease and is immune already. [MF].
1.20 [--] The Great Adventure: THE PATHFINDER
06-Mar-1964 CBS Fri
starring
Rip Torn ........... Lt. John C. Fremont
Carroll O'Connor .......... Johann Dutter
Channing Pollock ........... Kit Carson
Arthur Batanides ........... Gomez
Joe De Santis ........... General Vallejo
Don Dubbins .......... Jason Chiles
David White
Robert F. Simon
Harry Carter
Elizabeth Perry
John Garwood
Francisco Ortega
Noel Drayton
Craig Duncan
David Nunez
Synopsis:
In the winter of 1844, Lt. John C. Fremont and scout Kit Carson lead their
survey
team over the High Sierras and down into Mexican-held California - where they
have to take refuge on Johann Sutter's personal 150,000 acre empire. [RF]
1.21 [--] The Great Adventure: THE PRESIDENT VANISHES
13-Mar-1964 CBS Fri (rerun 28Aug64)
Narrated by Russell Johnson
starring
Barry Sullivan ......... E.J. Edwards
Leif Erickson .......... President Grover Cleveland
Jeanne Vaughn ........ Frances Cleveland
Skip Homeier ...... Thurber
Harry Townes ...... Dr. O'Reilly
George Macready ........ Dr. Keen
John Marley ....... Callum
Jenie Jackson ..... Carlotta
Hope Holiday ...... Mavis
Bart Burns ........ Faith
Peter Hale ........ Presidential Aide
Stuart Nisbet ....... Businessman
Chuck Hicks ........ Sailor
Synopsis:
In 1893, reporter E.J. Edwards grows suspicious when he notes that
President Grover Cleveland has suddenly ceased to appear at public functions
- and that no one is allowed to see him. [RF]
1.22 [--] The Great Adventure: THE HENRY BERGH STORY
20-Mar-1964 CBS Fri
starring
Brian Keith ......... Henry Bergh
Marion Ross ......... Etta Wheeler
Frank Aletter ........ James Welton
June Dayton ......... Matilda Bergh
Bernie Hamilton ......... Wilbur Jones
Synopsis:
"The Henry Bergh Story" (1.22) is about the founder of the American Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in 1866.
The story rather suggests that Bergh's involvement in the founding of a society
for the prevention of cruelty to children was
something of an afterthought when he realized that some children are treated
worse than animals. [MF]
1.23 [--] The Great Adventure: KENTUCKY'S BLOODY GROUND [Part 1]
03-Apr-1964 CBS Fri (rerun 11Sep64)
Script by Calvin Clements
Russell Johnson Narrates
starring
Peter Graves ...... Daniel Boone
Andrew Duggan ..... Colonel Callaway
Peggy McCay ....... Mrs. Callaway
David McCallum .... Captain Hanning
Arthur Hunnicutt .. Simon Kenton
Judee Morton ...... Jemina Boone
Richard Lupino .... Lt. Brown
Stuart Cooper ..... Flanders Callaway
Ted Eccles ........ James Boone
Laurie Mock ....... Frances Callaway
Synopsis:
First of two parts. In the mid-1770's, Daniel Boone and a party of settlers
establish a settlement in the wilderness west of
the Alleghenies. [RF]
1.24 [--] The Great Adventure: THE SIEGE OF BOONESBOROUGH [Part 2]
10-Apr-1964 CBS Fri (rerun 18Sep64)
Script by Calvin Clements
Russell Johnson Narrates
cast same as above:
Synopsis:
Although the Indians have killed his son and kidnapped his daughter
and two other girls, Daniel Boone negotiates with the red men to
win the girls' release and prevent an attack. [RF]
1.25 [--] The Great Adventure: ESCAPE
17-Apr-1964 CBS Fri
starring
Jack Warden ....... Latham
Michael Constantine ........ Colonel Streight
Sorrell Booke
Fritz Weaver
1.26 [--] The Great Adventure: THE PIRATE AND THE PATRIOT
01-May-1964 CBS Fri
starring
Ricardo Montalban ...... Jean Lafitte
Kent Smith .......... Grymes
John McGiver .......... General Claiborne
Frank Silvera ......... Gambi
CBS Fridays 8:30-9:30pm ( Mar 1965-Apr 1965) (reruns?)
############## The Great Adventure ###########
################### the end ##################
##############################################
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