This one's for Hal Horn over at The Horn Section.
Hal, I think, is the biggest Forrest Tucker fan online, and I'm sure he'd be delighted to find that Tucker actually had a series under his belt before F-Troop, while still making movies.
Crunch & Des was a 1 year wonder, launching in syndication in the summer of 1956, and running for nearly 40 episodes. Capt. Crunch Adams (Tucker) owns and operates the charter boat Poseidon, along with his 1st mate and business partner, Desperate Smith (Sandy Kenyon). The Poseidon ends up being a destination for all kinds of mysteries in the course of the series.
To be honest, I think now I know why Tucker ended up being cast opposite Bob Denver in Dusty's Trail several years later. Just a guess, but if the producers didn't want to or couldn't reunite Denver with Alan Hale, Tucker would've been the next best foil, if you will. It's not that Kenyon was comedy relief totally, but....!
Here's the intro:
Given that the Decades channel (check listings) has plumbed the vaults for obscurities lately, maybe this'll turn up sometime soon. It's worth the trip.
Rating: B.
4 comments:
I'd love to see this one circulated more, no doubt. Thanks for the shout out!
No prob. I knew that would get your attention.
Sandy Kenyon was one of those "Oh,him" characters who turned up in innumerable movies and TV shows, always in support.
Basically, Sandy Kenyon was the guy you got when William Schallert was unavailable.
He worked on TV well into old age; I believe his last appearance was on Dick Van Dyke's reunion special, just after the turn of the milennium.
The guy on Hey, Landlord was Sandy Baron, a stand-up comic whose career was far shorter-lived, for reasons related to politics and substance usage.
Ok, so I got them mixed up, Mike. I'll fix it. Thanks.
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