Crane
1963 - United KingdomRichard Crane decided to give up the life of a city businessman and trade it in for one of excitement and adventure in Morocco. He said goodbye to his safe suburban home and headed for the sun, bought himself a boat and opened a beachfront bar near Casablanca. He also had a nice little operation dealing in illegal contraband. Keeping a watchful eye on his activities was local police chief Colonel Mahmoud (Gerald Flood), although there were times when the two men joined forces to work against 'serious' criminals. Crane also had an accomplice in the form of ex-French Foreign Legionnaire, Orlando O'Connor (Sam Kydd), who later reappeared on British shores in the children's adventure series, Orlando. Glamour was provided by cafe bartender, Halima (Laya Raki).
The show's star, Patrick Allen, had previously appeared on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Memorial Company in Stratford-on-Avon and was offered the role of Crane whilst playing Achilles in Troilus and Cressida. Immediately the play was over he left for Morocco, where most of the filming for the series took place. Allen went on to appear in numerous other series although he is probably best remembered for his deep, authoritative voice, which kept him in television-commercial voiceovers for years to come. He was also the 'four-minute warning man' on the Frankie Goes To Hollywood hit single Two Tribes.
Published on December 5th, 2018. Written by Laurence Marcus for Television Heaven.
