"Crane" (1963) TV series 1963-1965

Creators:

Patrick Alexander
Jordan Lawrence

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3

Release Date:

2 April 1963 (UK)

Genre:

Adventure

Plot:

The adventures of Richard Crane, cafe owner & part-time smuggler, around the coast of Morocco, aided...

Plot Keywords:

Smuggler | Character Name In Title

Cast

Patrick Allen	...	Richard Crane (39 episodes, 1963-1965)
Sam Kydd	...	Orlando O'Connor (39 episodes, 1963-1965)
Laya Raki	...	Halima (39 episodes, 1963-1965)
Gerald Flood	...	Colonel Sharif Mahmoud (38 episodes, 1963-1965)
Leonard Trolley	...	Shaab (23 episodes, 1964-1965)

Runtime:

60 min (39 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Company:

Associated-Rediffusion Television

Movie Connections:

Spin off "Orlando" (1965)

Comments regarding the AR-TV series "Crane"

"Crane" was the first TV series I recall that was shot on location in Casablanca and the format was unusual, too, with the "goodie" - Crane - who was a smuggler and the "baddie" - Colonel Sharif Mahmoud - who was the Casablanca police chief trying his best to catch Crane at it (smuggling, that is!). My sympathies were always with Mahmoud, played by Gerald Flood. A handsome, elegant actor (a lost art these days), he was very much the hero of the piece, a much more attractive character than the "lantern-jawed" Crane, as played by Patrick Allen. Other series regulars were Sam Kydd as Orlando O'Connor and Layah Raki as the token belly-dancer female, with Leonard Trolley as Mahmoud's long-suffering subordinate, Shaab. I would love to see some of the episodes again, but time has passed and I learn that the show is unavailable. Such a pity, as it was fun, with more than a touch of glamour. I will always fondly remember "Crane".