Harold Robbins' The Survivors

Harold Robbins' The Survivors
Ralph Bellamy, Diana Muldaur and Lana Turner in a scene from The Survivors
Also known as	'The Survivors'
Genre	Soap opera
Created by	Richard De Roy Michael Gleason Harold Robbins
Starring	Lana Turner George Hamilton Diana Muldaur Ralph Bellamy Natalie Schafer Kevin McCarthy Jan-Michael Vincent Clu Gulager Louis Hayward
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	15
Production
Running time	60 minutes
Production company(s)	The Harold Robbins Company
Release
Original network	ABC
Original release	22 September 1969 – 17 September 1970

The Survivors is a high-profile prime time soap opera aired by the ABC television network as part of its Fall 1969 lineup.

This program is probably most noted now for having been the only appearance as a regular series character of major Hollywood actress Lana Turner, and also starred other "big names" such as Jan-Michael Vincent, Ralph Bellamy, Diana Muldaur, George Hamilton, Clu Gulager, and Natalie Schafer. Despite their presence, and that above the title of bestselling author Harold Robbins, since the characters were from his novel of the same name, the program was a ratings fiasco, losing badly to Mayberry R.F.D. and The Doris Day Show on CBS and The NBC Monday Movie on NBC. A program as expensive to produce as this one must garner large ratings in order to be successful, so it was cancelled at midseason, although it was rerun the following summer in an attempt to recoup at least some of the investment.

Episodes

Episode #	Episode title	Original airdate	Plot
1-1	"Chapter One"	September 29, 1969	Baylor Carlyle (Ralph Bellamy) demands the resignation of his son-in-law Philip Hastings (Kevin McCarthy) because of embezzlement.
1-2	"Chapter Two"	October 6, 1969	Baylor learns that he only has a short time to live and decides to bring Duncan (George Hamilton) into the bank.
1-3	"Chapter Three"	October 13, 1969	Baylor grants Duncan's request for a bank loan to Miguel Santerra after meeting with the revolutionary.
1-4	"Chapter Four"	October 20, 1969	Tracy (Lana Turner) and Antaeus Riakos meet again after a twenty-year absence.
1-5	"Chapter Five"	October 27, 1969	Jeff (Jan-Michael Vincent) leaves home to go live with his friends Tom and Sheila.
1-6	"Chapter Six"	November 10, 1969	Philip offers Tracy a divorce in exchange for her share of the bank when Baylor dies.
1-7	"Chapter Seven"	November 17, 1969	Philip discovers that the Carlyle Bank has financed Santerra's revolution.
1-8	"Chapter Eight"	November 24, 1969	Tracy tells Jeff that Philip is not his father.
1-9	"Chapter Nine"	December 1, 1969	Riakos tells Senator Jennings (Clu Gulager) of the Carlyle Bank's involvement in the Santerra revolution.
1-10	"Chapter Ten"	December 8, 1969	Baylor is subpoenaed to testify before the Senate about his bank loan to Santerra's revolutionary group.
1-11	"Chapter Eleven"	December 15, 1969	Duncan finds Baylor dead.
1-12	"Chapter Twelve"	December 22, 1969	Duncan tells Tracy he suspects Philip of murder.
1-13	"Chapter Thirteen"	December 29, 1969	The reading of Baylor's will is interrupted by the appearance of his widow.
1-14	"Chapter Fourteen"	January 5, 1969	Philip announces that he and Eleanor will fight Baylor's will.
1-15	"Chapter Fifteen"	January 12, 1970	Duncan is injured in an automobile accident, and in the subsequent investigation, police find that it was no accident.

References

Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows

External links

• Time Magazine, "Rescuing the Survivors"; Aug. 01, 1969
• The Survivors at IMDb