HONG KONG – "Pearl Flower" – 1960
Rod Taylor headlines this 1960-61 series as a newsman stationed in Hong Kong. Taylor is constantly in trouble with various shady types who are always involving him in their troubles. It usually takes several round of fisticuffs, a dead body or two and a gun battle before things get settled. This is the third episode.
A woman, Inger Stevens, arrives in Hong Kong to search for a child. Her company has been sending care packages to a small girl. Since Stevens is passing through Hong Kong, she would like to meet the girl. Stevens looks up newspaperman Rod Taylor for help. It was an article of Taylor's that had gotten Stevens and her workmates involved in helping refugee children.
After giving Stevens the once over, Taylor is only too happy to help. They hunt up the address the packages are sent to. It turns out to be the house of a wealthy import-export merchant. The man, Thomas Gomez, tells Stevens that the packages are just delivered here, then, forwarded on to the child. There is no mail delivery where the child lives Gomez explains.
Stevens shows Gomez the latest care package from her company. She wants to give it to the girl in person. If Taylor and Stevens will wait a while, Gomez will send his assistant, Aki Aleong to show them where the girl lives. Aleong is out on a job at the moment.
Unknown to Taylor and Stevens, is that Gomez is actually the front for a communist spy drop. Care packages are sent there from the US for children's aid etc. Inside all the packages is microfilm etc hidden inside various toys and the like. Stevens and her workmates work at an aircraft design company. Someone in the company is a red spy.
Not wanting to ruin a good set-up. Gomez has one of his men hire a small orphan girl, Ginny Tiu, to pretend to be the girl in question. He also wants the package that Stevens has brought.
Aleong returns to the shop and is filled in by Gomez. He takes the pair to the Hong Kong slums. There, Taylor and Stevens are introduced to the young girl, Tiu. The kid loves the doll in the care package and Stevens is all smiles. That is till hired thug, Roy Jenson, grabs the doll and hotfoots it down the street. Taylor gives chase and catches the man. A well-staged bout of flying fists takes place before the doll is returned to Tiu. Stevens decides to take Tiu to her hotel for the night. She will also buy the girl a new set of clothes.
Taylor though is puzzled by the attack of Jenson. Seems like a lot to go through for just a doll. He stops at Hong Kong Police headquarters to see his friend, Chief Inspector Lloyd Bochner. Would Bochner check up on Gomez for him.
Matters quickly come to a head as guns are pulled on Taylor and Stevens. The doll it seems has a strip of micro film hidden in it. Gomez and the Reds want the info. Shots are fired, and another rousing fist fight is needed before Bochner and the cavalry arrive to save the day. The Reds are rounded up and a wire sent to the US government to pinch the spy at Steven' aircraft plant.
Also in the cast are Peter Gordon, William Yip and Ludwig Stossel. Most will recall stuntman turned actor, Roy Jenson, from the nose slicing scene with Roman Polanski and Jack Nicholson in, CHINATOWN.
The director was longtime TV man, Boris Sagal. The d of p was twice Oscar nominated, Philip Lathrop. His film work includes, THE PINK PANTHER, EXPERIMENT IN TERROR, THE DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES, GUNN, POINT BLANK, THEY SHOOT HORSES DON'T THEY, THE DRIVER and HARD TIMES.
Rod Taylor headlines this 1960-61 series as a newsman stationed in Hong Kong. Taylor is constantly in trouble with various shady types who are always involving him in their troubles. It usually takes several round of fisticuffs, a dead body or two and a gun battle before things get settled. This is the third episode.
A woman, Inger Stevens, arrives in Hong Kong to search for a child. Her company has been sending care packages to a small girl. Since Stevens is passing through Hong Kong, she would like to meet the girl. Stevens looks up newspaperman Rod Taylor for help. It was an article of Taylor's that had gotten Stevens and her workmates involved in helping refugee children.
After giving Stevens the once over, Taylor is only too happy to help. They hunt up the address the packages are sent to. It turns out to be the house of a wealthy import-export merchant. The man, Thomas Gomez, tells Stevens that the packages are just delivered here, then, forwarded on to the child. There is no mail delivery where the child lives Gomez explains.
Stevens shows Gomez the latest care package from her company. She wants to give it to the girl in person. If Taylor and Stevens will wait a while, Gomez will send his assistant, Aki Aleong to show them where the girl lives. Aleong is out on a job at the moment.
Unknown to Taylor and Stevens, is that Gomez is actually the front for a communist spy drop. Care packages are sent there from the US for children's aid etc. Inside all the packages is microfilm etc hidden inside various toys and the like. Stevens and her workmates work at an aircraft design company. Someone in the company is a red spy.
Not wanting to ruin a good set-up. Gomez has one of his men hire a small orphan girl, Ginny Tiu, to pretend to be the girl in question. He also wants the package that Stevens has brought.
Aleong returns to the shop and is filled in by Gomez. He takes the pair to the Hong Kong slums. There, Taylor and Stevens are introduced to the young girl, Tiu. The kid loves the doll in the care package and Stevens is all smiles. That is till hired thug, Roy Jenson, grabs the doll and hotfoots it down the street. Taylor gives chase and catches the man. A well-staged bout of flying fists takes place before the doll is returned to Tiu. Stevens decides to take Tiu to her hotel for the night. She will also buy the girl a new set of clothes.
Taylor though is puzzled by the attack of Jenson. Seems like a lot to go through for just a doll. He stops at Hong Kong Police headquarters to see his friend, Chief Inspector Lloyd Bochner. Would Bochner check up on Gomez for him.
Matters quickly come to a head as guns are pulled on Taylor and Stevens. The doll it seems has a strip of micro film hidden in it. Gomez and the Reds want the info. Shots are fired, and another rousing fist fight is needed before Bochner and the cavalry arrive to save the day. The Reds are rounded up and a wire sent to the US government to pinch the spy at Steven' aircraft plant.
Also in the cast are Peter Gordon, William Yip and Ludwig Stossel. Most will recall stuntman turned actor, Roy Jenson, from the nose slicing scene with Roman Polanski and Jack Nicholson in, CHINATOWN.
The director was longtime TV man, Boris Sagal. The d of p was twice Oscar nominated, Philip Lathrop. His film work includes, THE PINK PANTHER, EXPERIMENT IN TERROR, THE DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES, GUNN, POINT BLANK, THEY SHOOT HORSES DON'T THEY, THE DRIVER and HARD TIMES.
