The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (TV series)

Did You Know?

• In 1965, Petit Menestrel Records released a French record of George van Parys' original score.
• The English dub theme was covered by The Art of Noise on their album Below The Waste.
• The 1997 VHS release used 16mm prints recovered from a French film vault, as the original 35mm prints had been junked.

Description

After its 1965 debut, the serial became a regular feature of the BBC's school summer holiday schedules, often shown weekdays in the mid-1970s and last screened in the early 1980s when the BBC's repeat contract expired. The story follows a young Englishman's struggle for survival on an unknown desert island, interwoven with flashbacks to his earlier adventures, including his involvement with slave traders. He is accompanied by his pet dog Dick, a parrot, and a goat. Later, cannibals arrive; he repels them with explosives and rescues a man he names Friday. Through his experiences, he comes to terms with his past and becomes a better man. Filming took four months on Gran Canaria, with Robinson's Island scenes shot at Playa del Ingles, Moroccan scenes at Playa de Maspalomas and the Dunes of Maspalomas, and the Brazilian plantation location at the inland village of Tejeda. English locations were shot in Normandy, France. A small 11-man crew handled the Gran Canaria footage, and many crew members also played small roles. This was Robert Hoffmann's first professional acting job after leaving the French actors school in Paris in 1964.

Cast

Robert Hoffmann played Robinson Crusoe. Lee Payant provided the English dub voice for Crusoe, while Renzo Palmer voiced the Italian dub. Fabian Cevallos played Friday. Jacques Berthier portrayed Robinson's father. Other cast members included Phillipe Ogouz as Rodney, Jacques Gougin and Francis Chares and Phillipe Bruneau as Robinson's friends in York, Guy Mairesse as Captain of the Guard, Alain Nobis as J.B. Wooseley the lawyer, Robert Dalban as Captain Darrick, Jacques Dynam as Bush, Peter Miles as a sailor, Jean Paul Bernard as Aga Asan the Emir, Jaqueline Chotard as the Emir's woman, Luc Andrieux as Kasir the fishmonger, Roland Rodier as Portuguese captain, Robert Luchaire as Aitkins, and Gilbert Robin as Captain. The German cut featured additional actors: Erich Bludau as Robinson's father, Jane Marken as Jenny the housekeeper, Oskar von Schab as Wooseley, Claudia Berg as Wooseley's niece, Paul Chevalier as a blind man, and Michael Chevalier as the German voice of Crusoe. Certain scenes and characters (such as Wooseley's niece, the blind man, and Jenny) appeared only in the German version. Voice artists for other English dub roles are uncredited.

Episode list – 13 part English dub

Part 1: A storm strands Robinson on a deserted island, where he spends his time thinking back on his younger days in York. Part 2: He figures out how to get food and gains his first companion. Part 3: He remembers leaving home for Hull, and the wreck of the Esmeralda comes ashore, which he salvages before it sinks. Part 4: He recalls his early sea trips and discovers a cave to live in. Part 5: While building a shelter and making furniture, he remembers being thought dead by friends and then sold into slavery. Part 6: A fire in the cave destroys everything; as he rebuilds, he recalls escaping slavery and becoming a Brazilian banana plantation owner. Part 7: He tells how he ended up involved in the Esmerelda’s wreck. Part 8: He finds a deserted ship and a stash of pirate treasure. Part 9: After drifting on the pirate ship, he lands on a different part of the island. Part 10: He meets cannibals and saves Friday. Part 11: He tries to teach Friday civilised ways, but Friday runs off. Part 12: Friday comes back, and unwanted visitors show up. Part 13: Together, Friday and Robinson beat the mutineers and leave the island.

Broadcasts

The German premiere of this series unfolded across October 1964 on ZDF at 8:00 pm, with encore presentations in 1966, 1973, and 1979. East Germany’s DDR1 broadcast a six-part version twice during 1973. Tele 5 carried the final German airing in June 1992. Decades later, ZDF Neo ran a marathon of all four episodes in April 2010 and again that December. France’s ORTF first showed it on 10 September 1965. The BBC’s initial repeat aired on 13 February 1967 at 5:20 pm, followed by runs in summer 1969, summer 1972, a 1973 evening slot, August 1975 mornings, Saturday mornings in 1977, and a concluding run starting 3 April 1982 on BBC1 at 10:00 am, ending 26 June 1982.