The Buccaneers (1956 TV series)

Lore & Background

The series was produced by Hannah Weinstein and Sidney Cole for Sapphire Films Limited, filmed at Nettlefold Studios in Walton-on-Thames using two studios with seven or eight standing sets. A real schooner was based at Falmouth, Cornwall, and a faithful reproduction of part of it was built in a studio corner. Robert Shaw was unavailable for the first few episodes, but shooting went ahead without him. Stunt artist Rupert Evans, a former army physical training teacher, taught Shaw fencing.

Reader's Guide

The Buccaneers represents a notable entry in 1950s television adventure programming, produced during the early days of ITV in the UK and aimed at a teenage audience. Its 39 episodes were broadcast in the US on CBS and in the UK on ATV and regional ITV companies. The series featured historical characters such as Blackbeard, Governor Woodes Rogers, Anne Bonny, and John Rackham, played by various actors. The show's music incorporated sea shanties and traditional songs, including an anachronistic American whaling song. The complete series has been released on DVD in Region 2 by Network Distributing and in Region 1 by Mill Creek Entertainment (now out of print), with a best-of set from Timeless Media Group. A Dell Comics Four Color issue and a Whitman Big Little Book were based on the series.

Did You Know?

• The series was set in the Port of Nassau in New Providence in about 1722.
• The ending theme included the chorus 'Let's go a-roving, a-roving across the ocean...'
• A Dell Comics Four Color #800 and a Whitman Big Little Book were based on the show.

Production & Craft

The Buccaneers was a 39-episode, half-hour, black-and-white series produced by Hannah Weinstein and Sidney Cole for Sapphire Films Limited, the production arm behind ITC Entertainment's swashbuckling output under Lew Grade. Filming took place at Nettlefold Studios in Walton-on-Thames, where two studios housed seven or eight standing sets. To achieve authentic maritime sequences, a real schooner was moored at Falmouth in Cornwall, while a faithful studio reproduction of part of the vessel occupied a corner of the soundstage. Rupert Evans, a stunt artist and former army physical training instructor, personally coached Robert Shaw in fencing. An interesting production quirk: sources indicate Shaw was unavailable for the opening episodes, yet filming proceeded without him. The series was set around 1722 in the Port of Nassau on New Providence, and it was broadcast by CBS in the United States while riding the wave of ITV's early regional channel launches in the UK.

Cast & Characters

Robert Shaw anchored the series as Captain Dan Tempest, a buccaneer who led a crew of former pirates aboard the Sultana. Supporting him were Peter Hammond as Lieutenant Edward Beamish, Brian Rawlinson as Gaff Guernsey, Paul Hansard as Taffy the Welshman, Wilfred Downing as Dickon, Neil Hallett as Boatswain Sam Bassett, Willoughby Gray as Pop, Jane Griffiths as Paula, and Alec Mango as Mr. Van Brugh. Recurring players included Tony Thawnton, Terence Cooper, Rupert Evans, Roy Purcell, and Denis Lacey. The show also featured real historical figures of the Golden Age of Piracy: Blackbeard (George Margo, Terence Cooper), Governor Woodes Rogers (Alec Clunes), Anne Bonny (Hazel Court), John Rackham (Brian Worth), Bartholomew Roberts (Alex Scott), Charles Vane (Brian Worth), and Benjamin Hornigold (Andrew Crawford). Aimed at a teenage audience, the series wove these legendary names into its weekly adventures across the seven seas.

Music & Sound

The Buccaneers leaned heavily on nautical music to build atmosphere. Its signature ending theme was a rousing chorus: "Let's go a-roving, a-roving across the ocean / Oh, let's go a-roving and join the buccaneers!" Sea shanties and traditional songs were woven throughout the episodes. Early installments opened with sailors singing "Blow, Ye Winds, in the Morning," though this was actually an anachronistic American whaling song. The second episode, "The Raiders," stands alone in using "The Maid of Amsterdam" as its closing number. Other tracks include "Drunken Sailor" in "Printer's Devil," "Haul Away, Joe" across multiple episodes including "Dan Tempest's War with Spain," "Johnny Come Down to Hilo" in "Mother Doughty's Crew," "O Shenandoah" in "Gentleman Jack and the Lady," "Spanish Ladies" in "The Ladies," "Shake Her, Johnny, Shake Her" in both "Hurricane" and "Flip and Jenny," and John Jacob Niles's "Venezuela" also in "Mother Doughty's Crew."

Legacy & Home Media

Beyond its original broadcast on CBS and the early ITV regional channels, The Buccaneers found a lasting audience through print and home video. Dell Comics published Four Color #800 based on the show, and Whitman released a 276-page "Big Little Book" in 1958, half illustrated by Russ Manning and half a story by Alice Sankey in which Tempest pursues Blackbeard and the Sultana battles the Queen Anne's Revenge. On the home-video front, Mill Creek Entertainment issued the complete series in Region 1 on August 15, 2006, though that release is now out of print. Network Distributing Home Entertainment, licensed from Granada Ventures Ltd, put out the full series in Region 2 on June 1, 2007. Timeless Media Group followed with a three-disc best-of collection of 30 episodes on August 19, 2008. Public-domain DVDs also circulate in North America, ensuring the series remains accessible to collectors and newcomers alike.

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