The prior review of FORTUNE HUNTER sighting SEARCH as a derivative source for FORTUNE HUNTER is correct. However, FORTUNE HUNTER chose unfortunately to have a geek at HQ in contact with the hero instead of blond babe. But in SEARCH, Hugh O'Brian was merely adequate, Doug McClure was personable, and Tony Franciosa was superb. Mark Frankel, with his dead-on SEAN CONNERY as JAMES BOND accent and mannerisms as well as good looks gave a higher level of performance than his predecessors and the action-packed great production value program should be compared favorably in a SEARCH goes 007 vein. THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. which is my all-time favorite, is a teamwork oriented tongue-in-cheek spy show, while FORTUNE HUNTER has drier sense of humor and is a "SOLO" (pardon-the-pun) AFFAIR.
In New York, FOX, Channel 5, showed only 4 or 5 Episodes, out of the 13 listed, BEFORE CANCELLATION! And intentionally SABOTAGED the TV Show's chances of success, by placing it in ever-changing time slots on Sunday around 6 P.M. Eastern Standard, when most audiences were busy eating dinner (NOT watching TV) or could NOT find the show since it always followed Sunday Afternoon FOOTBALL which always ran late; making FORTUNE HUNTER show up anytime after 6:10 P.M., even as late as 7:10!!! It would take a crystal ball to find the show's Start Time each week! And to make things worse, after the FOX execs prematurely and unfairly decided to cancel FORTUNE HUNTER, after only 4 episodes; they admitted that the ONLY reason for this early cancellation despite Critic's loving it; was since the production values were very high on the show and the show was shot on location; FOX was NOT going to shell-out that kind of money to keep an excellent spy/adventure show on the air!!!!!! So the cheapskates at FOX, buried a gem of a show; instead of giving it a primetime time slot and a multi-year run!
At this point I really believed that MARK FRANKEL would be the ideal choice as the new JAMES BOND on the big screen. Instead MGM/UA stuck with that peacock Pierce Brosnan, whom has been the worst BOND ever!
So 2 years later, FOX again hired the superb actor MARK FRANKEL to be in a TV Show called THE KINDRED-THE EMBRACED. Another brilliantly played role by MARK FRANKEL sans Scottish accent. Again FOX had a quality show, but ONLY showed 8 episodes before cancellation! And sadly not too long afterwards, MARK FRANKEL died in a motorcycle accident. FOX and MGM/UA never appreciated the actor they had (in FOX's case) or could have had as JAMES BOND redux (in MGM/UA's case) and a shining star met a premature and disappointing end.
