Tales of the Vikings

Tales of the Vikings is an American first-run syndicated television series, first telecast on September 8, 1959 and ran through June 2, 1960. The series was produced by Kirk Douglas' production company, Brynaprod.

Plot
Set in tenth century Scandinavia, the series presented the seafaring exploits of Viking chief Firebeard and his two sons, Leif and Finn.

Characters

 * Stefan Schnabel as Firebeard, Viking chieftain
 * Jerome Courtland as Leif Ericson, Firebeard's younger son
 * Walter Barnes as Finn, Firebeard's elder son
 * Haldar, Viking crewman - Buddy Baer

Guest stars for the thirty-nine episode run included: Christopher Lee, Patrick McGoohan, Robert Alda, and Edmund Purdom.

Production
In 1949 Douglas founded his own company, Bryna Productions, named after his mother. Tales of the Vikings was the company's first venture into television. The series, like the Douglas' 1958 film The Vikings, was shot in Europe and used footage, sets, props, and costumes from the film. It was filmed in black and white, and distributed by United Artists Television. Since Tales of the Vikings aired in syndication, air dates varied from one TV station to another during the 1959-1960 season. It also aired on British television, and in 1962 in Finland.

Courtland has his hair and beard dyed blond for the series. Ryan O'Neal got his start on Tales of the Viking. His parents, who were living abroad at the time, got the teenager a job as a stuntman, under veteran John Sullivan, learning fights, falls, and duels. The theme song was written by Bert Grund with lyrics by Sid Morse.