Fortune (TV)

Fortune - French title

Fortune - English title

A 1967 French, Swiss TV co-production [O.R.T.F./Telfrance (Paris)]

Producer: Louis Falavigna, Bernard Darby

Director: Henri Colpi (Enrico Colpi)

Story: Based on a play by Bernard Dabry (Louis Falavigna)

Teleplay: Bernard Dabry (Louis Falavigna)

Photography: Jean-Jacques Guyard [color]

Music: George Delerue

Running time: 13 episodes x 26 minutes, 5 x 60 minutes

Cast:

Johan Sutter - Pierre Michaël (Pierre Baguette)

Maniku - Georges Hilarion

John Bidwell - Marc Eyraud (Elisse Eyraud)

James Marshall - Pierre Meyrand

Sutter’s father - Louis Arbessier

Anna Sutter - Francoise Giret (Denise Giret)

Maria Sutter - Frédérique Naldini

Kit Carson - Gérard-Antoine Huart

Heckli - Pierre Collet (Emile Collet)

Hartlieb - Edmond Beauchamp

Arthur Edward Sullivan - Raymond Meunier

Molly - Michel Montfort

Sam Brannan - Gérard Buhr

Captain of the ‘Clementine’ - Fernand Guiot

Colonel Ivan Ivanovitch - Pascal Mazzotti (Pasquale Mazzotti)

Borotchenko - Antoine Mosin

Alexandre Rotschoff - Léo Campion

Reston - Jean-Jacques Douvaine

Mayor of Yerba Buena - Léonce Corne

Madam Alvarado - Rita Maiden

Alvarez - Jacques Maréchal

Governor Alvarado - Pierre Mirat

General Vallejo - Mario Pilar

Howard - André Var

Finlay - Jean‑José Fleury

Jenny Carruthers - Geneviève Fontanel

Frederic Sutter as an infant - Bertrand Desmarais

Jimmy Simpson - Yves Bureau

New York tavern owner - Bruno Balp

Dickinson - Charles Blayette

Cashier - Jacques Ebner

Sir James Douglas - Jean Bolo

Santa Ana - André Cellier (André  Cellie)

Gregory Davies - Jean Gras

Michel Torena - Claude Joseph

Mac Calhoun - Jacques Maire

Duflot de Mofras - Philippe Mareuil

Parkenheim - Charles Millot (Veljko Milojevic)

Morrison - George Montal

Doctor Charles Robinson - Jean-Paul Moulinot

Fort Sutter tavern owner - Raoul Billerey

San Francisco tavern owner - Jean-Marie Bon

Sherman - Claude Brosset

Wainwright - Pierre Ferval (Paul Fabregas)

Deserter - Guy Fox

Monk - Paul Bisciglia

Frederic Sutter - Georges Claisse

Jess Clark - Daniel Grall

Mac Dougall - Jacques Hilling

Walter Griffith - Jean-Jacques Lagarde

Governor Peter Burnett - Robert Le Béal (Robert Le Bealle)

Maxwell Tyne - Marcel Charvey (Marcel Bordinckx)

Clifford - Raymond Loyer

Young lawyer - Jean-Pierre Moreux

Arnold - Hubert Noël

Justice officer - Jean-Claude Robbe

Savitt - Albert Simono

Charles Cooper - Roland Giraud

James Brooke - Armand Abplanalp

Old senator - Georges Adet (Georges Roseville-Adet)

Young senator - Yves Arcanel (Yves Faivre)

Mathilde - Annick Allières

San Franciscan librarian - Lucien Barjon (Lucien Bargeon)

M. Burckardt - Paul Bonifas

Journalist - Philippe Chauveau (Jacques Chauveau)

Tavern owner - Luc Delhumeau

Little Cheyenne - Gil Gueci

Rawlins - Pierre Lafont

Inès Guttierez - Françoise Meyruels

Senator - Marcel Midroit

Ivan Ivanovitch - Henri Moatti

Frank Molloy - Michel Midroit

Marc Burckardtt - Laure Paillette (Laure Lapaille)

Harrison - Paul Pavel (Paul Kriatchko)

William Radford - Michel Peyrelon

Sheriff - Douglas Read

British commandant - Jacques Robiolles

Dolores - Maria-Rosa Rodriguez

Ted Savitt - Albert Simono

Servant - Nicole Vassel

Bartlett - Jacques Verlier (Jackie Stämpfli)

Mayor - Gilbert Robin

Delegate to the Monterey convention - Jean-Louis Tristan (Tristan Bassiere)

With: Marius Balbinot, Martine Ferriere (Claude Jacquin), Jean Farnival (Jean Franceschi), Roger Lumont (Roger Rougerie), Armand Meffre, Martine Pascal, Pierre Richard (Pierre Defays), Geroges Riquier, Daniel Sarky (Daniel Orlic), Veronique Silver (Louise Purret)

This television drama series depicts the life of the Swiss Johann August Sutter who settled in America in 1834. He landed in California in 1839 after crossing the continent and also ventured to Honolulu and Alaska. He made his fortune by building in the Sacramento Valley of California the first and the largest colony of immigrants in the future state, and nearly became governor of California. The discovery of gold on his land in January 1848 sparked the famous gold rush that paradoxically caused his downfall and ruin.

Fortune was a French television series in 13 episodes of 26 minutes each, created by Bernard Dabry (Louis Falavigna) based on his play and directed by Henri Colpi. The series was broadcast from March 2nd to May 25^th 1969 on the first channel of the ORTF. The last broadcast dates were from 25 August to 4 September, 1987, on FR3; It took place on the basis of 9 episodes instead of 13. Bernard Dabry transformed this drama into a book, Fortune, published in 1969 in the GP Publishing, Department of Presses de la Cité.