Assignment Foreign Legion

Assignment Foreign Legion is an American TV series that starred Merle Oberon.^[1] It ran on CBS from October 1, 1957, until December 24, 1957.^[2]

Premise

The series related activities of the French Foreign Legion during World War II.^[2] Oberon narrated episodes and played a newspaper correspondent in search of stories about the Foreign Legion.^[3]

Production

The show's producers were M. Smedley Aston and Anthony C. Bartlett.^[4] Directors included Don Chaffey, Michael McCarthy and Lance Comfort.^[5] Writers included Max Ehrlich.^[6] The series was filmed in Morocco, Algiers,^[4] England and Spain.^[3] Eventually it became too dangerous and filming was completed at Beaconsfield Studios in London.^{[citation needed]} CBS Television Film Sales Inc. distributed the series.^[3]

Assignment Foreign Legion was broadcast on Tuesdays from 10:30 to 11 p.m. Eastern Time.^[7] Its average cost was $26,000 an episode.^[8] It was sponsored by P. Lorillard Company^[9] for Kent cigarettes. The trade publication Variety reported, "there was some worry" prior to Lorillard's taking on the show because it "may be too controversial, possibly alienating nationalistic Arabs."^[10] The program ended when Lorillard decided to move its sponsorship to Richard Diamond, Private Detective, which began on January 2, 1958.^[11]

Reception

Variety said "Stories, acting, and production are of good quality.^[12]

One week the show was among the top ten shows in Britain.^[13]