Theater of the Mind

Rocky Fortune

25 episodes · 1953–1954 · NBC, Armed Forces Radio Service · Detective

Frank Sinatra played Rocco Fortunato, a drifter who took whatever job the Gridley Employment Agency sent him to, from oyster shucker to museum guide, and found trouble at every one. It ran on NBC from October 6, 1953, to March 30, 1954, right after Dragnet: 25 episodes. George Lefferts created it. Near the end of the run Sinatra won his Academy Award for From Here to Eternity, and he slipped a mention of it into nearly every late script.

Sources: Rocky Fortune, Wikipedia

Episodes

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1953

Oyster Shucker at the Fifty Fathoms October 6, 1953 · NBC · 25 min
The first show. Rocky's new job is shucking oysters in a seafood restaurant, and twelve oysters turn up twelve pearls.
Double Identity October 13, 1953 · NBC · 24 min
A job as a chauffeur leads Rocky to a new identity, as a mental patient in Denver.
The Shipboard Jewel Robbery October 20, 1953 · NBC · 24 min
Rocky signs on as a steward on an ocean liner and gets caught up in a jewel theft at sea.
Pint-Sized Payroll Bandit October 27, 1953 · NBC · 25 min
Rocky's night job at a hamburger stand turns up a nine-year-old runaway with $50,000.
Messenger for Death November 10, 1953 · NBC · 25 min
Rocky is paid $1,000 to deliver a package in a rough neighborhood, and a tough blind woman and a murder follow.
Some Cat's Killed the Canary November 17, 1953 · NBC · 24 min
Murder on the Aisle November 24, 1953 · NBC · 25 min
Rocky is hired to keep a hard-drinking, much-hated drama critic alive. He doesn't manage it.
Murder Among the Statues December 1, 1953 · NBC · 24 min
Rocky is working for an art dealer when a statue turns green, which interests a rich collector.
Murder on the Midway December 8, 1953 · NBC · 24 min
Rocky goes to work at a carnival.
Champion to a Chimp December 15, 1953 · NBC · 25 min
Rocky is hired to babysit a chimpanzee.
The Plot to Murder Santa Claus December 22, 1953 · NBC · 25 min
Believe it or not, there's a plot to murder Santa Claus.
The Prize Fight Fix December 29, 1953 · NBC · 24 min
Rocky is taken for a prizefighter and ends up in the ring, and he wins, for a reason.

1954

On the Trail of a Killer January 5, 1954 · NBC · 24 min
A lonely friend marries a no-good and is soon murdered, and Rocky goes after the killer.
The Rodeo Murder Mystery January 12, 1954 · NBC · 25 min
Rocky is framed for murder at the rodeo.
The Museum Murder January 19, 1954 · Armed Forces Radio Service · 25 min
Leading a tour through a New York museum, Rocky finds a corpse in a mummy case.
Hollywood or Boom January 26, 1954 · NBC · 25 min
Rocky's new job is driving a truckload of nitroglycerin.
The Football Fix February 2, 1954 · NBC · 25 min
Rocky guards a football player who won't take a bribe but seems to be in two places at once.
The Catskills Cover-Up February 9, 1954 · NBC · 24 min
Rocky becomes a Catskills resort social director to help a man mixed up in a post-office robbery.
One Husband Too Many February 16, 1954 · NBC · 24 min
A beautiful woman hires Rocky to kill her husband, and there turns out to be one husband too many.
A Sitting Duck for Death February 23, 1954 · NBC · 25 min
A jailbreaker called the Organ Grinder is out to get Rocky and the others who set him up.
Honor Among Thieves March 2, 1954 · NBC · 24 min
A doctor's son steals narcotics from his father's office, and Rocky poses as a blackmailer to set a trap.
The Twice-Murdered Man March 9, 1954 · Armed Forces Radio Service · 24 min
An insurance executive confesses to a tipsy Rocky that he strangled his girlfriend.
Psychological Murder March 16, 1954 · NBC · 25 min
Rocky witnesses the will of a rich woman who believes she's losing her mind.
Rocket Racket March 23, 1954 · Armed Forces Radio Service · 24 min
Rocky takes a $10,000 job riding a rocket to the moon.
Boarding House Doublecross March 30, 1954 · NBC · 25 min
A double-cross at a boarding house.