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Troy Donahue
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A Tribute to Troy Donahue
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Troy Donahue on tv

Troy Donahue appeared extensively on television throughout his career. He guest starred in top-rating 1950s Westerns including Wagon Train, Rawhide and Maverick, plus a wide range of comedies, mysteries, dramas and game shows in the decades to follow.

In the early 1960s, Troy had ongoing starring roles in two of the eras most popular detective series, Surfside 6 and Hawaiian Eye. Later, during the 1970 season, he was a regular fixture on the cult soap opera, The Storm Within. Here's a brief rundown.

SURFSIDE 6 (1960-62)

In 1960, a year after his success in A Summer Place, Warner Bros cast Troy Donahue in his own television series.

Surfside 6 co-starred Troy with Van Williams and Lee Patterson as three hip young detectives working out of a houseboat moored opposite the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach.

Wealthy socialite Daphne Dutton, played by sleek blonde Diane McBain in one of her rare nice-girl roles, lived on the yacht next door, while chirpy Margarita Sierra zipped in and out as the Fontainebleau's resident chanteuse, Cha Cha O'Brien.

Troy starred as Sandy Winfield II, Lee Patterson played Dave Thorne, and Van Williams reprised his Burbon Street Beat character, Ken Madison.

Surfside 6 also had Don 'Red' Barry, Richard Crane and Paul 'Mousie' Garner in regular support roles, and featured a guest lineup that included Claude Atkins, Lon Chaney Jr, Chad Everett, Dennis Hopper, Ellen McRae (aka Ellen Burstyn) and Mary Tyler Moore.

Edd 'Kookie' Byrnes and Roger Smith from 77 Sunset Strip appeared in a crossover episode during Surfside 6's final season.

Created by William Orr and Hugh Benson, Surfside 6 comprised 74 hour-long episodes which aired on ABC between October 1960 and June 1962. The catchy theme song was written by Mack David and Jerry Livingston.

Soft guitars under the palms
Will gently lead you to a lover's arms
See the waves kissing the shore
While you are kissing someone you adore.
Surfside 6. Is it an address?
Surfside 6. For a houseboat?
Surfside 6. And where is it?
In Miami Beach!
Cha-cha-cha
Cha!

Troy Donahue & the cast of Surfside 6

Troy Donahue in Surfside Six

Robert Conrad, Connie Stevens & Troy Donahue in Hawaiian Eye


SECRET STORM (1954-1974)

In 1970 Troy returned to television as a regular in the cult daytime soap, Secret Storm, a CBS series which started in 1954 and ran for 20 years.

Set in the small town of Woodbridge, The Secret Storm was a melodramatic saga about the wealthy Ames family - Peter, Susan, James, Amy, Hope, Kate, Myra and Valerie - and a colourful revolving-door cast of relatives, lovers, friends and foe.

Playing R.B. Keefer, the scheming boyfriend of hooker Irene Simms, Troy's long scruffy hair and droopy moustache rendered him almost unrecognizable from the hip cleancut image he'd projected in the '60s - probably much to his relief.

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© Sharyn Peacocke 2003

HAWAIIAN EYE (1959-1963)

Following the demise of Surfside 6 in 1962, Troy Donahue moved over to the hit series Hawaiian Eye, this time playing hotel social director Philip Barton, a role created to fill the void left by Anthony Eisley who had departed the show.

Hawaiian Eye had already been running for more than two years when Troy joined the cast as a regular. He had previously guested in several episodes - "Beach Boy" in 1959 and "Birthday Boy" in 1960 - playing totally unrelated characters.

Starring Robert Conrad and Grant Williams as Tom Lopaka and Greg MacKenzie, Hawaiian Eye centered on the exploits of a group of hunky young private investigators based in Honolulu's swanky Hawaiian Village Hotel.

Providing the light relief was Connie Stevens in her signature role as the hotel's cute, zany singer-photographer Cricket Blake, and Poncie Ponce as Kazuo Kim, the ukulele-playing cab driver with a relative for every occasion.

Gorgeous Tina Cole joined the cast as Sunny Day in 1963 when Connie took a brief hiatus due to overwork.

With its exotic locations, snappy story lines and often witty dialogue, Hawaiian Eye provided yet another perfect television vehicle for Troy during the show's final year.

Hawaiian Eye comprised 134 one-hour episodes which aired on ABC between October 1959 and September 1963.

The series was produced by William T. Orr, and featured another sassy theme song culminating in a cha-cha beat penned by Jerry Livingston and Mack David.

The soft island breeze brings you strange melodies
And they tell of exotic mysteries under the tropical spell of
The Hawaiian Eye! Hawaiian Eye! Hawaiian Eye.
Where love and adventure await
This is your fate and you can not stray from
You can't run away from
The Hawaiian Eye! Hawaiian Eye! Hawaiian Eye.
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