Review: (The Adventures of) Rocky Jordan

Jack Moyles is Rocky Jordan

Rocky Jordan started out as a West Coast-only show (like The Whistler) known as A Man Named Jordan.  That Jordan was a restaurant owner in Instanbul, Turkey.

The theme music (albeit in a different time signature) and Rocky remained the same when the show went national but Rocky had moved to Cairo, Egypt and the music got it's more contemporary flavor.

Rocky Jordan (played by Jack Moyles - and in the later years by the miscast George Raft) was an American living in the Mid-East. I don't believe the series ever tells why he is there, other than to run a restaurant. He's not a detective, yet crime comes his way all the time and he's almost forced into finding solutions for intriguing problems. It's not always murder; sometimes there's a swindle, stolen artiacts or sometimes a bomb --  and always a beautiful young lady.

Jay Novello is Capt. Sam Sabaya

Since crime is involved in every episode, Rocky has to deal with Cairo police Captain Sam Sabaya, played to the hilt by radio (and tv) handyman, Jay Novello.  He knows Rocky isn't behind the crime-of-the-week but investigates him anyway.  Somehow (like all radio detectives) Jordan is always one step ahead of the law, figuring out the crime before the cops ever do.

The atmosphere of the Middle-East is strong in these shows.  At times, you feel the humidity from the Nile River and sense the exotic market smells while listening to the show.

There's not a thing wrong with the show - until the show's final year when George Raft took over for Moyles.  Then the show becomes just another show because Raft is simply boring on radio.

3 and a half to 4 stars.

BONUS: Do you have this episode?

BONUS: The Sultan Hassan Mosque mentioned at the beginning of each show