Waterfront (1955 TV series)

Waterfront is a syndicated television series that starred Preston Foster as a harbor tug captain that was filmed at Los Angeles Harbor in 1954-1955.

Production

Preston Foster portrayed Captain John, a tugboat captain at Los Angeles Harbor, in 78 episodes, production of which concluded in 1955.

Stated Preston, “On Waterfront, I insisted that we use the real locale. We went down to Los Angeles harbor and got a lot of good background shots. The Coast Guard supplied the equipment we needed, and I even learned how to handle the tugboat myself.”

The actor left the program to make the pilot for a new program, “Test Pilot,” which, ultimately, did not make it into series production. Foster explained that the end of Waterfront was a financial decision.

“We’ve made 78 of them,” he said. “That’s enough for two years, including 26 weeks of reruns. The show is still riding high, and we could probably make more.

“But the profit is in the second runs. It’s important to sell them in the second-run market while the show’s popularity is high; you get a better price for them.

“Now is when the producers cash in on the investment. So far they haven’t made a profit. I’m the only one who has - because I was under salary.”