As a kid I watched this on local TV and found it very amusing. In my single digits I rarely paid attention to the perceived budgetary constraints on a film or TV series. I've always loved Robert Newton -no matter what he was in. He carries on his excellent interpretation of Stevenson's one-legged con man. Prior to the series he did a feature film, Return to Treasure Island,(1954), also starring later star Rod Taylor (Yup, he was an Aussie) as Israel Hand no less! The film segued into the series. Newton and Gilchrist stole the series with no effort. Sadly the budget was the demon here. The sets looked like cardboard and you rarely ever saw one of their ships (unless stock footage was used, and the costumes usually look like they were created by a teacher for a sixth grade play. Take a look at the governor's uniform in one episode. Hell they couldn't even afford a parrot! Looking at it nearly 50 years on it's still a lot of fun with spirited performances and well paced direction. Will today's kids, brought up on crap like the Pirates of the Caribbean "franchise" with it's naive premise and foppish "captain", not to mention the typical overuse of CGI go for this? I doubt it, as it requires them to listen and think - besides, it has a plot!
