Ever wonder where singing star Bobby Sherman and David Soul (Hutch of Starsky and Hutch fame) got their start? Why, in the backwoods of Seattle, of course – as stars in the 1968 Screen Gems sitcom, Here Come the Brides.

Based upon the film Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, this short-lived series took place in Seattle, circa 1870. The timber-laden locale offered a prosperous business opportunity for Jason Bolt (Soul,) a local logging camp operator. Keeping his crew happy was a different story – for although the trees were in abundance, local women were scarce and frustration was running high.

To remedy the situation, Jason borrowed a good chuck of cash from a rival sawmill owner named Aaron Stemple, which he used to persuade 100 girls from New Bedford, Massachusetts to relocate to the Pacific Northwest. The ladies, led by their “straw boss” Candy Pruitt, took Jason up on his offer and made the trek aboard a rather shabby ship called the “Shamus O’Flynn.” But Stemple’s generosity came with a caveat: should any of the girls abandon their surroundings within a year’s time, all of Jason’s land would be forfeited to the lender. And Stemple was more than willing to encourage their departure by making life on the mountain unbearable for the girls.

Although Joan Blondell, the Academy Award nominated actress who played Lottie Hatfield, received two Emmy Award nominations for her role on the series, the show never quite caught on and was cancelled at the end of the second season. Another actress on the series, Karen Carlson, did manage to capture a prize, however, as she eventually married her co-star David Soul. Meanwhile, the series managed to give Soul a much needed career boost, that, up until this point, consisted primarily of being the mysterious “Covered Man” who made several appearances on The Merv Griffin Show in the late 60s. Had it not been for Here Comes the Brides, he might never have met Starsky and television history would have been forever altered.