The Texan (1960)

In an age where every third program on television was a western, The Texan was one of the weakest in conception, seemingly devised and executed to ride the wave of popularity for the genre and the rugged good looks of its star Rory Calhoun. As detailed in the biographical section below, Calhoun backed into acting as a career, and the same could be said for his career-defining TV role. He had formed a production company with Victor Orsatti that had produced three feature-length westerns before venturing into television. But initially, as Calhoun told TV Guide, the two had planned an aquatic-themed series along the lines of Sea Hunt. However, Orsatti lived across the street from Desi Arnaz, who owned the rights to The Texan. Calhoun claimed that the financial deal for the western was better than his aquatic series, so The Texan was the series they made. The show, filmed at the Desilu studios with exteriors filmed in the Mojave Desert, ran for two full seasons from 1958-60 with Calhoun reportedly turning down a third season to focus on his film career, which was less time-consuming. During its first season the show ranked #15 in the ratings, ahead of such stalwarts as Perry Mason, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and Peter Gunn, surprising in that the show lacked the strong conceptual foundation of those other programs.

The series followed the exploits of former Confederate veteran Bill Longley as he drifted about the old west using his exceptional gun-slinging skills to help friends in trouble or to further the cause of justice. The historical Bill Longley of Texas was the polar opposite--a racist murderer who often gunned down unarmed men, deserted from the U.S. Army twice, was chased from his home state to South Dakota, and eventually drifted back to Texas and was hung in Giddings at the age of 27, reportedly having killed 32 men by that time. The real Bill Longley did not serve in the Confederate army during the Civil War, either. Even discounting the disparity between the real and fictional Bill Longleys, the series makes no attempt to provide much of a back story or explanation for Longley's moniker as The Texan or why he devotes his life to helping others. In the TV Guide interview Calhoun says, "I like to think of Bill as the Robin Hood of the west," but there are no episodes showing him stealing from the rich to aid the poor. His character always stays within the confines of the law, though occasionally he might bend it just a bit if he perceives that the local justice system is corrupt.

For example, in "24 Hours to Live" (September 5, 1960), he is summoned to the town of Claymore by Steve Murrow, convicted of killing a rival suitor, though he claims he is innocent. Longley is warned repeatedly by the local sheriff to leave town and not to try to free Murrow. Even when he finds a packet of I.O.U.s that the victim held against several prominent citizens, including the sheriff, and the sheriff demands that he hand them over as evidence, Longley claims not to have them and sets up a trap to lure the real killer into a stable to retrieve the damning evidence. 

More often, however, he works Perry Mason-style to uncover the real killer when someone with a vested interest skews the evidence to throw suspicion on an innocent scapegoat. In "The Guilty and the Innocent" (March 28, 1960) he comes to the defense of young Jed Lewis, accused of murdering a sharecropper and his wife by burning down their ranch, by seeking a stay of execution before blood-thirsty rancher Vance can whip the townfolk into a frenzy that will lead to a hasty lynching. By consulting with the doctor who conducted an autopsy on the deceased, Longley learns that the murderer used a distinctive caliber of bullet that traces straight back to Vance. And in the next episode, "Presentation Gun" (April 4, 1960), Longley exonerates Ironwood Sheriff Jim Calvin when he is able to trace a singed $20 bill from a bank fire back to the mayor's son, who had argued with the young victim about the bank robbery before shooting him down. However, Longley's rush to defend the innocent and maligned backfires on one occasion: in "The Nomad" (April 18, 1960) he rescues a drifter from a beating at the hands of local bullies, dubs him Tony, since the man doesn't even know his own name, and teaches Tony how to handle a pistol so that he can defend himself, only to see Tony's new-found power go to his head in exacting unfair revenge against his past tormentors. Tony eventually challenges his mentor to a gunfight until Longley is able to show him the error of his ways.

The genesis of these defense stories come in two flavors--Longley just happens to stumble into a situation, as in "The Governor's Lady" (March 14, 1960) when he rides along a trail and then sees a man being shot at by two attackers, or he is summoned by an old friend (of which he apparently had many) or a law official who needs him for a special assignment. One of the more unusual of the latter plots is "The Terrified Town" (January 11, 1960) in which the governor of an unnamed state issues a $500 reward for his capture, almost leading to his death at the hands of a pair of bounty hunters, as a means to bring him in so that he can dispatch him to clean up a corrupt border town. This episode kicks off a three-part story arc that is The Texan's most notable legacy--a multipart series with repeating characters and actors in an age when each episode was nearly always self-contained. (Wagon Train briefly bucked the trend when it ran a two-part story during 1960.) Reportedly these mini-series were devised to possibly be stitched together and sold as a feature-length film to overseas markets. Though this plan was never executed for The Texan, later series, most notably The Man From U.N.C.L.E., used this tactic as a way to generate additional revenue and interest. During calendar year 1960, The Texan had two such story arcs: the first was the three-part plot about cleaning up corrupt Rio Nada which covered the episodes "The Terrified Town," "Sixgun Street" (January 18, 1960), and "The Taming of Rio Nada" (January 25, 1960) (imdb.com, by the way, has the sequence of these episodes listed incorrectly). The second mini-series consisted of four installments in which Longley serves as the right-hand man for railroad builder David MacMorris comprised of the episodes "Quarantine" (February 8, 1960), "Buried Treasure" (February 15, 1960), "Captive Crew" (February 22, 1960), and "Showdown" (February 29, 1960).

Though he told TV Guide he was in acting for the money, some reports say he saw very little monetary gain from his association with Orsatti, which raises the same question one could ask about the TV series they co-produced--what was the point?

The theme music for The Texan was composed by William Loose and John Seely, who were profiled in the post for Dennis the Menace. No credit is given for the scores for individual episodes. 

Most of the complete series--70 surviving episodes out of the original 78 that were broadcast--has been released on DVD by Timeless Media Group.

The Actors

Rory Calhoun

Francis Timothy McCown was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Santa Cruz, California. His father, a professional gambler, died when he was 9 months old. His mother remarried and Calhoun adopted his stepfather's last name of Durgin. But he had a troubled youth: he was arrested at age 13 for stealing a gun and was sent to a reformatory institution from which he escaped. He then went on to rob several jewelry stores and took a stolen car across state lines, resulting in a three-year prison term. After his release, he worked as a boxer, cowpuncher, truck driver, lumberjack, and forest firefighter. He was spotted by Alan Ladd in 1943 riding horseback on a bridle path in a park. Ladd's wife, theatrical agent Sue Carol, got him small roles in two 1944 films and in the 1945 Laurel and Hardy film The Bullfighters. The Ladds then introduced him to David O. Selznick employee Henry Willson, who steered the careers of other young actors with more good looks than acting talent. Willson first dubbed the young actor "Troy Donahue" but then changed it to Rory Calhoun. Calhoun was next seen escorting Lana Turner to the premier of Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound followed by a series of supporting roles, particularly in The Red House (1947), which helped cement his status as a teen idol. He began playing opposite some of the biggest female stars in Hollywood, such as Susan Hayward in I'd Climb the Highest Mountain and With a Song in My Heart and Betty Grable in Meet Me After the Show and How to Marry a Millionaire (in which he, almost true to life, played a forest ranger). He married Latin bandleader and actress Lita Baron in 1949, and when she divorced him for adultery in 1970, she cited Grable as one of 79 women Calhoun had had affairs with, to which Calhoun retorted that she hadn't named even half of them. In 1966 he settled a paternity suit with Vitina Marcus; their daughter Athena went on to be named The World's Most Beautiful Showgirl in 1987. His criminal youth was exposed in 1955 as part of a deal Willson arranged with the press to hide the homosexual identity of one of Willson's other clients, Rock Hudson, but the revelation did not harm Calhoun's career. Willson steered him into leading roles in westerns in the 1950s, and Calhoun eventually formed a production company with Vic Orsatti that eventually spawned The Texan.

In an interview published in the February 13, 1960 edition of TV Guide, Calhoun displayed a nonchalant attitude about the success of his TV series and indicated that he would probably work another 10 years as an actor before moving on to something he was more keen about, like the lumberjack trade he was snatched from years earlier, which allowed him to be outdoors instead of cooped up inside a studio. But he would actually continue acting for over 30 more years. Once The Texan ended its second season, he appeared in Sergio Leone's sword-and-sandal directorial debut The Colossus of Rhodes and in the title role of another Italian production Marco Polo. He made occasional TV appearances throughout the 1960s on shows like Wagon Train, Bonanza, Rawhide, I Spy, and even Gilligan's Island. He was reportedly once considered for the role of Jim West that went to Robert Conrad on The Wild Wild West but by the 1970s, besides the continuing TV guest spots, his film work ventured into kitsch classics like Night of the Lepus, about giant man-eating rabbits, Revenge of Bigfoot, and Motel Hell. The 1980s brought more camp in films like Angel and the follow-up Avenging Angel as well as Hell Comes to Frogtown but also included more substantive work in the mini-series The Blue and the Gray and a recurring role as Judge Judson Tyler on the daytime drama Capitol, a role he was persuaded to take after turning down a part on Dallas. His last film role was as a grizzled patriarch opposite George Strait in Pure Country in 1992. Besides his acting career, he owned saloons, a hotel rug company, and a ranch. He also authored two western novels, The Man From Padera and Cerrado as well as screenplays for feature films Shotgun and The Domino Kid. He died of emphysema at the age of 76 on April 28, 1999.

Notable Guest Stars

Season 2, Episode 17, "Friend of the Family": John Dehner (Duke Williams on The Roaring '20's, Commodore Cecil Wyntoon on The Baileys of Balboa, Morgan Starr on The Virginian, Cyril Bennett on The Doris Day Show, Dr. Charles Cleveland Claver on The New Temperatures Rising Show, Barrett Fears on Big Hawaii, Marshal Edge Troy on Young Maverick, Lt. Joseph Broggi on Enos, Hadden Marshall on Bare Essence, and Billy Joe Erskine on The Colbys) plays Longley's former army commander Major Randolph. Roger Perry (James Harrigan, Jr. on Harrigan and Son, Det. Sgt. Dan Kirby on Arrest and Trial, Charles Parker on The Facts of Life, and John Costello on Falcon Crest) plays his son Rubin. James Coburn (shown on the left, starred in The Magnificent Seven, Charade, Our Man Flint, and In Like Flint and played Jeff Durain on Klondike and Gregg Miles on Acapulco) plays Randolph's nemesis Cal Gruder.

Season 2, Episode 18, "The Terrified Town": Reed Hadley (starred in I Shot Jesse James, The Return of Jesse James, Dallas, and Little Big Horn and played Capt. John Braddock on Racket Squad and Bart Matthews on Public Defender) plays Longley's friend Wild Jack Tobin. Valerie Allen (shown on the right, appeared in The Joker Is Wild, The Five Pennies, Bells Are Ringing, and Pillow Talk, and played Verna Mason on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show) plays his niece Anne Banner. Barbara Stuart (Bessie on The Great Gildersleeve, Alice on Pete and Gladys, Bunny on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., Peggy Ferguson on The McLean Stevenson Show, Marianne Danzig on Our Family Honor, and Alice on Huff) plays saloon owner Poker Alice.

Season 2, Episode 19, "Sixgun Street": Reed Hadley (see "The Terrified Town" above) returns as Wild Jack Tobin. Valerie Allen (see "The Terrified Town" above) returns as Anne Banner. Barbara Stuart (see "The Terrified Town" above) returns as Poker Alice. Richard Devon (Jody Barker on Yancy Derringer) plays rival saloon owner Tim Craven. Bob Steele (starred in Breezy Bill, Of Mice and Men, and The Big Sleep, played Billy the Kid in 6 westerns and Tucson Smith in 19 others, and played Trooper Duffy on F Troop) plays gun-for-hire Luke Short. Mason Alan Dinehart (Bat Masterson on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays Longley's friend The Brazos Kid.

Season 2, Episode 20, "The Taming of Rio Nada": Reed Hadley (see "The Terrified Town" above) returns as Wild Jack Tobin. Valerie Allen (see "The Terrified Town" above) returns as Anne Banner. Barbara Stuart (shown on the left, see "The Terrified Town" above) returns as Poker Alice. Richard Devon (see "The Terrified Town" above) returns as Tim Craven. Mason Alan Dinehart (see "The Terrified Town" above) returns as The Brazos Kid.

Season 2, Episode 21, "Thirty Hours to Kill": Mort Mills (Marshal Frank Tallman on Man Without a Gun, Sgt. Ben Landro on Perry Mason, and Sheriff Fred Madden on The Big Valley) plays family twin bullies Ben and Blackie Dawson. Ron Soble (Dirty Jim on The Monroes) plays his brother Amos. Ron Hayes (Wyatt Earp on Bat Masterson, Lincoln Vail on Everglades, Ben Jones on The Rounders, and Hank Johnson on Dallas) plays his brother Walt. Malcolm Atterbury (starred in I Was a Teenage Werewolf, The Birds, and The Learning Tree and played John Bixby on Wagon Train and Grandfather Aldon on Apple's Way) plays the town physician Doc Cooke. Forrest Lewis (Mr. Peavey on The Great Gildersleeve) plays stable-keeper Charlie.

Season 2, Episode 22, "Quarantine": David MacMorris (Victor Carroon on The Quartermass Experiment, Det. Insp. Ford on The Other Man, and Station Sgt. Cooper on Dixon of Dock Green) plays railroad builder Duncan Lamont. Alan Hale, Jr. (Biff Baker on Biff Baker U.S.A., Casey Jones on Casey Jones, and The Skipper on Gilligan's Island) plays Lamont's foreman Sculley. Frank Ferguson (Gus Broeberg on My Friend Flicka, Eli Carson on Peyton Place, and Dr. Barton Stuart on Petticoat Junction) plays railroad entrepeneur Thomas Laurie. Douglas Kennedy (starred in Adventures of Don Juan, I Was an American Spy, and Jack McCall, Desperado and played Marshal Steve Donovan on Steve Donovan, Western Marshal and Sheriff Fred Madden on The Big Valley) plays the Pottersburg sheriff. Lita Baron (shown on the right, Rory Calhoun's wife) plays saloon girl Dolores.

Season 2, Episode 23, "Buried Treasure": Andy Clyde (shown on the left, see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Real McCoys) plays prospector Andy Miles. David MacMorris (see "Quarantine" above) returns as Duncan Lamont. Alan Hale, Jr. (see "Quarantine" above) returns as Sculley. Lita Baron (see "Quarantine" above) returns as Dolores.

Season 2, Episode 24, "Captive Crew": David MacMorris (see "Quarantine" above) returns as Duncan Lamont. Alan Hale, Jr. (see "Quarantine" above) returns as Sculley. Michael Pate (starred in Face to Face, Julius Caesar, Hondo, and Tower of London and played Chief Vittoro on Hondo and Det. Sgt. Vic Maddern on Matlock) plays escaped convict leader Emory. Mike Mazurki (starred in Murder My Sweet, Dick Tracy (1945), and It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World and played Clon on It's About Time) plays escaped convict Kale.

Season 2, Episode 25, "Showdown": David MacMorris (see "Quarantine" above) returns as Duncan Lamont. Alan Hale, Jr. (shown on the right, see "Quarantine" above) returns as Sculley. Hugh Sanders (starred in That's My Boy, The Pride of St. Louis, The Winning Team, and The Wild One) plays railroad financier Henry Beekman. Ron Hayes (see "Thirty Hours to Kill" above) plays thug Ty Embry.

Season 2, Episode 27, "The Governor's Lady": Richard Travis (Rodger Barnett on Code 3 and Thompson on The Grand Jury) plays the governor. Lita Baron (see "Quarantine" above) plays his fiance Abby Moreno. Frank Puglia (starred in My Favorite Brunette, Road to Rio, and 20 Million Miles to Earth and played Bibo on To Rome With Love) plays her father Carlos. Myron Healey (Doc Holliday on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays Carlos' henchman Clay Calder. 

Season 2, Episode 28, "Town Divided": Walter Coy (Zoravac on Rocky Jones, Space Ranger and the narrator on Frontier) plays Persada physician Dr. Nelson. Steven Terrell (Tom on The Pride of the Family) plays his maimed patient Ken Crowley. June Blair (June Nelson, David's wife, on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and Julie Greer on Two Faces West) plays Crowley's fiance Ellen Warren. Morgan Woodward (shown on the left, see the biography section of the 1960 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays Crowley's foreman Mark Jordan. Robert Foulk (Ed Davis on Father Knows Best, Sheriff Miller on Lassie, Joe Kingston on Wichita Town, Phillip Toomey on The Rifleman, and Mr. Wheeler on Green Acres) plays a bartender.

Season 2, Episode 29, "The Guilty and the Innocent": Robert F. Simon (Dave Tabak on Saints and Sinners, Gen. Alfred Terry on Custer, Frank Stephens on Bewitched, Uncle Everett McPherson on Nancy, Capt. Rudy Olsen on The Streets of San Francisco, and J. Jonah Jameson on The Amazing Spiderman) plays blood-thirsty cattleman Vance. Don C. Harvey (Collins on Rawhide) plays his foreman Tom. Denver Pyle (Ben Thompson on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Grandpa Tarleton on Tammy, Briscoe Darling on The Andy Griffith Show, Buck Webb on The Doris Day Show, Mad Jack on The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, and Uncle Jesse on The Dukes of Hazzard) plays the town sheriff. Percy Helton (Homer Cratchit on The Beverly Hillbillies) plays undertaker Lem Munson. Norman Leavitt (Ralph on Trackdown) plays a bartender. Helen Wallace (Nurse Lucy Webber on Dr. Kildare) plays an accused killer's mother Ma Lewis.

Season 2, Episode 30, "Presentation Gun": Robert Brubaker (Deputy Ed Blake on U.S. Marshal and Floyd on Gunsmoke) plays Ironwood sheriff Jim Calvin. Stafford Repp (shown on the right, played Chief O'Hara on Batman) plays Ironwood mayor Harvey Sloane. Gary Judis (Dr. Vincent Barnes on Dr. Kildare) plays Sloane's son Curly. Harry Harvey (Sheriff Tom Blodgett on The Roy Rogers Show, Mayor George Dixon on Man Without a Gun, and Houghton Stott on It's a Man's World) plays lawyer Cass Porter. 

Season 2, Episode 32, "The Nomad": Robert Anderson (Park Street, Jr. on The Court of Last Resort and Aeneas MacLinahan on Wichita Town) plays saloon owner Frasier. Burt Mustin (Foley on The Great Gildersleeve, Mr. Finley on Date With the Angels, Gus the fireman on Leave It to Beaver, Jud Fletcher on The Andy Griffith Show, and Justin Quigley on All in the Family) plays a scared old-timer. 

Season 2, Episode 33, "Killer's Road": Robert J. Wilke (appeared in Best of the Badmen, High Noon, The Far Country, and Night Passage and played Capt. Mendoza on Zorro) plays accused killer Asa Kirby. James Best (shown on the left, played Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane on The Dukes of Hazzard) plays his son Clay. 

 

Season 2, Episode 34, "Lady Tenderfoot": Emory Parnell (Hawkins on The Life of Riley and Hank the bartender on Lawman) plays horse breeder Hugo Henshaw. Jack Elam (shown on the right, played Deputy J.D. Smith on The Dakotas and George Taggart on Temple Houston) plays hustler Dud Parsons. Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez (Pedro Vasquez on earlier episodes of The Texan) plays Longley's friend Pedro Martinez. Billy M. Greene (Skrag on Captain Video and His Video Rangers) plays a hotel clerk. 

Season 2, Episode 35, "The Invisible Noose": Charles Maxwell (Special Agent Joe Carey on I Led 3 Lives and the voice of the radio announcer on Gilligan's Island) plays bank robber Jeff. Bill Erwin (Joe Walters on My Three Sons and Glenn Diamond on Struck by Lightning) plays Gila Bend Sheriff Rand. Paul Keast (Nathaniel Carter on Casey Jones) plays the town parson. 

Season 2, Episode 37, "Johnny Tuvo": Ron Hagerthy (Clipper King on Sky King) plays fortune hunter Johnny Tuvo. Frank Wilcox (Henry Van Buren on Waterfront, Beecher Asbury on The Untouchables, Mr. Brewster on The Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction, and the judge 8 times on Perry Mason) plays rancher Robert Kincade. Mary Webster (shown on the left, played Rachel Verinder on The Moonstone, Jill Reed on Emergency-Ward 10, Anna on Circus, and Sarah Onedin on The Onedin Line) plays Tuvo's girlfriend Carrie Nagle. Myron Healey (see "The Governor's Lady" above) plays robber Gait Gaylot. Dehl Berti (Vittorio on Buck James and John Taylor on Guns of Paradise) plays his accomplice Mouse Murphy. Roberto Contreras (Pedro on The High Chapparal) plays Tuvo's friend Maggio. 

Season 2, Episode 38, "The Accuser": Don Haggerty (Jeffrey Jones on The Files of Jeffrey Jones, Eddie Drake on The Cases of Eddie Drake, Sheriff Dan Elder on State Trooper, and Marsh Murdock on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays Sheriff Lew Taylor. Harry Cheshire (see the biography section for the 1960 post on Lawman) plays town physician Doc McKensie. Jimmy Lydon (starred in Tom Brown's School Days, Little Men, Joan of Arc, and 9 Henry Aldrich features and played Biff Cardoza on Rocky Jones, Space Ranger, Andy Boone on So This Is Hollywood, and Richard on Love That Jill) plays bank teller Smitty. Kristine Miller (Margaret Jones on Stories of the Century) plays Taylor's girlfriend Mattie Benton. Mike Mazurki (see "Captive Crew" above) plays a bank robber. 

Season 2, Episode 39, "Mission to Monterey": Raymond Bailey (shown on the right, played Milburn Drysdale on The Beverly Hillbillies, Dean Magruder on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, D.A. John Carvell on The Untouchables, and Mr. Beaumont on My Sister Eileen) plays U.S. Consul to Mexico James Wade. Richard Carlyle (Casey on Crime Photographer) plays counterfeiter Clay Beaumont. 

Season 2, Episode 40, "Badman": Gilman Rankin (Deputy Charlie Riggs on Tombstone Territory) plays Sheriff Roy Adams. Beverly Washburn (starred in Old Yeller and played Kit Wilson on Professional Father and Vickie Massey on The New Loretta Young Show) plays the daughter of the man who shot Adams in the leg, Greta Branden. John Harmon (hotel clerk Eddie Halstead on The Rifleman) plays gang member Russ Hardin. John Alderson (Sgt. Bullock on Boots and Saddles) plays gang member Jake.

Season 2, Episode 41, "24 Hours to Live": Charles Cooper (starred in The Wrong Man and played the sheriff on Father Murphy and Judge Robert Boucher on The Practice) plays accused killer Steve Murrow. Paul Birch (Erle Stanley Gardner on The Court of Last Resort, Mike Malone on Cannonball, and Capt. Carpenter on The Fugitive) plays Claymore Sheriff Benson. Barbara Kelly (Barbara on B and B and the voice of the computer on Space: 1999) plays Murrow's former girlfriend Ruth. Burt Mustin (shown on the left, see "The Nomad" above) plays telegraph operator Pop Evans.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1960)

Drama anthologies were common television fare in the 1950s, many of them affiliated with well-known corporations, such as General Electric Theater, Goodyear Television Playhouse, and The United States Steel Hour. Alfred Hitchcock Presents, which ran for seven seasons on CBS, had the cachet of the Master of Suspense, and, as with The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, the title was key to understanding the gist of the series. Because, while the stories, or "plays" as Hitchcock often calls them, are interesting enough in and of themselves, the show's true character came from its host, though he directed only 17 of the series' 268 episodes in its half-hour format (it was expanded to The Alfred Hitchcock Hour for the 1962-63 season). Biographer Patrick McGilligan says that Hitchcock took a much more active role in story and personnel selection than his on-screen Executive Producer credit would indicate, but in the minds of his viewers it was his introductions and conclusions, his "presenting" before and after each "play" that gave the show its distinctive flavor. According to McGilligan, in the initial episode from 1955 Hitchcock makes only a brief and perfunctory introduction. But his role was soon expanded, aided and abetted by his personal script-writer James B. Allardice, to include sometimes thematically related props and droll observations about that night's story, general topics of the day, or savage criticisms of his sponsor. In the episodes that aired in calendar year 1960, Hitchcock lampooned such topics as political elections, the Olympics, and golf. 

The opening sequence begins with a caricature of himself that Hitchcock originally drew for a family Christmas card, followed by his unmistakable silhouette gliding across the screen and then obscuring the caricature, then cutting to Hitchcock's filmed monologue usually begun "Good evening." The critics agreed with the format: John Crosby of the New York Herald Tribune wrote, "The best thing about Alfred Hitchcock Presents is Alfred Hitchcock presenting." He filmed these vignettes in bunches--8 or 9 in a single day--and liked to have a season's worth completed in the fall before Christmas so that he could devote the new year to his film projects. Viewers agreed with the critics--by its second season Alfred Hitchcock Presents had risen to #6 in the ratings, and though its popularity waned slightly thereafter, it still stayed in the top 30 for the rest of the 1950s. Recognizing a good thing when they saw it, NBC tried to jump on the Hitchcock bandwagon by recruiting him to be executive producer for their own suspense-themed anthology Suspicion and had him direct the series' first episode. But with Dennis O'Keefe hosting the first season's episodes and Walter Abel taking over for Season 2, the show lacked the charm of being presented by Hitchcock himself and was canceled after its second season.

Perhaps the most significant contribution to popular culture by Alfred Hitchcock Presents was the way it reshaped the public's perception of Hitchcock, as others have suggested. Though Hitchcock was not only the Master of Suspense but also a master of publicity in drumming up interest in the press about his latest picture, the general public saw little of him other than the brief cameos he cleverly inserted into his films. His television series added another dimension to his personality as a droll deliverer of witty observances who wasn't afraid to poke fun not only at his sponsors but also at himself with the absurd props he employed for his opening monologue. The other significant effect of the series, as reported by McGilligan, was that Hitchcock approached the making of Psycho in 1959-60 as a long-form version of an Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode. In fact, he told his staff the feature film would be "the ultimate Alfred Hitchcock Presents." It was shot in black-and-white on a quick, TV-like schedule and used some of the same crew as the television series. The formula yielded what is perhaps the most memorable film of his career.

The stories for the TV show, often hand-picked by Hitchcock, were also first-rate. Authors featured in calendar year 1960 included such heavyweights as John Cheever (twice), Roald Dahl (twice), Philip Roth, and British short-story icon Saki (H.H. Munro). Many of the stories had the Hitchcock signature ending twist, many did not detail grisly crimes such as murder but dealt with more mundane topics such as adultery and theft, and most illustrated the oft-quoted line from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream: Lord, what fools these mortals be. 

Mama's boys come in for harsh treatment in a couple of the year's episodes. In "Across the Threshold" (February 28, 1960) widow Sofie Winter has never gotten over the death of her husband 6 years hence, and she keeps her son Hubert under her thumb to compensate for her loss. When Hubert arranges for his theatrical girlfriend to impersonate a medium who tells Sofie that her husband is lonely on the other side of the threshold, Sofie decides that she will join him by taking an overdose of the medicine her husband used to take before his demise. Hubert is only too anxious for his mother to depart this world so that he can claim his inheritance and be out of her clutches, but he doesn't realize until it's too late that she has plans for him on the other side, too. And in "Mother, May I Go Out to Swim?" (April 10, 1960) John Crane still lives with his widowed mother and treats her with an affection that borders on the Oedipal. When he goes up to Vermont for a vacation while she visits other family but plans to join him later, he meets a pretty German emigre who runs the local giftshop and quickly falls in love with her but cannot free himself from his devotion to mother. When forced to choose between the two women, Crane falls back on the familiarity of mother with disastrous consequences for the new girlfriend.

Hitchcock was a known opponent of the death penalty. "Cell 227" (June 5, 1960) is set on death row in a federal penitentiary. The opening scene graphically portrays a convict named De Baca being given false hope by his cellmates that he will receive a stay of execution, only to be led off kicking and screaming to the gas chamber by prison guards led by the always cheerful Pops Lafferty, whom most of the inmates see as a kindly soul only there to help. But wrongly convicted English professor Herbert Morrison refuses to give De Baca any slack and clearly despises Lafferty, whom he sees as ghoulish, smiling while leading men to their deaths. He is determined not to hope for a stay and forbids his attorney to apply for one, saying that he will face his death like a man and that he will fight against the system his own way. In a conversation with the prison chaplain, Morrison points out the hypocrisy of a society that condemns murder and then commits it against those convicted of the crime. But even a man with Morrison's integrity is dealt an unexpected fate after strangling Lafferty to death just before entering the gas chamber only to learn that moments before he had been granted a stay because law enforcement had obtained a retraction from the witness who perjured himself to put Morrison away.

Following this grim, tragic episode, the next week's show featured a light-hearted romp titled "The Schatz-Metterklume Method" (June 12, 1960) in which upper crust Lady Charlotte is mistaken for a governess by a family of self-important provincials who are then taught a lesson themselves when the free-thinking Lady allows their children to splash in the mud and learn about animal reproductive systems. Hitchcock was very aware of American sense of morality, and most episodes, though not all, show the self-important, the greedy, and the cheaters getting their come-uppance by the story's close. But the year's final episode, "The Man Who Found the Money" (December 27, 1960) does not offer such a tidy resolution or comforting closure. School teacher William Benson is vacationing in Las Vegas when he finds a money clip with $92,000. He considers keeping the money but after a restless night, he puts the money in a safety deposit box, places an ad in the local paper, and on a newspaper man's advice, reports the incident to the police. Only the amount of money lost was actually $102,000, and it was lost by the owner of a casino. Despite his truthfulness, neither the police nor the casino owner believe his story, and doom awaits him by the time the final credits roll.

These edgy, twisty stories of human folly are similar in tone to a series that would debut in 1959 and become a cult classic, The Twilight Zone, though Hitchcock never enters the extra-terrestrial or the paranormal. It seems that there's more than enough fodder for irony and critique right here, right now, Hitchcock might say.

The easily recognizable opening and closing theme for Alfred Hitchcock was "Funeral March of a Marionette" composed by Charles Gounod, suggested to Hitchcock by his long-time soundtrack composer Bernard Herrmann.

The first six seasons have been released on DVD by Universal Studios.

The Actors

Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Joseph Hitchock was born in London in 1899, the youngest of three children. His father was a grocer, and was raised a Catholic, attending the Jesuit-run St. Ignatius College. Though biographer Donald Spoto has described Hitchcock's childhood as dark, harsh, and somewhat Dickensian, Patrick McGilligan's more recent work, Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light, says that Hitchcock's youth was rather normal for a working family of that era. Though he was overweight his entire life, even as a child, and therefore subject to the sort of ostracism that comes with childhood cruelty, he was not friendless, nor a complete loner. In fact, McGilligan is not able to put his finger on exactly why Hitchcock developed a taste for horror, suspense, and the macabre. In 1914 he was hired by the Henley Telegraph Works, where he was initially assigned to calculate the size and voltage of cables. Though he was deemed physically unfit to serve in the British army in World War I, he still joined a cadet regiment of the Royal Engineers, which involved hearing talks and practicing marching rather than any real training in the art of fighting. After the war he continued working at Henley's, moving over to sales where he learned design and draftmanship. He also took art courses at Goldsmiths' College, training that would serve him well in the film industry. At Henley's he eventually moved into advertising and was a founding editor, business manager, and sometime contributor to the company magazine, in which several short early works of his fiction were published. These brief vignettes display Hitchcock's penchant for suspenseful plots and endings with a twist. During this period he also became fascinated with early silent films.

When Paramount Studios opened a British operation called Famous Players-Lasky, Hitchcock left Henley's to go work for the fledgling studio. Initially he designed and drew title cards for the studio's silent films but gradually worked his way up to art director by 1921, though he was also involved in reviewing scripts and working out camera angles for films in production. It was while working here that he met Alma Reville, whom he would marry five years later. In 1923 Hitchcock got his first crack at directing when he was assigned to take over and finish Always Tell Your Wife when the director fell ill. This led to being allowed to direct another film from the beginning, Number Thirteen, but the studio shut its doors before the film could be finished. When Famous Players-Lasky closed, Hitchcock moved over to Gainsborough Pictures, where he completed his first film, The Pleasure Garden, filmed in Germany. Though this picture did not fare well at the box office and he later described his next work, The Mountain Eagle, as a "bad movie," his third work for Gainsborough, The Lodger, released in 1927, was his first master work and established his reputation as a director of note. Hitchcock quickly became Britain's most famous and critically acclaimed director and was brought to America in 1939 by David Selznick to direct Rebecca. By the mid-1950s he was at the height of his career, the perfect time to become a household name through the medium of television, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents  was born.

Hitchcock continued his film career, of course, another 11 years after his television tenure ended, with his last feature, Family Plot, released in 1976. In 1979 he was made a Knight of the British Empire. He died of renal failure on April 29, 1980 at the age of 80. He was cremated and his ashes were spread over the Pacific Ocean.

Notable Guest Stars

Season 5, Episode 15, "Man From the South": Steve McQueen (shown on the right, see the biography section for the 1960 post for Wanted: Dead or Alive) plays an unnamed gambler. Neile Adams (McQueen's first wife) plays a woman he picks up at a bar. Peter Lorre (shown on th left, starred in M, Crime and Punishment, eight Mr. Moto movies, The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, Arsenic and Old Lace, and The Beast With Five Fingers) plays an older gambler Carlos. Tyler McVey (Gen. Maj. Norgath on Men Into Space) plays a middle-aged observer who is asked to referee the bet. Marc Cavell (Gray Hawk on Pistols 'n' Petticoats) plays a bellhop.

Season 5, Episode 16, "The Ikon of Elijah": Oskar Homolka (starred in The Dreyfus Case, Anna Lucasta, The Seven Year Itch, War and Peace, and A Farewell to Arms) plays greedy antiques dealer Carpius. Sam Jaffe (starred in Lost Horizon, Gunga Din, The Asphalt Jungle, and Ben-Hur and played Dr. David Zorba on Ben Casey) plays the monastery's Father Superior.

Season 5, Episode 17, "The Cure": Nehemiah Persoff (starred in The Wrong Man, Al Capone, and Some Like It Hot) plays jungle explorer Jeff Jensen. Cara Williams (shown on the right, starred in The Girl Next Door, The Helen Morgan Story, and The Defiant Ones and played Gladys Porter on Pete and Gladys and Cara Bridges on The Cara Williams Show) plays his wife Marie.  Mark Richman (Nicholas Cain on Cain's Hundred, Duke Paige on Longstreet, C.C. Capwell on Santa Barbara, and Andrew Laird on Dynasty) plays Jeff's partner Mike.

Season 5, Episode 18, "Backward, Turn Backward": Alan Baxter (appeared in Saboteur, Close-Up, and Paint Your Wagon) plays Sheriff Andy Willetts. Paul Maxwell (Steve Tanner on Coronation Street, Sam Webber on The Lotus Eaters, Hellman on The Aphrodite Inheritance and the voice of Col. Steve Zodiac on Fireball XL5) plays his assistant Saul.  Tom Tully (starred in Destination Tokyo, The Lady in the Lake, The Turning Point, The Jazz Singer (1952), and The Caine Mutiny and played Inspector Matt Grebb on The Lineup and Tom Starett on Shane) plays murder suspect Phil Canby. Raymond Bailey (Milburn Drysdale on The Beverly Hillbillies, Dean Magruder on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, D.A. John Carvell on The Untouchables, and Mr. Beaumont on My Sister Eileen) plays law official Mr. Harris.

Season 5, Episode 19, "Not the Running Type": Robert Bray (Simon Kane on Stagecoach West and Corey Stuart on Lassie) plays police Capt. Ernest Fisher. Herbert Ellis (Officer Frank Smith on Dragnet (1952-53), Frank LaValle on The D.A.'s Man, Wilbur on Peter Gunn, and Dr. Dan Wagner on Hennesey) plays police Lt. Hogan.  Paul Hartman (shown on the left, played Albie Morrison on The Pride of the Family, Charlie on Our Man Higgins, Emmett Clark on The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry R.F.D., and Bert Smedley on Petticoat Junction) plays embezzler Milton Potter. Bert Freed (appeared in The Atomic City, The Cobweb, and Paths of Glory and played Rufe Ryker on Shane) plays police Lt. Harvey Ellison.

Season 5, Episode 20, "The Day of the Bullet": Dennis Patrick (Paul Stoddard on Dark Shadows and Vaughn Leland on Dallas) plays mobster Mr. Rose. Harry Landers (Dr. Ted Hoffman on Ben Casey) plays his chauffeur Joe. Barry Gordon (Dennis Whitehead on The New Dick Van Dyke Show, Charlie Harrison on Fish, Gary Rabinowitz on Archie Bunker's Place, Roger Hightower on A Family for Joe, and the voice of Donatello on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) plays Ignace Kovacs as a boy. Glenn Walken (Steve Tucker on Leave It to Larry) plays his best friend Clete Vine. David Fresco (Albert Wysong on Murder One) plays a man Rose beats up. Sam Gilman (Sam Grafton on Shane) plays a police patrolman. Clegg Hoyt (Mac on Dr. Kildare) plays a police sergeant.

Season 5, Episode 21, "Hitch Hike": John McIntire (shown on the right, starred in Call Northside 777, The Street With No Name, Winchester '73, Psycho, and Elmer Gantry and played Lt. Dan Muldoon on Naked City, Christopher Hale on Wagon Train, Clay Grainger on The Virginian, and Dutch McHenry on Shirley) plays town alderman Charles Underhill. Suzanne Pleshette (shown on the left, starred in The Geisha Boy, The Birds, A Rage to Live, The Ugly Dachshund, Nevada Smith, and Support Your Local Gunfighter and played Emily Hartley on The Bob Newhart Show, Maggie Briggs on Suzanne Pleshette Is Maggie Briggs¸ Christine Broderick on Nightingales, Jackie Hansen on The Boys Are Back, and Claire Arnold on Good Morning Miami) plays his niece Anne. Robert Morse (shown in the middle, starred in The Matchmaker, The Loved One, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?, and A Guide for the Married Man and played Robert Dickson on That's Life, Edwin O'Malley on City of Angels, and Bertram Cooper on Mad Men) plays young hitchhiker Len. Read Morgan (Sgt. Hapgood Tasker on The Deputy) plays a motorcycle cop.

Season 5, Episode 22, "Across the Threshold": Patricia Collinge  appeared in The Little Foxes, Shadow of a Doubt, Tender Comrade, Teresa, Washington Story, and The Nun's Story) plays controlling widow Sofie Winter. George Grizzard (starred in Advise & Consent, Comes a Horseman, and Bachelor Party and played Arthur Gold on Law & Order) plays her son Hubert. Barbara Baxley (starred in Countdown, Nashville, Norma Rae, and The Exorcist III) plays George's girlfriend Irma Coulette.

Season 5, Episode 23, "Craig's Will": Dick Van Dyke (shown on the right, starred in Bye, Bye, Birdie, Mary Poppins, Lt. Robinson Crusoe, U.S.N., Fitzwilly, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and played Rob Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show, Dick Preston on The New Dick Van Dyke Show, Dick Burgess on The Van Dyke Show, and Dr. Mark Sloan on Diagnosis Murder) plays wealthy inheritor Thomas Craig. Stella Stevens (shown on the left, starred in Girls! Girls! Girls!, The Nutty Professor, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, The Silencers, Where Angels Go Trouble Follows, and The Poseidon Adventure and played Lute-Mae Sanders on Flamingo Road) plays his girlfriend Judy. Paul Stewart (starred in Citizen Kane, Kiss Me Deadly, Twelve O'Clock High, Champion, and In Cold Blood and was the host of Deadline) plays private investigator Vincent Noonan. Harry Tyler (Steve Rhodes on Black Saddle) plays the Craig's butler Sam Loomis. Red (Jasper the Second on Bachelor Father and Fang on Get Smart) plays the Craig's dog Casper.

Season 5, Episode 24, "Madame Mystery": Audrey Totter (shown on the right, starred in The Postman Always Rings Twice, Lady in the Lake, The Set-up, and Any Number Can Play and played Beth Purcell on Cimarron City, Alice MacRoberts on Our Man Higgins, Nurse Wilcox on Medical Center) plays over-the-hill actress Betsy Blake. Joby Baker (David Lewis on Good Morning, World) plays movie promoter Jimmy Dolan.

Season 5, Episode 25, "The Little Man Who Was There": Norman Lloyd (starred in Saboteur, Spellbound, A Walk in the Sun, and M, played Dr. Daniel Asuchlander on St. Elsewhere, Dr. Marcus on Home Fires, and Dr. Isaac Mentnor on Seven Days, and was assistant producer on Alfred Hitchcock Presents) plays a mysterious stranger in town. Arch Johnson (starred in Somebody Up There Likes Me, G.I. Blues, and The Cheyenne Social Club and played Cmdr. Wivenhoe on Camp Runamuck) plays positivity preacher Jamie. Read Morgan (see "Hitch Hike" above) plays his sidekick Ben. Clancy Cooper (Timmo McQueen on Lawman) plays barfly Swede.

Season 5, Episode 26, "Mother, May I Go Out to Swim?": William Shatner (shown on the left, starred in The Brothers Karamazov, Judgment at Nuremberg, Kingdom of the Spiders, and The Kidnapping of the President and played David Koster on For the People, Dr. Carl Noyes on Dr, Kildare, Capt. James T. Kirk on Star Trek, Jeff Cable on Barbary Coast, Sgt. T.J. Hooker on T.J. Hooker, Walter H. Bascom on TekWar, Denny Crane on The Practice and Boston Legal, and Dr. Edison Milford Goodson III on $#*! My Dad Says) plays over-mothered young man John Crane. Jessie Royce Landis (appeared in Mr. Belvedere Goes to College, To Catch a Thief, My Man Godfrey, and North by Northwest) plays his mother Claire. Robert Carson (Mr. Maddis on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show) plays the coroner board chairman.

Season 5, Episode 27, "The Cuckoo Clock": Beatrice Straight (starred in Network, Endless Love, and Poltergeist and played Louisa Beauchamp on King's Crossing) plays widow Ida Blythe. Patricia Hitchcock (daughter of Alfred Hitchcock, appeared in Stage Fright, Strangers on a Train, and Psycho) plays her daughter Dorothy. Fay Spain (starred in Dragstrip Girl, Al Capone, and The Gentle Rain) plays woman on the run Madeleine Hall.

Season 5, Episode 28, "Forty Detectives Later": James Franciscus (Det. Jimmy Halloran on Naked City, Russ Andrews on The Investigators, John Novak on Mr. Novak, Mike Longstreet on Longstreet, Benjamin Elliot on Doc Elliot, and James Hunter on Hunter) plays private detective William Tyre. Jack Weston (shown on the right, played Wilbur "Wormsey" Wormser on Red Brown of the Rocket Rangers, Chick Adams on My Sister Eileen, Walter Hathaway on The Hathaways, and Danny Zimmer on The Four Seasons) plays second-hand shop proprietor Otto. Arlene McQuade (Rosalie Goldberg on The Milton Berle Show and The Goldbergs) plays Otto's wife Gloria.

Season 5, Episode 29, "The Hero": Oskar Homolka (see "The Ikon of Elijah" above) plays one-time prospector Vander Klaue. Irene Tedrow (Mrs. Elkins on Dennis the Menace) plays Mrs. Musgrave, the wife of a wealthy British businessman. Bartlett Robinson (Frank Caldwell on Mona McCluskey) plays ship passenger Henry Caldwell.

Season 5, Episode 30, "Insomnia": Dennis Weaver (shown on the left, see the biography section for the 1960 post on Gunsmoke) plays insomniac Charles Cavender. John S. Ragin (Walter Cramer on Sons and Daughters and Dr. Robert Asten on Quincy, M.E.) plays his dead wife's brother Jack Fletcher. Al Hodge (Captain Video on The Secret Files of Captain Video and Captain Video and His Video Rangers) plays his boss Mr. Turney. Ken Clark (appeared in Love Me Tender, South Pacific, Attack of the Giant Leeches, and 12 to the Moon) plays a fire chief. Sam Gilman (see "The Day of the Bullet" above) plays a fireman.

Season 5, Episode 31, "I Can Take Care of Myself": Linda Lawson (shown on the right, played Renee on Adventures in Paradise, Pat Perry on Don't Call Me Charlie, and Laura Fremont on Ben Casey) plays nightclub singer Georgia. Myron McCormick (starred in No Time for Sergeants and The Hustler) plays her pianist Bert Haber. Will Kuluva (Charlie Kingman on Primus) plays nightclub owner Joey. Frankie Darro (starred in The Mayor of Hell, Wild Boys of the Road, Little Men, and played Robbie the Robot in Forbidden Planet) plays mobster Little Dandy Dorf. Lennie Weinrib (the voice of H.R. Pufnstuf on H.R. Pufnstuf, Moonrock on The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show, and Scrappy-Doo on Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo amongst many others) plays replacement pianist Amos. Pat Harrington, Jr. (Pat Hannigan on Make Room for Daddy, DA Charlie Gianetta on Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law, and Dwayne F. Schneider on One Day at a Time) plays Little Dandy's hitman.

Season 5, Episode 32, "One Grave Too Many": Jeremy Slate (starred in The Sons of Katie Elder, The Devil's Brigade, and True Grit and played Larry Lahr on The Aquanauts) plays unemployed Joe Helmer. Neile Adams (see "Man From the South" above) plays his wife Irene. Howard McNear (shown on the left, played Floyd Lawson on The Andy Griffith Show and Jansen the Plumber on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show) plays loan officer Mr. Pickett. Tyler McVey (see "Man From the South" above) plays a police desk sergeant.

Season 5, Episode 33, "Party Line": Judy Canova (shown on the right, starred in Artists and Models, Sleepytime Gal, Louisiana Hayride, and The WAC From Walla Walla) plays busybody Helen Parch. Ellen Corby (Henrietta Porter on Trackdown and Esther Walton on The Waltons) plays her neighbor Emma. Gertrude Flynn (appeared in War and Peace, Rome Adventure, and Funny Girl and played Anna Sawyer on Days of Our Lives) plays her neighbor Betty Nubbins. Royal Dano (appeared in The Far Country, Moby Dick, and The Outlaw Josey Wales) plays detective Mr. Atkins. Ted Knight (Ted Baxter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Roger Dennis on The Ted Knight Show, and Henry Rush on Too Close for Comfort) plays general store owner Mr. Maynard. Arch Johnson (see "The Little Man Who Was There" above) plays former neighbor Haywood Miller.

Season 5, Episode 34, "Cell 227": Brian Keith (shown on the left, starred in The Parent Trap, The Pleasure Seekers, With Six You Get Eggroll, and The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming and played Matt Anders on The Crusader, Dave Blassingame on The Westerner, Uncle Bill Davis on Family Affair, Steven Halliday on The Zoo Gang, Lew Archer on Archer, Milton C. Hardcastle on Hardcastle and McCormick, Professor Roland G. Duncan on Pursuit of Happiness, B.L. McCutcheon on Heartland, and Walter Collins on Walter & Emily) plays convicted English professor Herbert Morrison. James Best (Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane on The Dukes of Hazzard) plays convict Hennessy. James Westerfield (appeared in The Shaggy Dog, The Absent-Minded Professor, and The Love God? and played John Murrel on The Travels of Jamie McPheeters) plays head prison guard Pops Lafferty. Frank Maxwell (Duncan MacRoberts on Our Man Higgins and Col. Garraway on The Second Hundred Years) plays Morrison's lawyer Maury Berg. Liam Sullivan (Major Mapoy on The Monroes, Dr. Joseph Lerner on The Young and the Restless, and Mr. Willis on Knots Landing) plays prison chaplain Father McCann. Robert Carson (see "Mother, May I Go Out to Swim?" above) plays Warden Elvery. William Mims (Editor Dameron on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays a prison guard.

Season 5, Episode 35, "The Schatz-Metterklume Method": Hermoine Gingold (starred in The Pickwick Papers, Gigi, and The Music Man) plays aristocrat Lady Charlotte. Noel Drayton (Mr. Hardcastle on Family Affair) plays horse owner Huggins. Elspeth March (Mother on Let There Be Love) plays provincial socialite Mrs. Wellington. Patricia Hitchcock (see "The Cuckoo Clock" above) plays lady's maid Rose. Veronica Cartwright (starred in The Birds, The Children's Hour, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), Alien, The Right Stuff, and The Witches of Eastwick and played Jemima Boone on Daniel Boone, Molly Hark on Tanner '88, A.D.A. Margaret Flanagan on L.A. Law, Cassandra Spender on The X-Files, Valerie Shenkman on Invasion, and Bun Waverly on Eastwick) plays one of the Wellington children.

Season 5, Episode 36, "Letter of Credit": Robert Bray (see "Not the Running Type" above) plays investigator Henry Taylor. Cyril Delevanti (Lucious Coin on Jefferson Drum) plays retired bank president Josiah Wingate. Bob Sweeney (Oliver Munsey on Our Miss Brooks, Fibber McGee on Fibber McGee and Molly, and Gilly Box on Brothers; also directed 80 episodes of The Andy Griffith Show and lesser numbers of many other series) plays his son-in-law William Spengler.

Season 5, Episode 37, "Escape to Sonoita": Burt Reynolds (shown on the right, see the biography section for the 1960 post on Riverboat) plays truck driver Bill Davis. Murray Hamilton (appeared in No Time for Sergeants, Anatomy of a Murder, and The Hustler and played Steve Baker on Love and Marriage  and Capt. Rutherford T. Grant on B.J. and the Bear) plays kidnapper Marsh. Harry Dean Stanton (appeared in Kelly's Heroes, Dillinger, Cool Hand Luke, Alien, etc.) plays his sidekick Lemon. Robert Karnes (Max Fields on The Lawless Years and Deputy D.A. Victor Chamberlin on Perry Mason) plays a police patrolman.

Season 5, Episode 38, "Hooked": Robert Horton (shown on the left, see the biography section for the 1960 post on Wagon Train) plays young husband of an older woman Ray Marchand. Anne Francis (shown on the right, starred in Bad Day at Black Rock, Forbidden Planet, Don't Go Near the Water, and The Love God? and played Honey West on Honey West and Arliss Cooper on Dallas) plays the object of his desire Nyla Foster. Vivienne Segal (star of Broadway musical comedies such as I Married an Angel, Pal Joey, and A Connecticut Yankee) plays his wife Gladys.

Season 6, Episode 1, "Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's Coat": Audrey Meadows (shown on the right, played Alice Kramden on The Honeymooners and The Jackie Gleason Show, Iris Martin on Too Close for Comfort, and Maggie Hogoboom on Uncle Buck) plays dentist's wife Mrs. Bixby. Les Tremayne (starred in The War of the Worlds (1953), The Story of Ruth, The Slime People, and The Fortune Cookie and played Inspector Richard Queen in The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen) plays dentist Fred Bixby. Bernie Hamilton (Capt. Harold Dobey on Starsky and Hutch) plays the Colonel's butler Dawson. Greg Morris (Barney Collier on Mission: Impossible and Lt. David Nelson on Vega$) plays the Colonel's horseman John. Howard Caine (Schaab on The Californians and Maj. Wolfgang Hochstetter on Hogan's Heroes) plays a pawn clerk. Harry Cheshire (see the biography section for the 1960 post on Lawman) plays a dental patient.

Season 6, Episode 2, "The Doubtful Doctor": Dick York (Tom Colwell on Going My Way and Darrin Stephens on Bewitched) plays troubled ad executive Ralph Jones. Gena Rowlands (starred in The High Cost of Loving, Lonely Are the Brave, Faces, Gloria, Love Streams, Night on Earth, and The Notebook and played Adrienne Van Leyden on Peyton Place) plays his wife Lucille. John Zaremba (Special Agent Jerry Dressler on I Led 3 Lives, Dr. Harold Jensen on Ben Casey, Admiral Hardesy on McHale's Navy, Dr. Raymond Swain on The Time Tunnel, and Dr, Harlem Danvers on Dallas) plays his psychiatrist. Michael Burns (Howie Macauley on It's a Man's World and Barnaby West on Wagon Train) plays a boy named Sidney.

Season 6, Episode 3, "Very Moral Theft": Walter Matthau (shown on the left, starred in A Face in the Crowd, Charade, The Fortune Cookie, The Odd Couple, Hello, Dolly!, The Front Page, The Sunshine Boys, The Bad News Bears, and Grumpy Old Men and played Lex Rogers on Tallahassee 7000) plays contractor Harry Wade. Betty Field (starred in Of Mice and Men, Victory, The Great Gatsby (1949), Picnic, Bus Stop, Birdman of Alcatraz, and Coogan's Bluff) plays his girlfriend Helen. Karl Swanson (Lars Hanson on Little House on the Prairie) plays her brother John. David Fresco (see "The Day of the Bullet" above) plays bank employee Mr. Parker.

Season 6, Episode 4, "The Contest for Aaron Gold": Barry Gordon (see "The Day of the Bullet" above) plays artistic camper Aaron Gold. Sidney Pollock (shown on the right, directed They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, The Way We Were, Absence of Malice, Tootsie, and Out of Africa) plays camp ceramics instructor Bernie Samuleson. Frank Maxwell (see "Cell 227" above) plays camp owner Mr. Stern.

Season 6, Episode 5, "The Five Forty-Eight": Zachary Scott (starred in Mildred Pierce, Flamingo Road, The Southerner, and The Young One) plays business executive Mr. Blake. Phyllis Thaxter (starred in Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, The Sea of Grass, The Breaking Point, and Superman) plays his former secretary Miss Dent. Raymond Bailey (see "Backward, Turn Backward" above) plays train passenger Mr. Watkins.

Season 6, Episode 6, "Pen Pal": Clu Gulager (shown on the left, see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Tall Man) plays escaped convict Rod Collins. Stanley Adams (Lt. Morse on Not for Hire) plays police Lt. Det. Berger. Ray Montgomery (Prof. Howard Ogden on Ramar of the Jungle) plays a police doctor.

Season 6, Episode 7, "Outlaw in Town": Ricardo Montalban (starred in The Kissing Bandit, On an Island With You, The Singing Nun, and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and played David Valerio on Executive Suite, Mr. Roarke on Fantasy Island, and Zach Powers on The Colbys) plays con man Pepe Lorca. Patsy Kelly (Brigid Murphy on The Cop and the Kid) plays saloon owner Minnie Redwing. Constance Ford (starred in A Summer Place, Home From the Hill, All Fall Down, and The Caretakers and played Ada Lucas Davis Downs McGowan Hobson on Another World) plays saloon girl Shasta Cooney. Arch Johnson (see "The Little Man Who Was There" above) plays barfly Bart McCormick. Bernard Kates (Lalley on The Asphalt Jungle) plays another barfly. Addison Richards (starred in Boys Town, They Made Her a Spy, Flying Tigers, and The Deerslayer and played Doc Calhoun on Trackdown and Doc Landy on The Deputy) plays the local judge. Roscoe Ates (Soapy Jones in 15 westerns and Ike Jenkins on Lawman) plays barfly Zack Martin.

Season 6, Episode 8, "Oh Youth, Oh Beauty!": Gary Merrill (appeared in Twelve O'Clock High, All About Eve, and Mysterious Island and played Jason Tyler on Justice, Lou Sheldon on The Reporter, and Dr. Leonard Gillespie on Young Dr. Kildare) plays former hurdler Cash Bentley. Patricia Breslin (Amanda Peoples Miller on The People's Choice and Laura Brooks on Peyton Place) plays his wife Louise. David Lewis (Senator Ames on The Farmer's Daughter, Warden Crichton on Batman, and Edward L. Quartermaine on General Hospital) plays country club member Jim.

Season 6, Episode 9, "The Money": Robert Loggia (shown on the right, starred in The Greatest Story Ever Told, Revenge of the Pink Panther, Scarface, and Big and played T. Hewitt Edward Cat on T.H.E. Cat, Admiral Yuri Burkharin on Emerald Point, N.A.S., Nick Mancuso on Mancuso, FBI, Ben Benedict on Sunday Dinner, and Judge Thomas O'Neill on Queens Supreme) plays bookie employee Larry Chetnick. Doris Dowling (starred in The Lost Weekend, The Blue Dahlia, Bitter Rice, and Othello and played Irene Adams on My Living Doll) plays his girlfriend Angie. Will Kuluva (see "I Can Take Care of Myself" above) plays importer Mr. Bregornick.

Season 6, Episode 10, "Sybilla": Alexander Scourby (starred in The Big Heat, The Silver Chalice, Giant, and The Shaggy Dog) plays 40-year-old newlywed Horace Meade. Barbara Bel Geddes (shown on the left, starred in I Remember Mama, Blood on the Moon, and Vertigo and played Miss Ellie Ewing Farlow on Dallas) plays his wife Sybilla. Madge Kennedy (appeared in Bad Company, Lust for Life, Houseboat, and They Shoot Horses, Don't They? and played Aunt Martha Bronson on Leave It to Beaver) plays house maid Mrs. Carter. Bartlett Robinson (see "The Hero" above) plays Sybilla's lawyer.

Season 6, Episode 11, "The Man With Two Faces": Spring Byington (starred in Little Women, Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), Dragonwyck, Dodsworth, Heaven Can Wait (1943), and Angels in the Outfield and played Lily Ruskin on December Bride and Daisy Cooper on Laramie) plays purse-snatch victim Alice Wagner. Bethel Leslie (appeared in 15 episodes of The Richard Boone Show and played Claudia Conner on All My Children and Ethel Crawford on One Life to Live) plays her daughter Mabel. Stephen Dunne (Dr. Thomas Wilson on Professional Father and Mike Brannagan on The Brothers Brannagan) plays police Lt. Meade.

Season 6, Episode 12, "The Baby-Blue Expression": Richard Gaines (appeared in The Howard of Virginia, Double Indemnity, Unconquered, and Ace in the Hole and played the judge 14 times on Perry Mason) plays rich businessman James Barrett. Sarah Marshall (starred in The Long, Hot Summer, Lord Love a Duck, and Dave and played Evelyn Winslow on Miss Winslow and Son) plays his wife Poopsie. Lennie Weinrib (see "I Can Take Care of Myself" above) plays apartment building bellboy Harry.

Season 6, Episode 13, "The Man Who Found the Money": Arthur Hill (shown on the right, starred in The Deep Blue Sea, Harper, The Andromeda Strain, and A Bridge Too Far and played Owen Marshall on Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law and Charles Hardwick on Glitter) plays school teacher William Benson. Rod Cameron (see the biography section for the 1960 post on Coronado 9) plays casino owner Mr. Newsome. R.G. Armstrong (Police Capt. McAllister on T.H.E. Cat and Lewis Vendredi on Friday the 13th) plays police Capt. Bone. Clancy Cooper (see "The Little Man Who Was There" above) plays newspaper advertising manager A.J. Meecham. Mark Allen (Matt Kissel on The Travels of Jamie McPheeters and Sam Evans on Dark Shadows) plays Newsome's henchman.