Coronado 9 (1961)

In the last 22 episodes of the inappropriately named Coronado 9 crime drama which aired in 1961, the same problems persisted with the series' identity and premise that we described in our post for the 1960 episodes. Only a few of those 22 episodes take place in Coronado: "Hunt Breakfast" (February 21, 1961) depicts the Coronado Savings and Loan manager Lloyd Tyler being forced open his bank's vault for bank robber Kruger while Kruger's two accomplices keep watch on Tyler's wife and daughter at his home, threatening to kill them if anything goes wrong at the bank. Luckily, Tyler fools the criminals by saying he wasn't scheduled to go into work that day, that he was supposed to go hunting with private investigator Dan Adams instead, thereby allowing him to make a call to Adams to cancel the trip. Adams realizes that something is amiss with Tyler because they had no scheduled hunting trip that day. In the series' final episode, "They Met in Honolulu" (May 30, 1961) the action opens with wealthy businessman Theodore Garth marrying a woman he had recently met in Honolulu with the ceremony performed at the famed Hotel Del Coronado. Adams does not attend the wedding but comes to Garth's aid after returning from Los Angeles when the newly minted husband tells him his wife disappeared immediately after the ceremony. However, even this episode fails to spend its entire 25 minutes in Coronado because Adams has to take a trip to Honolulu to check on the vanished bride's background. The episode opens with an exterior shot of the Hotel Del Coronado, but all the interior shots appear to be on a sound stage, leading one to suppose that perhaps Revue Studios did not bother to get permission or were denied permission to shoot any location shots at the hotel itself, a real pity. A few other episodes are based in nearby communities, including San Diego, Brookwood, Stone River, and San Remo, and the location of "But the Patient Died" (April 11, 1961) and "Come to Me With Thy Loot" (March 21, 1961) is never stated, so they could be based in Coronado or close by.

Instead of focusing on its namesake island and iconic hotel, the series instead plays like a travelogue, sending Adams around the globe for his weekly dose of danger. With him we visit Paris in "Flim Flam" (January 3, 1961), London in "Londonderry Heiress" (January 10, 1961), Havana in "Caribbean Chase" (February 14, 1961), Freetown, Sierra Leone in "Long Way From Detroit" (April 4, 1961), Danzig, Poland in  "The Anxious Mariner" (April 25, 1961), Singapore in "Singapore Girl" (May 15, 1961), and the Middle East in "Blonde Herring" (May 23, 1961). He also makes two trips to New Orleans in successive episodes--"Sincerely Yours, Napoleon" (January 31, 1961) and "Man From Way Down Yonder" (February 7, 1961)--which feature actual location footage showing Adams driving away from the New Orleans airport, and two other trips to more rural Louisiana communities in "Run, Shep, Run" (January 17, 1961) and "Excursion to Algiers" (February 28, 1961). As one would expect given Coronado's proximity to Mexico, he goes south of the border a few times as well in "Flight to La Paz" (March 7, 1961), "The Day Ramon Fell" (March 28, 1961), and "Flee Now, Pay Later" (May 2, 1961). Perhaps the most interesting of these excursions is his trip to Havana, which features stock footage of Cuba in the aftermath of Castro's revolution. Adams is hired by a woman claiming to be the daughter of a businessman who is being persecuted by the revolutionaries and wanting Adams, who has just bought a boat in Havana, to take her and her father back to the States, only it turns out her story is fake and Adams is in more trouble than he bargained for. The episode is also noteworthy because Adams does not win the day and serve up a hefty dose of justice by episode's end. 

As with the 1960 episodes, those that aired in 1961 shed little light on Adams' back story and therefore fail to make him a particularly interesting or sympathetic character. His background as a former Naval intelligence officer resurfaces in "Long Way From Detroit" when he is summoned while in London by an old war buddy now working for an anti-smuggling department that needs an unknown, independent investigator since their regular agents keep getting murdered while trying to crack an international diamond-smuggling ring. In "The Anxious Mariner" he is recruited by a U.S. government agent to accompany a deported former numbers runner back to the States to provide incriminating evidence against his one-time mob associates. And again he is hired by an unnamed government agency in "Blonde Herring" to ferret out the name of the leader of another international smuggling operation. Otherwise, all we know about Adams is that he appears to be an avid hunter and fisherman because he is often brought into cases by people he has crossed paths with in those pursuits, as in the aforementioned "Hunt Breakfast" episode. His trip to the swamps of Louisiana in "Run, Shep, Run" is precipitated by a hunting invitation. He is called back to New Orleans by an old hunting buddy who runs a jewelry store in "Man From Way Down Yonder" when the buddy's wife receives a tarantula in the mail as part of a blackmail operation. Adams rushes down to Mexico in "The Day Ramon Fell" when he reads about his one-time hunting guide Ramon Ortega being charged with murder. And in "Flee Now, Pay Later" Adams is called by Julie Telford whose missing husband Mike runs a charter airplane business Adams once used on a hunting trip. Rather than giving us a glimpse into Adams's character that we might be able to latch on to, these flimsy and somewhat contrived connections remind us that Adams is only a stereotype of the man of action rather than a real human being. It's easy to see why the series never developed a sizable following given the formulaic portrayal of its protagonist. By contrast, the success of the competing crime drama series 77 Sunset Strip was due in large part to the colorful, if somewhat cliched, character of Ed "Kookie" Byrnes. Dan Adams may have been clever and tough and may have visited exotic destinations, but his lack of personality failed to spark the imagination of the viewing audience and doomed Coronado 9 to a single season.

The Actors

For the biography of Rod Cameron, see the 1960 post for Coronado 9.

Notable Guest Stars

Season 1, Episode 18, "Flim Flam": Mary LaRoche (shown on the left, appeared in Run Silent, Run Deep, Gidget, Bye Bye Birdie, and The Swinger and played Barbara Scott on Karen) plays Paris dancer Marie Moraud. Vaughn Taylor (starred in Jailhouse Rock, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Psycho, and In Cold Blood and played Ernest P. Duckweather on Johnny Jupiter) plays blackmailer Voss. Read Morgan (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Deputy) plays his accomplice Mark Sidon.

Season 1, Episode 19, "Londonderry Heiress": James Flavin (Lt. Donovan on Man With a Camera and Robert Howard on The Roaring 20's) plays American ex-pat gangster Patrick Conlon. Patricia Medina (Margarita Cortazar on Zorro) plays his daughter Patricia. John Maxwell (Alex Gregory on The Court of Last Resort) plays Scotland Yard Inspector Daugherty. Norma Vardon (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Hazel) plays kidnapper Mrs. Wendell.

Season 1, Episode 20, "Run, Shep, Run": Walter Coy (Zoravac on Rocky Jones, Space Ranger and was the narrator on Frontier) plays jealous husband Jason Trumball. Dorothy Green (Lavinia Tate on Tammy) plays his wife Myra. DeForest Kelley (shown on the right, played Dr. McCoy on Star Trek) plays visiting hunter Shep Harlow. Jay Novello (Juan Greco on Zorro and Mayor Mario Lugatto on McHale's Navy) plays town physician Dr. Sage. Leo Gordon (Big Mike McComb on Maverick) plays Trumball's caretaker Kyte.

Season 1, Episode 21, "Wrong Odds": Oliver McGowan (Harvey Welk on Empire) plays manufacturing mogul Warren Chandler. Larry J. Blake (the unnamed jailer on Yancy Derringer and Tom Parnell on Saints and Sinners) plays bookmaker Sam Beal. Bern Hoffman (Sam the bartender on Bonanza) plays his henchman Truck Quill. 

Season 1, Episode 22, "Sincerely Yours, Napoleon": Vaughn Taylor (shown on the near left, see "Flim Flam" above) plays Napoleon scholar John Hammock. Virginia Christine (was the Folger's Coffee woman in commercials and starred in The Mummy's Curse, The Killers, and Night Wind and who played Ovie Swenson on Tales of Wells Fargo) plays his wife Margaret. Sue Ane Langdon (shown on the far left, played Kitty Marsh on Bachelor Father, Lillian Nuvo on Arnie, Rosie on Grandpa Goes to Washington, and Darlene on When the Whistle Blows) plays his mistress Carol.

Season 1, Episode 23, "Man From Way Down Yonder": Byron Morrow (Capt. Keith Gregory on The New Breed and Pearce Newberry on Executive Suite) plays jewelry shop owner Arthur Charles. Claudia Barrett (starred in Robot Monster) plays his sister-in-law Barbara Danby.

Season 1, Episode 24, "Caribbean Chase": John Berardino (shown on the right, former major league baseball player, played Special Agent Steve Daniels on I Led 3 Lives, Sgt. Vince Cavelli on The New Breed, and Dr. Steve Hardy on General Hospital) plays Cuban casino owner Andre Machado. 

Season 1, Episode 25, "Hunt Breakfast": William Keene (played various reverends on The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry R.F.D.) plays bank manager Lloyd Tyler. Eve McVeagh (starred in High Noon, The Glass Web, and Tight Spot and played Miss Hammond on Petticoat Junction) plays his wife Laura. Cynthia Chenault (appeared in I Was a Teenage Werewolf, Dino, and This Earth is Mine and played Carol Potter on The Tom Ewell Show) plays their daughter Abby. Ken Lynch (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Checkmate) plays bank robber Kruger. Jan Merlin (Roger Manning on Tom Corbett, Space Cadet and Lt. Colin Kirby on The Rough Riders) plays his accomplice Boxer. Jack Emrek (husband of Sue Ane Langdon) plays accomplice Alfie Rover.

Season 1, Episode 26, "Excursion to Algiers": Dorothy Green (shown on the left, see "Run, Shep, Run" above) plays widow Doret Hamlin. John Berardino (see "Caribbean Chase" above) plays her best friend's husband Will Harlow. Tom McKee (Comrade Brisson Laylock on I Led 3 Lives, Capt. Davis on The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, and Fire Chief Tucker on Rescue 8) plays police Det. Straker. 

Season 1, Episode 27, "Flight to La Paz": Robert Knapp (Ben Olson on Days of Our Lives and SAC Noel McDonald on The F.B.I.) plays salesman Welby Finch. 

Season 1, Episode 28, "Three's a Shroud": Eve Miller (appeared in Inner Sanctum, Pier 23, The Winning Team, and April in Paris) plays sanitarium escapee's wife Julie Saxton. Ann McCrae (Midge Kelsey on The Donna Reed Show) plays murder victim's wife Linda Bowen. 

Season 1, Episode 29, "Come to Me With Thy Loot": Vaughn Taylor (see "Flim Flam" above) plays dentist Dr. Henry Dakin. Ruth Terry (starred in Call of the Canyon, My Buddy, Pistol Packin' Mama, and Smoky River Serenade) plays jewelry thief's wife Paula Rhem.  Al Hodge (shown on the right, played Captain Video on The Secret Files of Captain Video and Captain Video and His Video Rangers) plays police investigator Sgt. Hollister.

Season 1, Episode 30, "The Day Ramon Fell": Estelita Rodriguez (starred in Cuban Fireball, Havana Rose, The Fabulous Senorita, Rio Bravo, and Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter) plays dude ranch entertainer Elena Rosales. Jean Willes (appeared in Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Ocean's 11, and Gypsy) plays ranch co-owner's wife Stella Bowers. 

Season 1, Episode 31, "Long Way From Detroit": Vito Scotti (Jose on The Deputy, Capt. Gaspar Fomento on The Flying Nun, Gino on To Rome With Love, and Mr. Velasquez on Barefoot in the Park) plays diamond smuggling ringleader Alexander Kouri. Barbara Stuart (shown on the left, played 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 his accomplice Jeanne Lamar. Rayford Barnes (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays Kouri's hitman Ryker. Lester Matthews (Sir Dennis Nayland Smith on The Adventures of Dr. Fu Manchu and Fleming Pendleton on The Beverly Hillbillies) plays Adams' old war buddy Tony Wingate. Paul Baxley (stunt coordinator on Riverboat, The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, T.H.E. Cat, Wonder Woman, and The Dukes of Hazzard) plays one of Wingate's anti-smuggling agents.

Season 1, Episode 32, "But the Patient Died": Christine White (shown on the right, played Abigail Adams on Ichabod and Me) plays hit-and-run victim's wife Janet Harvey. Wesley Lau (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Perry Mason) plays neurosurgeon Dr. David Travis. Catherine McLeod (Claire Larkin on Days of Our Lives) plays his wife Martha. 

Season 1, Episode 33, "Gone Goose": Jim Davis (Matt Clark on Stories of the Century, Wes Cameron on Rescue 8, Marshal Bill Winter on The Cowboys, and Jock Ewing on Dallas) plays lumber company owner Barton Kincaid. Jean Carson (Rosemary on The Betty Hutton Show) plays his secretary Lois Dixon. Slim Pickens (shown on the left, starred in The Story of Will Rogers, Dr. Strangelove, Blazing Saddles, The Apple Dumpling Gang, Beyond the Poseidon Adventure, and The Howling and played Slim on Outlaws, Slim Walker on The Wide Country, California Joe Milner on Custer, and Sgt. Beauregard Wiley on B.J. & the Bear) plays Stone River Sheriff Harry Fife. Paul Sorensen (Andy Bradley on Dallas) plays Kincaid's henchman Lou Bates.

Season 1, Episode 34, "The Anxious Mariner": Steve Darrell (Sheriff Hal Humphrey on Tales of Wells Fargo) plays deported former numbers runner Joe Cask. Coleen Gray (starred in Kiss of Death, Nightmare Alley, The Killing, The Vampire, The Leech Woman, and The Phantom Planet and played Muriel Clifford on McCloud) plays his daughter Ruth Evans. William Schallert (shown on the right, see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis) plays mobster Alfred Bates. Robert Foulk (Ed Davis on Father Knows Best, Sheriff Miller on Lassie, Joe Kingston on Wichita Town, Mr. Wheeler on Green Acres, and Phillip Toomey on The Rifleman) plays steamer skipper Capt. Rawlings. Bart Burns (Capt. Pat Chambers on Mike Hammer) plays government agent Jim Hastings. 

Season 1, Episode 35, "Flee Now, Pay Later": John Bryant (Dr. Carl Spaulding on The Virginian) plays charter pilot Mike Telford. Nan Leslie (shown on the left, played Martha McGivern on The Californians) plays his wife Jean. Clark Howat (Dr. John Petrie on The Adventures of Dr. Fu Manchu and the police dispatcher on Harbor Command) plays smuggler Bundy. 

Season 1, Episode 36, "The Daley Double": Mary LaRoche (see "Flim Flam" above) plays movie star Belinda Daley. William Keene (see "Hunt Breakfast" above) plays her producer Jay Brisco. Hugh Sanders (starred in That's My Boy, The Pride of St. Louis, The Winning Team, and The Wild One) plays Adams' friend police Lt. Melnick. 

Season 1, Episode 37, "Singapore Girl": Lisa Lu (shown on the right, see the biography section for the 1960 post on Have Gun -- Will Travel) plays go-between Kim Luchan. Lester Matthews (see "Long Way From Detroit" above) plays British intelligence officer Maj. Durham. Beal Wong (Grandpa Ling on Bachelor Father) plays pizza parlor owner Wong.

Season 1, Episode 38, "Blonde Herring": Sue Ane Langdon (see "Sincerely Yours, Napoleon" above) plays nightclub singer Holly Crane. Hugh Sanders (see "The Daley Double" above) plays smuggling ship Capt. Kelly. Harry Lauter (Ranger Clay Morgan on Tales of the Texas Rangers, Atlasande on Rocky Jones, Space Ranger, and Jim Herrick on Waterfront) plays first mate Jake Bricker. Paul Baxley (see "Long Way From Detroit" above) plays a ship engineer.

Season 1, Episode 39, "They Met in Honolulu": Hayden Rorke (shown on the left, starred in Father's Little Dividend, When Worlds Collide, and Pillow Talk and played Steve on Mr. Adams and Eve, Col. Farnsworth on No Time for Sergeants, Dr. Alfred Bellows on I Dream of Jeannie and Bishop on Dr. Kildare) plays wealthy businessman Theodore Garth. Jacqueline Mayo (the special duty nurse on Peyton Place) plays his bride Eve Barstow.

The Tall Man (1961)

Figuring that it was successful enough to earn a renewal for Season 2, the producers for The Tall Man changed little during the course of episodes aired in 1961, continuing to focus on the special relationship between Sheriff Pat Garrett and the often wild and unbridled William Bonney, a.k.a. Billy the Kid, teasing the viewer with hints that the two one day may be forced to face off against each other as in the episode "Dark Moment" (February 11, 1961), and trying to inject humor into the series via somewhat recurring ne'er-do-well Wilfred McBean and his unbridled daughters May and June in "The Reluctant Bridegroom" (February 18, 1961) and "Millionaire McBean" (April 15, 1961). While the closing theme by Esquivel is more orchestral in Season 2, and another sometimes recurring character, Garrett's deputy Andy, is introduced in Season 2, these subtle tweaks have no impact on the overall flavor of the series, and in the case of Deputy Andy, it's questionable why he was added to the series since he has very few lines that have no direct impact on any of the stories in which he appears.

The most significant development in the 1961 episodes is the zeroing in on a theme broached first in 1960 and very much part of public discourse in the political climate of today--the tension between loyalty and the law. As mentioned in our previous post on the 1960 episodes, Billy's character values loyalty above all, sometimes to his detriment. While his loyalty to Garrett usually works in his favor, misplaced loyalty in others often proves dangerous. We see this in the Season 2 episode "Time of Foreshadowing" (November 25, 1961) in which Billy runs into old acquaintance Skip Ferrell who once saved his life in El Paso when he was badly outnumbered by men intent on doing him harm. Billy doesn't know right off that Farrell has escaped from prison and is on the run, so when Farrell asks him for help, he feels obliged to loan him his horse since he owes Farrell for saving his life. However, the farther he goes in helping Farrell, the more he begins seeing what a liar and manipulator his trusted friend is. Farrell has Billy accompany him to an old girlfriend's house. Since her father never liked him, he has Billy knock on her door while he stands back, letting Billy face the girlfriend's shotgun with which she answers the door. Farrell says he is trying to avoid some cavalrymen with whom he argued, but when Billy removes a bullet from his arm, he sees that Farrell is wearing a prison undershirt. When he confronts Farrell with his deception, Farrell counters by saying he noticed that Billy took a liking to his girlfriend Matti and offers not to object if Billy wants to court her after Farrell is gone. But when Farrell learns that Matti's father has died and left her some money, Billy watches as he tries to dupe her into giving it to him and then promising to meet up with her later. The final straw for Billy is when the prison guard searching for Farrell shows up and tells him that Farrell was sent to prison for killing another girlfriend. After the guard leaves, Billy refuses to let Matti leave with Farrell, certain that she will be his next victim once he gets her father's money. His only play is to lure Farrell into drawing against him and then shooting him dead. Matti berates him for killing Farrell, even after he tells her that she would have lived no more than a week had she gone off with Farrell. Her devotion is such that dying would have been worth it just to spend an entire week with him. Billy's sense of loyalty forces him into a no-win situation that threatens to get him killed or sent to prison for aiding an escaped convict.

Billy is duped by another manipulator in "A Scheme of Hearts" (April 22, 1961), this time by a pretty young woman named Nita Jardine who tries to recruit him to kill her ex-con husband after telling him a tale about the husband hunting her down to kill her. However, Garrett figures out her game when he stops the husband outside of town and learns that he is a poor gunman who took the rap for a murder his wife committed while cheating on him. Because she flirts with him and offers him the hope of a future romance, Billy is blind to her machinations and even dismisses Garrett's warnings that he is being used. Garrett and the husband use the old lump of covers in the bedding trick to make Nita think the husband is still asleep in bed when she summons Billy to her hotel room and tells him the husband has abused her. However, Billy refuses to shoot a defenseless, sleeping man, so she grabs his gun and shoots the bedding herself, thereby exposing herself as a cold-blooded killer and proving that Garrett's warning about Billy's misplaced loyalty was right all along.

Billy gets into more trouble due to misplaced loyalty in "The Judas Palm" (October 21, 1961) when he befriends drifter Archie Keogh because Keogh was a friend of his step-father. Keogh repays Billy's kindness and lack of curiosity into Keogh's character by framing him for his murder of cantina owner Rompero, who caught Keogh robbing his cash drawer in the middle of the night. Garrett is obliged to lock Billy up when he finds him holding some but all of the stolen money. But it takes Garrett's clever deduction that the previously penniless Keogh will eventually have to spend the stolen money just to survive, thereby leading Garrett to the money's hiding place, to exonerate Billy. In each of these episodes, Billy faces serious legal consequences because his code of loyalty above all else leads him into trusting those he should not.

Garrett, on the other hand, though in one episode described as a one-time train robber, believes that the law, though not always perfect, tells us how to evaluate people and their actions. Billy frequently expects him to apply the law differently to their friends out of loyalty, but Garrett maintains that the law must apply the same way to everybody. In "Dark Moment" (February 11, 1961), a mutual friend of theirs, Francisco Valdez, shoots and kills lawyer Isaiah Morton from whom he had borrowed money when Morton refuses to give him more time to repay the debt. Even though Valdez admits to the killing, Billy thinks that Garrett should give him a break, but Garrett refuses. Billy determines to break Valdez out of jail and take him to Mexico to evade justice, and Garrett declines to face off against Billy, though he warns him that if he carries his plan through he will be hunted down and face justice himself. The prospect does not deter Billy, but when Valdez learns that Morton's daughter, whom he injured in his escape from the crime scene, will make a full recovery, he refuses to flee with Billy and insists on accepting the legal repercussions of his actions.

Even when Billy breaks the law to help out a friend, such as in "A Tombstone for Billy" (December 16, 1961), Garrett refuses to look the other way and let him get away with it completely. In this episode Billy steals an as-yet uncarved tombstone paid for by wealthy town crank Cyrus Skinner and gives it to poor grieving widower Juan Gonzales, who had grown depressed that the town did not pay tribute to his wife who sold flowers in the town square for many years. Billy presents him with Skinner's tombstone with a story that the town chipped in to buy it for him in order to honor his late wife. When Garrett finally finds out who stole the tombstone and where it is, he still sentences Billy to a few nights in jail, though he also offers to pay Skinner back with some reward money he has just earned in capturing a wanted outlaw. Even though Billy has broken the law in an act of kindness for a grieving husband, Garrett ensures that he doesn't get off scott-free. We as viewers are expected to still like Billy since his heart is in the right place, but we are guided to respect Garrett for insisting on the rational resolution of the issue. As such, the series casts its vote for the status quo in which the established legal system is the best way to deal with all criminal situations. Even when the wrong man is initially charged with a crime, such as Billy's arrest for murder in the aforementioned episode "The Judas Palm," once the case winds through the legal system, justice will be done. If only real life worked that way.

The Actors

For the biographies for Barry Sullivan and Clu Gulager, see the 1960 post for The Tall Man.

Mark Tapscott

Mark Loren Tapscott was born in Bell, California on December 15, 1924. He served in the Marine Corps during World War II, and after returning to civilian life married his high school sweetheart Frances Mae Farrell. He returned to the Marines during the Korean War, after which he moved his family to Eugene, Oregon where he studied journalism at the University of Oregon. After graduating in 1957, he returned to California to pursue an acting career, notching his first credits in 1957 on Maverick and the following year on shows such as Highway Patrol, Colt .45, and The Silent Service. He continued getting bit parts on a variety of TV series until an appearance late in Season 1 of The Tall Man led to a recurring role in Season 2 as Garrett's deputy Andy.

After The Tall Man was canceled, Tapscott was not hurting for work, continuing his prolific TV guest roles with multiple appearances on Lassie, The Big Valley, and The Virginian throughout the 1960s. In 1969 his wife Frances passed away and he remarried to Sybil Line. In 1972 he created the role of Bob Anderson on the soap opera Days of Our Lives and remained in that role for the next 8 years. In 1982 he found work on another soap opera, The Young and the Restless, playing Earl Bancroft until 1983. After an appearance on Highway to Heaven in 1987, he retired from acting. He died from lung cancer 6 years later on September 10, 1993 at the age of 68.

 

Notable Guest Stars

Season 1, Episode 17, "First Blood": Jan Merlin (Roger Manning on Tom Corbett, Space Cadet and Lt. Colin Kirby on The Rough Riders) plays gunman Hendry Grant. Ken Lynch (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Checkmate) plays cattle baron Andy Gorman. Robert Montgomery, Jr. (son of actor Robert Montgomery and brother of Elizabeth Montgomery) plays Billy's friend Jimmy Carter. 

Season 1, Episode 18, "A Gun Is for Killing": Leonard Nimoy (shown on the left, played Mr. Spock on Star Trek, Paris on Mission: Impossible, and Dr. William Bell on Fringe) plays Deputy Johnny Swift. Mary Webster (appeared in The Delicate Delinquent, Eighteen and Anxious, and Master of the World) plays his wife Marian. Gregg Palmer (Tom McLowery on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays cattle trail boss Truman Blanchard. George Orrison (stunt double for Clint Eastwood) plays Blanchard's man Chullo.

Season 1, Episode 19, "The Grudge Fight": Richard Jaeckel (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Frontier Circus) plays Billy's friend Denver. Jerry Summers (appeared in The Young Swingers, Surf Party, and Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine and played Ira on The High Chaparral) plays an unnamed Indian. 

Season 1, Episode 20, "The Best Policy": James Coburn (shown on the right, 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 cattle owner John Miller. Ron Harper (see the biography section for the 1961 post on 87th Precinct) plays Deputy Sheriff Harry. 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 circuit Judge Danby.

Season 1, Episode 21, "The Reversed Blade": Murray Matheson (Felix Mulholland on Banacek) plays Billy's boss, rancher John Tundall. Jeanne Cooper (Grace Douglas on Bracken's World and Katherine Chancellor Murphy on The Young and the Restless) plays his ex-wife Elmira Webster. John Archer (husband of Marjorie Lord and father of Anne Archer) plays her new husband Ben Webster.

Season 1, Episode 22, "Dark Moment": Martin Landau (shown on the left, starred in North by Northwest, Cleopatra, The Greatest Story Ever Told, The Fall of the House of Usher, and Ed Wood and played Rollin Hand on Mission: Impossible!, Commander John Koenig on Space: 1999, Dr. Sol Gold on The Evidence, Bob Ryan on Entourage, and Frank Malone on Without a Trace) plays debtor Francisco Valdez. Mimi Gibson (appeared in The Three Faces of Eve, Houseboat, and The Children's Hour and played Barby McGovern on Westinghouse Playhouse) plays lawyer's daughter Judy Morton. Justice Watson (J.W. Harrington on Holiday Lodge) plays town physician Doc Pennfield. 

Season 1, Episode 23, "The Reluctant Bridegroom": Andy Clyde (shown on the right, see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Real McCoys) plays lazy homesteader Wilfred McBean. Olive Sturgess (Carol Henning on The Bob Cummings Show) plays his daughter May. Judy Nugent (Jet Maypen on Walt Disney Presents: Annette) plays his daughter June. Ellen Corby (Henrietta Porter on Trackdown and Esther Walton on The Waltons) plays pen-pal bride Hannah Blossom.

Season 1, Episode 24, "Maria's Little Lamb": 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 cattleman Maddock. Bob Hoy (Joe Butler on The High Chaparral and Cliff on Our House) plays an unnamed ranch hand. 

Season 1, Episode 25, "Big Sam's Boy": Paul Carr (shown on the left, played Bill Horton on Days of Our Lives, Casey Clark on Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Ted Prince on Dallas, and Martin Gentry on The Young and the Restless) plays inheritance imposter George. Lew Gallo (Major Joseph Cobb on 12 O'Clock High and directed multiple episodes of That Girl, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Love American Style, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, and The New Mike Hammer) plays his co-conspirator Jericho. John Strong (producer, scriptwriter, and host of talk show The John Strong Show) plays another imposter. 

Season 1, Episode 26, "The Last Resource": Robert J. Wilke (appeared in Best of the Badmen, High Noon, The Far Country, and Night Passage and played Capt. Mendoza on Zorro) plays vengeful Marshal Ben Hartley. Marianna Hill (appeared in Roustabout, Paradise, Hawaiian Style, The Godfather: Part II, and High Plains Drifter) plays saloon girl Rita.

Season 1, Episode 27, "Rovin' Gambler": Robert Lansing (shown on the right, see the biography section for the 1961 post on 87th Precinct) plays gambling gunman Doc Holliday. X Brands (Pahoo-Ka-Ta-Wah on Yancy Derringer) plays stage robber Dave Rudabaugh. Faith Deremgue (starred in Cult of the Cobra, This Island Earth, and It Came From Beneath the Sea) plays stage passenger Kate Elder. Tom London (starred in Six-Shootin' Sheriff, Song of the Buckaroo, and Riders in the Sky) plays the stagecoach driver.

Season 1, Episode 28, "Hard Justice": Lyle Bettger (starred in The Vanquished, Destry, and The Fastest Guitar Alive and played Sam Larsen on The Court of Last Resort and Harry Driscoll on The Grand Jury) plays cattle buyer Vince Ober. Mark Tapscott (see the biography section above) plays his henchman Tom. Steve Raines (see the biography section for the 1960 post on Rawhide) plays his henchman Carl. Jack Hogan (starred in The Bonnie Parker Story, Paratroop Command, and The Cat Burglar and played Kirby on Combat!, Sgt. Jerry Miller on Adam-12, Chief Ranger Jack Moore on Sierra, and Judge Smithwood on Jake and the Fatman) plats Garrett's deputy Jim.

Season 1, Episode 29, "The Legend and the Gun": Michael Pate (shown on the left, 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 assassin Harry Young. Jocelyn Brando (Marlon Brando's sister) plays his wife Martha. Diane Mountford (see the biography section for the 1960 post on Assignment: Underwater) plays his daughter Gloria.

Season 1, Episode 30, "A Kind of Courage": James Griffith (Deputy Tom Ferguson on U.S. Marshal) plays former lawman Clint Latimer. Tommy Ivo (see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Donna Reed Show) plays his son Jody. David Kent (Bill Scott on Leave It to Beaver) plays Jody's friend Skip Wallace. Rodolfo Hoyos, Jr. (Luis Valdez on Viva Valdez) plays notorious gunman Marino.

Season 1, Episode 31, "Millionaire McBean": Andy Clyde (see "The Reluctant Bridegroom" above) returns as ne'er-do-well Wilfred McBean. Olive Sturgess (see "The Reluctant Bridegroom" above) returns as his daughter May. Judy Nugent (see "The Reluctant Bridegroom" above) returns as his daughter June. Florence MacMichael (shown on the right, played Phyllis Pearson on My Three Sons and Winnie Kirkwood on Mister Ed) plays child welfare inspector Miss Daggett. William Fawcett (Clayton on Duffy's Tavern, Marshal George Higgins on The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, and Pete Wilkey on Fury) plays the general store owner. 

Season 1, Episode 32, "A Scheme of Hearts": Kathleen Hughes (shown on the left, appeared in Mother Is a Freshman, Mr. Belvedere Goes to College, It Came From Outer Space, and Unwed Mother and played Jane Mitchell on Bracken's World) plays ex-con's wife Nita Jardine. John Lasell (Dr. Peter Guthrie on Dark Shadows) plays her husband Ben. Raymond Hatton (starred in Oliver Twist (1916), The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Lord Jim, played Marshal Sandy Hopkins in 28 westerns and Rusty Joslin in 7 other westerns, and played The Mole on Dick Tracy) plays stage driver Clem. 

Season 1, Episode 33, "The Cloud Buster": Frank de Kova (Chief Wild Eagle on F Troop and Louis Campagna on The Untouchables) plays Apache businessman Mike Gray Eagle. Gregory Morton (Mr. Wainwright on Peyton Place and Walter Williams on Ben Casey) plays councilman John Forrest. Sue George (appeared in Rock, Pretty Baby, The Dalton Girls, and Gidget) plays rainmaker Henrietta Russell. 

Season 1, Episode 34, "Ransom of a Town": Eduardo Ciannelli (shown on the right, see the biography section for the 1960 post on Johnny Staccato) plays Lincoln priest Padre. Michael Burns (Howie Macauley on It's a Man's World and Barnaby West on Wagon Train) plays his young friend Danny. Michael Forest (starred in Ski Troop Attack, Atlas, and The Glory Guys and was the voice of Capt. Dorai on Street Fighter II: V and Olympus on Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue) plays kidnapper Ledall. 

Season 1, Episode 35, "Ladies of the Town": Monica Lewis (shown on the left, popular singer who starred in Excuse My Dust, Affair With a Stranger, and The D.I.) plays saloon owner Sal. Wesley Lau (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Perry Mason) plays Silver Creek operator Jason Cleary. John Harmon (hotel clerk Eddie Halstead on The Rifleman) plays his confidant Pinky. Claire Carleton (Nell Mulligan on The Mickey Rooney Show and Alice Purdy on Cimarron City) plays reformer Lettie Tatum.

Season 1, Episode 36, "Death or Taxes": Will Wright (Mr. Merrivale on Dennis the Menace and Ben Weaver on The Andy Griffith Show) plays Lincoln Mayor Hackett. Alan Baxter (appeared in Saboteur, Close-Up, and Paint Your Wagon) plays railroad company supervisor Fallon. James Seay (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays his gunman Holman. 

Season 1, Episode 37, "The Great Western": Connie Gilchrist (shown on the right, starred in Tortilla Flat, A Letter to Three Wives, and Long John Silver and played Purity Pinker on The Adventures of Long John Silver) plays cantina owner Big Mamasita. Frank Ferguson (Gus Broeberg on My Friend Flicka, Eli Carson on Peyton Place, and Dr. Barton Stuart on Petticoat Junction) plays New Mexico territorial governor Gen. Lew Wallace. Ron Starr (appeared in G.I. Blues, Ride the High Country, and Angels Hard as They Come and played Mannion on Mister Roberts) plays his aide Lt. Brian Riley. 

Season 2, Episode 1, "Full Payment": Harry von Zell (the announcer on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show and The George Burns Show and played Frank Curtis on Bachelor Father) plays saloon owner Averill Murphy. Alice Frost (Mama Holstrum on The Farmer's Daughter) plays his wife Hortense. William Phipps (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays disabled townsman Bert. 

Season 2, Episode 2, "The Liberty Belle": Patricia Donahue (shown on the left, played Hazel on The Thin Man, Lucy Hamilton on Michael Shayne, and Birdie Wells on General Hospital) plays Garrett's former girlfriend Elena. Wally Brown (appeared in Notorious, The Left Handed Gun, and The Absent-Minded Professor and played Jed Fame on Cimarron City and Chauncey Kowalski on The Roaring '20's) plays drunkard Ethan. Alan Carney (played Mike Strager in a series of RKO comedies in the 1940s and appeared in The Absent-Minded Professor, Son of Flubber, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, and Herbie Rides Again) plays a wino. 

Season 2, Episode 3, "Where Is Sylvia?": Patricia Barry (shown on the right, played Kate Harris on Harris Against the World, Lydia McGuire on Dr. Kildare, Adelaide Horton Williams on Days of Our Lives, Peg English on All My Children, and Sally Gleason on Guiding Light) plays con artist Sylvia. Wallace Rooney (Andrew Winters on The Doctors) plays Oakville Marshal Peterson.

 

Season 2, Episode 4, "The Female Artillery": Joan Evans (Leonar on Zorro) plays army wife Lou Belle Martin. Nan Leslie (Martha McGivern on The Californians) plays army wife Beth Thomas.

Season 2, Episode 5, "Shadow of the Past": Charles Aidman (narrator on the 1985-87 version of The Twilight Zone) plays union army traitor Ben Wiley. Nancy Reagan (shown on the left, second wife of Ronald Reagan, starred in The Next Voice You Hear..., Donovan's Brain, and Hellcats of the Navy) plays his wife Sarah. Barbara Parkins (starred in Valley of the Dolls, The Mephisto Waltz, and Puppet on a Chain and played Betty Anderson Harrington on Peyton Place) plays their daughter Sue.

Season 2, Episode 6, "An Item for Auction": Sandy Kenyon (Des Smith on Crunch and Des, Shep Baggott on The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, and Reverend Kathrun on Knots Landing) plays mountain man Sam Naylack. Frank Sully (Danny the bartender on The Virginian) plays a wise-cracking bar patron. 

Season 2, Episode 7, "The Judas Palm": Edgar Buchanan (shown on the right, played Uncle Joe Carson on The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, and Petticoat Junction, Red Connors on Hopalong Cassidy, Judge Roy Bean on Judge Roy Bean, Bob/Doc Dawson on Tales of Wells Fargo, Doc Burrage on The Rifleman, and J.J. Jackson on Cade's County) plays drifter Archie Keogh. Craig Duncan (Sgt. Stanfield/Banfield on Mackenzie's Raiders) plays posse member Wilson. Dal McKennon  (see the biography section for the 1961 post on 87th Precinct) plays a bartender.

Season 2, Episode 8, "The Woman": Don C. Harvey (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Rawhide) plays religious sect leader Jeboriah Henry. Kay E. Kuter (Newt Kiley on Petticoat Junction and Green Acres) plays his brother Clarence. Coleen Gray (starred in Kiss of Death, Nightmare Alley, The Killing, The Vampire, The Leech Woman, and The Phantom Planet and played Muriel Clifford on McCloud) plays his sister-in-law Edna Henry. Julie Sommars (Jennifer Jo Drinkwater on The Governor and J.J. and A.D.A. Julie March on Matlock) plays Clarence's wife Anna.

Season 2, Episode 9, "Trial by Hanging": Richard Carlyle (Casey on Crime Photographer) plays Billy's fellow ranch hand Swade Hiney. George Kennedy (shown on the left, starred in Charade, The Sons of Katie Elder, The Dirty Dozen, Cool Hand Luke, and The Naked Gun and played MP Sgt. Kennedy on The Phil Silvers Show, Father Samuel Cavanaugh on Sarge, Bumper Morgan on The Blue Knight, and Carter McKay on Dallas) plays wanted outlaw Jake Newton. Walter Kinsella (Happy McMann on Martin Kane) plays Las Cruces Sheriff Cy Claver. Hank Brandt (Leonard Waggedorn on Julia, Morgan Hess on Dynasty, and Dr. Aaron Kranzler on Santa Barbara) plays his deputy Sam Lind.

Season 2, Episode 10, "The Leopard's Spots": Paul Birch (shown on the right, played Erle Stanley Gardner on The Court of Last Resort, Mike Malone on Cannonball, and Capt. Carpenter on The Fugitive) plays covetous cattle rancher Bart Conway. Don Megowan (Captain Huckabee on The Beachcomber) plays his ranch hand Galt. Bennye Gatteys (Judith Potter on The Brighter Day) plays pacifist Charity Newcomb. 

Season 2, Episode 11, "Petticoat Crusade": Mona Freeman (starred in Black Beauty, Mother Wore Tights, Angel Face, and Jumping Jacks) plays suffragette Amy Dodds. Harry von Zell (see "Full Payment" above) returns as saloon owner Averill Murphy. Cecil Smith (Los Angeles Times TV critic) plays newspaper reporter Cecil Humphrey. Herbert Lytton (Admiral Reynolds on McHale's Navy) plays the Lincoln judge.

Season 2, Episode 12, "Time of Foreshadowing": Vic Morrow (shown on the left, starred in Tribute to a Bad Man, God's Little Acre, and Portrait of a Mobster and played Sgt. Saunders on Combat! and Capt. Eugene Nathan on B.A.D. Cats) plays Billy's life-saver Skip Farrell. Judi Meredith (Bonnie Sue McAfee on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show and The George Burns Show, Monique Devereaux on Hotel de Paree, and Betty Cramer on Ben Casey) plays Farrell's former girlfriend Matti Arnold. Robert Foulk (Ed Davis on Father Knows Best, Sheriff Miller on Lassie, Joe Kingston on Wichita Town, Mr. Wheeler on Green Acres, and Phillip Toomey on The Rifleman) plays prison guard Gimp. 

Season 2, Episode 13, "Fool's Play": Paul Comi (shown on the right, see the biography section for the 1961 post on Ripcord) plays stagecoach robber Harry Pollitt. 

Season 2, Episode 14, "The Legend of Billy": Berry Kroeger (appeared in Black Magic, Gun Crazy, Hitler, and Demon Seed) plays New York newspaper columnist Dean Almond. Emile Meyer (starred in Shane, Drums Across the River, Blackboard Jungle, Sweet Smell of Success, and Paths of Glory and played Gen. Zachary Moran on Bat Masterson) plays former Pinkerton gunman Jerrod Cobb. Harry Antrim (appeared in Miracle on 34th Street, Words and Music, Ma and Pa Kettle, and Teacher's Pet and played Judge Hooker on The Great Gildersleeve) plays the hotel desk clerk.

Season 2, Episode 15, "A Tombstone for Billy": Howard McNear (shown on the left, see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Andy Griffith Show) plays wealthy town crank Cyrus Skinner. Natividad Vacio (Fronk on Father Knows Best) plays recent widower Juan Gonzales. Herbert Lytton (see "Petticoat Crusade" above) returns as the Lincoln judge.

Season 2, Episode 16, "Sidekick": Stafford Repp (Chief O'Hara on Batman) plays thieving trading post owner Judge Barker. Tim Graham (Homer Ede on National Velvet) plays stable owner Mr. Linus. Alma Beltran (Mami Morales on Berrenger's) plays one of Barker's victims.

 

Season 2, Episode 17, "Apache Daughter": Sherry Jackson (shown on the right, played Terry Williams on Make Room for Daddy) plays abducted daughter Sally Bartlett. J. Pat O'Malley (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Frontier Circus) plays her father Sam. Ralph Moody (see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Rifleman) plays Chiakawa chief Nanay.