Showing posts with label Peter Brown. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Peter Brown. Show all posts

Thursday, December 14, 2023

Cheyenne (1962)

 

After seven years in the saddle, wandering into all kinds of trouble but remaining the most popular TV western ever produced by Warner Brothers, Cheyenne came to the end of the trail in December 1962. As we noted in our post on the 1960 episodes, Cheyenne was TV's first 1-hour drama and one of the first three series Warner Brothers debuted in their initial foray into television in 1955. TV Guide covered the impending finale in an August 4, 1962 feature story, "'Just Clint and the Cactus,'" which surprisingly quoted Warner Brothers executives speaking dismissively of their most profitable star Clint Walker, with one calling him "that big, dumb farmer." The article additionally notes that the same executives considered the show's success, placing in the top 30 in the ratings from 1955-61, as due more to the formula than Walker's ability. And yet despite Walker's intention to leave at the end of Season 7, he was still being called into Jack Warner's office on a regular basis to try to get him to sign a new contract. Walker had clearly had enough of his indentured servitude at Warners, having already gone on strike for an entire season in 1958-59 and having expressed, as we noted in our post on the 1961 episodes, that he felt the character had already played itself out.

But since they thought they had a successful formula, the producers made no real changes in the 1962 episodes from the latter half of Season 6 and all those for Season 7, though they teased bringing the series to a resolution in the final episode, "Showdown at Oxbend" (December 17, 1962). In this story Cheyenne drives his wagon into the titular town and tells longtime friend Sheriff Ben Jethro that he has come to look into buying a horse ranch from Perly Wilkins with the intention of finally settling down. He tells Jethro he has had his fill of wandering about and wants to permanently put down roots. But we've seen this tease before in plots that seem ready to end Cheyenne's peripatetic lifestyle, and this one is no exception--perhaps driven by Jack Warner's optimism in being able to sign Walker to a new contract. Because when Cheyenne talks to Wilkins about buying his ranch, he considers the selling price too low for a ranch that has everything he wants, and he refuses to take advantage of a man driven to desperation. The desperation comes from an impending sheep drive that is expected to devastate all the grazing in the area and launch a full-out range war with the local group of cattle ranchers, led by the abrasive Ed Foster. Buried in the sheep drive is another favorite theme in the Cheyenne canon--misguided revenge for a sin committed many years ago, in this case the daughter of a sheep-herding man lynched by Foster and his mob some 20 years ago. Even though Cheyenne is able to avert the seemingly inevitable range war at the last minute, he decides to once again move on, telling Jethro that perhaps he will find his final resting place somewhere farther down the line.

Revenge is the main driving force in several other 1962 episodes: "The Bad Penny" (February 26, 1962), again featuring a young woman whose father was lynched many years ago, "Vengeance Is Mine" (November 26, 1962), in which a friend of Cheyenne's took the prison rap for another man in exchange for money to help his mother, which was never delivered, "Johnny Brassbuttons" (December 3, 1962), in which a Mescalero chief tries to sabotage a brave who married the squaw he wanted for himself, and "Wanted for the Murder of Cheyenne Bodie" (December 10, 1962), in which an outlaw gang tries to frame Cheyenne for a murder as revenge for his role in seeing their younger brother hung for another murder.

The other deadly sin dominating the Cheyenne universe is greed , as demonstrated in the episodes "The Wedding Rings" (January 8, 1962), where a small-town Mexican dictator tries to bleed his citizens dry before ascending to a larger role in the revolutionary capitol, "Satonka" (October 1, 1962), in which a mining company agent runs afoul of a local mythical beast in his pursuit of his company's interests, "Sweet Sam" (October 8, 1962), in which a man pretends to be a Good Samaritan to fool everyone in a small town so that he can rob the bank, "Man Alone" (October 15, 1962), where a young man who participated in a bank robbery suffers amnesia after falling from his horse while escaping with the stolen money but then tries to start a new life on the straight and narrow only to be pursued by the other bank robbers, "Indian Gold" (October 29, 1962), in which several citizens in a small settlement defy a U.S. Government treaty to go onto Indian land in search for a legendary treasure, "Dark Decision" (November 5, 1962), in which a greedy gambler kills a casino owner to rob his safe and preys upon a blind singer he has been courting to provide him with an alibi, "The Vanishing Breed" (November 19, 1962), in which a state senator corruptly uses his office to decimate the buffalo population to benefit his secret hide and tanning business, and the aforementioned "Showdown at Oxbend," in which the range war between sheep herders and cattle ranchers is secretly orchestrated by the largest landowner, Foster, to drive smaller ranchers to sell out before the war starts.

Though all these episodes are essentially repetitive variations on a single theme, the most interesting of the lot is "Indian Gold" because one of the greedy gold-seekers is a kind of anti-Cheyenne. Like our hero, Sheriff Matt Kilgore is a white man raised by Indians, in this case the Sioux, the very tribe whose legendary treasure other residents, such as town cook Charlie Feeney, are trying to steal. Kilgore initially appears to be on the side of good, working side-by-side with Cheyenne after showing him his Sioux brand to thwart the efforts of men like Feeney and avoid a full-scale Indian war. But once Feeney has learned where the gold is hidden and is forced to tell Kilgore, who then shoots him in the back, Cheyenne has to try to prevent Kilgore from stealing the gold for himself. Cheyenne reminds Kilgore that he will be betraying the very tribe that raised him and the chief who took him in as his own son, but Kilgore spits back at Cheyenne that despite any kindness he may have received from the Sioux, he is still white, a damning indictment because whiteness is linked to betrayal, murder, and greed. Though most of the true villains on Cheyenne are white men, we also see evil Native Americans, such as the covetous Mescalero chief Chato in "Johnny Brassbuttons." We also get greedy and ruthless Mexicans in "The Wedding Rings" and slave-trading, duplicitous Chinese in "Pocketful of Stars" (November 12, 1962), so essentially no race is singled out for villainy--there is plenty to go around.

As for our hero Clint Walker, the previously mentioned TV Guide article described his future plans, post-Cheyenne, to include acting in movies as well as singing on records, both of which he had done during his tenure on Cheyenne. But while Walker would indeed appear in such feature films as Send Me No Flowers, None But the Brave, and The Dirty Dozen, the singing career never materialized, though he would reprise his role as Cheyenne Bodie in a 1995 episode of Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, his last on-screen appearance. He passed away from congestive heart failure 5 years ago at the age of 90.

The Actors

For the biography of Clint Walker, see the 1960 post for Cheyenne.

Notable Guest Stars

Season 6, Episode 10, "The Wedding Rings": Harold J. Stone (shown on the left, played John Kennedy on The Grand Jury, Hamilton Greeley on My World and Welcome to It, and Sam Steinberg on Bridget Loves Bernie) plays Contadora, Mexico dictator Perez. Roberto Contreras (Pedro on The High Chapparal) plays his henchman Ortega. Margarita Cordova (Rosa Andrade on Santa Barbara and Carmen Torres on Sunset Beach) plays widow Alita Rodriguez. Nestor Paiva (Theo Gonzales on Zorro) plays the local padre. Cyril Delevanti (Lucious Coin on Jefferson Drum) plays a doctor.

Season 6, Episode 11, "The Idol": Jeff Morrow (shown on the right, starred in Sign of the Pagan, This Island Earth, Pardners, and The Giant Claw and played Maj. Bart McClelland on Union Pacific and Dr. Lloyd Axton on The New Temperatures Rising Show) plays notorious gunman turned Creek Point lawman Ben Shelby. Jean Byron (see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis) plays new Creek Point school teacher Deborah Morse. Roger Mobley (Homer "Packy" Lambert on Fury) plays her young son Gabe. Robert B. Williams (see the biography section for the 1962 post on Hazel) plays Creek Point citizens council representative Clem Peters. Leo Gordon (appeared in Gun Fury, Hondo, Quantrill's Raiders, and Big Top Pee-wee and played Big Mike McComb on Maverick) plays outlaw gang leader Greg Kirby. Craig Duncan (Sgt. Stanfield/Banfield on Mackenzie's Raiders) plays his brother Daws. Billy M. Greene (appeared in The Shrike, Never Steal Anything Small, and The Cape Canaveral Monsters and played Skrag on Captain Video and His Video Rangers) plays bartender Joe.

Season 6, Episode 12, "One Way Ticket": Philip Carey (shown on the left, starred in I Was a Communist for the FBI, Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison, Calamity Jane, Mister Roberts, Dead Ringer, and Three For Texas and played Lt. Michael Rhodes on Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers, Philip Marlowe on Philip Marlowe, Capt. Edward Parmalee on Laredo, and Asa Buchanan on One Life to Live) plays notorious outlaw Cole Younger. Judson Pratt (Billy Kinkaid on Union Pacific) plays his associate Vince Harper. Robert Anderson (Park Street, Jr. on The Court of Last Resort and Aeneas MacLinahan on Wichita Town) plays U.S. Marshal Johnny Warren. Charles Irving (Judge Blanchard on Perry Mason and Admiral Vincent Beckett on The Wackiest Ship in the Army) plays traveling salesman Orville C. Jones. Roxanne Arlen (former wife of Red Buttons, appeared in Hot Rod Girl, Bachelor Flat, and Gypsy) plays flirtatious train passenger Flo Gibson. Ronnie Dapo (Flip Rose on Room for One More and Andy on The New Phil Silvers Show) plays young boy train passenger Roy Barrington. Lillian Bronson (Mrs. Drake on Date With the Angels) plays his grandmother Mrs. Frazier. 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 train conductor Wilbur Crane.

Season 6, Episode 13, "The Bad Penny": Susan Seaforth Hayes (shown on the right, played Carol West on The Young Marrieds, Julie Olson Williams on Days of Our Lives, JoAnna Manning on The Young and the Restless, Patricia Steele on Sunset Beach, and Ms. Preston on Venice the Series) plays new Calista resident, widow Penelope Piper. Richard Webb (Captain Midnight on Captain Midnight and Deputy Chief Don Jagger on Border Patrol) plays rancher Clay McConnell. Carol Nicholson (Laurie Rose on Room for One More) plays his young daughter Nancy. Robert Hogan (Gilly Gillespie on The Young Marrieds, Rev. Tom Winter on Peyton Place, Asst. DA Stephens on Bright Promise, Scott Banning on Days of Our Lives, Sheriff Paul Tate on The Manhunter, Sgt. Ted Coppersmith on Richie Brockelman, Private Eye, Lt. Cmdr. Haller on Operation Petticoat, Nathan Welsh on Secrets of Midland Heights, Greg Stemple on Alice, Vince McKinnon on Another World, and L.J. McDermott on As the World Turns) plays Penelope suitor Billy Hay. 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 businessman Tod Kimball. Richard Collier (Harry Price on Many Happy Returns) plays town photographer Symes. Maurice Manson (Frederick Timberlake on Dennis the Menace, Josh Egan on Hazel, and Hank Pinkham on General Hospital) plays circuit Judge Stone. Bill Idelson (Babcock on The Bill Dana Show and wrote screenplays for multiple episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, Gomer Pyle, USMC, and The Odd Couple as well as many other programs) plays the hotel clerk.

Season 7, Episode 1, "The Durango Brothers":  Ellen Corby (Henrietta Porter on Trackdown and Esther Walton on The Waltons) plays outlaw matriarch Hortense Durango. Jack Elam (Deputy J.D. Smith on The Dakotas, George Taggart on Temple Houston, Zack Wheeler on The Texas Wheelers, and Uncle Alvin Stevenson on Easy Street) plays her son Calhoun. Mickey Simpson (Boley on Captain David Grief) plays her son Homer. Sally Kellerman (shown on the left, starred in Reform School Girl, MASH, Brewster McCloud, Slither, and The Player and played Lola on Chemistry, Constance Bingham on The Young and the Restless, Toni Maron on Maron, and Janet Davidson on Decker) plays her daughter Lottie. Warren Douglas (wrote screenplays for 11 episodes of Sugarfoot, 10 episodes of Cheyenne, and 5 episodes of Bronco) plays drummer Donald Gardner. Chuck Hicks (LaMarr Kane on The Untouchables) plays a traveling salesman.

Season 7, Episode 2, "Satonka": Andrew Dugan (shown on the right, played Cal Calhoun on Bourbon Street Beat, George Rose on Room for One More, Major Gen. Ed Britt on 12 O'Clock High, and Murdoch Lancer on Lancer) plays mining company agent Mark Kendall. Harvey Stephens (starred in Maid of Salem, Swing High, Swing Low, and Abe Lincoln in Illinois) plays missing anthropologist Dr. Clark Dana. Susan Seaforth Hayes (see "The Bad Penny" above) plays his daughter Carol. James Best (Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane on The Dukes of Hazzard and The Dukes) plays Desolation Mountains resident Ernie Riggins. Bill Zuckert (Arthur Bradwell on Mr. Novak and Chief Segal on Captain Nice) plays fellow resident Ed Parker. King Moody (Starker on Get Smart and Ronald McDonald on McDonaldland) plays fellow resident Frank.

Season 7, Episode 3, "Sweet Sam":  Robert McQueeney (shown on the left, played Conley Wright on The Gallant Men) plays Rock Springs Samaritan Sam Pridemore. 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 banker Cyrus Burton. Frank Ferguson (Gus Broeberg on My Friend Flicka, Eli Carson on Peyton Place, and Dr. Barton Stuart on Petticoat Junction) plays blacksmith Eli Zachary. Roger Mobley (see "The Idol" above) plays his crippled son Billy. Ronnie Haran (owns and operates a film location service and was the original booking agent at the Whiskey A Go-Go who helped get The Doors signed to Elektra Records and took the photograph on the back cover of the band Love's LP Forever Changes) plays town drunk's daughter Mary DeLieu. Joseph Gallison (appeared in All the Young Men, The Wackiest Ship in the Army, and PT 109 and played Bill Matthews on Another World and Dr. Neil Curtis on Days of Our Lives) plays a cruel anonymous gunman. Owen Orr (Pvt. Wally Blanchard on No Time for Sergeants) plays Rock Springs deputy Smitty. Richard Reeves (Mr. Murphy on Date With the Angels) plays gang member Jingles Clark. Dan Sheridan (see the biography section for the 1960 post on Lawman) plays bartender Shorty.

Season 7, Episode 4, "Man Alone": Carl Reindel (shown on the right, appeared in Bullitt, The Cheyenne Social Club, and The Andromeda Strain) plays amnesia victim Terry Brown. Steve Brodie (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays his uncle Buck Brown. Robert Karnes (see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Lawless Years) plays Buck's gang member Matt Walsh. John Milford (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays gang member Johnny Duggan. Sherwood Price (Gen. Jeb Stuart on The Gray Ghost) plays Johnny's brother Jimmy. Oliver MacGowan (Harvey Welk on Empire) plays Cattlemen's Association president Jed Belden. Lee Van Cleef (starred in High Noon, The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, The Bad and the Ugly and played John Peter McAllister on The Master) plays bartender Harry. Sarah Selby (see the biography section for the 1962 post on Gunsmoke) plays Buck's mother Sarah.

Season 7, Episode 5, "The Quick and the Deadly": Ray Teal (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Bonanza) plays Travis County Sheriff Matt Corbin. Chris Alcaide (was once married to Cher's mother, Georgia Holt) plays his deputy Gary Thomas. John Litel (starred in Back in Circulation, On Trial, Murder in the Blue Room, four Nancy Drew films, and eight Henry Aldrich films and played the Governor on Zorro and Dan Murchison on Stagecoach West) plays banker Mike Ainley. Mike Road (Marshal Tom Sellers on Buckskin, Lt. Joe Switolski on The Roaring 20's, and provided the voice for Race Bannon on Johnny Quest and Ugh on Space Ghost) plays his son Jud. William Mims (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays Jud's defense attorney. Charles Irving (see "One Way Ticket" above) plays the trial judge. Jeanne Cooper (shown on the left, played Grace Douglas on Bracken's World and Katherine Chancellor Murphy on The Young and the Restless) plays bar maid Molly Spencer. Michael Greene (Deputy Vance Porter on The Dakotas) plays Jud's henchman Cobb. John Harmon (hotel clerk Eddie Halstead on The Rifleman) plays card dealer Jake. Frank Cady (see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet) plays bank teller Wayne.

Season 7, Episode 6, "Indian Gold": Peter Breck (shown on the right, played Clay Culhane on Black Saddle, Doc Holliday on Maverick, and Nick Barkley on The Big Valley) plays Cheyenne's old friend Sheriff Matt Kilgore. Frank De Kova (Chief Wild Eagle on F Troop and Louis Campagna on The Untouchables) plays Sioux chief War Cloud. H.M. Wynant (Lt. Bauer on The Young Marrieds, Frosty on Batman, and Ed Chapman on Dallas) plays one of his braves White Claw. Arline Martel (Tiger on Hogan's Heroes and Spock's Vulcan bride on Star Trek) plays White Claw's sick wife Little Fawn. Trevor Bardette (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays town cook Charlie Feeney. George Petrie (Nathan Wade on Search for Tomorrow, Freddie Muller on The Honeymooners, Don Rudy Aiuppo on Wiseguy, Harv Smithfield on Dallas, and Sid on Mad About You) plays local physician Doc Farnsworth. Lane Chandler (Tom Pike on Lawman) plays general store owner Bailey. Norman Leavitt (Ralph on Trackdown) plays miner Pete. Joe Higgins (see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Rifleman) plays his partner Joe. Clyde Howdy (Hank Whitfield on Lassie) plays Indian hater Smith.

Season 7, Episode 7, "Dark Decision": Dianne Brewster (shown on the left, starred in Courage of Black Beauty, The Invisible Boy, Torpedo Run, and The Young Philadelphians and played Miss Canfield on Leave It to Beaver and The New Leave It to Beaver, Samantha Crawford on Maverick, and Wilhelmina Vanderveer on The Islanders) plays blind singer Constance Mason. Amanda Rudolph (Mama on The Amos 'n' Andy Show and Louise on The Danny Thomas Show) plays her maid Cleo. Peter Breck (see "Indian Gold" above) plays gambler Tony Chance. James Griffith (Aaron Adams on Trackdown and Deputy Tom Ferguson on U.S. Marshal) plays his partner Joe. Barry Kelley (starred in The Asphalt Jungle, The Manchurian Candidate, and The Love Bug and played Charlie Anderson on Big Town, Jim Rafferty on The Tom Ewell Show, Mr. Slocum on Pete and Gladys, and Carol's father on Mister Ed) plays saloon owner Nathan Alston. John Pickard (Capt. Shank Adams on Boots and Saddles and Sgt. Maj. Murdock on Gunslinger) plays cattle drover Ben Cask. Robert Brubaker (Deputy Ed Blake on U.S. Marshal and Floyd on Gunsmoke) plays Galesburg Sheriff Matt Silvers. Gregg Palmer (see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays casino houseman Nick.

Season 7, Episode 8, "Pocketful of Stars": Peter Brown (shown on the right, see the biography section for the 1960 post on Lawman) plays surveyor Ross Andrews. Weaver Levy (Oliver Kee on Adventures in Paradise) Chinese railroad worker Wang. Lisa Lu (see the biography section for the 1960 post on Have Gun--Will Travel) plays another worker's daughter Mei Ling. Nelson Olmsted (Captain Masters, MD on The Phil Silvers Show and Dr. Harkins on Days of Our Lives) plays railroad executive James Melville. 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 his foreman Tom Fanshaw. Robert Anderson (see "One Way Ticket" above) plays freighter John Bishop. Frank De Kova (see "Indian Gold" above) plays Shoshone chief Red Knife.

Season 7, Episode 9, "The Vanishing Breed": Roy Roberts (Capt. Simon P. Huxley on The Gale Storm Show, Admiral Rogers on McHale's Navy, John Cushing on The Beverly Hillbillies, Mr. Cheever on The Lucy Show, Frank Stephens on Bewitched, Norman Curtis on Petticoat Junction, and Mr. Botkin/Bodkin on Gunsmoke) plays state Senator Matson. Harry Lauter (Ranger Clay Morgan on Tales of the Texas Rangers, Atlasande on Rocky Jones, Space Ranger, and Jim Herrick on Waterfront) plays his assistant Walt Taylor. Regis Toomey (shown on the left, starred in Alibi, Other Men's Women, The Finger Points, His Girl Friday, and The Big Sleep and played Joe Mulligan on The Mickey Rooney Show, Lt. Manny Waldo on Four Star Playhouse, Lt. McGough on Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Bill Cochran on Shannon, Det. Les Hart on Burke's Law, and Dr. Barton Stuart on Petticoat Junction and Green Acres) plays former state senator Pat Evans. Pat Woodell (Bobbie Jo Bradley on Petticoat Junction) plays his daughter Gail. 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 Matson cohort Judge Kincaid. Marshall Reed (Inspector Fred Asher on The Lineup) plays Indian agent Ab Carter. Paul Mantee (starred in Robinson Crusoe on Mars, Blood on the Arrow, and A Man Called Dagger and played Det. Al Corassa on Cagney & Lacey and Commander Clayton on Hunter) plays Arapahoe brave Johnny Crow. Benny Baker (appeared in Blonde Trouble, Stage Door Canteen, and Paint Your Wagon and played Pete the bartender on F Troop) plays physician Doc Johnson. Robert Carson (Mr. Maddis on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show) plays Senate Speaker Cleaver. Lane Chandler (see "Indian Gold" above) plays state Sen. Maple.

Season 7, Episode 10, "Vengeance Is Mine": Van Williams (shown on the right, played Kenny Madison on Bourbon Street Beat and Surfside 6, Pat Burns on The Tycoon, Britt Reid on The Green Hornet, and Steve Andrews on Westwind) plays Cheyenne's old friend Ray Masters. George Gaynes (Frank Smith on General Hospital, Henry Warnimont on Punky Brewster, and Arthur Feldman on The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd) plays former gun runner Rod Delaplane. Leo Gordon (see "The Idol" above) plays his gunman Dan Gibson. Roberto Contreras (see "The Wedding Rings" above) plays Gibson's henchman Constanza. Jean Willes (appeared in Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Ocean's 11, and Gypsy) plays saloon owner Meg Stevens. Denver Pyle (see "Sweet Sam" above) plays rancher John Hanson.

Season 7, Episode 11, "Johnny Brassbuttons": Tony Young (shown on the left, son of actor Carleton G. Young, played Cord on Gunslinger) plays Indian scout for the U.S. Army Johnny Brassbuttons. Victoria Vetri (appeared in Kings of the Sun, Chuka, Rosemary's Baby, and Invasion of the Bee Girls) plays his wife White Bird. Philip Carey (see "One Way Ticket" above) plays lawman Marshal Frank Nolan. Adam Williams (appeared in Flying Leathernecks, The Big Heat, Fear Strikes Out, and North by Northwest) plays his deputy Jeb Quinn. Yale Summers (Jack Dane on Daktari) plays greenhorn Army Lt. Jackson. 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 Mescalero chief Chato. Booth Colman (Zaius on Planet of the Apes, Prof. Hector Jerrold on General Hospital, and Dr. Felix Burke on The Young and the Restless) plays Army fort commander Col. Travers. Adrienne Marden (Mary Breckenridge on The Waltons) plays Army wagon traveler Miss Bolton.

Season 7, Episode 12, "Wanted for the Murder of Cheyenne Bodie": Ruta Lee (shown on the right, appeared in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Funny Face, and Witness for the Prosecution and played Rona on 1st and Ten: The Championship and Pauline Spencer on Coming of Age) plays Walton Gang sister Lenore Hanford. Richard Webb (see "The Bad Penny" above) plays gang leader Bill Walton. Gregg Palmer (see "Dark Decision" above) plays his brother Hal. Dick Foran (Fire Chief Ed Washburne on Lassie and Slim on O.K., Crackerby!) plays Highmore Sheriff Bigelow. Robert Knapp (Ben Olson on Days of Our Lives and SAC Noel McDonald on The F.B.I.) plays his deputy Rankin. Charles Fredericks (Pete Albright on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays bartender Sam. Benny Rubin (see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Dick Tracy Show) plays a hotel clerk. Clyde Howdy (see "Indian Gold" above) plays Jefferson City Marshal Masters.

Season 7, Episode 13, "Showdown at Oxbend": Andrew Duggan (see "Satonka" above) plays Oxbend cattle rancher Ed Foster. Owen Orr  (see "Sweet Sam" above) plays his hired gun Hub Clayton. Ray Teal (see "The Quick and the Deadly" above) plays Oxbend Sheriff Ben Jethro. Joan Caulfield (shown on the left, appeared in Duffy's Tavern, Blue Skies, The Unsuspected, and The Lady Says No and played Liz Cooper on My Favorite Husband and Sally Truesdale on Sally) plays newly arrived widow Darcy Clay. James Griffith (see "Dark Decision" above) plays hired gunman Milt Krebs. Jim Boles (appeared in The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, The Trouble With Angels, Angel in My Pocket, The Love God?, and The Apple Dumpling Gang and  played Joe on One Man's Family) plays rancher Perly Wilkins. James Stacy (see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet) plays his future son-in-law Luther James.

 

Monday, June 15, 2020

Lawman (1962)


By 1962 Warner Brothers Television, which had flooded the ABC airwaves with a plethora of westerns and hip detective series in the late 1950s, was largely getting out of the westerns business as the genre's once dominant popularity was fading fast. Colt .45 had bit the dust in June 1960, Sugarfoot was jettisoned in 1961, and by the fall of 1962 Maverick, Bronco, and Lawman would join them on the junk heap. Only Cheyenne, Warner's first adult western debuting in 1955, would continue for one more abbreviated season consisting of 13 episodes that all ran in the fall of 1962, to be replaced by a new Warners western, The Dakotas, which would take its time slot and run for 19 episodes through mid-May of 1963. Though Cheyenne and Maverick were the bigger draws and have won greater acclaim, Lawman was the best of the bunch in tackling adult themes with unflinching honesty.

Of course, not every episode was a gem, and as we have mentioned in our two previous posts on the series, Warner Brothers' business model of recycling plots from its movie catalog as well as between its own series produced a number of shoddy retreads. A case in point is 1962's opening episode "The Locket" (January 7, 1962) in which a former employee of Lily returns to Laramie unconscious in a bushwhacked stagecoach followed by a man claiming to be her husband who turns out to be an outlaw searching for robbery spoils hidden by the woman's deceased husband. Even at 30 minutes, this episode drags to its too-obvious conclusion. But then the series embarks on a string of tales that undercut heroic ideals, the very foundation on which many westerns are built. 

"A Friend of the Family" (January 14, 1962) centers around a good friend of Johnny McKay's late father, Joe Henny, whom McKay had even called Uncle Joe though he was no blood relative. McKay runs across Henny when the latter is part of a bank-robbing gang that Troop and McKay foil, with Henny being captured in the aftermath. When McKay has to help Troop transport Henny to Cheyenne for trial, he lets his sympathies get the better of his judgment, which Henny exploits to his advantage by saying he was a victim of circumstances getting mixed up with the rest of the gang and constantly referring to himself as an old man. McKay's sympathy for Henny makes him let his guard down and allows Henny to escape, with Marshal Troop even accusing McKay of wanting him to escape, though he stops short of accusing McKay of conspiring with Henny. To atone for his error, McKay has to hunt down and eventually fatally shoot his "uncle," a stern lesson that a lawman can't play favorites with his captives. McKay gets another lesson in "The Tarnished Badge" (January 21, 1962) when former Laramie marshal Jess Bridges rides into town with two other men who pretend to be his prisoners but are actually there to help him rob the stage about to leave town. Troop is ready with hidden armed men lining the street, but when Bridges manages to escape with a bullet wound and McKay tracks him down in the wilderness, he again is too trusting and Bridges is able to take him prisoner by knocking him out with a rock to the head. Bridges is able to redeem himself somewhat after taking McKay to his hideout where his other two partners figure out McKay's true identity and force Bridges to choose between them and McKay. After all the outlaws wind up killing each other, McKay tells Troop that Bridges saved his life and that he was a good lawman, but clearly the man that McKay once idolized didn't live up to his reputation after turning in his badge.

Troop has a reckoning with one of his heroes in "The Long Gun" (March 4, 1962) when renowned Marshal Ben Wyatt shows up in Laramie and takes a hotel room overlooking the main street because he expects the brothers of an outlaw he killed to come looking for him, and he plans to shoot them down on sight. Troop says he can't allow such an extra-judicial killing to happen, but Wyatt says that Troop is powerless to stop him because he hasn't yet committed a crime. Troop then reveals that Wyatt was the man who inspired him to become a lawman himself, serving as Wyatt's deputy when he was just starting out. He asks when Wyatt became afraid of facing off against anyone, and Wyatt replies that the man Troop admired is dead. But while Wyatt ruminates, Troop throws his long rifle out into the street just as the brothers come riding up, and Wyatt is then forced to face off against them without cover, finally living up to the memory that Troop cherished of his bravery. Even though Wyatt has restored his standing, Troop has surely learned that even heroes have their weaknesses. 

The series also pokes fun at the myth of the western gunman in "No Contest" (February 4, 1962) with a recycled plot about an eastern tinhorn coming west and thinking it will be easy to live out the wild west fantasies he has read about in sensationalized news stories and pulp novels. But this episode gives the tread-worn plot a couple of twists in that the tinhorn is McKay's cousin, and he is the spitting image of Billy the Kid, which initially makes those who accidentally bump into him unusually willing to back down and apologize. The deference shown him makes the cousin, Jeff Allen, start to think that perhaps he could be a respected and feared gunman like his lookalike, so he purchases a gun and belt and begins practicing and then seems to seek out confrontation to put his new-found feeling of invincibility to the test, all the while ignoring McKay's warnings that gunfights in real life don't play out like they do in popular literature. It takes Troop, sensing that Allen is about to get his comeuppance from a boyfriend whose girl has been flirting with Allen, to slap some sense into him and then stare him down when he threatens to draw on Troop. Allen finally realizes his folly, but his epiphany is a little too quick to be convincing, even though the plot's larger point about the gap between wild west fiction and reality is still valid.

Speaking of tall tales of the wild west, perhaps the most unsettling episode with uncomfortable parallels today is "The Man Behind the News" (May 13, 1962) about newspaper publisher Luther Boardman who moves to Laramie from Kansas City and buys the local paper. His first act as publisher is to summon Troop and tell him how to do his job so that he can sensationalize it in his paper, and his office is lined with photos and pistols from famous outlaw gunman, a fetish of his. He even admits that he left Kansas City because it became too tame, and when Troop fails to play his game, he instigates a standoff between Troop and dim-witted gunman Mort Peters, goading Peters into believing that Troop has insulted and mistreated him and that he must demand satisfaction. Unable to convince either Boardman or Peters that they are being foolish, Troop finally gives them the standoff they want, only Peters is too inebriated to do any damage and gets a bullet in the shoulder from Troop while his own shot grazes Boardman trying to photograph the spectacle, and the newsman shows himself to be a complete coward despite his love of violence. While the story makes a valid point about the glorification of violence and the business of newspapers in selling copies and advertising, the story and characters are too farcical to have any real credibility, and setting up the press as "the enemy of the people" is a dangerous game--one might argue as dangerous as soliciting a gun battle.

Another episode with ironic contemporary parallels is "The Doctor" (May 6, 1962) in which Troop travels to Casper to bring back a hostile witness for a trial in Laramie. Along the way the stagecoach driver becomes very ill, and when examined by alcoholic former doctor Alexander Burrell, he is found to have the plague. Burrell says that they must quarantine themselves at the stage waystation between the two towns for four days, but his recommendation is met with anger by the other passengers. They try to discredit his opinion because of his alcoholism, and allow their own priorities--one woman is determined to get to Laramie on time to meet her future mail-order husband, afraid he will call the wedding off if she is late--to cloud their judgment. But Troop follows the science, or at least the possibility that the doctor is right, and orders everyone to stay put, though they nearly break out when he has to leave to chase down the delirious driver when the latter escapes out the window. At episode's end when the stage finally makes it to Laramie after the four-day delay, McKay tells Troop that there was a significant outbreak of plague in Casper but so far nothing has popped up in Laramie.

The series closes out its final episode, "The Witness" (June 24, 1962), with another tale about people using their own misguided priorities to upend another pillar of society--the legal system. When Nathan Adams returns home and finds his wife shot dead, he flies into a rage, and his sister-in-law Anna Prentiss invents a story about an intruder being the murderer, which sets Adams on a course of retribution. Meanwhile sketch artist Beebee Williams sees the situation as an opportunity to get revenge on rancher Jim Martin, who mistakenly identified Williams' brother as a bank robber years before with the brother being lynched by an angry mob. So Williams claims he saw Martin fleeing the scene at the time of the murder when he was actually out mending fences on his ranch with no one around to back his alibi. When Prentiss backtracks on the witness stand about being sure that Martin is the killer, he is acquitted, but this only prompts Adams to try to force him into a gunfight so that he can avenge his wife's death on his own terms. Once Troop learns from Martin the reason for Williams' animosity, he senses things do not add up and is finally able to get Prentiss to admit that she was the one who shot Adams' wife accidentally. When she relays this to Adams just before he is about to draw on Martin, Adams is shell-shocked at the mistake he nearly made and walks away stunned, while Williams also must face that he nearly caused the murder of a man who made an honest though tragic mistake. Rather than wallowing in extra-judicial revenge fantasies that have plagued television and the movies for decades, Lawman's Troop, while admittedly an unreal, larger-than-life hero, concludes by noting that people say revenge is sweet, but when Williams got just a whiff of it, it made him sick. While Lawman may not have had quite the savage realism of Sam Peckinpah's The Westerner nor the array of more fully developed characters found in Gunsmoke, it still holds up remarkably well for a western of its era, and certainly sits atop Warner Brothers' western universe.

All four seasons have been released on DVD by Warner Home Video.

The Actors

For the biographies for John Russell, Peter Brown, Peggie Castle, Clancy Cooper, Dan Sheridan, and Harry Cheshire, see the 1960 post on Lawman. For the biographies of Grady Sutton and Vinton Hayworth, see the 1961 post on Lawman.

Notable Guest Stars

Season 4, Episode 17, "The Locket": Robert Colbert (shown on the left, see the biography section for the 1961 post on Maverick) plays incognito outlaw Breen. Julie Van Zandt (ex-wife of director Richard L. Bare) plays Lily's former employee Marcia Smith.

Season 4, Episode 18, "A Friend of the Family": Frank Ferguson (Gus Broeberg on My Friend Flicka, Eli Carson on Peyton Place, Judge Gurney on Temple Houston, and Dr. Barton Stuart on Petticoat Junction) plays friend of Johnny McKay's father Joe Henny. Gertrude Flynn (appeared in War and Peace, Rome Adventure, and Funny Girl and played Anna Sawyer on Days of Our Lives) plays bank customer Miss Selma. 

Season 4, Episode 19, "The Vintage": Kevin Hagen (John Colton on Yancy Derringer, Inspector Dobbs Kobick on Land of the Giants, and Dr. Hiram Baker on Little House on the Prairie) plays drunken brawler Kulp. Richard Reeves (Mr. Murphy on Date With the Angels) plays his friend Joe.

Season 4, Episode 20, "The Tarnished Badge": Lon Chaney, Jr. (shown on the right, starred in The Wolfman, Of Mice and Men, High Noon, The Ghost of Frankenstein, The Curse of Dracula, Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman, and many others, and played Chief Eagle Shadow on Pistols 'n' Petticoats and Chingachgook on Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans) plays former Laramie marshal Jess Bridges. Jackie Searl (child actor who appeared in Tom Sawyer (1930), Huckleberry Finn (1931), Alice in Wonderland (1933), Great Expectations(1934), and Little Lord Fauntleroy) plays his accomplice Slick. Marshall Reed (Inspector Fred Asher on The Lineup) plays another accomplice Jake.
Season 4, Episode 21, "No Contest": Richard Rogers (shown on the left, played Walter Tell on William Tell) plays Johnny's cousin Jeff Allen. Dawn Wells (Mary Ann Summers on Gilligan's Island) plays town flirt Elly Stratton. Guy Stockwell (brother of Dean Stockwell, starred in Beau Geste, It's Alive, and Airport 1975 and played Chris Parker on Adventures in Paradise) plays her boyfriend Jib Willis. 

Season 4, Episode 22, "Change of Venue": Philip Carey (shown on the right, starred in I Was a Communist for the FBI, Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison, Calamity Jane, Mister Roberts, Dead Ringer, and Three For Texas and played Lt. Michael Rhodes on Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers, Philip Marlowe on Philip Marlowe, Capt. Edward Parmalee on Laredo, and Asa Buchanan on One Life to Live) plays alleged killer Barron Shaw. Jan Shepard (appeared in King Creole, Attack of the Giant Leeches, and Paradise, Hawaiian Style and played Nurse Betty on Dr. Christian) plays conspirator Madelyn Chase. Roy Barcroft (Col. Logan on The Adventures of Spin and Marty and Roy on Gunsmoke) plays his prisoner guard Luke Tennant. Larry J. Blake (played the unnamed jailer on Yancy Derringer and Tom Parnell on Saints and Sinners) plays concerned citizen Mr. Parker. 

Season 4, Episode 23, "The Holdout": Arch Johnson (shown on the left, starred in Somebody Up There Likes Me, G.I. Blues, and The Cheyenne Social Club and played Gus Honochek on The Asphalt Jungle and Cmdr. Wivenhoe on Camp Runamuck) plays vigilante leader Logan. Larry Ward (Marshal Frank Ragan on The Dakotas) plays storekeeper Blake Stevens. 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 town council leader Ben Thurston. 

Season 4, Episode 24, "The Barber": William Fawcett (shown on the right, played Clayton on Duffy's Tavern, Marshal George Higgins on The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, and Pete Wilkey on Fury) plays original Laramie barber Ed Carruthers. Wendell Holmes (appeared in Good Day for a Hanging, Because They're Young, Elmer Gantry, and The Absent Minded Professor) plays bank robber Frank MacStrowd. Gail Bonney (Goodwife Martin on Space Patrol and Madeline Schweitzer on December Bride) plays homesteader's wife Mrs. Wilson. Owen Bush (Ben on Shane, John Belson on Sirota's Court, and Crimshaw on Our House) plays homesteader Will Puffin.

Season 4, Episode 25, "The Long Gun": John Dehner (shown on the left, played 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 renowned lawman Marshal Ben Wyatt. Robert "Buzz" Henry (starred in Buzzy Rides the Range, Buzzy and the Phantom Pinto, and Mr. Celebrity) plays one of his victim's brothers. George Dunn (Jessie Williams on Cimarron City and the Sheriff on Camp Runamuck) plays hunter Ed Love.

Season 4, Episode 26, "Clootey Hutter": Virginia Gregg (shown on the right, starred in Dragnet, Crime in the Streets, Operation Petticoat and was the voice of Norma Bates in Psycho and the voice of Maggie Belle Klaxon on Calvin and the Colonel) plays widow rancher Clootey Hutter. Jack Elam (Deputy J.D. Smith on The Dakotas, George Taggart on Temple Houston, Zack Wheeler on The Texas Wheelers, and Uncle Alvin Stevenson on Easy Street) plays her suitor Paul Henry. 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) plays his brother Earl. Justin Smith (appeared in The Jazz Singer, Wild on the Beach, and The Candidate) plays busybody Ed Cramer.

Season 4, Episode 27, "Heritage of Hate": Roy Roberts (Capt. Simon P. Huxley on The Gale Storm Show, Admiral Rogers on McHale's Navy, John Cushing on The Beverly Hillbillies, Mr. Cheever on The Lucy Show, Frank Stephens on Bewitched, Norman Curtis on Petticoat Junction, and Mr. Botkin/Bodkin on Gunsmoke) plays vengeful rancher John Kemper. Ken Mayer (Maj. Robbie Robertson on Space Patrol) plays his ranch hand Moss. Kathie Browne (shown on the left, played Angie Dow on Hondo and was Darren McGavin's second wife) plays Kemper's daughter-in-law Laurie. William Joyce (Kellam Chandler on Days of Our Lives) plays ex-con Bill Fells. Frank Albertson (starred in Alice Adams, Man Made Monster, and It's a Wonderful Life and played Mr. Cooper on Bringing Up Buddy) plays impressionable citizen Henry Bildy. Grace Albertson (second wife of Frank Albertson, played Ethel Robinson on Our Private World) plays his wife Sarah.

Season 4, Episode 28, "Mountain Man": Med Flory (shown on the right, played clarinet in the Ray Anthony orchestra and founded and played alto sax in the group Super Sax, appeared in Gun Street, The Nutty Professor (1963), and The Gumball Rally, and played Sheriff Mike McBride on High Mountain Rangers) plays amorous mountain man Lex Buckman. William Fawcett (see "The Barber" above) returns as barber Ed Carruthers. Rusty Wescoatt (Joe the bartender on Trackdown) plays a blacksmith.

Season 4, Episode 29, "The Bride": William Mims (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays con man Frank Farnum. Jo Morrow (appeared in Gidget, Our Man in Havana, and The 3 Worlds of Gulliver) plays his niece Melanie Wells. L.Q. Jones (Beldon on The Virginian, Sheriff Lew Wallace on The Yellow Rose, and Nathan Wayne on Renegade) plays wealthy rancher Ollie Earnshaw. Harry Strang (played the sheriff on The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin) plays stage driver Ed Lecky.

Season 4, Episode 30, "The Wanted Man": Marie Windsor (shown on the left, starred in Outpost in Morocco, Dakota Lil, Cat-Women of the Moon, Swamp Women, and The Day Mars Invaded Earth) plays pregnant wife Ann Jesse. Jan Stine (Roger on The Donna Reed Show and Eddie on The Virginian) plays her son Ben. Dick Foran (Fire Chief Ed Washburne on Lassie and Slim on O.K., Crackerby!) plays her fugitive husband Frank. Alan Baxter (appeared in Saboteur, Close-Up, Judgment at Nuremberg, and Paint Your Wagon) plays bounty hunter Joe Street. Ralph Moody (see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Rifleman) plays Laramie physician Doc Greer.

Season 4, Episode 31, "Sunday": Richard Evans (Paul Hanley on Peyton Place) plays captured killer Billy Deal. Andrew Duggan (shown on the right, played Cal Calhoun on Bourbon Street Beat, George Rose on Room for One More, Major Gen. Ed Britt on 12 O'Clock High, and Murdoch Lancer on Lancer) plays Dakota outlaw Frank Boone. Owen Orr (Wally Blanchard on No Time for Sergeants) plays his henchman Jim Young. Robert "Buzz" Henry (see "The Long Gun" above) plays his henchman Wid.

Season 4, Episode 32, "The Youngest": Olive Carey (see the biography section for the 1960 post on Lock Up) plays bully matriarch Ma Martin. Joseph Gallison (appeared in All the Young Men, The Wackiest Ship in the Army, and PT 109 and played Bill Matthews on Another World and Dr. Neil Curtis on Days of Our Lives) plays her youngest son Jim, Jr. 

Season 4, Episode 33, "Cort": Kevin Hagen (shown on the left, see "The Vintage" above) plays terminally ill Cort Evers. Harry Carey, Jr. (starred in Red River, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Mister Roberts, and The Searchers and played Bill Burnett on The Adventures of Spin and Marty) plays his brother Mitch. Ralph Moody (see "The Wanted Man" above) plays Laramie physician Doc Jessup. 

Season 4, Episode 34, "The Doctor": Whit Bissell (starred in He Walked by Night, Creature From the Black Lagoon, I Was a Teenage Werewolf, I Was a Teenage Frankenstein, and Hud and played Bert Loomis on Bachelor Father, Calvin Hanley on Peyton Place, and Lt. Gen. Heywood Kirk on The Time Tunnel) plays alcoholic former doctor Alexander Burrell. Sherwood Price (Gen. Jeb Stuart on The Gray Ghost) plays hostile witness Will Evans. Charles Lane (appeared in The Milky Way, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Lady Is Willing, The Music Man, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, and The Gnome-Mobile and played Mr. Fosdick on Dear Phoebe, Homer Bedloe on Petticoat Junction, Foster Phinney on The Beverly Hillbillies, Dale Busch on Karen, and Judge Anthony Petrillo on Soap) plays his attorney Morris Weeks. Eloise Hardt (shown on the right, played Karen Hadley on The Dennis O'Keefe Show) plays bride-to-be Cissy Lawson. Harry Strang (see "The Bride" above) plays stage driver Randy Whedon.

Season 4, Episode 35, "The Man Behind the News": Clinton Sundberg (appeared in The Kissing Bandit, The Barkleys of Broadway, In the Good Old Summertime, and Annie Get Your Gun) plays newspaper publisher Luther Boardman. Hal Baylor (Jenkins on Rawhide and Mercury on Batman) plays gunman Mort Peters. Peggy Mondo (shown on the left, played Mama Vitale on To Rome With Love) player Peters' girlfriend Flora. 

Season 4, Episode 36, "Get Out of Town": Bill Williams (shown on the right, see the biography section for the 1960 post on Assignment: Underwater) plays casino owner Jim Bushrod. John Hubbard (starred in One Million, B.C., The Mummy's Tomb, and What's Buzzin', Cousin? and played Mr. Brown on The Mickey Rooney Show, Col. U. Charles Barker on Don't Call Me Charlie, and Ted Gaynor on Family Affair) plays his partner Sy. Tim Graham (Homer Ede on National Velvet) plays Laramie's top businessman Amos Hall. Tom London (starred in Six-Shootin' Sheriff, Song of the Buckaroo, and Riders in the Sky)  plays his employee Pete. Clyde Howdy (Hank Whitfield on Lassie) plays bank teller Joe.

Season 4, Episode 37, "The Actor": John Carradine (shown on the left, starred in Stagecoach, The Grapes of Wrath, House of Frankenstein, House of Dracula, The Ten Commandments, and Sex Kittens Go to College and played Gen. Joshua McCord on Branded) plays alcoholic actor Geoffrey Hendon. Mary Anderson (starred in Bahama Passage, The Song of Bernadette, and Lifeboat and played Catherine Harrington on Peyton Place) plays his pursuer Martha Carson. Warren J. Kemmerling (Judge Rense on How the West Was Won) plays her husband Bill. 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 physician Dr. Wilson.

Season 4, Episode 38, "Explosion": Gary Vinson (Chris Higbee on The Roaring '20's, George Christopher on McHale's Navy, and Sheriff Harold Skiles on Pistols 'n' Petticoats) plays head injury victim Jess Billings. 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 his attacker Sam Brackett. Gilman Rankin (Deputy Charlie Riggs on Tombstone Territory) plays Brackett associate Paul Dales. John Qualen (appeared in The Three Musketeers(1935), His Girl Friday, The Grapes of Wrath, Angels Over Broadway, Casablanca, Anatomy of a Murder, and A Patch of Blue) plays Laramie physician Doc Shay. Marie Blake (shown on the right, appeared in Love Finds Andy Hardy, Li'l Abner, and Mourning Becomes Electra, played Sally the receptionist in 14 Dr. Kildare and Dr. Gillespie features, and played Nurse Tacky on Dr. Hudson's Secret Journal and Grandmama on The Addams Family) plays homesteader's wife Mrs. Murdoch.

Season 4, Episode 39, "Jailbreak": Peter Breck (Clay Culhane on Black Saddle, Doc Holliday on Maverick, and Nick Barkley on The Big Valley) plays jailed outlaw Pete Bole. Pamela Austin (shown on the left, starred in Hootenanny Hoot, Kissin' Cousins, and The Perils of Pauline) plays his girlfriend Little Britches. James Griffith (Aaron Adams on Trackdown and Deputy Tom Ferguson on U.S. Marshal) plays jailbreak planner Heracles Snead. Frank Ferguson (see "A Friend of the Family" above) plays Casper Sheriff Howard Callaghan. Mickey Simpson (Boley on Captain David Grief) plays Snead henchman Murph.

Season 4, Episode 40, "The Unmasked": Dabbs Greer (shown on the right, see the biography section for the 1960 post on Gunsmoke) plays hotel owner Joe Brockaway. Angela Greene (Tess Trueheart on Dick Tracy) plays his wife Marian. Charles Maxwell (Special Agent Joe Carey on I Led 3 Lives and was the voice of the radio announcer on Gilligan's Island) plays ex-Confederate bounty hunter Samuel Davidson. Barry Atwater (Dr. John Prentice on General Hospital) plays his partner Carter Banks. Jack Albertson (starred in Days of Wine and Roses, Kissin' Cousins, The Flim-Flam Man, and Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and played Lt. Harry Evans on The Thin Man, Walter Burton on Room for One More, Lt. Cmdr. Virgil Stoner on Ensign O'Toole, Paul Fenton on Mister Ed, and Ed Brown on Chico and the Man) plays elixir salesman Doc Peters.

Season 4, Episode 41, "The Witness": Morgan Woodward (shown on the left, see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays vengeful widower Nathan Adams. Sarah Selby (Aunt Gertrude on The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure, Lucille Vanderlip on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Miss Thomas on Father Knows Best, and Ma Smalley on Gunsmoke) plays his sister-in-law Anna Prentiss. Jay Novello (Juan Greco on Zorro and Mayor Mario Lugatto on McHale's Navy) plays sketch artist Beebee Williams. John Agar (starred in Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Sands of Iwo Jima, Woman of the North Country, Revenge of the Creature, The Mole People, and Attack of the Puppet People) plays rancher Jim Martin.