Saturday, February 28, 2015

Bronco (1960)



Bronco's origins sprung from a contract dispute between Clint Walker, star of top-20 hit Cheyenne, and Warner Brothers, the studio that produced the show. Under the terms of his contract, Walker had to give the studio 50% of any fees he received for public appearances and could record albums only for the Warner Brothers label. Walker wanted a higher percentage of his appearance fees and the freedom to record for any label he chose, so he walked out after the completion of the show's third season in 1958. Jack L. Warner, CEO of Warner Brothers, refused to give in to Walker's demands and countered by creating a new show to replace Cheyenne with relative unknown Ty Hardin starring in the title role. The program slot was still billed Cheyenne but for the 1958-59 season Bronco alternated with Sugarfoot instead of Cheyenne. Bronco proved popular enough, largely because of its beefcake lead actor, that Warner Brothers kept it on the air for another three seasons after Walker returned in the fall of 1959. So in essence Bronco was a replacement player for the professional Cheyenne who was invited to stick with the team when the strike was over.

And the analogy is not without merit--Bronco Layne, like Cheyenne Bodie, is a drifter taking various jobs across the west, often a scout for the U.S. Army or a cowhand, and is part Indian (Layne reveals that his mother was Cherokee in the episode "Seminole War Pipe" [December 12, 1960]). But while Cheyenne never ranked as one of the best westerns of the era, Bronco is decidedly a step below. The plots are highly derivative, the acting stiff (Hardin's skills compare with those of Elvis Presley), and the dialogue laughable. Warner Brothers' productions were never known for originality (except in distorting history, as described below); James Garner spoke at length in his memoir of the studio's recycling of plots from its feature films and use of stock footage, which was common at the time but used more blatantly by Warner Brothers. One episode that stands out in this regard is the aforementioned "Seminole War Pipe" in which Layne escorts a Seminole princess back to her tribe's chief in the Everglades. Along the journey we are treated to stock footage of paddle-wheel riverboats (looking like they had been also used in the series Riverboat, though the latter was not a Warner Brothers production), wildlife such as alligators, flamingos, and a parrot, and most egregiously in the climactic chase and fight sequence a band of Creek Indians is almost entirely shown in blurry footage from a much older film, occasionally interspersed with studio shots of guest star Dean Fredericks and a few uncredited extras. Needless to say, this mash-up hardly makes for smooth viewing.

The "Seminole War Pipe" is also notable for its favorable treatment of the Confederacy. Layne is portrayed as a former Confederate officer, and this episode, as well as "Shadow of Jesse James" (January 12, 1960), is largely comprised of a flashback to his Confederate days. At one point, in trying to persuade a mob of lynch-hungry former Confederate soldiers against hanging a Seminole married couple, Layne tells them that their side may have lost the war but at least they fought "clean." During the flashback Layne delivers a message from Confederate President Jefferson Davis to Seminole chief Akacita offering the tribe their own state on equal footing with the others in the Confederacy if they will join the fight on the side of the south, whereas Union General Blunt offers them only a chance to reunite their tribesman relocated to Oklahoma with those in Florida on their own reservation. Akacita and his great-granddaughter Natula decide to accept the south's offer because it gives their people more freedom. Of course, there is never any mentioned about what a southern victory would mean to the freedom of the African-American slaves. Even though many TV shows bent historical facts in the service of dramatic effect, this one is particularly interesting because rather than offering opportunity to the Seminoles, the real Jefferson Davis placed an embargo on all dealings with them when he was the U.S. Secretary of War three years before the breakout of the Civil War. By the time the war broke out, the Seminole tribe had been reduced to fewer than 1,000 split between Oklahoma and Florida. They were in no position to aid either side in the war.

Other episodes that try to offer more compelling stories by dropping Bronco into situations with historical figures are the aforementioned "Shadow of Jesse James," in which Layne in his Confederate days encounters the notorious outlaw after being surrounded by Union troops in Missouri. James and his partner Cole Younger rescue Layne, who then discovers that James is nothing more than a ruthless psychopath. In the Warner Brothers version, Younger is engaged to Belle Starr and just wants to settle down with her, particularly when Layne offers them some property of his outside Austin, Texas, but James draws Younger into one more robbery, the failed Northfield, Minnesota bank job that led to Younger's capture. In this retelling James abandons Younger to save his own skin when Younger's brother Bob is wounded and slows down their escape. Layne is the  one who convinces Younger to turn himself in. In real life Younger was not involved with Starr, though some claim she was married for a few weeks to his uncle Charles.

"Death of an Outlaw" (March 8, 1960) shows Layne as good friends with Billy the Kid when they are both working as cowhands for British rancher John Tunstall. Many of the events shown in this episode mirror historical events, including Tunstall's murder by agents of rival cattle ranchers, Tunstall associate Alexander McSween's abhorrence of violence, and the revenge-fueled ambush of Sheriff William J. Brady by Billy and other Tunstall sympathizers. However, the episode also depicts Billy as basically a good-natured family man who then wants to just settle down with his Mexican wife, though he later resorts to cattle rustling (as did the real Billy) and eventually is hunted down by Sheriff Pat Garrett. Garrett is depicted in this episode as a double-dealing opportunist who also works for Tunstall (never happened) but then agrees to be appointed sheriff after Brady's murder to collect the reward on his former friend Billy's head. The narrator then says unsympathetically that Garrett eventually was repaid when he met a violent death himself, which is true enough, but the polarization of Billy as the good guy and Garrett as the bad guy is striking.

Layne also rubs elbows with Wild Bill Hickock in "Montana Passage" (April 5, 1960) when the lawman helps Bronco fake his own death to escape an unjust murder charge. However, we never see Hickock again after the first few minutes of the show, making his appearance seem rather gratuitous. On the other hand, the episodes without gratuitous historical cameos offer little of interest--Bronco tangles with various Indian haters, corrupt sheriffs and judges, greedy ranchers, and conniving women and always comes out on top before heading out on his next adventure. If the plots sound familiar, they should--all too familiar, but then what would you expect from a series conceived just to fill a slot vacated by a disgruntled actor?

The theme song for Bronco was composed by Jerry Livingston with lyrics by Mack David, who were profiled in the 1960 post for Lawman. Also, as with Lawman, there were no credits for individual episode scores, but music supervision was handled by Paul Sawtell and Bert Shefter.

The first three seasons have been released on DVD by Warner Archive.

The Actors

Ty Hardin

Born Orison Whipple Hungerford, Jr. in New York City, Ty Hardin's parents divorced when he was 5 and he moved with his mother and brother to Texas. Unable to support her son, his mother sent him to live with his grandparents outside Austin, though he would graduate from Lamar High School in Houston. His grandmother was the one who nicknamed him Ty because she said he was like a typhoon, only to learn when he was an adult that he had ADHD disorder. He attended Blinn Junior College on a football scholarship and then spent a semester at the Dallas Bible Institute before joining the Army. He attended Officer's Candidate School in New Jersey and eventually rose to the rank of First Lieutenant while serving overseas during the Korean War. After leaving the service he enrolled at Texas A&M University and played tight end for Bear Bryant while studying engineering. However, he left school only a few weeks before graduation when he was offered a job working for Douglas Aircraft in Santa Monica, California. It was there he was spotted by a Paramount Pictures talent scout while shopping for a Halloween costume and was given a screen test and signed to a 7-year contract. He had bit parts in cult classics such as The Space Children and I Married a Monster From Outer Space when he was summoned to the house of John Wayne, who wanted him to appear in Rio Bravo, though the part was already cast to Ricky Nelson. Nevertheless, Wayne brought Hardin to the attention of Howard Hawks and William T. Orr, son-in-law of Jack Warner, and Orr decided to buy out Hardin's Paramount contract. When Clint Walker of Warner Brothers' Cheyenne TV series went on strike to get better contract conditions for himself, Hardin was cast as his replacement Bronco Layne, whose episodes aired in place of Cheyenne for the duration of the 1958-59 season.

Toward the end of his four-year run on Bronco, Hardin began appearing in Warner feature films such as Merrill's Marauders and The Chapman Report and continued feature work for Warners the next few years, including spots in PT109, Palm Springs Weekend, and Battle of the Bulge. When his contract with Warners expired, he sought work abroad, appearing in spaghetti westerns such as Death on the Run and British-made films with American stars, such as Berserk opposite Joan Crawford, but he reportedly turned down the lead role in A Fistful of Dollars, which eventually made Clint Eastwood a star. He made a similar move while overseas in rejecting the lead role that went to Adam West on the TV show Batman. In 1969 he starred in the Australian TV series Riptide as Moss Andrews and the following year appeared in a German TV series On the Trail of Johnny Hilling, Boor and Billy. In 1973 he had a recurring role on the Hungarian TV series Arpad le tzigane but then returned to work in the States in the mid-1970s but managed only one-off appearances on shows such as David Cassidy - Man Undercover and The Love Boat. He claims to have turned down several film roles because of foul language, sex, and violence. When acting work was sparse he became a minister at Chuck Smith's Calvary Chapel but says that he realized this was not his calling. He then led a right-wing conservative group called the Arizona Patriots and founded an IRS protest school called the Common Law Institute. In the mid 1980s he edited The Arizona Patriot, an anti-government publication that often reprinted anti-Semitic articles from other sources. In 1986 the ATF and FBI raided an Arizona Patriot camp and confiscated a large cache of illegal weapons and Aryan Nation publications. Shortly thereafter Hardin left Arizona and the group folded. He currently lives in Huntington Beach, California with his eighth wife but continues to publish his anti-government message on his personal web site. He is also looking for acting work, as indicated in this "update" on his web site:


"I now reside in Huntington Beach, CA.. and will accept doing supporting gigs that do not have to carry the prestige and acclaim that I have been accustomed to in the past. I will enjoy giving due diligence to whatever part is offered to me. I can and will contribute whatever is needed from my talents and experiences to the success of any production, film, stage or public appearance. 

If you are looking for a real 'pro' who takes his work seriously, while enjoying the challenge of bringing reality to his screen performances, unique to this actor, consider using my services. As an octogenerian, I'm 6'2", grey haired, 180 lbs of 'solid' muscle and can still straddle a horse."

Notable Guest Stars

Season 2, Episode 9, "Shadow of Jesse James": James Coburn (shown on the left, starred in The Magnificent Seven, Charade, Our Man Flint, and In Like Flint and played Jeff Durain on Klondike and Gregg Miles on Acapulco) plays notorious outlaw Jesse James. Richard Coogan (Marshal Matthew Wayne on The Californians) plays his friend Cole Younger. Jeanne Cooper (Grace Douglas on Bracken's World and Katherine Chancellor Murphy on The Young and the Restless) plays Younger's fiance Belle Starr. James Westmoreland (Ruel Jaxon on The Monroes and Teddy Holmes on General Hospital) plays Younger's brother Jim. William Forrest (Major Swanson on The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin) plays U.S. Marshal Joe Shelby. Don Eitner (Dr. Richard Winfield on Dynasty) plays Shelby's Deputy Clay.
Season 2, Episode 10, "Masquerade": Joel Grey (shown on the right, starred in Cabaret, Man on a Swing, The Seven Percent Solution, and Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins and played Lemuel Idzik on Oz) plays wannabe outlaw Runt Bowles. Frank Albertson (starred in Alice Adams, Man Made Monster, and It's a Wonderful Life and played Mr. Cooper on Bringing Up Buddy) plays banker J.R. Keene. Paul Maxwell (Steve Tanner on Coronation Street, Sam Webber on The Lotus Eaters, Hellman on The Aphrodite Inheritance and was the voice of Col. Steve Zodiac on Fireball XL5) plays real outlaw Lou Drum. Joe Cranston (Anderson on The Gale Storm Show) plays physician Doc Barnaby. Bill Baldwin (the narrator on Harbor Command and Bat Masterson and the announcer on The Bob Cummings Show) plays newspaper editor Mr. Hoxy.
Season 2, Episode 11, "Volunteers From Aberdeen": Robert Reed (shown on the left, played Mike Brady on The Brady Bunch, Kenneth Preston on The Defenders, Judd Morrison on Dr. Kildare, Lt. Adam Tobias on Mannix, and Dr. Adam Rose on Nurse) plays cattleman's son Tom Fuller. Susan Morrow (starred in Gasoline Alley, Problem Girls, and Cat-Women of the Moon) plays his former fiance Molly Corley. Regis Toomey (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, Det. Les Hart on Burke's Law, and Dr. Barton Stuart on Petticoat Junction and Green Acres) plays Solcito Judge Claymore. John Harmon (hotel clerk Eddie Halstead on The Rifleman) plays barber Dykes.
Season 2, Episode 12, "Every Man a Hero": Patricia Barry (Kate Harris on Harris Against the World) plays Army widow Amy Carter. Simon Oakland (starred in Psycho, West Side Story, and Follow That Dream and played Tony Vincenzo on Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Brig. Gen. Thomas Moore on Black Sheep Squadron, and Sgt. Abrams on David Cassidy - Man Undercover) plays Fort Monument surviving commander Sgt. Ross. 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 Army Cpl. Rod Evans. Warren Oates (starred in In the Heat of the Night, The Wild Bunch, and Stripes and played Ves Painter on Stoney Burke) plays Army Pvt. Hurd Maple. Ron Soble (Dirty Jim on The Monroes) plays Army Pvt. Warren Hawks. John Milford (the biography section for the 1960 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays Army Pvt. Loren Crane.
Season 2, Episode 13, "Death of an Outlaw": Stephen Joyce (shown on the right, played Bubba Wadsworth on Texas and Admiral Walter Strichen on Wiseguy) plays outlaw Billy the Kid. Miriam Colon (Maria Delgado on One Life to Live and Lydia Flores on All My Children) plays his wife Abrana. Rhodes Reason (John A. Hunter on White Hunter and Sheriff Will Mayberry on Bus Stop) plays former buffalo hunter Pat Garrett. Alan Caillou (Jason Flood on Tarzan and The Head on Quark) plays English cattle rancher John Tunstall. Bartlett Robinson (Frank Caldwell on Mona McCluskey) plays crooked cattle rancher L.G. Murphy. Alan Lane (Red Ryder in 7 westerns, Rocky Lane in 38 westerns, and was the uncredited voice of Mister Ed) plays corrupt Sheriff Brady. Harry Swoger (Harry the bartender on The Big Valley) plays cattle rancher John Chisum. Morris Ankrum (starred in Rocketship X-M, Invaders From Mars, Earth vs. The Flying Saucers, and The Giant Claw and played the judge 22 times on Perry Mason) plays corrupt Deputy Sheriff Dan Peppin. Forrest Lewis (Mr. Peavey on The Great Gildersleeve) plays New Mexico territorial Governor Lew Wallace.
Season 2, Episode 14, "The Human Equation": Lawrence Dobkin (Dutch Schultz on The Untouchables, the narrator on Naked City, Judge Saul Edelstein on L.A. Law, and Judge Stanely Pittman on Melrose Place) plays military camp commander Col. Arthur. Herbert Rudley (Sam Brennan on The Californians, Lt. Will Gentry on Michael Shayne, General Crone on Mona McCluskey, and Herb Hubbard on The Mothers-in-Law) plays his replacement Maj. Trask. Robert Barrat (appeared in Captain Blood, The Trail of the Lonesome Pine, Mary of Scotland, The Last of the Mohicans, and They Were Expendable) plays Osage chief Crippled Bear. 
Season 2, Episode 15, "Montana Passage": Mala Powers (starred in Cyrano de Bergerac, Rose of Cimarron, and Tammy and the Bachelor and played Rebecca Boone on Walt Disney's Daniel Boone and Mona on Hazel) plays school teacher Ruth Miller. Mari Blanchard (shown on the left, starred in Abbott and Costello Go to Mars, Destry, Son of Sinbad, and She Devil and played Kathy O'Hara on Klondike) plays saloon girl Lola Dalzel. Rex Reason (starred in This Island Earth, Lady Godiva of Coventry, and The Creature Walks Among Us and played Adam MacLean on Man Without a Gun and Scott Norris on The Roaring '20's) plays gambler Amory Tate. Charles Cooper (starred in The Wrong Man and played the sheriff on Father Murphy and Judge Robert Boucher on The Practice) plays Marshal Wild Bill Hickock. Hugh Sanders (starred in That's My Boy, The Pride of St. Louis, The Winning Team, and The Wild One) plays new settlement salesman Stratton. Herb Vigran (Judge Brooker on Gunsmoke) plays his ticket seller Young. Milton Frome (starred in Pardners, The Delicate Delinquent, and The Swinger and played Lawrence Chapman on The Beverly Hillbillies) plays the Sioux CIty sheriff. Paul Carr (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 his deputy Orville Jones. Robert Colbert (Dr. Doug Phillips on The Time Tunnel) plays Army Lt. Cliff O'Neil.
Season 2, Episode 16, "Legacy of Twisted Creek": Carleton Young (starred in Dick Tracy (1937), The Brigand, Thunderhead - Son of Flicka, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and played Harry Steeger on The Court of Last Resort) plays Fort Big Fork commander Maj. Allison Tedrow. Richard Hale (starred in Abilene Town, Kim, San Antone, Red Garters, and To Kill a Mockingbird) plays Apache chief Long Shadow. John Anderson (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays Apache antagonist Andy Sturdevant. Robert Williams (Mr. Dorfman on Dennis the Menace) plays his sidekick Howdy McNellis. William Mims (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays Patchwork Junction Sheriff Armbruster.
Season 2, Episode 17, "Tangled Trail": Arch Johnson (starred in Somebody Up There Likes Me, G.I. Blues, and The Cheyenne Social Club and played Cmdr. Wivenhoe on Camp Runamuck) plays ranch owner Mark Tanner. Marc Lawrence (appeared in The Ox-Bow Incident, Tampico, Key Largo, The Asphalt Jungle, and The Man With the Golden Gun and directed 16 episodes of Lawman) plays Italian ranch owner Joe Russo. Randy Stuart (shown on the right, see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays his wife Claire. Robert Shayne (Inspector Bill Henderson on The Adventures of Superman and the sound mixer on Bracken's World) plays Sheriff Henry Logan. Stacy Keach, Sr. (Carlson on Get Smart) plays sensible land owner Barton. Roy Barcroft (Col. Logan on The Adventures of Spin and Marty and Roy on Gunsmoke) plays rancher Martin.
Season 2, Episode 18, "La Rubia": Rodolfo Acosta (Vaquero on The High Chapparal) plays wanted bandito Tomas Fierro. Carlos Romero (Rico Rodriguez on Wichita Town, Romero Serrano on Zorro, and Carlo Agretti on Falcon Crest) plays his right-hand man Urbino. Joan O'Brien (starred in The Alamo and It'$ Only Money) plays stage passenger Judith Castle. Faith Domergue (starred in Cult of the Cobra, This Island Earth, and It Came From Beneath the Sea) plays Fierro hench-woman Catalina. 
Season 2, Episode 19, "Winter Kill": Edgar Buchanan (shown on the left, 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 accused killer Ben "Pop" Owens. Merry Anders (Murietta Joyce Erwin on The Stu Erwin Show, Val Marlowe on It's Always Jan, Mike McCall on How to Marry a Millionaire, and Policewoman Dorothy Miller on Dragnet 1967) plays his daughter Francy. Virginia Gregg (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 mine owner Kate Crowley. Richard Rust (Hank Tabor on Sam Benedict) plays her son Jack. 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 Marshal Matt Sample. John Mitchum (see the biography section for the 1960 post on Riverboat) plays his deputy Al Sawyer. Arthur Space (appeared in Black Beauty, The Cockeyed Miracle, and Target Earth and played Herbert Brown on National Velvet and Dr. Frank Weaver on Lassie) plays mine owner Lansford.
Season 2, Episode 20, "End of a Rope": Horace McMahon (see the biography section for the 1960 post on Naked City) plays Las Cruces Marshal Tom Merrick. Robert Colbert (see "Montana Passage" above) plays his deputy Pete Andrews. Jimmy Lydon (starred in Tom Brown's School Days, Little Men, Joan of Arc, and 9 Henry Aldrich features and played Biff Cardoza on Rocky Jones, Space Ranger, Andy Boone on So This Is Hollywood, and Richard on Love That Jill) plays photographer Allen Brierly. 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 crooked Sheriff Sherm Landry. 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 his co-conspirator Judge Whittaker. Joan Marshall (Sailor Duval on Bold Venture) plays saloon girl Rouge Carter. 
Season 3, Episode 1, "The Mustangers": Mike Keene (Captain Dan Coffin on Harbormaster) plays cattle ranching kingpin Abner Shelton. Whitney Blake (shown on the right, played Dorothy Baxter on Hazel) plays his much younger wife Laurel. Kenneth Tobey (starred in The Thing From Another World, The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, and It Came From Beneath the Sea and played Chuck Martin on Whirlybirds and Russ Conway on I Spy) plays his foreman Walt Campbell. Robert Ridgely (Lt. Frank Kimbro on The Gallant Men, the announcer on The Woody Woodbury Show, and Cliff Hamilton on Domestic Life and was the voice of Tarzan on Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle, Flash Gordon on Flash Gordon, and General Ross on The Incredible Hulk) plays ranch hand Jimmy Smith. Arch Johnson (see "Tangled Trail" above) plays rival rancher George Gunlock. Robert Armstrong (starred in King Kong, The Son of Kong, Framed, Dive Bomber, Blood on the Sun, and Mighty Joe Young and played Sheriff Andy Anderson on State Trooper) plays Omaha Marshal Herbert Coles. Miriam Nelson (choreographer on High Time, Cat Ballou, and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice) plays Coles' wife Emmy. 
Season 3, Episode 2, "Apache Treasure": Ed Prentiss (Jensen on The Virginian) plays Fort Lowell commanding officer Maj. Donald Keever. Buddy Ebsen (shown on the right, played Sgt. Hunk Marriner on Northwest Passage, Jed Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies, Barnaby Jones on Barnaby Jones, and Roy Houston on Matt Houston) plays Sgt. Cass. Chad Everett (shown on the left, starred in Get Yourself a College Girl, Made in Paris, The Singing Nun, and Airplane II and played Deputy Del Stark on The Dakotas, Dr. Joe Gannon on Medical Center, Paul Hagen on Hagen, Wyatt Earp III on The Rousters, Jack McKenna on McKenna, Jack Manhattan on Manhattan, AZ, and Vic on Chemistry) plays greenhorn Lt. Finley. Richard Hale (see "Legacy of Twisted Creek" above) plays Apache Chief Victorio. Mort Mills (Marshal Frank Tallman on Man Without a Gun, Sgt. Ben Landro on Perry Mason, and Sheriff Fred Madden on The Big Valley) plays prospector Hickens. Howard Petrie (Hugh Blaine on Bat Masterson) plays rancher Matt Rigby.
Season 3, Episode 3, "Seminole War Pipe": Anna Kashfi (Marlon Brando's first wife) plays Seminole Princess Natula. Boyd Holister (Phony Van Gelder on General Hospital) plays Seminole brave Johnny Jumper. Robert Warwick (starred in Alias Jimmy Valentine, The Supreme Sacrifice, The Heart of a Hero, and Against All Flags) plays Seminole Chief Akacita. Dean Fredericks (Kaseem in Jungle Jim, Komawi in The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, and Lt. Col. Steve Canyon in Steve Canyon) plays Creek Chief Greywolf. Morris Ankrum (see "Death of an Outlaw" above) plays Union Gen. Blunt. Frank Wilcox (Henry Van Buren on Waterfront, Beecher Asbury on The Untouchables, Mr. Brewster on The Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction, and the judge 8 times on Perry Mason) plays Confederate commander Col. Baylor. Robert Brubaker (Deputy Ed Blake on U.S. Marshal and Floyd on Gunsmoke) plays former Confederate soldier Clay.

No comments:

Post a Comment