Window on Main Street (1961)

Given that one of his reasons for wanting out of Father Knows Best was the taxing grind of producing a weekly television series, it may seem odd that Robert Young jumped right back into that fire only a year later with the same producer, Eugene Rodney, principal scriptwriter, Roswell Rogers, and musical supervisor, Irving Friedman, that he had worked with on the series he couldn't wait to be rid of. And the sentimental, moralizing tone of his new series, Window on Main Street, was remarkably similar to the one he'd just finished as well. Only this time, freed from the constraints of a family-themed show to explore any topics they chose, Young, Rodney, and Rogers failed to find an audience.

The premise is that Young plays writer Cameron Garrett Brooks, who returns to his hometown of Millsburg after his wife and child die in a car accident involving icy conditions, which we learn in "Christmas Memory" (December 18, 1961). He takes up residence in the Majestic Hotel with a second-story balcony view of Main Street, allowing him to watch the comings and goings of the town's residents and inspiring him with ideas for his next book. As he tells old friend and newspaper editor Lloyd Ramsey (played by Ford Rainey), his plan is to tell the remarkable stories of the town's ordinary citizens. Ramsey tries to dissuade him from the venture, arguing that much has changed in the town since he left years ago and that what he remembers about the town is gone, but Brooks holds steadfast to his idea. He also discovers a love interest in the first episode, "The Return" (October 2, 1961), which plays out as something of a mystery when he receives half a letter that he wrote before leaving Millsburg to conquer the world. In that letter, written to a young girl who followed him to a secluded spot where he could envision his future, he promised to one day return and reward her with a kiss from a man who by then would be a famous author. The fame and fortune have eluded Brooks, and he fails to recognize that the young girl is now Ramsey's assistant at the newspaper Chris Logan (played by Constance Moore), herself also a widow with a teenage son Arny (Brad Berwick). 

Reconciliation with the past and widow(er)s are recurring plot devices in the series, as shown in the fourth episode, "The Chambermaid" (October 23, 1961) in which Brooks is surprised to learn of the high society past of his hotel chambermaid Vinia Webster (Mary Adams), herself also a widow forced into a menial job after her husband's death when she learned that the lifestyle he lavished on her was not supported by wise financial decisions. But despite coming down in the world and initially hating her job, Vinia eventually comes to cherish it because it makes her feel useful. When her nephew and his wife come to town to spirit her away to a relaxing retirement home, she declines the offer because she feels that she is needed more by the occupants of the hotel where she works. Another resident who must become reconciled with his past is newly minted doctor John "Buzz" Neldrum in "A Doctor Comes to Town" (October 16, 1961). Buzz was a wild child in his youth and has a hard time convincing residents who knew him then that he can be trusted with their health now. When he can secure only a single patient after several weeks, he is about to pack up and accept an offer to work in another doctor's practice in West Virginia until that one patient makes him feel that she would be lost without him. Immediately others in the town begin to see that he is a competent physician.

Things have a way of always working out in Millsburg, where even aspiring criminals wind up solid citizens. In "The Dollar Nineteen Cent Thief" (December 4, 1961) confused young man Elroy Paulsen breaks into Brooks' hotel room intending to steal whatever money he can find after watching his father slave for years but never save enough money to buy the boat he's always wanted. Young Elroy figures it's better to grab what you want now, only he is so inept that he can find only the $1.19 Brooks left on his desk for his dry cleaning, completely missing a $10 bill buried under some papers. After Brooks refuses to be frightened by the young robber, he winds up introducing him to Ramsey's daughter, who stops by to remind Brooks to be on time for her performance in a school operetta, and when Elroy has a chance to talk to her, he decides he would rather go see her sing and find a real job rather than be misled into a life of crime. Brooks' calm demeanor and interest in steering Elroy down the right path is enough to turn the tide in the town where crime doesn't stand a chance against virtue.

Nor do doubt and depression stand a chance in Millsburg. In "A Day in the Life of an Editor" (November 27, 1961) Ramsey struggles with how to reply in print to a young boy's letter asking where God came from. After much thought and research at the library, Ramsey has to go to the boy's house and tell him he doesn't have an answer but in so doing the boy provides him with the elusive answer by saying that "God just is." And when Brooks himself sinks into despair when remembering a past Christmas he spent with his now dead wife, he is brought back to the sunny side of the street when he remembers the words of janitor and department-store Santa Ludwig that Christmas isn't just the week leading up to December 25th but the entire year, words that he has to remind Ludwig to follow when the Santa gets down because his time playing St. Nick has passed for another year.

Of course the great irony in all of this positivity is that Young himself, as delineated in the biography section of the 1960 post on Father Knows Best, was a nearly lifelong alcoholic and clinically depressed, suffering a nervous breakdown in 1966 and attempting suicide in 1991, at which point he explained that he felt like a phony all those years portraying characters who always had their lives together while he did not. Perhaps doing shows like Father Knows Best, Marcus Welby, M.D., and Window on Main Street were his escape from what he felt was a hypocritical life, but in the case of Window on Main Street viewers weren't buying it.

The music for the series was provided by Irving Friedman, who was profiled in the 1960 post on Father Knows Best.

At this time, 9 of the series' 32 episodes are available as bonus material scattered across the DVD releases for the 6 seasons of Father Knows Best issued by Shout!Factory. A tenth episode, "Christmas Memory," is available on a Christmas-themed single DVD titled "Merry Sitcom!," also issued by Shout! Factory. Four of the above-mentioned episodes are also available on youtube.com.

 

 

 

The Actors

Robert Young

See the biography section for the 1960 post on Father Knows Best.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Constance Moore

Born in Sioux City, Iowa, Moore grew up in Dallas, Texas from the age of 6 months and early on wanted to become a singer. She succeeded in landing a singing job with CBS Radio at which point she was noticed by a scout for Universal Studios and signed to a contract. She made her first appearances on film at age 17 in 1937 and by the following year had starring roles in B-grade fare such as Border Wolves, State Police, and Swing That Cheer. In 1939 she played the only female role in the Buck Rogers serial opposite Buster Crabbe and played W.C. Fields' daughter in You Can't Cheat an Honest Man. She was a prolific film actress through much of the 1940s, using her vocal talents in films such as Atlantic City and Show Business in 1944 but retired from film acting in 1947 after the birth of her second child with Hollywood agent John Maschino. However, in the mid 1950s she returned to limited acting roles, this time on television, starting with theatre anthology programs. By 1960 she was making occasional guest appearances on shows such as The Donna Reed Show, Laramie, and Markham before landing the recurring roles as Robert Young's love interest Chris Logan on Window on Main Street.

After the series' one-year run, she made only two more appearances on TV--in a 1965 episode of The Young Marrieds and a 1967 episode of My Three Sons. In her post-acting life she took up painting still lifes and in the mid-70s served as the chairperson of the Beverly Hills auxiliary of the Braille Institute. She died of heart failure on September 16, 2005 at the age of 85.

Ford Rainey

The son of a school teacher and a jack-of-all-trades father who was a champion in dance contests, Rainey was born in Mountain Home, Idaho but grew up mainly in the northwest. He was a shy youth but was encouraged to try acting by his high school drama teacher. He attended Centralia Junior College in Washington state, followed by the Cornish Drama School in Seattle, after which he moved to Connecticut to study under Michael Chekhov. His Broadway debut came in a Chekhov production of Dostoevski's The Possessed in 1939. During World War II he served in the U.S. Coast Guard and settled in Ojai, California after the war, helping to form the Ojai Valley Players with other Chekhov alumni. Rainey remained active in the theatre into his 90s but made his first film appearance in an uncredited role in James Cagney's 1949 masterpiece White Heat. Two years later he made his first television appearance in a bit part on an episode of The Adventures of Kit Carson. In the late 1950s and early 60s he landed roles in films such as 3:10 to Yuma, The Last Mile, and Two Rode Together as well as occasional TV guest spots mostly on drama anthology shows such as Studio One in Hollywood, Kraft Theatre, and Robert Montgomery Presents. He played Sheriff John Brady in two early episode of The Tall Man in 1960 before landing his recurring role as newspaper editor Lloyd Ramsey on Window on Main Street.

His love for the theatre led him to join Richard Boone's repertory company for the single-season drama anthology The Richard Boone Show in 1963-64, on which Rainey appeared 23 times. Through the remainder of the 1960s he made many guest appearances on shows such as Bonanza, The Virginian, and Perry Mason and had occasional film roles such as in Steve McQueen's 1966 feature The Sand Pebbles. In the 1970s he played the role of Jim Elgin, the adoptive father of The Six Million Dollar Man and foster father of The Bionic Woman and played Frank Evans on the soap opera Days of Our Lives. In the 1980s he played the part of Will Milford on the miniseries Amerika and appeared in Halloween II. In the 1990s he played the role of Nate on Ned and Stacey and from 1999-2003 played the character Mickey on The King of Queens. Rainey was also a nature lover who raised bees on his home farm in Malibu and took up breeding budgerigars, a species of bird similar to the parakeet, for which he won many trophies and ribbons. He built his own solar heater and was dubbed by the neighborhood children "The Wizard." His son James became a writer and editor for the Los Angeles Times, and his other son Robert became a chiropractor  who was murdered in his Los Angeles office in 2012. Rainey himself died after a series of strokes at the age of 96 on July 25, 2005.

Brad Berwick

Virtually nothing has been published about child actor Brad Berwick, who played Arny Logan, son of Chris Logan, on Window on Main Street. His only other acting credit is a single appearance on a 1963 episode of Leave It to Beaver. However, he probably achieved his greatest notoriety by recording the campy song "I'm Better Than the Beatles" for newly founded Clinton Records in 1965.

 

Warner Jones

Jones played hotel clerk Harry McGill on Window on Main Street. See the biography section for the 1960 post on The Blue Angels.

 

 

 

 

 

Mary Adams

June Mary Adams was born in Georgia in 1910. Other than her filmography, nothing much is known about her other than her year of birth and date of death. She broke into feature films in 1948, appearing in Hazard, For the Love of Mary, and Night Has a Thousand Eyes. Her biggest role was in 1954's Executive Suite but she also had supporting roles in exploitation fare such as Rebel in Town, Blood of Dracula, and Diary of a Madman. Her television credits began in 1951 and included appearances on shows such as Craig Kennedy, Criminologist, Father Knows Best, M Squad, and My Three Sons. Her roles as chambermaid Vinia Webster on Window on Main Street was her only recurring role. She died November 30, 1973 at the age of 70 and is buried in Westchester County, New York.

Notable Guest Stars

Season 1, Episode 1, "The Return": Erin O'Brien-Moore (Miss Choate on Peyton Place) plays English teacher Miss Kelly. Charles Thompson (Tommy Magnuson on Peyton Place) plays a school janitor.

Season 1, Episode 3, "A Doctor Comes to Town": John Lupton (shown on the left, played Tom Jeffords on Broken Arrow and Frank on Never Too Young) plays new Millsburg doctor John "Buzz" Neldrum. Bob Hastings (Lt. Elroy Carpenter on McHale's Navy and Tommy Kelsey on All in the Family) plays his old friend Warren. Nelson Olmsted (Capt. Masters on The Phil Silvers Show) plays hospital representative Dr. Blake.

Season 1, Episode 4, "The Chambermaid": Lauren Gilbert (appeared in X-15, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, and The Fortune Cookie and played Harry Noll on Hazel) plays chambermaid Vinia Webster's husband Miles.

Season 1, Episode 9, "A Day in the Life of an Editor," aka "The Letter": Harriet MacGibbon (shown on the right, played Margaret Drysdale on The Beverly Hillbillies) plays garden club president Mrs. Londelius.

Season 1, Episode 10, "The Dollar Nineteen Cent Thief": David Macklin (Billy Harris on Harris Against the World) plays confused young thief Elroy Paulsen. Brenda Scott (Midge Pride on The Road West) plays Lloyd Ramsey's daughter Evelyn.

Season 1, Episode 12, "Christmas Memory": Ludwig Stossel (shown on the left, appeared in Casablanca, Kings Row, and Pride of the Yankees and played Peter Van Dyne on Ramar of the Jungle and Anton Kovac on Man With a Camera) plays hotel janitor Ludwig. Claire Wilcox (Deedee Harris on Harris Against the World and Bootsie Cabot on Ben Casey) plays a little girl visiting a department-store Santa.

The Tall Man (1960)

The Tall Man was based on the historical figures of Pat Garrett and William H. Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid, though the series bears little resemblance to actual history other than the names of the characters. The series title refers to Garrett, who was nicknamed Juan Largo or Long John because of his 6'3" frame. The television series is set in 1870s New Mexico, where Garrett moved after brief stints as a cowboy in Texas and a buffalo hunter. He opened a saloon in New Mexico and his rumored friendship with Bonney, whose real name was Henry McCarty, supposedly stemmed from his bartending days, though there is no documented evidence that the two were really friendly.

After his predecessor resigned with two months to go on his term, Garrett was elected sheriff of Lincoln County, New Mexico on a platform of establishing law and order. One of his first assignments was to arrest McCarty, for whom the New Mexico governor offered a $500 reward. Four days after Garrett killed one of McCarty's associates in a gunfight, he arrested McCarty and his gang members, killing another in the process. McCarty was tried and convicted but escaped from jail in April 1881. Garrett tracked him to Fort Sumner and ambushed him in a dark bedroom on July 14, 1881. The way in which Garrett killed Billy the kid, with the rumor of their prior friendship adding a dose of betrayal to the event, damaged Garrett's reputation such that he lost his bid for re-election and was unsuccessful in several attempts to be elected sheriff of other New Mexico towns. However, he published a book about McCarty, The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid, and later became a friend of President Theodore Roosevelt, though his association with known gambler Tom Powers eventually made the friendship too embarrassing for the politician. After retiring to a ranch in New Mexico, Garrett ran up his own gambling debts and to settle these he was forced to loan some of his land for grazing to one of his debt-holder's associates, Jesse Wayne Brazel. Garrett was eventually shot and killed by Brazel on February 29, 1908 after the two had several arguments over Brazel's insistence on grazing goats rather than cattle on Garrett's land. Brazel was tried for first-degree murder but was acquitted.

In the television version, Garrett and Billy have established some sort of friendship before the first episode, though there is no detailed explanation of when and how that occurred, at least in the first 16 episodes that aired in calendar year 1960. In the debut episode, "Garrett and the Kid" (September 10, 1960), Garrett has just been hired as deputy of Lincoln, New Mexico by Sheriff John Brady, and he and Billy take part in a shooting contest that ends in a draw, showing that the two of them are equally expert marksmen. As with many of the early episodes, the two express the hope that they will never have to shoot it out against each other, though they hint that this may someday become a necessity because Garrett is a staunch advocate of the rule of law, while Billy has a looser interpretation of what's right and wrong. This first episode also establishes the nature of their relationship--Garrett is portrayed as a father figure or older brother trying to steer the somewhat reckless Billy down the right path, always concerned that Billy will veer off into trouble or danger. For example, in "The Parson" (October 29, 1960) forces Billy to have a talk with the town's new parson John Lesley, a former gunslinger who found religion while serving jail time. However, by episode's end it is Billy who comes to the parson's aid when the preacher is hunted down by a blind man bent on revenge.

Billy, for his part, sometimes resists Garrett's direction but remains completely loyal, even when offered $2000 by corrupt town boss Paul Mason to kill Garrett in "Garrett and the Kid" or when asked by pretty, flirtatious Agatha Evans to let her escape after she has perpetrated a series of feud-related revenge killings in "And the Beast" (November 26, 1960). Billy explains to those who would have him betray Garrett that the lawman was the only one who stood by him when others said he was a no account destined for ruin. When Billy is accused of bank robbery in "A Bounty for Billy" (October 15, 1960), of shooting a man in a bar dispute in "Billy's Baby" (December 24, 1960), and of stealing a prize Winchester '73 that Garrett won in another shooting contest in "One of One Thousand" (December 31, 1960), Billy's initial reaction is to run away, not believing that he will receive a fair trial because he figures most people want to see him hang. Even though two of these events happen in towns other than Lincoln with their own sheriffs, Garrett persuades them that they will never catch Billy and that he is the only one who will be able to convince him to come back and stand trial. Both times Billy is willing to surrender because he has implicit trust that Garrett will ensure that he is treated fairly.

But when Billy tries to extend this same level of tolerance to another outcast, an Apache brave in "Tiger Eye" (December 17, 1960), events do not proceed as smoothly. When Garrett and Billy find the titular character tied up with wooden stakes on top of an ant mound, Billy is not satisfied with freeing the brave but also wants to take him back to town, provide him with clothing and shelter and even get him a job as a swamper at the local saloon. Garrett is more cautious, telling Billy that he doesn't know anything about the young man or whether he can be trusted. When the young brave is cruelly teased by a drunk saloon patron and then cursed by his employer, he retaliates by ambushing the taunter in a dark alley and stabbing him to death, then running away. Billy, like Garrett, tracks down the accused killer and tries to convince him to come back and stand trial, but the brave refuses and reveals that he was cast out by his tribe and staked on the ant mound because he killed a girl he loved in a fit of rage after she rejected him because of his monstrous-looking eye. Instead of trusting Billy, Tiger Eye engages him in a knife fight and is about to inflict a fatal blow before Garrett shows up and shoots him dead. The fact that Billy is unable to earn the trust of Tiger Eye is meant to serve as an indication of the unique and special relationship he has with Garrett.

Though the show has its share of recycled plots--"Counterfeit Law" (November 19, 1960) concerns a renegade self-appointed judge whose corrupted form of justice rules over a remote settlement, and "Bitter Ashes" (December 3, 1960) depicts Garrett as the single lawmen who lost the love of his life to a vengeful villain--they all find a way to work in the relationship between Garrett and Billy, with one typically bailing the other out of trouble. "Bitter Ashes" actually takes an unexpected final twist when it is Billy who reminds Garrett that justice must be distributed by the courts when he stops Garrett short of beating his wife's killer to death. The producers also try to inject some levity amongst all the fatal gunplay and fisticuffs by including two episodes featuring veteran comedy star Andy Clyde in the role of alcoholic and out-of-the-loop father Pa McBean, whose daughters May and June engage in horse stealing in "Larceny and Young Ladies" (November 12, 1960) and whiskey-running in "McBean Rides Again" (December 10, 1960). Due to the corny, see-it-from-a-mile-away humor, these episodes are the least enjoyable in the series, though they were apparently popular with someone because McBean was brought back for three more episodes in later years.

The choice of musical director for The Tall Man was also puzzling--the king of Space Age Bachelor Music, Juan Garcia Esquivel, whose music would seem more suited for a situation comedy than a dramatic western. Esquivel's music was known for its quirky use of unusual instruments like steel guitar in a large orchestral setting, wordless backing vocals, and wild stereo ping-pong panning from one channel to the other. His theme for The Tall Man is a kind of orchestral march punctuated by organ bursts that apparently are meant to mimic gun shots. His scores for individual episodes sometimes contained seemingly inappropriate accompaniment, such as a spritely bouncing number in the middle of a particularly dramatic or tense moment, making one wonder if the composer actually watched the film before composing or merely provided whatever struck his fancy at the time. The bulk of Esquivel's recorded output was released in the 1950s and 1960s, though the Lounge Music revival of the 1990s saw several of his albums reissued on CD, and in 1996 he did a voice-over for the band Combustible Edison on Merry Christmas From the Space Age Bachelor Pad. He died January 3, 2002 at the age of 83 in his homeland of Mexico.

The complete series has been released on DVD by Timeless Media Group.

The Actors

Barry Sullivan

Patrick Barry Sullivan, the seventh son of a seventh son, gave up playing semi-pro football and took up acting when told that because of his 6'3" height and good looks all he would have to do is stand on a stage to make lots of money. While he successfully made the switch to the stage, many of his theatrical productions were flops. He moved on to film, starting in the 1930s, playing the lead in B-movie fare such as The Gangster but more often playing supporting roles such as with Alan Ladd in the 1949 version of The Great Gatsby and as a movie director opposite Kirk Douglas in The Bad and the Beautiful. Prior to being cast as Pat Garrett on The Tall Man, he played the lead role of Capt. David Scott in the TV series The Harbormaster, which ran for a single season in 1957-58.

After The Tall Man, Sullivan continued to get supporting film roles and TV guest appearances, as he would until he retired from acting in 1980. He had another lead TV role as Ben Pride on The Road West in 1966-67 and played Senator Paxton in the mini-series Rich Man, Poor Man, Book II in 1976-77. His daughter Jenny became an actress and later a theater director and was at one time married to rock musician Jim Messina. His daughter Patricia became the face of Yardley cosmetics in the 1960s at the age of 12 and later married songwriter Jimmy Webb. Sullivan died of respiratory failure at the age of 81 on June 6, 1994.

Clu Gulager

William Martin Gulager was born in Holdenville, Oklahoma, the son of a vaudevillian and cowboy entertainer who once worked with George M. Cohan. Gulager, whose claimed his nickname came from the clu-clu birds, or martins, that nested near their home; his mother, in a  November 26, 1960 TV Guide feature article about him, says that he was named after an uncle who was an Oklahoma state senator. He is himself a cousin of western entertainer Will Rogers and can trace his roots to the Cherokee Native American tribe. After serving in the Marines directly after World War II, Gulager studied theatre in Paris under actor Jean-Louis Barrault before returning to the States and appearing in theatre productions at Baylor University. One of those productions, A Different Drummer, was moved to New York in 1956 and proved to be his big break, as work on New York-based drama anthology shows followed soon thereafter. After moving to Hollywood, Gulager had a smattering of guest appearances on shows like Laramie, Have Gun Will Travel, and Wanted: Dead or Alive before he was signed to play the part of Billy the Kid on The Tall Man.

After the show's two-year run, Gulager joined the cast of The Virginian as Emmett Ryker for five years, from 1963-68. In 1971 he played the character of Abilene in Pete Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show and continued making occasional guest appearances on shows like Mannix, Bonanza, Mod Squad, and Kung Fu during the 1970s. He played Cuda Weber in the short-lived 1979 TV series The MacKenzies of Paradise Cove and was the original choice to play Chase Gioberti in the unaired pilot of Falcon Crest, though the role went to Robert Foxworth once the series started actual production. In the 1980s he appeared in many B-grade horror films, most notably Return of the Living Dead, but also starred as Gen. Philip Henry Sheridan in the mini-series North and South, Book II. He has continued making sporadic appearance in TV shows like Walker, Texas Ranger and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman as well as budget horror flicks like Feast, with his most recent role in 2012's Piranha 3DD. His 1969 short film, A Day With the Boys, was nominated for the Palm D'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, though he has not written, directed, or produced anything else since then. His sons John and Tom are both actors, and John directed some of the later horror films Gulager has appeared in.

Notable Guest Stars

Season 1, Episode 1, "Garrett and the Kid": Denver Pyle (Ben Thompson on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Grandpa Tarleton on Tammy, Briscoe Darlingon 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 Silver Springs Marshal Dave Leggert. Vaughn Taylor (shown on the left, starred in Jailhouse Rock, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Psycho, and In Cold Blood and played Ernest P. Duckweather on Johnny Jupiter) plays Silver Springs Judge Riley. Robert Middleton (Barney Wales on The Monroes) plays Silver Springs boss Paul Mason. Sam Flint (Mr. Armstead on Father Knows Best) plays an unnamed marshal in Lincoln County. King Donovan (appeared in Angels in the Outfield, The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and The Defiant Ones and played Harvey Helm on The Bob Cummings Show) plays the Silver Queen saloon barker. Linda Lawson (jazz singer who played Renee on Adventures in Paradise, Pat Perry on Don't Call Me Charlie, and Laura Fremont on Ben Casey) plays an unnamed saloon girl singer.

Season 1, Episode 2, "Forty Dollar Boots": Ford Rainey (shown on the right, appeared in 3:10 to Yuma, Flaming Star, and The Sand Pebbles and played Lloyd Ramsey on Window on Main Street, Jim Elgin on The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman, Nate on Ned and Stacey, and Mickey on The King of Queens) plays Lincoln Sheriff John Brady. Ken Lynch (appeared in I Married a Monster From Outer Space, Anatomy of a Murder, and Dead Ringer and played Lt. Thomas Brand on Checkmate, Det. Lt. Tom Handley on Arrest and Trial, Lt. Barney Keller on Honey West, and Police Sgt. Grover on McCloud) plays cattle baron Andy Gorman. 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 Gorman's henchman Bob Orringer. Ron Soble (Dirty Jim on The Monroes) plays Billy's friend Charlie Evers.

Season 1, Episode 3, "Bad Company": Ralph Votrian (King Lexian in Masked Rider) plays second-generation immigrant Johnny Nagle. Adele Lamont (starred in The Brain That Wouldn't Die) plays cantina dancer Camilla. Guy Wilkerson (played Panhandle Perkins in 22 westerns) plays Lincoln citizen Jake Marlow. 

Season 1, Episode 4, "The Shawl": Gregory Walcott (starred in Badman's Country and Plan 9 From Outer Space and played Det. Roger Havilland on 87th Precinct) plays outlaw Jim Roberts. Daria Massey (Naja on The Islanders) plays Billy's girlfriend Maria Perez. Linda Dangcil (Sister Ana on The Flying Nun) plays Maria's friend Rosita.

Season 1, Episode 5, "The Lonely Star": Ford Rainey (see "Forty Dollar Boots" above) returns as Sheriff Brady. Ken Lynch (shown on the left, see "Forty Dollar Boots" above) returns as cattle baron Andy Gorman. Jim Davis (see "Forty Dollar Boots" above) returns as henchman Bob Orringer. Henry Norell (Henry Slocum on Oh, Those Bells) plays Lincoln Mayor Baldwin. 

Season 1, Episode 6, "A Bounty for Billy": Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock on Star Trek, Paris on Mission: Impossible, and Dr. William Bell on Fringe) plays new Lincoln deputy Johnny Swift. Malcolm Atterbury (starred in I Was a Teenage Werewolf, The Birds, and The Learning Tree and played John Bixby on Wagon Train and Grandfather Aldon on Apple's Way) plays lynch-minded citizen Jaggers. Robert J. Stevenson (bartender Big Ed on Richard Drum and Marshal Hugh Strickland on Stagecoach West) plays citizen Beldon. Charles Seel (the bartender on Tombstone Territory, Mr. Krinkie on Dennis the Menace, and Tom Pride on The Road West) plays Tundell camp cook Dan.

Season 1, Episode 7, "The Parson": Harold J. Stone (John Kennedy on The Grand Jury, Hamilton Greeley on My World and Welcome to It, and Sam Steinberg on Bridget Loves Bernie) plays vengeful blind man Ben Myers. Richard Devon (Jody Barker on Yancy Derringer) plays new parson John Lelsey. Ed Prentiss (Mr. Bailey on Leave It to Beaver and Carl Jensen on The Virginian) plays banker Mr. Colby. 

Season 1, Episode 8, "Night Train to Tularosa": Claude Akins (shown on the left, played Sonny Pruett on Movin' On and Sheriff Elroy P. Lobo on B.J. and the Bear and on Lobo) plays prison-bound convict Dan Rees. Robert McQueeney (Conley Wright on The Gallant Men) plays vengeful brother Max Bragg. 

Season 1, Episode 9, "Larceny and Young Ladies": Andy Clyde (shown on the right, see the post for The Real McCoys) plays new settler Pa McBean. Cynthia Chenault (Carol Potter on The Tom Ewell Show) plays his daughter May. Judy Vincent (Jet Maypen on Walt Disney Presents: Annette) plays his daughter June. Phil Chambers (Sgt Myles Magruder on The Gray Ghost and Jed Ransom on Lassie) plays a swindled horse buyer. 

Season 1, Episode 10, "Counterfeit Law": George MacReady (starred in Gilda, The Black Arrow, Julius Caesar, Paths of Glory, and The Alligator People and played Martin Peyton on Peyton Place) plays renegade judge Barlow. 

Season 1, Episode 11, "And the Beast": 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 Lincoln's Doc Corbin.

Season 1, Episode 12, "Bitter Ashes": R.G. Armstrong (shown on the left, played Police Capt. McAllister on T.H.E. Cat and Lewis Vendredi on Friday the 13th) plays land-grabber Neal Bailey. Paul Baxley (stunt coordinator on Riverboat, The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, T.H.E. Cat, Wonder Woman, and The Dukes of Hazzard) plays his henchman Williams. 

Season 1, Episode 13, "McBean Rides Again": Andy Clyde (see the post for The Real McCoys) returns as Pa McBean. Judy Vincent (see "Larceny and Young Ladies" above) returns as his daughter June. Olive Sturgess (Carol Henning on The Bob Cummings Show) plays his daughter May.

Season 1, Episode 14, "Tiger Eye": Richard Bakalyan (starred in The Delicate Delinquent, The Cool and the Crazy, Juvenile Jungle, Hot Car Girl, Paratroop Command, and The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes) plays Cherokee outcast Tiger Eye. Paul Bryar (Sheriff Harve Anders on The Long, Hot Summer) plays saloon keeper Joe. Michael Hinn (Luke Cummings on Boots and Saddles and George Haig on Johnny Ringo) plays posse member Forbes.

Season 1, Episode 16, "One of One Thousand": George Wallace (starred in Radar Men From the Moon, Destry, and Forbidden Planet and played Judge Milton Cole on Hill Street Blues and Grandpa Hank Hammersmith on Sons and Daughters) plays buffalo hunter Jim Miles. Harry Carey, Jr. (shown on the right, 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 Fort Sumner resident Dusty.