Bronco (1962)

 

In its final 13 episodes, which aired in 1962, Bronco trod much of the same ground it had in previous years, with the titular character serving in a different capacity each week and brushing up against historical figures and events to try to infuse some interest in an otherwise derivative western. In these last episodes he encounters Wild Bill Hickock for the second time in "One Evening in Abilene" (March 19, 1962) where Hickock serves as marshal. He meets General William Tecumseh Sherman in "The Immovable Object" (April 16, 1962), having fought against him in the Civil War as a Rebel captain. And he receives a letter from President Abraham Lincoln while carrying out a secret mission for the U.S. government in "The Last Letter" (March 5, 1962). This is presented as the "last letter" Lincoln wrote before his assassination on April 14, 1865, just 5 days after Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Grant to end the Civil War. What are the chances Bronco, an officer in the Confederate Army, would be entrusted with a top secret mission for the government he fought against just 5 days after his General's surrender?

But this episode, like roughly half of those aired in 1962, centers around the theme of burying the hatchet after the bloody and divisive Civil War. This episode also ties into another historical event of the era--the French takeover of Mexico--and Bronco's secret mission is to help fund the deposed Mexican government of Juarez against the French-installed monarchy of Maximilian. Bronco's crew delivering a shipment of gold to Mexico is made up of former Rebel soldiers, dubbed "Reconstructed Rebels." Some are more honorable than others, but the real villain in this and other episodes are those who try to play both sides against each other. In this case, renegade McKee Bucklin conspires with the Comanches to attack his own wagon train so that he can take control of the gold, which he has already agreed to deliver to the French--for a price. The Mexican conflict is featured again in "Until Kingdom Come" (March 26, 1962), only this time Bronco has been recruited to protect a Duchess related to Maximilian, since deposed, whose nephew Philip is heir to the throne. It doesn't make any sense that he would serve on opposite sides of the conflict unless he, too, were nothing more than a mercenary, but we are not expected to look for any consistency from week to week, only to trust that whatever side our hero is on is the right one--for that week, at least.

Bronco clashes with another duplicitous marauder in the last episode of the series, "Then the Mountains" (April 30, 1962). Kent Bohannon led a band of raiders who targeted both sides during the War but was eventually court martialed and sentenced to prison but managed to escape and now has an axe to grind with Bronco, who was one of many who testified against him. He runs into Bohannon after one of Bohannon's associates sells and then steals a group of horses from him while Bronco is leading a wagon train of former Virginia Confederates headed for Oregon. In that wagon train is former Confederate soldier Ben Cullen, who still bears ill will toward any Yankees and makes him distrustful of anything they may tell him. This attitude gets him into trouble while Bronco is away trying to escape from Bohannon and Cullen is advised by Yankee Army deserter Frankie Banton not to take a promised shortcut across the mountains. Banton knows there is no such shortcut and recognizes the fake sign as a trap (by Bohannon, as it turns out), but Cullen refuses to believe a Yankee would tell him the truth and leads the entire wagon train into Bohannon's trap. As with several other episodes from 1962 wherein Bronco, the ex-Confederate, has to tell his compatriots that the war is over and it is time to move forward, the message here is that both sides of the War must learn to live together again, a particularly timely message for 1962 as the Civil Rights Movement was in full swing and moving toward the Civil Rights Act of 1964. However, as with most television programs of the era, there is no mention of slavery as being the central issue of the Civil War (which is only referred to on Bronco as the War Between the States, the preferred term of Southerners who refused to acknowledge the real reason for the War). TV networks and sponsors bent over backwards not to rile up bitter Southerners just waiting for a provocation to get their dander up, which is exactly the attitude we see from Cullen in this episode. appeasement of Southerners is portrayed in this episode by Union Army commander Lt. Ames, who stops Bronco's wagon train while searching for the deserter Banton. Cullen seems ready to take offense at anything Ames says, but Ames is careful to offer his respect to former Confederate officer Bronco as an equal, and when Bronco gives his word that Banton is not in his wagon train, Ames is willing to accept his word without a search, though it turns out that Bronco was mistaken, not knowing that Banton was hiding in one of his own wagons.

Bronco also adheres to the "don't-stir-the-pot" strategy in "One Evening in Abilene" when he advises former Confederate soldier Clay Farraday not to go to Abilene, one of the worst cities for former Yankee-Rebel clashes since the state of Kansas was split down the middle during the Civil War and its citizens still fight against themselves. Like the stubborn Ben Cullen above, Farraday refuses to take Bronco's suggestion and even seems to welcome conflict by proudly wearing his CSA gun belt as a sign of his loyalties, even challenging Abilene Marshal Wild Bill Hickock, knowing that Hickock has a well-documented dislike for Southerners. Farraday allows his infatuation with Abilene belle Donna Coe to cloud his judgment and finally comes to realize that she was only using him to avenge the death of her fiance at the hands of Hickock. He then decides his future lies elsewhere, away from the cauldron of bitterness still brewing in Abilene.

The program also suggests that not all Confederates were guilty of the crimes committed by their colleagues in "A Town That Lived and Died" (April 9, 1962). Bronco is lured under false pretenses to a ghost town where he is taken prisoner and subjected to a mock trial, to be followed by a hanging, for his involvement in the town being burnt to the ground by Confederate soldiers. But as the story is told in flashback, while Bronco admits that he was sent as an undercover Confederate agent to lead the citizens on a wagon train to their new destination of Lost Hope Hill so that he could discover how they were transporting a secret shipment of gold to finance the Union Army, he says he knew nothing about the torching of the town later, after he had completed his assignment, by a Confederate officer who was angry that the gold shipment was stolen out from under him by a savvy band of bank robbers. Bronco makes the argument that he was just following orders, which could be made by any Confederate, even those actually guilty of atrocities. A similar argument is made on behalf of the character Johnny Davis in "Ride the Whirlwind" (January 15, 1962). Davis was a member of the notorious Confederate gang called Quantrill's Raiders and as such is still a trained killer, even though he now serves as a reputable deputy to Yankee Sheriff Ben Lockwood. Davis is fond of and loyal to Lockwood, but his past as a Confederate killer is able to be exploited by revenge-minded hypnotist Dr. Miles Gillis, just released from a 7-year prison sentence for aiding the enemy when he treated Confederate soldiers so that they could return to battle. Gillis shared a prison cell with Davis for 5 years and knows his past well, exploiting it to secretly assign him under hypnotic suggestion to kill Lockwood and others who were responsible for sending Gillis to jail. Davis is presented as an innocent foil for Gillis' evil plan, even though he presumably took part in atrocities during the War. Still, Bronco tries to argue that even those who committed such atrocities could be rehabilitated and should be given a chance to prove so.

Though the subject of slavery is never broached on the program, the first Black character finally shows up in the episode "Moment of Doubt" (April 2, 1962). Bronco is again assigned a secret mission on behalf of the U.S. Government--this time to infiltrate an insurrectionist anti-Democratic group of former Confederates based in New Orleans. He is given a fake court martial to make his record reflect that he would have a motivation for joining the subversives, and his contact in New Orleans is a Black man named Dorso, working as a boot black at a New Orleans hotel. Most notably, Dorso's Blackness is never referred to nor dramatized. Bronco treats him just as he would anyone else, and Dorso has none of the Black stereotypes seen in earlier movies or TV programs. In fact, his role could have been played by a white actor with no changes to the script or blocking. The only reason to cast a Black actor in the role is to demonstrate a Black man being treated just as a white man would be in the same position. This fits in with the approach taken elsewhere in the series--wanting to move past the animosities of the Civil War and the century of prejudice that followed it (and still continues to this day 60 years later) without acknowledging the wrongs done or holding anyone accountable for them. Like much of the peace idealism that came later in the decade, it's admirable that a show like Bronco would advocate for national unity and a more equal future, but perhaps a bit naive to think that deep-seated resentment could be washed away just by not mentioning it.

The Actors

For the biography of Ty Hardin, see the 1960 post on Bronco.

Notable Guest Stars

Season 4, Episode 6, "Beginner's Luck": Buzz Martin (appeared in Pork Chop Hill, The FBI Story, PT 109, and Shotgun Wedding) plays rancher's son Lew Gant. Pamela Austin (starred in Hootenanny Hoot, Kissin' Cousins, and The Perils of Pauline) plays his sister Marion. Virginia Christine (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Tales of Wells Fargo) plays their mother Martha. Hank Patterson (see the biography section for the 1962 post on Gunsmoke) plays ranch hand Railroad Costigan. Hayden Rorke (shown on the left, starred in Father's Little Dividend, When Worlds Collide, and Pillow Talk and played Steve on Mr. Adams and Eve, Col. Farnsworth on No Time for Sergeants, Dr. Alfred Bellows on I Dream of Jeannie, and Bishop on Dr. Kildare) plays rival rancher Matt Wigram. Walter Coy (Zoravac on Rocky Jones, Space Ranger, Jason Farrell on A Flame in the Wind, and was the narrator on Frontier) plays lawman Sheriff Springer. Gregg Palmer (see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays gun for hire Wes Taylor. Jean Willes (appeared in Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Ocean's 11, and Gypsy) plays saloon hostess Dolly.

Season 4, Episode 7, "Ride the Whirlwind": Edward Platt (appeared in Rebel Without a Cause, Written on the Wind, Designing Woman, and North by Northwest and played the Chief on Get Smart) plays Willow Springs Sheriff Ben Lockwood. Chad Everett (shown on the right, 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 his deputy Johnny Davis. 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 ex-con hypnotist Dr. Miles Gillis. Willis Bouchey (Mayor Terwilliger on The Great Gildersleeve, Springer on Pete and Gladys, and the judge 23 times on Perry Mason) plays Gillis' sentencer Judge Fowler. Pamela Austin (see "Beginner's Luck" above) plays his daughter Mary. Robert Anderson (Park Street, Jr. on The Court of Last Resort and Aeneas MacLinahan on Wichita Town) plays livery owner Len Peters. 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 attorney Tom Egan. Fred Sherman (Tommy the tailor on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp and Burt Purdy on Cimarron City) plays Willow Springs Postmaster Freyes.

Season 4, Episode 8, "A Sure Thing": Alan Hale, Jr. (shown on the left, played Biff Baker on Biff Baker U.S.A., Casey Jones on Casey Jones, and The Skipper on Gilligan's Island) plays cattle drover Squire. Mickey Simpson (Boley on Captain David Grief) plays his Buddy Jonah. Trevor Bardette (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays rancher Dutch Vandervort. 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 crooked rancher Poole. Joan Taylor (see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Rifleman) plays widow rancher Lorain Mitchell. Russell Thorson (Det. Lt. Otto Lindstrom on The Detectives and William Kennerly on Peyton Place) plays fellow rancher Jack Armitage. William Phipps (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays disgruntled rancher Madden. Herb Vigran (Muley Evans on The Life of Riley, Ernest Hinshaw on The Ed Wynn Show, and Judge Brooker on Gunsmoke and voiced Glum on The Adventures of Gulliver and Mr. Dinkle on Shirt Tales) plays general store owner White. 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 hotel clerk Benjamin Carstairs. Marshall Reed (Inspector Fred Asher on The Lineup) plays trail boss Harrison.

Season 4, Episode 9, "Trail of Hatred": Robert Carson (Mr. Maddis on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show) plays U.S. Army fort commander Col. Cummings. Rian Garrick (Det. Bruce Hanna on Manhunt) plays secret assignment commander Lt. Steve Powell. Kent Smith (shown on the right, starred in Cat People, This Land Is Mine, Hitler's Children, Curse of the Cat People, Nora Prentiss, The Spiral Staircase, and The Fountainhead and played Dr. Robert Morton on Peyton Place and Edgar Scoville on The Invaders) plays his father Dana Powell. James Griffith (Aaron Adams on Trackdown and Deputy Tom Ferguson on U.S. Marshal) plays greedy Army soldier Cpl. Fonda. 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 naive soldier Pvt. Foster. Ken Mayer (Maj. Robbie Robertson on Space Patrol) plays Sgt. Prouty.

Season 4, Episode 10, "Rendezvous With a Miracle": 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 reformed bank robber Mike Bestor. Gloria Talbott (shown on the left, starred in The Cyclops, Daughter of Dr. Jekyll,  and I Married a Monster From Outer Space and played Moneta on Zorro) plays his girlfriend Valerie Ames. Mabel Albertson (Mrs. Whiting on Those Whiting Girls, Irene Brady on The Tom Ewell Show, Mrs. Sprague on The Andy Griffith Show, Mildred Hollinger on That Girl, and Phyllis Stephens on Bewitched) plays mission leader Mother Maria Theodore. Rico Alaniz (Mr. Cousin on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays Mexican bandit Rick Cardido. Marshall Reed (see "A Sure Thing" above) plays Bestor's pursuer Marshal Hank Barton. Ollie O'Toole (Mr. Meeker on Circus Boy) plays stagecoach worker Clem. Harry Strang (played the sheriff on The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin) plays a stagecoach driver.

Season 4, Episode 11, "Destinies West": Kathleen Crowley (shown on the right, played Terry Van Buren on Waterfront and Sophia Starr on Batman) plays wanted Confederate spy Belle Siddons. Ed Prentiss (the narrator on Trackdown and played Carl Jensen on The Virginian) plays Kansas U.S. Army fort commander Col. Welch. Robert McQueeney (Conley Wright on The Gallant Men) plays Bronco's spy-catching partner Major Creighton. Leo Gordon (appeared in Gun Fury, Hondo, Quantrill's Raiders, and Big Top Pee-wee and played Big Mike McComb on Maverick) plays rancher Nero Hollister. Jon Lormer (Harry Tate on Lawman, Sam Watkins on The Real McCoys, the autopsy surgeon on Perry Mason, Simon Benjamin on The Young Marrieds, and Judge Irwin A. Chester on Peyton Place) plays Bonnetville physician Doc Emmery. Bing Russell (father of Kurt Russell, played Deputy Clem Foster on Bonanza) plays disgraced Union soldier Rance Crosby. Donald "Red" Barry (played Red Ryder in the movie serial The Adventures of Red Ryder, and played Lt. Snedigar on Surfside 6, The Grand Vizier and Tarantula on Batman, Capt. Red Barnes on Police Woman, and Jud Larabee on Little House on the Prairie) plays stable worker Stumpy. Gregg Palmer (see "Beginner's Luck" above) plays Missouri Raider member Colton.

Season 4, Episode 12, "The Last Letter": Robert Colbert (shown on the left, see the biography section for the 1961 post on Maverick) plays "Reconstructed Rebel" Quill. Richard Garland (starred in Attack of the Crab Monsters, Panic in Year Zero, and Mutiny in Outer Space and played Clay Horton on Lassie) plays Bronco's commander Capt. Grey. Robert J. Wilke (appeared in Best of the Badmen, High Noon, The Far Country, Night Passage, and Stripes and played Capt. Mendoza on Zorro) plays renegade McKee Bucklin. Joseph Gallison (see "Trail of Hatred" above) plays his son Rob. Mickey Simpson (see "A Sure Thing" above) plays Reconstructed Rebel Dud Miller. Jackie Searl (began as a child actor, appearing in Tom Sawyer (1930), Huckleberry Finn (1931), Alice in Wonderland (1933), Great Expectations(1934), and Little Lord Fauntleroy) plays Reconstructed Rebel Snowball. Harry Harvey, Jr. (son of actor Harry Harvey, Sr., appeared in Reefer Madness, Moonlight in Vermont, Dangerous Years, and Forbidden Planet, script supervisor on Mannix) plays Reconstructed Rebel Midge. Doye O'Dell (member of music group Sons of the Pioneers, host of Cowboy Thrills) plays Reconstructed Rebel Marsten.

Season 4, Episode 13, "One Evening in Abilene": Jack Cassidy (shown on the right, Tony Award-winning father of David and Shaun Cassidy and husband of Shirley Jones, played Oscar North on He & She) plays Abilene Sheriff Wild Bill Hickock. Lisa Gaye (Collette DuBois on The Bob Cummings Show and Gwen Kirby on How to Marry a Millionaire) plays woman looking for someone to kill him, Donna Coe. George Petrie (see "Ride the Whirlwind" above) plays her father Jack. Tony Young (son of actor Carleton G. Young, played Cord on Gunslinger) plays drifter Tod Chapman. 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) plays Bronco's foreman Charley Clune. Bud Osborne (played stagecoach drivers in dozens of westerns and in episodes of The Cisco Kid, Annie Oakley, The Range Rider, Hopalong Cassidy, The Lone Ranger, The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, Rescue 8, Zorro, Law of the Plainsman, Johnny Ringo, Cheyenne, The Texan, Maverick, and Rawhide) plays trail hand Piney.

Season 4, Episode 14, "Until Kingdom Come": Jacqueline Beer (appeared in Pillow Talk, The Prize, and Made in Paris and played Suzanne Fabry on 77 Sunset Strip) plays exiled Mexican Duchess Eugenia. Rodolfo Acosta (appeared in Wings of the Hawk, Flaming Star, and The Sons of Katie Elder and played Vaquero on The High Chaparral) plays her pursuer Juan Rodriguez. 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 former journalist Josh Glendon. Ken Lynch (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Checkmate) plays crooked ex-con Sheriff Lacey. Kathleen Freeman (Katie on Topper, Marilly on Mayor of the Town, Bertha Krause on The Bob Cummings Show, Flo Shafer on The Beverly Hillbillies, Kate Harwell on Funny Face, Iris Belmont on Lotsa Luc, and Sister Mary Dorothy on General Hospital) plays widow rancher Mrs. Kelly.

Season 4, Episode 15, "Moment of Doubt": Frank Wilcox (see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Untouchables) plays an Army colonel who gives Bronco his assignment. Walter Brooke (shown on the right, appeared in The Graduate, Tora! Tora! Tora!, and The Nude Bomb and played Bill Morgan on Three Steps to Heaven, Henry Forsythe on The Young Marrieds, D.A. Frank Scanlon on The Green Hornet, Mr. Gibson on Bright Promise, D.A. Wayne Charles on Days of Our Lives, and Clarence Johnson on The Waltons) plays Undersecretary for the Department of War Hammond Craig. Bill Walker (appeared in The Harlem Globetrotters, The Outcast, and Porgy and Bess and played Obadiah on Yancy Derringer) plays boot black Dorso. Tol Avery (Speaker Bert Metcalf on Slattery's People) plays insurrectionist group leader Turlowe. Earl Hammond (Hal Soames on Valiant Lady, Captain Sovine on The Clear Horizon, and voiced Mon-star on Silverhawks and Mumm-ra, Jaga, and Vultureman on Thundercats) plays one of his recruits Oswald Mercer. Doodles Weaver (narrated Spike Jones' horse-racing songs and hosted A Day With Doodles) plays hotel barber Grimes.

Season 4, Episode 16, "A Town That Lived and Died": Robert Rockwell (shown on the left, played Phillip Boynton on Our Miss Brooks, Sam Logan on The Man From Blackhawk, Dean Chalmers and Will Thorne on Lassie, Tom Bishop on Diff'rent Strokes, Dr. Simon Hopkins on Days of Our Lives, and Wally Overmier on Growing Pains) plays former Union Army officer Van Dix. Jolene Brand (Anna Maria Verdugo on Zorro and Pink Cloud on Westward Ho!) plays his wife Emily. Ahna Capri (Mary Rose on Room for One More) plays Emily at age 15. Russell Thorson (see "A Sure Thing" above) plays ghost town former sheriff Frank Sutton. John Alderson (Sgt. Bullock on Boots and Saddles and Wyatt Earp on Doctor Who) plays gold miner Francis Randolph. E.J. Andre (Eugene Bullock on Dallas) plays bank robber Murdo. Lane Chandler (Tom Pike on Lawman) plays gold transfer plotter Tom Finch.

Season 4, Episode 17, "The Immovable Object": William Fawcett (Clayton on Duffy's Tavern, Marshal George Higgins on The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, and Pete Wilkey on Fury) plays cantankerous farmer Tom Christopher. Maggie Pierce (shown on the right, played Barbara Crabtree on My Mother the Car) plays his "granddaughter" Melvina. Mike Road (see "Rendezvous With a Miracle" above) plays newspaper reporter Emmett Dawson. George N. Neise (Capitan Felipe Arrellanos on Zorro, Dr. Nat Wyndham on Wichita Town, and Colonel Thornton on McKeever & the Colonel) plays Army Corps of Engineers commander Major Elijah Moore. 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 his adjutant Capt. Meadows. J. Edward McKinley (appeared in The Angry Red Planet, Advise & Consent, The Interns, The Party, and Where Does It Hurt?) plays the New Mexico governor. Frank Ferguson (Gus Broeberg on My Friend Flicka, Eli Carson on Peyton Place, and Dr. Barton Stuart on Petticoat Junction) plays legendary Union Army commander Gen. William T. Sherman.

Season 4, Episode 18, "Then the Mountains": 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 former Confederate soldier Ben Cullen. Med Flory (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 fellow former Confederate soldier Vance Pelham. 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 Virginia emigrant Jonathan Hawley. Susan Seaforth Hayes (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 his daughter Julie Mae. James Best (Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane on The Dukes of Hazzard and The Dukes) plays Army deserter Frankie Banton. Gerald Mohr (narrator on 19 episodes of The Lone Ranger, Christopher Storm on Foreign Intrigue, and voice of Mr. Fantastic and Reed Richards on Fantastic 4) plays renegade leader Frank Bohannon. Ken Mayer (see "Trail of Hatred" above) plays his horse trader. Myron Healey (Doc Holliday on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays Virginia emigrant Obie Dilks. Robert Nash (Dr. Jenkins on Days of Our Lives) plays Virginia emigrant Pete Calvert. 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 the Fort Bridger sutler. Gregg Palmer (see "Beginner's Luck" above) plays Union Army cavalry commander Lt. Ames.

Coronado 9 (1961)

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

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

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

The Actors

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

Notable Guest Stars

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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