Peter Gunn (1961)

Over its three-year run, Peter Gunn's titular suave detective never failed to wrap up each week's mystery in 25 minutes, but some 57 years after it left the airwaves, it still isn't clear why the show was canceled. The Blake Edwards creation was a breakout hit in its debut season, ranking 16th in the Nielsen ratings for the 1958-59 season and garnering 8 Primetime Emmy nominations, one for the series itself, one for each of the four principal actors, two for Edwards' writing and direction of the pilot episode "The Kill," and one for Mancini's now iconic score. When it failed to make the top 30 in its sophomore season, the series was dropped by NBC but found new life when picked up by ABC for a third season in a later time slot, away from the formidable competition of The Danny Thomas Show. It rebounded nicely into 29th place in the ratings for 1960-61 and yet was not renewed for a fourth season, its spot on ABC's schedule filled by the debut of Ben Casey.

A search of 1961 issues of TV Guide reveals no news items about its cancellation. The February 11 cover story featured co-star Lola Albright, and even the September 16 Fall Preview issue failed to include Gunn in its list of programs "Going Off" in the new season. Even stranger, the final episode of the series, "Murder on the Line," aired on September 18 at the beginning of the fall season, nearly three months after the previous episode, with the cryptic description that the episode "is a departure from this series' summer rerun schedule" in its TV Guide listing. The description of the episode being a departure is accurate, as it is the only episode to feature extensive narration by Gunn in summarizing the action, and it features director Robert Gist and executive producer Gordon Oliver in starring roles. Herschel Bernardi is also notably absent, though he had not appeared in every previous episode, but Lola Albright is present in her usual long-suffering girlfriend role.

Certainly many of the principals were active with other projects at the time. Albright married jazz pianist William Chadney, who also played her on-screen accompanist Emmett Ward on Gunn, on May 20 in Las Vegas. Bernardi was active in the theater circuit, as an April 29 TV Guide news item reported that he was currently performing in a West Coast production of Only in America which he expected to take on the road during the summer and was being considered for the lead role in an upcoming Broadway production of Sizeman and Son. And Edwards was in the midst of opening Breakfast at Tiffany's on October 5 and had just been chosen by 20th Century Fox to direct Days of Wine and Roses, announced in the February 11 issue of TV Guide. However, if Edwards' exploding feature film career were going to interfere with his TV work, he would not have also been promoting a new series Boston Terrier mentioned several times in TV Guide throughout 1961 and whose pilot finally aired as an episode on Dick Powell Theatre April 10, 1962, though it was not picked up for a regular series. Edwards would also produce another unsuccessful TV pilot in adapting the radio program Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar in 1962, so it would seem that his schedule was not so crammed that he could not have continued Gunn had the network wanted to retain it. However, as the blog Television Obscurities has thoroughly documented about another Edwards series cancellation, in this case Mr. Lucky, sometimes all it takes is a bigger-name production company coveting your time slot to yank your show off the air. Or perhaps the network executives were clairvoyant enough to see that private detective series were in decline while doctor series were the next big thing.

But even before the final curtain fell, the series seemed on its last legs as the guest stars fell in stature and the plots seemed more rote. Instead of a Ken Lynch, Diahann Carroll, George Kennedy, or James Coburn guest starring, the 1961 episodes featured Al Ruscio, Tom Palmer, Bert Remsen, and Jane Morgan. Even Herschel Bernardi's brother Jack shows up as a janitor in "Death Is a Sore Loser" (January 30, 1961), which seemed to revive an acting career that had been dormant for a decade. The stories are more uneven as well, beginning with "The Royal Roust" (January 2, 1961) featuring a visiting king who thinks American criminal justice practices are barbaric, followed by "Bullet in Escrow" (January 9, 1961) in which a paroled convict immediately and single-mindedly sets out to kill Gunn for sending him to prison. Other plots are similarly simplistic, such as "Short a Motive" (April 10, 1961) about a diminutive but lethal military veteran who goes about knocking off anyone whoever made fun of his height during his years in the service, or "Voodoo" (June 19, 1961) about a sugar cane plantation owner in Haiti killing off small farmers whose land he covets by infecting them a disease he has also used to kill off their cattle. There are also plenty of faked deaths, such as in "The Murder Bond" (April 24, 1961) in which a mob boss about to face legal prosecution has his henchmen round up a wino that they dress like their boss and then lure him to drive the boss' bomb-laden car, or "Down the Drain" (June 26, 1961) in which a husband and wife kill the man who discovered their jewel heist scam and disfigure him so completely that the police have to rely on the wife's recognizance to identify the victim, allowing her to claim it was her husband who was killed. In the days before DNA testing, such hoaxes were apparently plausible.

But there are a few noteworthy episodes as well, usually easily identified by a superior supporting cast, such as "I Know It's Murder" (February 13, 1961) in which a teenage son who claims to have extrasensory perception is convinced that his mother's new husband is out to kill her for her fortune. "Last Resort" (May 15, 1961) details an overlooked associate film producer resorting to kidnapping to try to get enough money to live in the manner he thinks he deserves instead of always being an afterthought. And "A Bullet for the Boy" (May 29, 1961) tells the story of the black sheep son of an American diplomat who someone seems intent on murdering, only it turns out he is the one who wants to see himself killed.

These last two episodes are part of a four-episode sequence all set in Acapulco, Mexico, another tactic of a flagging series hoping to spur some interest by relocating to an exotic locale. While these episodes do feature an additional recurring character, police Lt. Vasquez as played by Peter Mamakos, and feature tangential links between them to explain Gunn's extended stay south of the border, they don't really constitute a continuing story arc, as each caper Gunn gets involved with is unrelated to its predecessor. However, a more mundane explanation for this mini-series is that these episodes provide a reason to leave Edie behind at the exact time that Lola Albright was getting married and presumably taking a honeymoon. Other than at the beginning of the first of the Acapulco series, "Till Death Do Us Part" (May 8, 1961), Edie does not appear in any of the Mexico-based episodes, but when Gunn returns stateside in "Death Is a Four Letter Word" (June 5, 1961), Edie tells him that the difference between a man and a woman is that he can just run off to someplace like Acapulco without anyone giving it a second thought, whereas if she were to take off for Mexico City, tongues would wag (it would be interesting to find out where Albright and Chadney honeymooned--Mexico City?).

It's a shame that such a stylish and smart series fizzled out without more fanfare. Edwards, obviously was bound for higher heights in his feature film career, but he always had a special fondness for Gunn, as he tried to resurrect the character in the 1967 feature film Gunn with Stevens in the title role but none of the rest of the original cast. And in 1989 he made a TV movie with Peter Strauss in the title role, but it failed to spur enough network interest to warrant a revival series like Perry Mason. While Bernardi would go on to win two Tony Awards on Broadway and eventually land his own series in the 1970s, the careers of Stevens and Albright would never shine as brightly. Still, judging from the reviews of the 2012 DVD release of Gunn, their best work has stood the test of time and is winning new fans half a century later.

The Actors

For the biographies of Craig Stevens, Lola Albright, Herschel Bernardi, and James Lanphier, see the 1960 post for Peter Gunn.

Billy Barty

Born William John Bertanzetti in Millsboro, Pennsylvania, his family moved to California when Barty was a child after his father found work as a machinist at Columbia Studios. Barty's entry into show business came when director Jules White was shooting a scene near the Barty household in Hollywood, and 3-year-old Barty walked up to White, tugged on his pants leg, and performed a trick his father had taught him to spin on his head. Soon thereafter he was playing Mickey Rooney's younger brother in a series of Mickey McGuire shorts for the next 7 years. However, Barty's growth was stunted by cartilage-hair hypoplasia dwarfism, and he reached a maximum height of less than four feet when full grown. He was cast as children and babies in feature films such as Gold Diggers of 1933, Alice in Wonderland, and Bride of Frankenstein. In the 1930s he also performed in his own vaudeville act called Billy Barty and His Sisters in which he played drums and did impressions. In the 1940s he tried to leave show business, attending college at what is now Cal State L.A. where he majored in journalism and was sports editor for the college newspaper. But in the 1950s he was lured back to television, first with one-off appearances on shows such as Your Pet Parade, The Dennis Day Show, and Mr. and Mrs. North before becoming a regular member of Spike Jones' troupe and appearing regularly on The Spike Jones Show in 1954. After three appearances as Little Tom on Circus Boy and occasional spots on Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Colgate Comedy Hour (on which he did a parody of Liberace), and General Electric Theater, he landed a semi-recurring role as hustler Babby on Peter Gunn with a total of 8 appearances over the program's three seasons.

In 1957 he founded Little People of America to advocate on behalf of those with dwarfism. In the mid-1960s he appeared in two Elvis Presley features--Roustabout and Harum Scarum--and hosted his own children's program in the Los Angeles area Billy Barty's Big Show. He also continued getting TV guest spots on shows such as My Three Sons, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, and Get Smart. In the 1970s he found regular work on children's programs playing Googy Gopher and Orville Pelican on Pufnstuf, Sparky the Firefly on The Bugaloos, Sigmund Ooze on Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, and Hugo on Dr. Shrinker. In 1981 he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, though it hardly signaled the end of his career as he remained active on television and in feature films for another two decades. After being hospitalized for heart problems and a lung infection in December 2000, he passed away from heart failure on December 23 at the age of 76.

Notable Guest Stars

Season 3, Episode 14, "The Royal Roust": Leonard Strong (appeared in Blood on the Sun, Back to Bataan, The Atomic City, Shane, and The Naked Jungle and played The Claw on Get Smart) plays visiting dignitary King Felix. Warren J. Kemmerling (Judge Rense on How the West Was Won) plays captured robber Bennett. 

Season 3, Episode 15, "Bullet in Escrow": Leonard Stone (shown on the left, appeared in The Mugger, The Big Mouth, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, and Soylent Green and played Doc Joslyn on Camp Runamuck, Packy Moore on General Hospital, and Judge Paul Hansen on L.A. Law) plays vengeful ex-con Ed Stone. Bob Hoy (Joe Butler on The High Chaparral and Cliff on Our House) plays his partner Ernie Daggett. Clegg Hoyt (Mac on Dr. Kildare) plays florist Aesop. Richard Collier (appeared in Hello, Dolly!, Blazing Saddles, and Carrie and played Harry Price on Many Happy Returns) plays athletic club clerk Specs. 

Season 3, Episode 16, "Jacoby's Vacation": Tom Palmer (Doc Stewart on Lawman) plays tropical gun runner Louis Frober. Oscar Beregi, Jr. (see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Untouchables) plays his unnamed business partner. George Ives (Doc on Mister Roberts) plays brother of missing man Arthur Holland. 

Season 3, Episode 17, "Blind Item": Irene Hervey (shown on the right, appeared in Destry Rides Again, Cactus Flower, and Play Misty for Me and played Aunt Meg on Honey West) plays novelist's widow Madelon Ridgely. Richard Ney (appeared in Mrs. Miniver, Joan of Arc, Ivy, and Midnight Lace) plays gossip columnist Forest Graham. Mark Allen (Matt Kissel on The Travels of Jamie McPheeters and Sam Evans on Dark Shadows) plays private investigator Edward Bellasco. Lloyd Lindroth (harpist billed as "The Liberace of the Harp") plays harpist Keith Tucker.

Season 3, Episode 18, "Death Is a Sore Loser": Jack Bernardi (Herschel Bernardi's brother) plays apartment janitor Moishe Kalugian. Joe di Reda (Angel Moran on General Hospital) plays janitor Eddie Riley.

Season 3, Episode 19, "I Know It's Murder": Hayden Rorke (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 rug importer Mark Eustis. Jean Engstrom (mother of Jena Engstrom) plays his wealthy new bride Helene Daniels. Tommy Rettig (shown on the left, played Jeff Miller on Lassie and JoJo on Never Too Young) plays her teenage son Kevin. Roy Gordon (Andrew V. McMahon on The Millionaire) plays their butler John. Ken Drake (Bragan on Not for Hire) plays bogus psychologist Dr. Jody.

Season 3, Episode 20, "A Kill and a Half": Bruce Gordon (see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Untouchables) plays mobster Vic Kimbro. Norman Fell (shown on the right, see the biography section for the 1961 post on 87thPrecinct) plays carnival owner Danny Carmichael. Virginia Vincent (Betty on The Joey Bishop Show, Dottie Clark on The Super, and Daisy Maxwell on Eight Is Enough) plays his wife Dora.

Season 3, Episode 21, "Than a Serpent's Tooth": Pamela Britton (shown on the left, starred in A Letter for Evie, D.O.A., and If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium and played Blondie Bumstead on Blondie and Mrs. Lorelei Brown on My Favorite Martian) plays nightclub singer Vicki Landell. Anne Whitfield (Barbara Harris on Days of Our Lives) plays her step-daughter Carol. Jean Paul King (NBC network radio announcer in the 1930s) plays psychiatrist Dr. Lawrence Herzog. Joseph Julian (Vic Kirby on Somerset) plays ex-con Arkie.

Season 3, Episode 22, "The Deep End": William Bryant (McCall on Combat!, President Ulysses S. Grant on Branded, Col. Crook on Hondo, Lt. Shilton on Switch, and the Director on The Fall Guy) plays swimming instructor Phil Matterson. John Fiedler (shown on the right, appeared in 12 Angry Men, That Touch of Mink, The World of Henry Orient, Kiss Me, Stupid, Girl Happy, The Odd Couple, True Grit and played Emil Peterson on The Bob Newhart Show and Woody on Buffalo Bill) plays aspiring composer Oliver Neilson. 

Season 3, Episode 23, "Portrait in Leather": Tom Brown (shown on the left, see the biography section for the 1960 post on Mr. Lucky) plays boxing manager Charlie Toomey. Ann Robinson (starred in The War of the Worlds, Dragnet, and Midnight Movie Massacre and played Queen Juliandra on Rocky Jones, Space Ranger and Helen Watkins on Fury) plays former boxing champion's ex-wife Joanna Cochrane. Roy Glenn (Roy on The Jack Benny Program) plays trainer Otis Calder. William Fawcett (Clayton on Duffy's Tavern, Marshal George Higgins on The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, and Pete Wilkey on Fury) plays pickpocket Sobey Webb.

Season 3, Episode 24, "Come Dance With Me and Die": Barbara Stuart (shown on the right, 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 dance hostess Candy Lane. Larry J. Blake (the unnamed jailer on Yancy Derringer and Tom Parnell on Saints and Sinners) plays the dance club manager. Harry Swoger (Harry the bartender on The Big Valley) plays taxi driver Eddie Webb. Robert P.Lieb (Harry Thompson on Hazel) plays mobster Frank Benedict. Jack Hogan (starred in The Bonnie Parker Story, Paratroop Command, and The Cat Burglar and played Kirby on Combat!, Sgt. Jerry Miller on Adam-12, Chief Ranger Jack Moore on Sierra, and Judge Smithwood on Jake and the Fatman) plays private investigator William Lundy.

Season 3, Episode 25, "Cry Love, Cry Murder": Margarita Cordova (Rosa Andrade on Santa Barbara and Carmen Torres on Sunset Beach) plays cantina singer Maria Galvin. Joe Besser (shown on the left, replaced Shemp Howard as the third of The Three Stooges and played Stinky Davis on The Abbott and Costello Show, Mr. Jillson on The Joey Bishop Show, and voiced Babu on Jeannie and Scare Bear on Yogi's Space Race) plays theatrical agent Chubby Stone. Dale van Sickel (Clancy on Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe) plays drug dealer Frankie Cole. Mickey Simpson (Boley on Captain David Grief) plays hired muscle Max Willard.

Season 3, Episode 26, "A Penny Saved": Joyce Vanderveen (shown on the right, played Marie de Gravien on The Adventures of Jim Bowie) plays ballet dancer Lisa North. Lillian Adams (appeared in The Jerk, Private Benjamin, and Bruce Almighty and played Mrs. Pepperman on The Suite Life on Deck) plays her mother Mrs. North. Abraham Sofaer (starred in Christopher Columbus, Quo Vadis, and Elephant Walk) plays producer Boris Petrov. Paul Dubov (Michel on The Ann Sothern Show) plays mobster Frank Wallace. Marcel Hillaire (appeared in Sabrina, Seven Thieves, and Murderer's Row and played Inspector Bouchard on Adventures in Paradise) plays former ballet director Jacque. Joe Scott (see the biography section for the 1960 post on Mr. Lucky) plays a sanitarium attendant.

Season 3, Episode 27, "Short a Motive": Jo Helton (Nurse Conant on Dr. Kildare) plays restaurant owner Ellen Clary. Paul Brinegar (shown on the left, see the biography section for the 1960 post on Rawhide) plays film projectionist Chigger. Frank Gerstle (Dirk Gird on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp and voiced Raseem on The Banana Splits Adventure Hour) plays racketeer Frank Clanton.

Season 3, Episode 28, "The Murder Bond": Russell Collins (shown on the right, appeared in Niagara, Bad Day at Black Rock, and Fail-Safe and played Owen Sharp on Many Happy Returns) plays bail bondsman Ned Grant. Jean Willes (appeared in Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Ocean's 11, and Gypsy) plays racketeer's wife Mrs. Cully. Owen Bush (Ben on Shane, John Belson on Sirota's Court, and Crimshaw on Our House) plays former Cully stooge Nibs. Howard Caine (Schaab on The Californians and Maj. Wolfgang Hochstetter on Hogan's Heroes) plays investigator Al Landers.

Season 3, Episode 29, "The Most Deadly Angel": 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 crime patriarch Joseph Yabocci. Mary Sinclair (Sylvia Rockwell on Woman With a Past) plays avenging angel Caroline Haskins. 

Season 3, Episode 30, "Till Death Do Us Part": William Phipps (shown on the left, see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays Acapulco crime boss Johnny Burnett. Anne Bellamy (Aunt Polly on The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn) plays supposedly murdered wife Leona Candell. Peter Mamakos (Jean Lafitte on The Adventures of Jim Bowie) plays Acapulco police Lt. Vasquez. 

Season 3, Episode 31, "Last Resort": Ross Elliott (Freddie the director on The Jack Benny Program and Sheriff Abbott on The Virginian) plays talent agent Ned Koenig. Francis X. Bushman (shown on the right, starred in Romeo and Juliet (1916), Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, Dick Tracy (1937), Sabrina, and The Phantom Planet) plays former film star Clinton Hobart. Randy Stuart (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays his wife Doris. Sherwood Price (Gen. Jeb Stuart on The Gray Ghost) plays hot-shot young director Les Murdock. Milton Selzer (Parker on Get Smart, Jake Winkelman on The Harvey Korman Show, Abe Werkfinder on The Famous Teddy Z, and Manny Henry on Valley of the Dolls) plays associate producer Lou Warren. Peter Mamakos (see "Till Death Do Us Part" above) returns as Lt. Vasquez.

Season 3, Episode 32, "A Matter of Policy": Bert Remsen (shown on the left, played Detective Lawrence on Peyton Place, Mr. Pell on Gibbsville, Mario on It's a Living, and Jack Crager on Dynasty) plays wanted killer Fred Dineen. Natividad Vacio (Fronk on Father Knows Best) plays bomb-maker Maldonado. Peter Mamakos (see "Till Death Do Us Part" above) returns as Lt. Vasquez.

Season 3, Episode 33, "A Bullet for the Boy": John Eldredge (starred in The Woman in Red, The Murder of Dr. Harrigan, and The Black Cat and played Harry Archer on Meet Corliss Archer) plays American diplomat Victor Mitchell. Linda Watkins (shown on the right, played Robin Crosley on One Life to Live) plays his wife Laura. Michael Pate (starred in Face to Face, Julius Caesar, Hondo, and Tower of London and played Chief Vittoro on Hondo and Det. Sgt. Vic Maddern on Matlock) plays fisherman Juan Mendoza. Peter Mamakos (see "Till Death Do Us Part" above) returns as Lt. Vasquez.

Season 3, Episode 34, "Death Is a Four Letter Word": J. Pat O'Malley (shown on the left, see the biography section for the 1961 post on Frontier Circus) plays Gunn's drinking friend Luther. Virginia Grey (appeared in Uncle Tom's Cabin, The Women, Another Thin Man, Mr. and Mrs. North, and Stage Door Canteen and played Clara Appleby on The Red Skelton Hour) plays former model Lisa Randolph. Patric Knowles (starred in The Adventures of Robin Hood, How Green Was My Valley, and The Wolf Man) plays financier Virgil Considine. Ned Glass (MSgt. Andy Pendleton on The Phil Silvers Show, Sol Cooper on Julia, and Uncle Moe Plotnick on Bridget Loves Bernie) plays hot-dog stand owner Natie. Edwin Mills (voice of Dr. Cornelius on Return to the Planet of the Apes) plays a police doctor.

Season 3, Episode 35, "Deadly Intrusion": Britt Lomond (Captain Monastario on Zorro and Johnny Ringo on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays golf pro Gil Manson. Francis de Sales (shown on the right, played Lt. Bill Weigand on Mr. & Mrs. North, Ralph Dobson on The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, Sheriff Maddox on Two Faces West, and Rusty Lincoln on Days of Our Lives) plays gambler Johnny Wade. Joseph Mell (Bill Pence on Gunsmoke) plays garage owner Janos Majeski. Norma Michaels (Grandmother on Mind of Mencia and Josephine on The King of Queens) plays a waitress.

Season 3, Episode 36, "Voodoo": Al Ruscio (Paul Locatelli on Shannon, Sal Giordano on Life Goes On, Frank Ruscio on Joe's Life, and Kosta Kanelos on Port Charles) plays Haitian police Inspector Georges. 

Season 3, Episode 37, "Down the Drain": Jane Morgan (shown on the left, popular singer married to producer Jerry Weintraub) plays supposed widow Lois Lee. Dale van Sickel (see "Cry Love, Cry Murder" above) plays her supposedly dead husband William. Burt Mustin (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Leave It to Beaver) plays a boatyard watchman.

Season 3, Episode 38, "Murder on the Line": Robert Gist (director for Peter Gunn) plays eccentric millionaire Cesar Carlyle. Gordon Oliver (executive producer for Mr. Lucky and Peter Gunn) plays his assistant Arthur McCutchen.

Frontier Circus (1961)

During the 1960-61 television season, the western was still riding high, with 4 of the top 6 programs being of the western persuasion. One of the most popular was Wagon Train, produced by Revue Studios, finishing #2 for 1960-61 before ascending to the top spot for 1961-62. While the western was still immensely popular, the sheer number of westerns on the air had pretty much tapped the well dry in terms of new concepts. There were already historically based series such as Bat Masterson and The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, wandering gunfighters such as Cheyenne and Bronco, town marshals on Gunsmoke and Lawman, cattle drivers on Rawhide, single parents on The Rifleman and Bonanza, a bounty hunter on Wanted:Dead or Alive, a gun for hire on Have Gun -- Will Travel, an aspiring lawyer on Sugarfoot, card-playing brothers on Maverick, a shotgun-toting detective on Shotgun Slade, and a reluctant deputy on The Deputy. What the western didn't have was animals. So established western novelist Samuel A. Peeples, who the season before  had created The Tall Man based on the legendary but historically questionable relationship between Sheriff Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, came up with the idea of Frontier Circus, which TV Guide in its Fall 1961 Preview issue sarcastically called "Wagon Train with animals."

And, yes, like Wagon Train, the program focuses on a caravan traveling across the west and encountering all sorts of adventures along the way. And many of the plots are driven by characters the circus regulars encounter along the way, rather than telling the story of the regular characters themselves, in this case ringmaster Colonel Casey Thompson, straw boss Ben Travis, and scout and advance man Tony Gentry, with animal handler Duffy added once the season started rolling. For example, we aren't told in the first 10 episodes that aired in 1961 where Thompson's "Colonel" title came from; we only know he has always had a dream of leading a circus across the country. And Ben Travis' backstory is a mystery. Tony Gentry, on the other hand, is a former Confederate soldier from Texas who could have gone astray after the war, as men like Jess Evans in "The Hunter and the Hunted" (November 2, 1961) have done, but was taken in by Thompson. But unlike Wagon Train, the series does not have an umbrella structure that defines each season or an overall premise to unify the disparate, individual episodes. In Wagon Train, each season constitutes one trip across the country from Missouri to California, bringing settlers west to populate an increasingly white western United States. Though there is not a rigid geographical structure for the sequence of episodes, they generally progress across plains, deserts, and mountains before reaching the west coast. Frontier Circus has no such progression. The one episode that alludes to these geographical reference points is "Winter Quarters" (November 23, 1961), which finds the Thompson & Travis Circus at the end of their performing season in Nevada. Usually they would pack up and head back to Missouri to hole up during the winter, repairing damaged equipment and developing new acts for the next season.  But Thompson persuades his partners that they should instead press on over the Sierra Mountains to California, which he paints as all sunshine and gold. However, the next week they are near Purgatory, Colorado ("Patriarch of Purgatory," November 30-1961), and the week after that they are near Hamilton, North Dakota ("The Shaggy Kings," December 7, 1961), so there is little rhyme or reason to their peregrinations. And as far as an overall purpose, Thompson essentially admits that his program is piggy-backing on the wagon trains depicted in "that other series" in "The Shaggy Kings" when he explains to Travis that they provide entertainment for all the struggling settlers who are striving to carve out a new nation in the west.

While other westerns of the era made at least a half-hearted attempt to depict other races and genders as worthy of respect, Frontier Circus sticks to a white patriarchal model as the ideal in the mythical west. The few Native Americans we see in the first 10 episodes are either bigamists or duplicitous. In "Dr. Sam" (October 26, 1961) Chief Red Cloud is immediately smitten by Dr. Samantha Applewhite when his braves commandeer her wagon and bring her and her nurse into his camp, offering to make her his ninth wife before she is rescued by the smooth-talking Thompson. And in "The Shaggy Kings" half-breed Michael Smith sets up Travis and Gentry for an ambush by leading them on a buffalo hunt and then persuading Comanche Chief Shining Knife to attack them for desecrating their sacred animal. Nor do Mexicans come in for much better treatment. In "Winter Quarters" Thompson generously takes in the horseless horse thief Nino Sanchez, who sells him a story about working with his brothers to cut timber for the mining companies nearby, then steals one of his horses and has his brothers redirect the caravan to a dead end where they lose the rest of their stock. Though he eventually regrets double-crossing Thompson who saves him from a lynch-minded rancher, he confesses that he and his brothers have decided to enter into the more profitable enterprise of cattle rustling.

White women, however, are given the most extended treatment in a more varied complex of issues but rarely are they shown as men's equals. In the aforementioned "Dr. Sam," Thompson feels that it isn't natural for a woman to be a doctor and he feels betrayed that Applewhite did not tell him she was female in their correspondence before showing up to work for him. His sexism is treated as being humorous and he is eventually outvoted by the other circus workers to allow Applewhite to stay, or more correctly to be brought back when she leaves in a huff, and after she successfully performs a brain operation on a fallen highwire performer, Thompson comes to accept her in her role. But we also hear her nurse say that she is being held to a higher standard than a man would--should she have failed to save the highwire performer, everyone would have wondered whether a man could have succeeded. And when she rides off with her nurse after her initial insulting exchange with Thompson, she is immediately captured by Indians and must be rescued by Thompson, showing that a woman is unable to fend for herself in the wild west. By episode's end she is offered a residency at a New York hospital that she decides to accept because she will be able to figuratively blaze trails for medicine-minded females who come after her, but it's clear that this path is a safer one than the one she leaves behind with the circus.

Thompson doesn't have a problem with his female sharp-shooter, an Annie Oakley-like performer named Bonnie Stevens, in "The Smallest Target" (October 12, 1961). She is even depicted as a better marksman than her estranged husband. But like the 1960 My Three Sons episode "Lady Engineer" and the 1960 episode "The Career Woman" from The Donna Reed Show, a successful career woman can never be fulfilled unless she has a home and a family. Stevens' backstory is that she abandoned her husband and newborn son to pursue a career full of adventure, but when she meets her now 10-year-old son during one of the circus' stops, her motherly instincts well up inside her and she can no longer remain separated from her boy. At the show's conclusion, she and her husband have reconciled and she decides to leave the circus and attend to the needs of her family, leaving her prize rifle with Thompson as a memento. The message is clear: a woman might be able to do all the things a man can do, but it won't make her happy unless she sticks to her traditional subservient role.

Thelma Ritter plays another career woman in "Journey From Hannibal" (November 9, 1961) but one forced into running her husband's livery stable after he dies. Despite her independent nature and her refusal to fall for Thompson's sales pitch to pay her later for boarding an elephant he bought 4 months ago, she finally has to go along with his proposal to take her with him back to Bismarck, where the circus will earn enough to settle his account with her, because her hometown of Hannibal, Missouri is drying up and she is headed for bankruptcy if she stays where she is. In other words, she is a damsel in distress and Thompson is her knight in shining armor. Once she has made the long journey with him to Bismarck and is repaid, she says she will probably settle down somewhere and open another livery stable, which is perfectly acceptable within the patronizing framework of Frontier Circus because she is past child-bearing age.

Another damsel in distress is dance hall singer Karina Andrews in the episode "Karina" (November 9, 1961), who has the temerity to shoot her abusive husband after he beats her for refusing to take the stage at his tawdry dance hall. Fearing that she will be hanged for murder, she flees the scene and winds up hiding in the circus prop tent, where she is discovered by Gentry, who immediately falls in love with her and puts her on a pedestal as an angel though he knows nothing about her. However, though Karina has the strength to shoot her own husband, she doesn't have enough to finish the job: Her husband is not dead, and eventually he and his brother catch up with the circus and attempt to spirit her back home. But Travis, Thompson, and Gentry, with an assist from elephant keeper Duffy, successfully rescue her, during which the husband is crushed between two wagons by the elephant. Though she is tempted to remain with the circus and its idyllic family atmosphere, she ultimately decides she must return to "reality" to clear her name, leaving Gentry and Travis with only their idealized memories of who she is.

Other damsels in need of rescue include blind horse trainer Maureen McBride in "Lippizan" (October 19, 1961) whose prize stallion is killed when Travis mounts it to chase a robber who then shoots the horse during his escape. Travis must then find and train a suitable replacement to prevent McBride from being left destitute and heart-broken. In "Depths of Fear" (October 5, 1961) Millie Carno must be rescued from her abusive lion-taming husband by his former boss. And in "Patriarch of Purgatory" (November 30, 1961) Susannah Hedges must be rescued from her slave-owning miner father, who makes the mistake of kidnapping Travis and Gentry but is no match for their daring escape plan. And yet none of these rescued women ever wind up staying with the circus. As Dr. Christopher Sharrett has observed in his treatise on The Rifleman, in the fantasy world of the western the female is generally made unattainable, at least by the main characters, to preserve the freedom of their boys club.

In any case, the knight-in-shining armor theme did not make Frontier Circus a winner. It lasted a mere 26 episodes, ending its brief run in September 1962. Scriptwriter Dorothy Fontana has suggested that one factor in the series' cancellation was the high production costs required by the use of trained animals. Perhaps more consequential is that despite the show's circus razzle dazzle, it had little new to offer to a genre already a bit overworked.

The theme music and individual scores for several episodes of Frontier Circus were composed by David Buttolph, who was profiled in the 1960 post on Maverick.

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

The Actors

Chill Wills

Hailing from small Seagoville in Dallas County, Texas, Chill Theodore Wills was given his unusual first name by his parents as an ironic twist on the fact that he was born on one of the hottest days of the year in 1903. Wills began his entertainment career as a singer, performing from age 12 in tent shows and vaudeville before forming the vocal group Chill Wills and His Avalon Boys in the 1930s. Spotted by an RKO talent scout during a Hollywood performance, they soon began appearing in low-budget westerns beginning with Bar 20 Rides Again in 1935, though Wills appeared as an uncredited campfire singer in W.C. Fields' classic comedy It's a Gift the year before. After 5 more Avalon Boys appearances, the group appeared in the Laurel & Hardy western farce Way Out West in 1937, in which Wills doubled as Stan Laurel's singing voice. After the success of this film, Wills left the vocal group and struck out on a solo career as an actor, landing background and supporting roles throughout the rest of the 1930s and 1940s in feature films such as Lawless Valley, Boom Town, Tarzan's New York Adventure, Meet Me in St. Louis, The Harvey Girls, and The Yearling. In 1950 he was cast as the uncredited speaking voice of Francis the Talking Mule, and appeared in 6 such features over the next 5 years. He had a memorable turn as Uncle Bawley in 1956's Giant, starring James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, and Montgomery Clift, and received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the character Beekeeper in John Wayne's 1960 epic The Alamo. However, his over-the-top campaigning for the award turned off many of his Hollywood colleagues, including Wayne. After he ran a series of ads that read, "Win, lose, or draw, you're all my cousins and I love you," Groucho Marx countered with an ad of his own that read, "Dear Mr. Chill Wills, I am delighted to be your cousin but I voted for Sal Mineo." Wills started doing guest appearances on television in 1958, with an episode each of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Wagon Train and amassed only a half-dozen such credits before being cast as circus co-owner Col. Casey Thompson on Frontier Circus in the fall of 1961.

After the series' brief run was over, he returned to feature films, appearing in McLintock!, The Wheeler Dealers, and The Cardinal all in 1963. Appearances in a pair of two-part episodes on Route 66 and Rawhide and a single episode of Burke's Law were his only credits in 1964, but the following year he played Jim Ed Love in the Glenn Ford & Henry Fonda feature The Rounders and was cast in the same role when the movie was adapted into a TV series in 1966. Like Frontier Circus, this series last only a single season, after which it was back to sporadic guest appearances and fewer film roles, such as in Fireball 500 and Sam Peckinpah's Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, which included the film debut of Bob Dylan. During this time Wills was also active politically for arch conservative candidates like Barry Goldwater in his 1964 run for U.S. President, and he served as M.C. during the California campaign appearances by segregationist Alabama Governor George Wallace in 1968. Wills' last appearance on screen  was in the TV movie Stubby Pringle's Christmas in 1978. He died that same year from cancer at the age of 76 on December 15th.

 

John Derek

Derek Delevan Harris was born in Hollywood, the son of silent-era film director Lawson Harris and minor actress Dolores Johnson. As a youth, his good looks drew the attention of movie mogul David O. Selznick and name-giving agent Henry Willson, who dubbed him Dare Harris. After appearing in minor roles in two 1944 films, Since You Went Away and I'll Be Seeing You, he was drafted into the army and served in the Philippines at the end of the war. When he returned stateside, he sought out Humphrey Bogart, who gave him the name John Derek and had him cast as young criminal Nick Romano in Knock on Any Door, which appeared in 1949. The same year he won praise playing Broderick Crawford's step-son in the Oscar-winning All the King's Men, but his acting career thereafter failed to capitalize on these early successes. Instead of starring in Nicolas Ray's production of In a Lonely Place, which Bogart's production company had initially acquired specifically for Derek, the story was rewritten to star Bogart, and Derek wound up signing with Columbia and appearing in swash-buckling B movies like Rogues of Sherwood Forest, Mask of the Avenger, Prince of Pirates, and The Adventures of Hajji Baba. His studio wanted him cast in the lead for From Here to Eternity, but director Fred Zinnemann threatened to quit unless Montgomery Clift got the part. Though he had a few well-received roles in the latter 1950s, playing Joshua in Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments and Taha in Otto Premminger's Exodus, most of his material was second rate.

During this period Derek would also begin a pattern for which he would be most remembered--marrying starlets and micro-managing their careers. He married French actress Patti Behrs in 1948 and divorced her 8 years later, after which he married the Swiss actress Ursula Andress, who at the time, according to Derek, spoke little English. He also later remarked that he didn't like her hair or eyebrows and that she needed to lose weight, and he prevailed upon her to change to meet his expectations, a controlling characteristic that would later have him called a Svengali. His casting as circus co-owner Ben Travis on Frontier Circus would be his last major role on film, other than co-starring with Andress in the 1966 World War II feature Once Before I Die, which would ironically be set in the Philippines and co-star his Frontier Circus friend Richard Jaeckel.

Once Frontier Circus was canceled, Derek instead turned to photography and directing, in addition to managing the careers of his next three wives. When Andress was called on to do a nude scene in the 1964 feature Nightmare in the Sun, Derek at first agreed but then changed his mind and refused to let her do it, though he would later photograph her nude for a Playboy magazine pictorial for which he was paid $15,000. He divorced Andress in 1965 after she had an affair with French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo, though the two remained good friends thereafter. His next wife was actress Linda Evans, whom he married in 1968 (despite the fact that he initially didn't like the way she dressed) and directed in the little-seen Childish Things from 1969. In 1972 while directing a feature film that would eventually be released in 1981 as Fantasies, he fell in love with 16-year-old actress Mary Cathleen Collins, who was then billed as Bo Shane. When Bo's agent threatened to file a morals charge against Derek, he and Bo moved to Germany for two years. Once she turned 18, he divorced Evans and married Bo. Though Derek would later say in a People magazine interview that Evans was very understanding about the whole affair, she later said that she wanted to die and was angry, and yet, like Andress, she remained good friends with him and Andress and Bo through the rest of his life. Bo Derek's career didn't go anywhere for 6 years, until she was cast as the object of Dudley Moore's desire in Blake Edwards' 10. John Derek's career also went nowhere during this period, his only work being a 1979 pornographic feature he co-produced with Bo called Love You! Bo Derek's appearance in 10, which made her an overnight sensation, was only brought about because of Karen Callan, who had met the Dereks at a Hugh Hefner party and recommended Bo to Edwards when he told her he was having trouble finding the right actress for the role. According to Edwards, Bo told him at their first meeting that Callan was acting as her agent, but John Derek cut her out of any compensation from the movie and made unsubstantiated claims that Callan had campaigned for a role in the movie in place of Julie Andrews, Edwards' wife, which Edwards denies. Derek's clashes with directors and anyone else connected with his wife's career eventually led him to reject the entire film industry and vow that from then on, he and Bo would make their own films. The results were disastrous--Tarzan, the Ape Man, Bolero, and Ghosts Can't Do It, all directed by Derek, were widely ridiculed and torpedoed Bo's career, as Edwards had predicted in the February 1980 People profile of the Dereks. Nevertheless, Bo stood by her man until his death at age 71 from heart failure on December 22, 1998.

 

Richard Jaeckel

Born in Long Beach, New York, Richard Hanley Jaeckel's family moved to California when he was a teenager. After graduating from Hollywood High School, he went to work in the mail room at 20th Century Fox, where he was spotted in 1943 by a casting director who wanted him to play a young Marine in Guadalcanal Diary. At first Jaeckel said he wasn't interested and eventually agreed to play the role only on the condition that he could then return to work in the mail room. But he next appeared in the Navy flyer drama Wing and a Prayer before serving in the real Navy from 1944-48. After his service he returned to acting in a pair of John Wayne war features The Sands of Iwo Jima and Battleground. He would be gunned down by Gregory Peck in the opening scene of The Gunfighter and play a lusty young boarder after Terry Moore in Come Back, Little Sheba in 1952. Two years later he would make his television debut playing Billy the Kid in an episode of Stories of the Century, the first of many appearances on drama anthologies throughout the 1950s. Nor did his feature film work diminish throughout the decade, appearing in such top-flight films as Attack, 3:10 to Yuma, and The Naked and the Dead. Being cast as scout Tony Gentry on Frontier Circus in 1961 was the first of many recurring TV roles.

After the series' 26-episode run, he continued to find occasional TV guest spots on shows such as Wagon Train, Combat!, and The Virginian, but it was his feature film work that won him the most accolades, appearing in Town Without Pity, 4 for Texas, and most notably in The Dirty Dozen as tough Sgt. Bowman, followed by the similarly themed The Devil's Brigade the following year. He received his one and only Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor playing Paul Newman's brother in 1970's Sometimes a Great Notion. Newman picked him for the role after observing Jaeckel interacting with his family at Malibu Beach and felt he was just the right actor to play his on-screen brother. In 1972 he was cast as Lt. Pete McNeil in the detective series Banyon and after appearing in the 1973 TV movie Firehouse as Hank Meyers, he was kept on in the same role when the premise was moved to TV in 1974. Other than Clint Eastwood's The Drowning Pool in 1975, the quality of his feature films declined in the 1970s to such fare as Walking Tall II and Mako: The Jaws of Death, but his television work was steady, including another recurring role as Jack Klinger in Andy Griffith's 1979 series Salvage 1. He played Major Hawkins in the 1983 series At Ease and then found steady work for 3 years playing Lt. Martin Quirk on Spenser: For Hire. His last regular role and acting credits were playing rescue operation leader Captain Ben Edwards on Baywatch from 1989-94. In 1994 he was forced to file for bankruptcy and lost his home and most of his possessions. He was also diagnosed with melanoma and moved into the Motion Picture and Television Retirement Center in Woodland Hills, California, where he stayed until his death at age 70 on June 14, 1997.

 

J. Pat O'Malley

James Patrick Francis O'Malley was born in Burnley, Lancashire, England and was first known as a singer who recorded over 400 songs singing with Jack Hylton and his orchestra as well as a solo performer. Hylton and O'Malley came to the United States in 1935 to record with American musicians, and O'Malley wound up staying and shifting into acting and animation voicework. His first feature film appearance came in the 1940 Victor Mature romance Captain Caution, followed by Paris Calling in 1941, and Thumbs Up and Lassie Come Home, both in 1943. In 1949 he began working for Disney in animated roles requiring a British accent, beginning with voicing Cyril Proudbottom in the short The Wind in the Willows and the feature The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. He would go on to provide multiple voices for Disney animated features Alice in Wonderland, 101 Dalmations, Mary Poppins, and The Jungle Book as well as playing the character Perkins in the Disney serial and related feature film The Adventures of Spin and Marty. His television career began with an episode of the drama anthology Stage 13 in 1950, and he amassed a steady stream of credits throughout the 1950s in more drama anthologies and scripted series such as The Danny Thomas Show and Maverick. He appeared 7 times as Judge Caleb Marsh in the western series Black Saddle in 1959-60 and played the character Sgt.O'Reilly in the 7-part Disney serial The Swamp Fox in 1960-61 before being cast as animal handler Duffy on Frontier Circus in the fall of 1961.

 After the series ended his workload continued to be heavy on scores of TV series and occasional feature film roles. He played Dick Van Dyke's father Sam in two episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show and would later play Carol Brady's father on the first episode of The Brady Bunch. In 1963-64 he had a recurring role as Harry Burns on My Favorite Martian, followed by the role of Mr. Bundy on George Burns' Wendy and Me in 1964-65. Despite multiple appearances on everything from Gunsmoke to Batman to Ironside, he didn't find his next regular role until he was cast as Herbert Morrison on Touch of Grace in 1973, then appeared 9 times as Bert Beasley on Maude between 1975-77. As the 1970s turned over to the 1980s, he continued to find work on series such as The Dukes of Hazzard, Barney Miller, and Fantasy Island, with his last credits coming in a pair of Taxi episodes in 1982. He died from heart disease at the age of 80 on February 27, 1985.

Notable Guest Stars

Season 1, Episode 1, "Depths of Fear": Aldo Ray (shown on the left, starred in Pat and Mike, We're No Angels, The Naked and the Dead, God's Little Acre, and The Green Berets) plays alcoholic former big-cat tamer Toby Mills. James Gregory (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Lawless Years) plays sadistic lion tamer Jacob Carno. Bethel Leslie (appeared in 15 episodes of The Richard Boone Show and played Claudia Conner on All My Children and Ethel Crawford on One Life to Live) plays his wife Millie. 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 circus clown Jaybo. Frank Ferguson (Gus Broeberg on My Friend Flicka, Eli Carson on Peyton Place, and Dr. Barton Stuart on Petticoat Junction)plays circus wagon driver Fred. Bern Hoffman (Sam the bartender on Bonanza) plays bully Bannister. Clegg Hoyt (Mac on Dr. Kildare) plays a mountain man.

Season 1, Episode 2, "The Smallest Target": Barbara Rush (starred in When Worlds Collide, It Came From Outer Space, Magnificent Obsession, and Robin and the 7 Hoods and played Lizzie Hogan on Saints and Sinners, Marsha Russell on Peyton Place, Eudora Weldon on Flamingo Road, and Ruth Camden on 7th Heaven) plays sharp-shooter Bonnie Stevens. Brian Keith (shown on the right, starred in The Parent Trap, The Pleasure Seekers, With Six You Get Eggroll, and The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming and played Matt Anders on The Crusader, Dave Blassingame on The Westerner, Uncle Bill Davis on Family Affair, Steven Halliday on The Zoo Gang, Lew Archer on Archer, Milton C. Hardcastle on Hardcastle and McCormick, Professor Roland G. Duncan on Pursuit of Happiness, B.L. McCutcheon on Heartland, and Walter Collins on Walter & Emily) plays her abandoned husband Dan Osborne. Roy Barcroft (Col. Logan on The Adventures of Spin and Marty and Roy on Gunsmoke) plays his ranch-hand Pete Andrews.

Season 1, Episode 3, "Lippizan": Vera Miles (shown on the left, starred in Wichita, The Searchers, The Wrong Man, The FBI Story, and Psycho) plays blind horse-trainer Maureen McBride. Gordon Jones (appeared in The Green Hornet, Flying Tigers, My Sister Eileen, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and McLintock! and played Mike Kelley on The Abbott and Costello Show, Pete Thompson on The Ray Milland Show, Hubie Dodd on So This Is Hollywood, and Butch Barton on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet) plays roustabout Rousty. H.M. Wynant (Frosty on Batman and Ed Chapman on Dallas) plays bandit Talby. Kay E. Kuter (Newt Kiley on Petticoat Junction and Green Acres) plays train agent Will Cutler. Otto Kruger (appeared in Treasure Island, Dracula's Daughter, Saboteur, Murder, My Sweet, and High Noon) plays former Austrian horse soldier Gen. Frederic Jellich. Joan Staley (Playboy Playmate who appeared in Cape Fear, Roustabout, Valley of the Dragons, Johnny Cool, and The Ghost and Mr. Chicken and played Hannah on 77 Sunset Strip and Roberta Love on Broadside) plays circus girl Anna-Marie. Dick Wessel (see the biography section for the 1960 post on Riverboat) plays a blacksmith named Smith.

Season 1, Episode 4, "Dr. Sam": Irene Dunne (shown on the right, five-time Oscar nominee for starring in Cimarron, Theodora Goes Wild, The Awful Truth, Love Affair, and I Remember Mama) plays physician Dr. Samantha Applewhite. Ellen Corby (Henrietta Porter on Trackdown and Esther Walton on The Waltons) plays her nurse Abby. Norman Leavitt (Ralph on Trackdown) plays bear transporter Mr. Willoughby. Sue England (Mildred Price on Bracken's World) plays circus performer Mary. Jay Silverheels (appeared in Key Largo, The Pathfinder, Drums Across the River, The Black Dakotas, and Walk the Proud Land and played Tonto on The Lone Ranger and in 4 Lone Ranger feature films) plays Chief Red Cloud. Jon Locke (Officer Garvey on Highway Patrol and Sleestack Leader on Land of the Lost) plays trapeze artist Jerry.

Season 1, Episode 5, "The Hunter and the Hunted": Eddie Albert (shown on the left, starred in Roman Holiday, Oklahoma!, The Teahouse of the August Moon, The Sun Also Rises, The Longest Day, and The Longest Yard and played Larry Tucker on Leave It to Larry, Oliver Wendell Douglas on Green Acres and Petticoat Junction, and Frank MacBride on Switch) plays small-town physician Dr. Payton Jordan. Jocelyn Brando (Marlon Brando's older sister) plays his wife Phyllis. Rip Torn (starred in King of Kings, Sweet Bird of Youth, Tropic of Cancer, and The Cincinnati Kid and played Arthur on The Larry Sanders Show and Don Geiss on 30 Rock) plays former Confederate renegade Jess Evans. John Anderson (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays saloon owner Carl. Cloris Leachman (starred in The Last Picture Show, Charley and the Angel, Dillinger, and Young Frankenstein and played Ruth Martin on Lassie, Rhoda Kirsh on Dr. Kildare, and Phyllis Lindstrom on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rhoda, and Phyllis) plays his wife Anna.

Season 1, Episode 6, "Karina": Elizabeth Montgomery (shown on the right, played Samantha Stephens on Bewitched) plays runaway dance-hall singer Karina Andrews. Tod Andrews (Maj. John Singleton Mosby on The Gray Ghost) plays her husband Jeff. Nora Marlowe (Martha Commager on Law of the Plainsman, Sara Andrews on The Governor and J.J., and Mrs. Flossie Brimmer on The Waltons) plays fortune teller Madame Sonya. Barbara Stuart (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 knife-thrower's assistant Melda.

Season 1, Episode 7, "Journey From Hannibal": Thelma Ritter (starred in All About Eve, Pickup on South Street, Rear Window, Pillow Talk, The Misfits, Birdman of Alcatraz, and How the West Was Won) plays stable owner Bertha Beecher. Arte Johnson (a regular performer on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In who played Bascomb Bleacher, Jr. on Sally, Cpl. Lefkowitz on Don't Call Me Charlie, Clive Richlin on Glitter) plays train agent Charles Gippner. Clem Bevans (appeared in Sergeant York, Saboteur, The Yearling, Mourning Becomes Electra, and Harvey) plays train agent McPhee. James Flavin (Lt. Donovan on Man With a Camera and Robert Howard on The Roaring 20's) plays train conductor Boyle. Bill Zuckert (Arthur Bradwell on Mr. Novak and Chief Segal on Captain Nice) plays small-town Sheriff Barrett.

Season 1, Episode 8, "Winter Quarters": Robert J. Wilke (appeared in Best of the Badmen, High Noon, The Far Country, and Night Passage and played Capt. Mendoza on Zorro) plays disgruntled wagon driver Jack Gance. Alex Cord (Jack Kiley on W.E.B., Mike Holland on Cassie & Co., and Michael Coldsmith Briggs III on Airwolf) plays horse thief Nino Sanchez. Walter Sande (appeared in To Have and Have Not, A Place in the Sun, and Bad Day at Black Rock and played Capt. Horatio Bullwinkle on The Adventures of Tugboat Annie and Papa Holstrum on The Farmer's Daughter) plays roustabout Jake. Roy Barcroft (see "The Smallest Target" above) plays rancher Gore.  

Season 1, Episode 9, "Patriarch of Purgatory": Royal Dano (appeared in The Far Country, Moby Dick, and The Outlaw Josey Wales) plays mine owner Jethro Hedges. Robert Sampson (Sgt. Walsh on Steve Canyon, Father Mike Fitzgerald on Bridget Love Bernie, and Sheriff Turk Tobias on Falcon Crest) plays his son Mark.

Season 1, Episode 10, "The Shaggy Kings": Dan Duryea (shown on the left, starred in The Little Foxes, The Pride of the Yankees, Scarlet Street, and Winchester '73 and played China Smith on China Smith and The New Adventures of China Smith and Eddie Jacks on Peyton Place) plays mountain man Tobias Tiber. Dick York (Tom Colwell on Going My Way and Darrin Stephens on Bewitched) plays former gunfighter Jeb Randall. Michael Pate (starred in Face to Face, Julius Caesar, Hondo, and Tower of London and played Chief Vittoro on Hondo and Det. Sgt. Vic Maddern on Matlock) plays duplicitous Comanche Michael Smith. Frank DeKova (Chief Wild Eagle on F Troop and Louis Campagna on The Untouchables) plays sharp-shooter Karl Maynard. Jack Lambert (see the biography section for the 1960 post on Riverboat) plays gunman Hark Baker. Paul Newlan (Police Capt. Grey on M Squad and Lt. Gen. Pritchard on 12 O'Clock High) plays circus physician Doc Turner. Alan Carney (Mike Strager in a series of RKO comedies in the 1940s and appeared in The Absent-Minded Professor, Son of Flubber, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, and Herbie Rides Again) plays the circus cook. Dennis Cross (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Blue Angels) plays Comanche Chief Shining Knife.