The Bullwinkle Show (1962)

 

Despite being moved into a 7:00 prime-time slot by NBC in an attempt to cash in on the sudden interest in "adult-oriented" cartoons like The Flintstones, The Bullwinkle Show could not crack the top 30 in the ratings because it was scheduled opposite the more popular Lassie. This caused friction between the network and Bullwinkle producer Jay Ward as well as the show's sponsor General Mills. The always irreverent Ward also antagonized NBC by ridiculing its push for more color TV sets, telling children viewers to pull the knobs off their TV sets in the show's opening Bullwinkle hand-puppet skits, and in several of his relentless publicity stunts, one of which took place outside the offices of rival CBS. The ongoing feud between network and producer even generated  a feature story about the skirmish in the August 11 issue of TV Guide, which probably counted as a win for Ward who considered any publicity--good or bad--a victory.

However, Ward seemed more devoted to his publicity stunts and side projects, like commercials for Quaker Oats, than he was on actually producing his television program. He sent out a weekly newsletter to some 2000 industry insiders (including FCC Chairman Newton Minnow, who was a big fan) offering spurious movie and TV production deals and staged numerous public stunts, such as sending missionary-clad actors to the CBS building urging pedestrians to repent and watch The Bullwinkle Show, holding an elaborate "picnic" for media contacts in the ballroom of the swank Plaza Hotel, and leasing a tiny island in the Lake of the Woods, dubbing it Moosylvania--Bullwinkle's birthplace, and launching a petition for statehood for the island. Needless to say, all of these activities consumed a great deal of time and money and didn't have any impact on the show's ratings. Executive producer Peter Piech also felt they were unnecessary because the show's sponsor was powerful enough to keep it on the air. TV Guide also covered Ward's publicity antics in a feature story in the January 20, 1962 issue, which ended with this warning: "It's all very funny and fine. There's only one thing that should be worrying Ward and [Bill] Scott. People may decide that Bullwinkle Moose isn't as funny there on the screen as he is in his [publicity] handouts." In a sense, Ward had ironically become like Boris Badenov in the 1961 story arc, "The Last Angry Moose," an entertainment promoter whose every move is to promote himself rather than his client.

The warning proved to be spot-on because the 1962 episodes, which comprise the end of Season 3, all of Season 4, and the beginning of Season 5, seem to trod the same ground as those from earlier years, and if anything have less satiric bite. There are the usual, by now tired, digs at the U.S. Congress in the "Topsy Turvy World" story arc in which Bullwinkle is able to keep their fuel-empty airplane aloft by reading from The Congressional Record into a tube that connects to the fuel tank, thereby supplying the plane with sufficient hot air, and in the "Goof Gas Attack" story arc where Rocky and Bullwinkle decide that the nefarious agent turning the nation's top minds into babbling idiots will have no effect on politicians because they are already goofy enough.

Many of the other stories are based around Boris and Fearless Leader's attempt to take over the world or, at the least, degrade America, or around Boris's vow to himself to eliminate all goody-goodies like Rocky and Bullwinkle, as he espouses in the opening segment of "The Guns of Abalone" (June 29, 1962), which is essentially saying the rationale for the story is because he is a bad guy and Rocky and Bullwinkle are good guys. This story illustrates how empty the Bullwinkle formula had become by this point, because while the title is an obvious spoof of the then-popular feature film The Guns of Navarone, the plot is a simple attempt by Boris to kill Rocky and Bullwinkle that fails when he turns all the guns on each other with Rocky and Bullwinkle in the middle, who simply bend down to avoid being hit, and the guns end up blowing each other up. Ironically, the title for the third segment of this thankfully short story arc is "I'm All Out of Bullets." "Bumbling Brothers Circus" is another story arc based simply on Boris trying to kill Bullwinkle, in this case by disguising himself as a lion tamer who initially plans to turn loose his most vicious lion. The previously mentioned "Topsy Turvy World" starts out like a seemingly prescient prediction of climate change but turns into a ploy for Boris to impersonate Santa Claus so that he can easily rob every house in the world on Christmas Eve. Likewise, "Treasure of Monte Zoom" (July 10, 1962) is predicated on a simple theft with Boris trying to recover the buried treasure of a deceased race car driver from the bottom of a lake. This story re-uses the gag of Boris as shady used car dealer seen earlier in an installment of Mr. Know-It-All in 1961. The aforementioned "Goof Gas Attack" depicts Boris and Fearless Leader trying to take over the U.S. missile program by turning all the nation's scientists into babbling idiots. The story includes a gentle dig at mindless TV programs by having one addle-brained egghead addicted to watching the sit-com Pete and Gladys, though he also admits that his favorite part of the show is the commercials. And "Banana Formula" has Boris and Fearless Leader trying to steal the secret formula for a silent explosive that Bullwinkle has ingested when it was written on a banana. This story has another mild TV-related barb when Boris disguises himself as host of Candied Camera Allen Fink and asks Bullwinkle to speak into a giant lollipop with a hidden camera, telling what he ate an hour ago so that he will recite the Hush-a-Boom formula he just ate on a banana. These passing references to current TV fare seem more like winks to a knowing audience than any kind of substantial satire. Some story arcs name-drop contemporary little-known TV series such as Thriller and Cain's Hundred, while other pop culture allusions are even more obscure, such as a mention of the early 1950s TV series Martin Kane in "Topsy Turvy World," 1940s popular singer Ella Mae Morse in "The Guns of Abalone," and a parody of the TV series Zorro (which had ended in 1959) in the story arc "Mucho Loma." Making fun of a TV show that has been off the air for 3 years is hardly cutting-edge comedy. While Ward and Scott largely depict pop culture as a vast wasteland (to borrow a phrase from the FCC chairman mentioned above), these in-jokes expect the viewer to have committed the minutiae of this wasteland to memory in order to get the humor.

One of the show's better satires of current TV fare is the Aesop & Son segment about a frightened rabbit (which in the DVD release is included between episodes 3 and 4 of "Mucho Loma") who is advised by a frog to develop a gimmick to intimidate anyone who might challenge him, just as Bat Masterson has his cane and The Rifleman has his repeating rifle. Being a rabbit he is able to wiggle his ears upon command, and for some inexplicable reason, this unnerves other more ferocious animals. Granted, making fun of TV westerns was a common comic trope in the early 1960s because the TV landscape was overrun with them. And this multitude made it necessary for show creators to come up with a different angle to make their show stand out from all the others, which is what eventually gave us, for example, Frontier Circus. What's surprising is that Ward and Scott didn't mock this series, as it seems tailor-made for their brand of humor and could have been a much funnier story than the rather tame "Bumbling Brothers Circus" story arc.

Easily the best Rocky and Bullwinkle story of 1962 is "Painting Theft" in which Boris and Natasha steal 10 old master paintings from a French museum and decide to hide them in Frostbite Falls, where they fall into the hands of Bullwinkle who first uses them to decorate his chicken coop and then whitewashes them when they seem to upset his chickens. The art world is another topic ripe for ridicule, and many other shows of the era take their jabs at it, though usually at "modern art" as something that any unskilled hack could produce. When Boris shows up incognito to reclaim his stolen paintings, he has to bargain with Bullwinkle to buy them back, but Rocky becomes suspicious of his initial offer and decides to have some art experts appraise them to ensure that Boris is offering a fair price. Initially, the critics are unimpressed, until Boris, in a panic that someone else may snatch his stolen masterpieces, keeps increasing his offer. Given that somebody is willing to pay a reasonable price suddenly makes the paintings valuable to the critics, who immediately claim Bullwinkle is a new genius in the world of art. Ward and Scott have exposed the art market's real motivation--profit--in assigning value to works of art (think Banksy's recent mockumentary Exit Through the Giftshop), and the outsize role that such "critics" have in determining which artists are true visionaries and which are hacks.

This story, like many others in the series, also demonstrates Ward and Scott's anti-authority beliefs. The fact that Captain "Wrong Way" Peachfuzz keeps turning up as a high-ranking government agent, as in "Topsy Turvy World," and wisecracks like the term "military intelligence" is a contradiction further illustrate this view, while the heroes of the show are ordinary citizens of the midwest who aren't very bright and are easily misled. But the cynicism runs even deeper as many episodes from 1962 have Bullwinkle and Rocky commenting on the fact that they are cartoon heroes and therefore have to behave a certain way even if it makes no sense. In short, no one seems to have a clue about anything, which, depending on your point of view, could be hilarious or deeply depressing. However, no matter how dark things may seem, there is always Dudley Do-Right to cheer us up. Despite the other segments of the show becoming more watered-down and repetitive, the Dudley Do-Right segments always seem fresh and funny, perhaps because they are more rare--he appears in only about 1 out of every 4 episodes. It's possible more Dudley and less Peabody, Fractured Fairy Tales, and Aesop & Son would have made The Bullwinkle Show a bigger hit. In 1969 the Dudley Do-Right segments were repackaged with segments of "The World of Commander McBragg," "Tooter Turtle," and "The Hunter" and billed as The Dudley Do-Right Show. It ran only 13 episodes and contained no new Dudley Do-Right material, still leaving us wanting more.

The Actors

For the biographies of Bill Scott, June Foray, Paul Frees, Daws Butler, Walter Tetley, Hans Conried, William Conrad, Edward Everett Horton, and Charlie Ruggles, see the 1960 post on Rocky and His Friends.

Notable Guest Stars

Season 5, Episode 2 "A Red Letter Day": Julie Bennett (voiced Cindy Bear on The Yogi Bear Show, Yogi's Gang, and The New Yogi Bear Show, Lois Lane on The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure, Kitty Jo and Chessie on Cattanooga Cats, Lady Constance and Queen Anne on The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, Monica on Dinky Dog, and Aunty May Parker on Spider-Man: The Animated Series) voices the fisherman's wife on Fractured Fairy Tales.

 

Have Gun -- Will Travel (1962)

In our last post on this program, covering the 1961 episodes, we discussed how the once top-3-rated series suffered a dramatic decline during its fifth season in 1961-62, falling to #29. Originally, Richard Boone had planned to have the series run only 5 seasons, but when the network offered him a contract he couldn't refuse for a 6th season, totaling some $1.3 million for not only his work on 38 episodes but also the sale of his residuals going forward, the actor who once said that he wasn't interested in acting to become rich saw the lure of financial independence as too great to pass up. Our last post touched on the series' treatment of racism against Black Americans and how that could have alienated certain sections of the viewing audience, but the 1962 episodes make no such bold statements, limiting its few Black characters to ancillary roles that barely affect each story's plot.

However, the series shines brightest in 1962 when it tackles the issue of alcoholism in "Man Who Hit Moonshine" (March 24, 1962), thanks to a sterling performance by William Conrad as Moses Kadish, who retreats to an isolated former fort to kick his habit only to strike whiskey when he drills a well for water. Kadish doesn't realize the property is sitting on top of a basement of stolen war-time supplies, including alcohol, which explains why he gets whiskey when he drills for water. Kadish considers himself cursed in a sense because the last thing he wants is a drink, having promised his wife he was going sober. In the best scene of the episode, Kadish explains in detail to Paladin how each successive drink turns him from timid milquetoast to confident man of great accomplishments to raving lunatic when he has had too many. His wife actually prefers him drunk because he seems to suffer less and is more pliable. Paladin is mostly a bystander and sympathetic ear in this episode until the owners of the stolen army goods show up and engage in a shooting match to retrieve their booty, which they don't realize has already been destroyed by Kadish wishing to avoid further temptation. Once the villains have been dispatched, Kadish is ready to settle down with his wife in the little getaway he has carved out for himself, claiming to have slain the demon that once held him hostage. The episode is revelatory because it doesn't treat alcohol as a black-and-white issue but one of subtle nuance.

While the series featured an empathic treatment of alcoholism, it's attitude toward women was much more problematic. There are a few independent women sprinkled amongst the 1962 episodes: the titular "Alice" Ferguson (March 17, 1962) who ran a saloon in a virtually all-male mining town, providing not only entertainment and female companionship but also sympathy to the desperate, until the town "grew up" and put on airs of respectability, ashamed of its rowdy past, leading to Alice being ostracized and virtually imprisoned in her own run-down and abandoned saloon. The character of Marie Ellis is similar in "Marshal of Sweetwater" (November 24, 1962), only Marie moves to Sweetwater to run a saloon she has just purchased after the town has been "cleaned up" by one of Paladin's former Army buddies who believes that alcohol and women are the root of all evil, largely because they are his greatest temptations. And "Dream Girl" (February 10, 1962) introduces us to Ginger Adams, a hardened saloon hostess around whom naive prospector Buddy Webster has constructed a romantic fantasy that inspired him to spend 5 years searching for and finally finding enough gold dust to finance their marriage and future life together, only she has and never had any interest in him. After he learns and comes to terms with the fact that his whole purpose in life has been a mirage, Buddy buys the saloon that Ginger works in and then gives it to her, putting her in charge of her own destiny rather than being totally dependent on him as her knight in shining armor. Superficially, these three women all appear to be independent business owners, a rarity in the Old West, and thus a sign of greater freedom for women to control their own lives. But upon closer inspection, the business that all three women own is predicated on serving and entertaining men with alcohol and sex, hardly much of a liberation. It's worth noting that we don't see any women doctors, store owners, hotel owners, etc. during this period on Have Gun -- Will Travel.

Elsewhere Paladin's relations with women are not even remotely progressive. Like nearly all TV western heroes, he has no serious, long-running relationships with women. Those he keeps company with at the Hotel Carlton are mere playthings without a whiff of personality or individuality, rarely even uttering a word. They are merely tokens attesting to Paladin's heterosexual virility, signaling that he is a man's man. What's worse are the two 1962 episodes "Bandit" (May 12, 1962) and "Taylor's Woman" (September 22, 1962) in which Paladin has to teach a woman how to be a woman, that is, a woman who would please a man like himself (incredibly, this latter episode was written by Gene Roddenberry). While this is a common theme that runs through most TV westerns of the era--taming the tomboy or the shrew--the level of arrogant chauvinism that could conceive of such a trope is one that hasn't died off with the passage of time, unfortunately. With his pedantic quoting of Shakespeare and other classic poets, wine snobbery, questionable foray into fine art painting in "Jonah and the Trout" (May 26, 1962), short-lived roles as prosecutor in "Justice in Hell" (January 13, 1962) and defense attorney in "Trial at Tablerock" (December 15, 1962), as well as his constant brow-furrowing and exasperation at "Lord, what fools these mortals be" which he displays with virtually everyone he comes in contact with, Boone attempts to make us believe that Paladin is a man of infinite refinement, intelligence, education, and discernment. To be fair, both Boone and his character Paladin could show compassion and generosity towards the disadvantaged and societal rejects like the aforementioned Alice Ferguson, Moses Kadish, or the exploited and mistreated servant Jon in "Pandora's Box" (May 19, 1962). But too often on Have Gun -- Will Travel, which, let's not forget, Boone controlled with an iron fist, he comes off as an arrogant jerk who thinks he is better than everyone else, and nobody likes that guy.

The Actors

For the biographies of Richard Boone and Kam Tong, see the 1960 post for Have Gun -- Will Travel.

Notable Guest Stars

Season 5, Episode 17, "Lazarus": Strother Martin (shown on the left, appeared in Kiss Me Deadly, The Shaggy Dog, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Cool Hand Luke, True Grit, The Wild Bunch, Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, and Slap Shot and played Aaron Donager on Hotel de Paree and R.J. Hawkins on Hawkins) plays timid miner Boise Peabody. Chris Alcaide (was once married to Cher's mother, Georgia Holt) plays mine boss Big Fontana. Gaylord Cavallaro (Det. Sgt. Steve Wall on The Pursuers) plays mine worker Hardy Potter. Gerald Gordon (Dr. Nick Bellini on The Doctors, Felix Morger on Highcliffe Manor, and Skip Franklin on Valerie) plays mine worker Sensible Ogelthorpe. Dabbs Greer (see the biography section for the 1960 post on Gunsmoke) plays mining town physician Doc Halop.

Season 5, Episode 18, "Justice in Hell": William Schallert (shown on the right, see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis) plays former Latin teacher Dallas Burchfield. John Alderson (Sgt. Bullock on Boots and Saddles and Wyatt Earp on Doctor Who) plays accused murderer Rusty Doggett. Alan Carney (played Mike Strager in a series of RKO comedies in the 1940s, appeared in The Absent-Minded Professor, Son of Flubber, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, and Herbie Rides Again, and played Herbie on The Jean Carroll Show) plays refugee town boss Teague.

Season 5, Episode 19, "The Mark of Cain": Philip Coolidge (shown on the left, appeared in I Want to Live!, North by Northwest, The Tingler, Because They're Young, and Inherit the Wind and played Chester Cooper on The Farmer's Daughter) plays British phrenologist Dr. Leopold Avatar. Roy Barcroft (Col. Logan on The Adventures of Spin and Marty and Roy on Gunsmoke) plays legendary killer Jake Trueblood. Iphigenie Castiglioni (wife of actor Leonid Kinskey, appeared in The Story of Louis Pasteur, Conquest of Space, Funny Face, and Rome Adventure) plays Trueblood's partner Pina. Olive Carey (see the biographical section for the 1960 post on Lock Up) plays a storekeeper.

Season 5, Episode 20, "The Exiles": Jay Novello (shown on the right, played Juan Greco on Zorro and Mayor Mario Lugatto on McHale's Navy) plays former Mexican national bursar Count Armando del Casares. Vivi Janiss (Myrtle Davis on Father Knows Best) plays his wife the Countess.

Season 5, Episode 21, "The Hunt": Leonid Kinskey (shown on the left, appeared in Duck Soup, Les Miserables (1935), Ball of Fire, and Casablanca and played Pierre Quincy on The People's Choice) plays Russian Prince Boris Kozlov Radacev. John Mitchum (see the biography section for the 1960 post on Riverboat) plays his servant Niki. Joan Elan (appeared in The Girls of Pleasure Island, The King's Thief, and Darby's Rangers) plays endangered widow Vanessa Stuart. Hank Patterson (Pete Duggan on The New Adventures of Spin and Marty, Fred Ziffel on Green Acres and Petticoat Junction, and Hank Miller on Gunsmoke) plays farmer Jesse.

Season 5, Episode 22, "Dream Girl": Hal Needham (shown on the right, Hollywood's highest-paid stuntman who invented numerous stunt devices, was a double for Richard Boone and Burt Reynolds, and directed Smokey and the Bandit, Hooper, and Cannonball Run) plays naive prospector Buddy Webster. Peggy Ann Garner  (appeared in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, The Pied Piper, Jane Eyre, Daisy Kenyon, and Thunder in the Valley and played Barbara Smith on Two Girls Named Smith) plays saloon girl Ginger Adams. Chuck Couch (stunt coordinator and Jack Lord's stunt double on Hawaii Five-O) plays a saddlemaker. Joseph Dimmitt (costumer on Have Gun -- Will Travel) plays a jeweler.

Season 5, Episode 23, "One, Two, Three": Robert F. Simon (Dave Tabak on Saints and Sinners, Gen. Alfred Terry on Custer, Frank Stephens on Bewitched, Uncle Everett McPherson on Nancy, Capt. Rudy Olsen on The Streets of San Francisco, and J. Jonah Jameson on The Amazing Spiderman) plays superstitious wealthy man Samuel H. Keel. Jack Elam (shown on the left, played Deputy J.D. Smith on The Dakotas, George Taggart on Temple Houston, Zack Wheeler on The Texas Wheelers, and Uncle Alvin Stevenson on Easy Street) plays carnival performer Arnold Shaffner. William Woodson (the narrator on Dick Tracy, The Invaders, and Centurions, voiced J. Jonah Jameson on Spider-Man and Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends,  and played Sgt. Ed Blankey on This Man Dawson) plays the carnival barker. Lloyd Corrigan (starred in A Girl, a Guy, and a Gob, Hitler's Children, Captive Wild Woman, The Bandit of Sherwood Forest, and Son of Paleface and played Papa Dodger on Willy, Wally Dipple on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Ned Buntline on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Uncle Charlie on Happy, and Professor McKillup on Hank) plays Indian massacre conspirator Carl Wellesley. Eve McVeagh (starred in High Noon, The Glass Web, and Tight Spot and played Frances Moseby on The Clear Horizon and Miss Hammond on Petticoat Junction) plays prostitute Katherine Parsons. Barbara Pepper (Doris Ziffel on Green Acres and Petticoat Junction) plays her madame Della.

Season 5, Episode 24, "The Waiting Room": James Griffith  (Aaron Adams on Trackdown and Deputy Tom Ferguson on U.S. Marshal) plays wanted killer Dave Wilder. Harry Dean Stanton (shown on the right, appeared in Kelly's Heroes, Dillinger, Cool Hand Luke, Repo Man, Pretty in Pink, Alien, and Paris, Texas and played Jake Walters on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, Roman Grant on Big Love, and Carl Rodd on Twin Peaks) plays his brother Slim. George Cisar (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Dennis the Menace) plays the Clovis, Dakota marshal. L.Q. Jones (Belden on The Virginian, Sheriff Lew Wallace on The Yellow Rose, and Nathan Wayne on Renegade) plays cowboy Bill Renn. Jester Hairston (appeared in The Alamo, In the Heat of the Night, Lady Sings the Blues, and I'm Gonna Get You Sucka and played Wildcat on That's My Mama and Rolly Forbes on Amen) plays farmhand Moses. Byron Foulger (Mr. Nash on Captain Nice and Wendell Gibbs on Petticoat Junction) plays the Clovis undertaker. John Harmon (hotel clerk Eddie Halstead on The Rifleman) plays a railway stationmaster.

Season 5, Episode 25, "The Trap": Jeanette Nolan (starred in Macbeth (1948), The Big Heat, Tribute to a Bad Man, and The Reluctant Astronaut, did voicework for Psycho, The Rescuers, and The Fox and the Hound, and played Annette Devereaux on Hotel de Paree and Holly Grainger on The Virginian) plays boarding house owner Jeri Marcus. Crahan Denton (appeared in The Parent Trap, Birdman of Alcatraz, and To Kill a Mockingbird) plays Pine Bluff Marshal Jim Buell. Frank Sutton (shown on the left, appeared in Marty, Town Without Pity, and The Satan Bug and played Eric Raddison on Tom Corbett, Space Cadet and Sgt. Vince Carter on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.) plays his prisoner Davy Walsh. Rayford Barnes (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays posse leader Roy Bissell.

Season 5, Episode 26, "Don't Shoot the Piano Player": James T. Callahan (see the biography section for the 1962 post on Dr. Kildare) plays missing pianist Albert. George Kennedy (shown on the right, starred in Charade, The Sons of Katie Elder, The Dirty Dozen, Cool Hand Luke, and The Naked Gun and played MP Sgt. Kennedy on The Phil Silvers Show, Father Samuel Cavanaugh on Sarge, Bumper Morgan on The Blue Knight, and Carter McKay on Dallas) plays saloon bully Big Jim. Virginia Gregg (starred in Dragnet, Crime in the Streets, Operation Petticoat and was the voice of Norma Bates in Psycho, Maggie Belle Klaxon on Calvin and the Colonel, and Tara on Space Stars) plays saloon owner Nellie. Mike Mazurki (starred in Murder My Sweet, Dick Tracy (1945), and It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World and played Clon on It's About Time) plays Big Jim's enforcer Jo Jo.

Season 5, Episode 27, "Alice": Jeanette Nolan (shown on the left, see "The Trap" above) plays missing saloon owner Alice Ferguson. Jena Engstrom (daughter of actress Jean Engstrom) plays her daughter Maya. Perry Cook (Barney Udall on Hunter) plays hotel proprietor Mr. Briggs. Mary Gregory (appeared in Sleeper and Coming Home and played Dr. Stanwhich on Knots Landing and Judge Pendleton on L.A. Law) plays his wife.

Season 5, Episode 28, "Man Who Hit Moonshine": William Conrad (shown on the right, see the biography section for the 1960 post on Rocky and His Friends) plays alcoholic Moses Kadish. Phyllis Avery (Peggy McNulty on The Ray Milland Show: Meet Mr. McNulty, Ann Shelby on The Clear Horizon, and Ruth Wilkinson on Mr. Novak) plays his wife Sylvia.

Season 5, Episode 29, "Silent Death, Secret Death": Robert Emhardt (Sgt. Vinton on The Kids From C.A.P.E.R. and Willard Masefield on The Edge of Night) plays Army dog robber Sam Hodges. Regina Gleason (shown on the left, played Steffi on The New Adventures of China Smith and Kitty Horton on Days of Our Lives) plays Paladin's client Beatrice Burgess. 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 Nez Perce chief Tamasun. Shug Fisher (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Ripcord) plays Indian victim Emmett Wilhoit.

Season 5, Episode 30, "Hobson's Choice": Milton Selzer (shown on the right, played 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 Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel. Parley Baer (see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet) plays shipper Sam Thurber. Olan Soule (Aristotle "Tut" Jones on Captain Midnight, Ray Pinker on Dragnet (1952-59), Cal on Stagecoach West, and Fred Springer on Arnie and voiced Batman on The All-New Super Friends Hour, Challenge of the Superfriends, The World's Greatest SuperFriends, and Super Friends) plays Hotel Carlton assistant manager Mr. Cartwright. Ollie O'Toole (Mr. Meeker on Circus Boy) plays a drunk.

Season 5, Episode 31, "Coming of the Tiger": James Hong (shown on the left, played Barry Chan on The New Adventures of Charlie Chan, Frank Chen on Jigsaw John, and Doctor Chen Ling on Dynasty) plays an insurrectionist Japanese priest. Bob Okazaki (Bruce on Archie Bunker's Place) plays an immigrant general store owner. Beulah Quo (appeared in Girls! Girls! Girls!, The Sand Pebbles, and Yes, Giorgio and played Alice Wong on My Three Sons and Olin on General Hospital) plays his wife. William Wellman, Jr. (son of director William A. Wellman, appeared in Darby's Rangers, A Swingin' Affair, A Swingin' Summer, Winter A-Go-Go, and The Happiest Millionaire and played Dr. Denason on Days of Our Lives) plays a rowdy store customer.

Season 5, Episode 32, "Darwin's Man": 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 patriarchal ranch owner Avery Coombs. Richard Rust (Hank Tabor on Sam Benedict and Jason Vining on General Hospital) plays his elder son Jayce. Buzz Martin (appeared in Pork Chop Hill, The FBI Story, PT 109, and Shotgun Wedding) plays his younger son Tully. 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, Bronco, Law of the Plainsman, Johnny Ringo, Cheyenne, The Texan, Maverick, and Rawhide) plays a blacksmith. Robert Dornan (Bob Fowler on 12 O'Clock High) plays a cuckolded husband.

Season 5, Episode 33, "Invasion": Robert Gist (shown on the left, directed multiple episodes of Peter Gunn, Naked City, and The Richard Boone Show and was Agnes Moorehead's second husband) plays Irish freedom fighter Gavin O'Shea. Lew Brown (SAC Allen Bennett on The F.B.I. and Shawn Brady on Days of Our Lives) plays enthusiastic recruit Michael Mahoney. Douglas Lambert (Eddie Weeks on General Hospital and Walter Schiff on Inside Story) plays his younger brother Danny. Roy Roberts (Capt. Simon P. Huxley on The Gale Storm Show, Admiral Rogers on McHale's Navy, John Cushing on The Beverly Hillbillies, Mr. Cheever on The Lucy Show, Frank Stephens on Bewitched, Norman Curtis on Petticoat Junction, and Mr. Botkin/Bodkin on Gunsmoke) plays a small-town sheriff. Vicki Benet (French popular singer who recorded for Decca and Liberty Records) plays Paladin's date.

Season 5, Episode 34, "Cream of the Jest": Stanley Adams (shown on the right, played Lt. Morse on Not for Hire and Gurrah on The Lawless Years) plays practical joker Caleb Musgrove. Catherine McLeod (Claire Larkin on Days of Our Lives) plays his wife Nora. Raymond Bailey (see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis) plays Santa Fe physician Dr. Walter B. Jonas. Naomi Stevens (Juanita on The Doris Day Show, Mama Rossini on My Three Sons, Rose Montefusco on The Montefuscos, and Sgt. Bella Archer on Vega$) plays saloon proprietor Mrs. Kafka. Peter Brocco (appeared in The Prisoner of Zenda, Spartacus, Our Man Flint, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and played Peter the waiter on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show and Mr. Spencer on The Young Marrieds) plays Paladin's gunsmith Younghusband.

Season 5, Episode 36, "Pandora's Box": Martin West (appeared in Freckles, A Swingin' Summer, Harper, and Family Plot and played Dr. Phil Brewer on General Hospital, Don Hughes on As the World Turns, and Commissioner Dan Samuels on Days of Our Lives) plays wanted murderer Billy Joe Lamont. Lorna Thayer (starred in The Beast With a Million Eyes and played the waitress in Five Easy Pieces) plays traveling saloon owner Hanna. Robert Stevenson (bartender Big Ed on Richard Drum and Marshal Hugh Strickland on Stagecoach West) plays her husband Woody. James Brothers (property master on Drop Dead Diva, Teen Wolf, Revolution, Army Wives, Reckless, Devious Maids, The Gifted, Lodge 49, and Cobra Kai) plays their swamper Jon. Ken Curtis (shown on the left, see the biography section for the 1961 post on Ripcord) plays gambler Lucky Laski.

Season 5, Episode 37, "Jonah and the Trout": Harry Carey, Jr. (starred in Red River, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Mister Roberts, and The Searchers and played Bill Burnett on The Adventures of Spin and Marty) plays fisherman Jonah Quincy. Hank Patterson (shown on the right, see "The Hunt" above) plays insurance agent Mr. Barton. Jerry Summers (appeared in Surf Party, Coogan's Bluff, and Hickey & Boggs and played Ira on The High Chaparral) plays gold robber Orrie. John Mitchum (see "The Hunt" above) plays his accomplice Sanders. Bill Mumy (Will Robinson on Lost in Space, Weaver on Sunshine, and Lennier on Babylon 5) plays a young boy at the Hotel Carlton.

Season 5, Episode 38, "The Knight": Jay Novello (see "The Exiles" above) plays nobleman Baron Otto von Albrecht. Will Corry (appeared in Wild in the Country and Strategy of Terror and co-wrote the screenplay for Two-Lane Blacktop) plays notorious killer Carl Frome. Jean Inness (shown on the left, see the biography section of the 1961 post on Dr. Kildare) plays hotel owner Peguine. Charles Kuenstle (appeared in Death of a Gunfighter and wrote the story for Airport '77) plays her son Waco.

Season 6, Episode 1, "Genesis": James Mitchum (son of Robert Mitchum, appeared in Thunder Road, The Beat Generation, Girls Town, Young Guns of Texas, Ride the Wild Surf, and Hollywood Cop) plays desperate debtor Roderick Jefferson. William Conrad (see "Man Who Hit Moonshine" above) plays debt holder Norge. Parley Baer (shown on the right, see "Hobson's Choice" above) plays Delta Valley minister Reston. Nestor Paiva (Theo Gonzales on Zorro) plays Delta Valley citizen Burton. Ann Morrison (appeared in My Pal Gus, Battle Circus, and The Brothers Karamazov and played Dr. Alma on The Young Marrieds and Mrs. Nelson on General Hospital) plays his wife.

Season 6, Episode 2, "Taylor's Woman": Harry Carey, Jr. (see "Jonah and the Trout" above) plays wealthy rancher Thad Taylor. Kathie Browne (shown on the left, played Angie Dow on Hondo and was Darren McGavin's second wife) plays his housekeeper Lydia Moss. Tom Hennesy (stunt double for Rock Hudson, Randolph Scott, Rod Cameron, and others, played the Gill Man in Revenge of the Creature) plays her brother Clyde.

Season 6, Episode 3, "The Fifth Bullet": Ben Johnson (shown on the right, Oscar winner, starred in Shane, The Wild Bunch, Chisum, and The Getaway and played Sleeve on The Monroes) plays released convict John Bartlett. Peter Boone (Richard Boone's son) plays his son Johnny. Shug Fisher (see "Silent Death, Secret Death" above) plays hotel clerk Harry Kessler. Hal Needham (see "Dream Girl" above) plays a man trying to kill Bartlett.

Season 6, Episode 4, "A Place for Abel Hix": Jean Engstrom (mother of actor Jena Engstrom, appeared in Voodoo Island, The Space Children, and The Restless Ones) plays Abel Hix's widow. Robert Blake (shown on the left, played Mickey in over 30 Our Gang shorts and Little Beaver in 23 westerns, starred in Black Rose, Pork Chop Hill, The Purple Gang, In Cold Blood, Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here, and Electra Glide in Blue, and played Det. Tony Baretta on Baretta and Father Noah Rivers on Hell Town) plays Hix's sheepherder Lauro. Kevin Hagen (John Colton on Yancy Derringer, Inspector Dobbs Kobick on Land of the Giants, and Dr. Hiram Baker on Little House on the Prairie) plays saloon owner Judd Bowman. Paul Tripp (host of children's shows Mr. I. Magination and On the Carousel and co-creator of Tubby the Tuba) plays Ram's Head minister Reverend Harper. Bill Hart (see the biography section for the 1962 post on Stoney Burke) plays one of Bowman's thugs Olney. Hal Needham (see "Dream Girl" above) plays another thug Zimmer.

Season 6, Episode 5, "Beau Geste": Paul Richards (shown on the right, appeared in Playgirl and Beneath the Planet of the Apes and played Louis Kassoff on The Lawless Years and Dr. McKinley Thompson on Breaking Point) plays retiring Sheriff John Dobbs. Faith Domergue (starred in Cult of the Cobra, This Island Earth, and It Came From Beneath the Sea) plays his housekeeper Ria. Henry Beckman (Commander Paul Richards on Flash Gordon, Mulligan on I'm Dickens, He's Fenster, George Anderson on Peyton Place, Colonel Harrigan on McHale's Navy, Capt. Roland Frances Clancey on Here Come the Brides, Pat Harwell on Funny Face, Harry Mark on Bronk, and Alf Scully on Check It Out) plays gunman Les Horgan.

Season 6, Episode 6, "The Bird of Time": George Mathews (shown on the left, appeared in Pat and Mike, The Man With the Golden Arm, and Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and played Chick Rogers on Glynis) plays wanted killer Ahab Tyson. John Hoyt (starred in My Favorite Brunette, The Lady Gambles, and Blackboard Jungle and played Grandpa Stanley Kanisky on Gimme a Break!) plays his pursuer Stryker. Dal Jenkins (Poet on The Young Ma) plays a young shepherd. Francis de Sales (Lt. Bill Weigand on Mr. & Mrs. North, Ralph Dobson on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Sheriff Maddox on Two Faces West, and Rusty Lincoln on Days of Our Lives) plays veterinarian Dock Kelly. Hal Needham (see "Dream Girl" above) plays one of Stryker's gunmen.

Season 6, Episode 7, "Memories of Monica": Larry Ward (Marshal Frank Ragan on The Dakotas) plays released convict Ben Turner. Judi Meredith (shown on the right, played Bonnie Sue McAfee on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show and The George Burns Show, Monique Devereaux on Hotel de Paree, and Betty Cramer on Ben Casey) plays Turner's former girlfriend Monica. Bing Russell (father of Kurt Russell, played Deputy Clem Foster on Bonanza) plays her husband Sheriff Regan. Hal Needham (see "Dream Girl" above) plays Turner's friend Dink. Garry Walberg (Police Sgt. Sullivan on Johnny Staccato, Sgt. Edward Goddard on Peyton Place, Speed on The Odd Couple, and Lt. Frank Monahan on Quincy M.E.) plays carpenter Charlie.

Season 6, Episode 8, "The Predators": Richard Jaeckel (shown on the left, see the biography section for the 1961 post on Frontier Circus) plays murder suspect John Tyree. James Griffith (see "The Waiting Room" above) plays the leader of a band of marauders.

Season 6, Episode 9, "Shootout at Hogtooth": Patrick McVey (shown on the right, played Steve Wilson on Big Town, Lt. Col. Wesley Hayes on Boots and Saddles, Ben Andrews on Manhunt, and Dr. Hansen on The Doctors) plays blacksmith Clanahan. Doodles Weaver (narrated Spike Jones' horse-racing songs and hosted A Day With Doodle) plays storekeeper Hildreth. Les Damon (Bruce Banning on Guiding Light and Ed Parmelee on The Edge of Night) plays banker Tilbury. Hal Baylor (Jenkins on Rawhide and Mercury on Batman) plays hired gunman Floyd Perrin. Syl Lamont (Yeoman Tate on McHale's Navy) plays a bartender.

Season 6, Episode 10, "A Miracle for St. Francis": Rafael Campos (shown on the left, played Ramon Diaz, Jr. on Rhoda and Jose on Days of Our Lives) plays young thief Paco. Naomi Stevens (see "Cream of the Jest" above) plays statue worshipper Maria. Robert Stevenson (see "Pandora's Box" above) plays cantina owner Lundeen. Hal Needham (see "Dream Girl" above) plays his bartender.

Season 6, Episode 11, "Marshal of Sweetwater": David White (shown on the right, played Larry Tate on Bewitched) plays former army scout turned lawman Marshal Tom Carey. Kathie Browne (see "Taylor's Woman" above) plays new saloon owner Marie Ellis. Paul Birch (Erle Stanley Gardner on The Court of Last Resort, Mike Malone on Cannonball, and Capt. Carpenter on The Fugitive) plays town official Ed Jenkins. Booth Colman (Zaius on Planet of the Apes, Prof. Hector Jerrold on General Hospital, and Dr. Felix Burke on The Young and the Restless) plays town official Mort Tyler. 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 rancher Harry Brawley. John Matthews (Dr. Elliott Kincaid on Days of Our Lives) plays a farmer.

Season 6, Episode 12, "Man in an Hour Glass": Alan Baxter (appeared in Saboteur, Close-Up, Judgment at Nuremberg, and Paint Your Wagon) plays small-town physician Dr. Aaron Moody. Edgar Buchanan (shown on the left, played Uncle Joe Carson on The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, and Petticoat Junction, Red Connors on Hopalong Cassidy, Judge Roy Bean on Judge Roy Bean, Doc Burrage on The Rifleman, and J.J. Jackson on Cade's County) plays escaped prisoner Noah Cardiff. James Stacy (see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet) plays dead sheriff's son Johnny Tully. Morgan Woodward (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays Cardiff's former accomplice Canute. Dan White (appeared in Arizona Whirlwind, Taza, Son of Cochise, Attack of the Giant Leeches, and The Sergeant Was a Lady and played Dan Fraser on From These Roots) plays his partner Sam.

Season 6, Episode 13, "Penelope": Lawrence Dobkin (Dutch Schultz on The Untouchables, the narrator on Naked City, Judge Saul Edelstein on L.A. Law, and Judge Stanely Pittman on Melrose Place) plays gold adventurer Col. Oliver Lacey. Joanna Barnes (shown on the right, appeared in Auntie Mame, Tarzan, the Ape Man, Spartacus, The Parent Trap, and The War Wagon and played Lola on 21 Beacon Street and Katie O'Brien on The Trials of O'Brien) plays his wife Penelope. James Brown (appeared in Going My Way, Sands of Iwo Jima, The Sea Hornet, and A Star Is Born (1954) and played Lt. Rip Masters on The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin and Det. Harry McSween on Dallas) plays her ranch foreman Andrews. Jester Hairston (see "The Waiting Room" above) plays her servant Euclid. Jack Donner (Alfred the butler on General Hospital and Walter on The Guest Book) plays a barroom taunter. Ivan Bonar (Chase Murdock on General Hospital, Dean Hopkins on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Judge Gelson, Judge Arthur Fenton, and Judge Clarence Foster on Days of Our Lives, and Henderson Palmer on The Colbys) plays the Hotel Carlton bartender.

Season 6, Episode 14, "Trial at Tablerock": William Mims (shown on the left, see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays Arizona Territory Prosecutor Adams. 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 circuit Judge Bryant. Sherwood Price (Gen. Jeb Stuart on The Gray Ghost) plays gunslinger Virge Beech. Gregg Palmer (see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays Tablerock Sheriff Matthew Tyler. Joe Higgins (see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Rifleman) plays the jury foreman.

Season 6, Episode 15, "Be Not Forgetful of Strangers": Robert Stevenson (see "Pandora's Box" above) plays saloon owner Jake. Duane Eddy (shown on the right, popular guitar instrumentalist with hits like "Rebel Rouser," "Shazam," and "Ramrod") plays a young cowboy looking for lodging. Josie Lloyd (Nurse Roth on Dr. Kildare) plays his pregnant wife. Roy Barcroft (see "The Mark of Cain" above) plays lonely old man Simon. Hal Needham (see "Dream Girl" above) plays saloon carouser Harry Beldon. Perry Cook (see "Alice" above) plays a barfly. Bill Hart (see "A Place for Abel Hix" above) plays a barfly.

Season 6, Episode 16, "The Treasure": Jeanne Cooper (shown on the left, played Grace Douglas on Bracken's World and Katherine Chancellor Murphy on The Young and the Restless) plays blackjack dealer Edna Harden. 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 ex-convict Al Long. DeForest Kelley (Dr. McCoy on Star Trek) plays stolen money seeker Deakin. 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 his partner Corbin. Buck Taylor (Newly O'Brien on Gunsmoke, Det. Bussey on Dallas, and Emmett Walsh on Yellowstone) plays stolen money seeker Eddie.