The Marshal of Gunsight Pass

The Marshal of Gunsight Pass is an American live broadcast Western television series that began on March 12, 1950, and ended on September 30, 1950,[1] with a one-month hiatus in April and May.[2][3]

The Marshal of Gunsight Pass
GenreWestern
Directed by
  • Philip Booth
  • Frank Fox
Starring
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes22
Production
Producers
  • Philip Booth
  • Lou Holzer
Running time30 minutes
Release
Original networkABC
Original releaseMarch 12 (1950-03-12) –
September 30, 1950 (1950-09-30)

Based on a radio program,[4] the show starred Russell Hayden (1912–1981), Eddie Dean (1907–1999), and Riley Hill as Marshal No. 1, Marshal No. 2, and Marshal No. 3, respectively. Hayden, who is not identified by a character name,[5] left the program because he was dissatisfied with the way it was directed.[6] Dean uses his own name in the series, and Hill is known as "Riley Roberts". Smith Ballew took over the title role in May 1950.[2][3]

Roscoe Ates (1895–1962) played the stuttering, popeyed deputy[5] Roscoe; Andy Parker (1913–1977), Andy, and Bert Wenland (1929–2004), Bud Glover.[5]Jan Sterling (1921–2004), then Jane Adrian, appeared at the age of twenty-nine as Ruth, the deputy's niece.[5] In May 1950, Kay Christopher was the female lead.[2][3]

The ABC program was broadcast from the former Vitagraph Studios site,[7] near Chatsworth,[8] which the network had bought. The network invested more than $1 million to enable production of this and other live programs. All scenes were shot indoors, with projectors used to create background images — stationary or moving — for outdoor action.[7] Geared toward a children's audience, the program was telecast live to West Coast stations and viewed via kinescope elsewhere. Even in 1950, the production of the program seemed unusually primitive.[9][10] However, the studio did have a large collection of Western props and sets, as well as live horses.[11]

The 22-episode series aired live at 7 p.m. on Thursdays on the West Coast.[4]

Nancy Goodwin was the program's chief writer.[12]

From 1952-1954, CBS also aired a live afternoon Western, Action in the Afternoon.[11]

References
  1. McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 521. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  2. Bird, Bill (May 26, 1950). "Radio and Television on Review". Pasadena Independent. California, Pasadena. p. 30. Retrieved April 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Vernon, Terry (May 27, 1950). "Tele-Vues". Long Beach Independent. California, Long Beach. p. 14. Retrieved April 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Marill, Alvin H. (2011). Television Westerns: Six Decades of Sagebrush Sheriffs, Scalawags, and Sidewinders. Scarecrow Press. pp. 8–9. ISBN 978-0-8108-8133-4. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  5. Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. pp. 658–659. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  6. Brode, Douglas (2010). Shooting Stars of the Small Screen: Encyclopedia of TV Western Actors, 1946–Present. University of Texas Press. p. 166. ISBN 978-0-292-78331-7. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  7. "'Live' Westerns to Revolutionize TV?". Long Beach Independent. California, Long Beach. March 26, 1950. p. 21. Retrieved April 16, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Bird, Bill (February 9, 1950). "Radio and Television on Review". Pasadena Independent. California, Pasadena. p. 36. Retrieved April 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Marshal of Gunsight Pass on ABC". TV Guide. Retrieved February 22, 2009.
  10. "The KECA-TV Story". Space Patrol. Retrieved March 2, 2009.
  11. Woolery, George W. (1985). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981, Part II: Live, Film, and Tape Series. The Scarecrow Press. p. 328. ISBN 0-8108-1651-2.
  12. Kippelman, Mona (August 5, 1984). "Woman keeps her lines of communication open". The Miami Herald. Florida, Miami. p. 12 PB. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
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