A Fistful of Guns (TV Series Westerns 1950's)
American TV Series Westerns were a mainstay of German TV in the late 1950's. Many Germans loved American Westerns and there were plenty around at the time, Gunsmoke (TV Series 1955–1975), Wanted: Dead or Alive (TV Series 1958–1961), Have Gun - Will Travel (TV Series 1957–1963), The Rifleman (TV Series 1958–1963), Rawhide (TV Series 1959–1965), Laramie (TV Series 1959–1963), Wagon Train (1957–62 and 1962–65), and Lawman (TV Series 1958–1962).
Just watching American TV Westerns, you are reminded how good these shows were written, how well they were acted and the sets, even though at times cheap, how they ultimately provided a more than reliable Western feel.
Frequent stars and character actors provided good action and fluid movement in the time allotted. Seeing them now, I am reminded how much I miss 1950's television.
Claude Akins, Eddie Albert, Martin Balsam, James Garner, Ernest Borgnine, David Janssen, Jack Elam, Burt Reynolds, Sterling Hayden, Cameron Mitchell, Jack Palance are just a few of the great actors that were on the show.
Of course, no one today will remember all these fine actors, which is a complete shame.
Just watching American TV Westerns, you are reminded how good these shows were written, how well they were acted and the sets, even though at times cheap, how they ultimately provided a more than reliable Western feel.
Frequent stars and character actors provided good action and fluid movement in the time allotted. Seeing them now, I am reminded how much I miss 1950's television.
Claude Akins, Eddie Albert, Martin Balsam, James Garner, Ernest Borgnine, David Janssen, Jack Elam, Burt Reynolds, Sterling Hayden, Cameron Mitchell, Jack Palance are just a few of the great actors that were on the show.
Of course, no one today will remember all these fine actors, which is a complete shame.
List activity
2.4K views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
88 titles
- StarsWill HutchinsCharles FredericksGil PerkinsCorrespondence-school law graduate Tom Brewster travels west to seek his fortune. Unfortunately, his "cowboy" abilities leave a lot to be desired and earn him the nickname "Sugarfoot", which is one step lower than a "Tenderfoot".
- StarsGeorge 'Gabby' HayesWright KingAndrew DugganA 1950s children's show, sponsored by the Quaker Oats Company. It underwent a number of changes in format, but the host was always the veteran actor George "Gabby" Hayes. Hayes had often portrayed sidekick characters in Western films featuring Hopalong Cassidy and Roy Rogers. A Sunday version of the show was broadcast from 1950 to 1952. In a frame story, Gabby would narrate historical tales to child actors Clifford Sales and Lee Graham. The episodes dramatized the lives of historical figures, such as the naval commander John Paul Jones, the lawman and professional gambler Wyatt Earp, and the outlaw Belle Starr. A weekday version of the show was broadcast from 1951 to 1954. These episodes had Gabby narrating humorous tall tales, and then shifted to depicting scenes lifted from old Western films. A re-edited version of the series was broadcast in 1956, featuring longer scenes from Western films. Then the series ended permanently, though several episodes were available for syndication until the end of the decade.
- StarsGene AutryChampionPat ButtramThe already legendary singing cowboy rode with his comic pal Pat from town to town bringing justice, song and his horse Champion to the old Southwest.
- StarsGuy MadisonAndy DevineSam FlintHickok rode Buckshot while 300-pound Jingles rode Joker. Jingles described Hickok as "the bravest, strongest, fightingest U.S. Marshal in the whole West." And that's about it: he beat up all the bad guys and somehow kept his good looks.
- StarsBill WilliamsDon DiamondJohn CasonKit and his pal El Toro go all over the west securing justice for all (absolutely no connection with the historical character).
- CreatorFred HarmanStarsLouis LettieriJim BannonAllan LaneBased on the popular Western-themed comic strip "Red Ryder" The comic strip focused on the heroic cowboy Red Ryder and his Native American kid sidekick, Little Beaver.
- CreatorRuth WoodmanStarsStanley AndrewsRobert TaylorRonald ReaganWestern stories and legends based, and filmed, in and around Death Valley, California. One of the longest-running Western series, originating on radio in the 1930s. The continuing sponsor was "20 Mule Team" Borax, a product formerly mined in Death Valley.
- StarsWilliam BoydEdgar BuchananGeorge D. WallaceHopalong and his horse Topper catch bad guys with Red Connors for comic relief.
- StarsRussell HaydenJackie CooganPhil ArnoldPat Gallagher and his sidekick Stoney Crockett are Secret Service agents in the Old West, dispatched by the government to investigate crimes threatening the young nation.
- StarsLash La RueCliff TaylorJohn MartinThis 15-minute show consisted of cowboy actor Lash LaRue introducing clips from his old films and occasionally bringing on a guest, usually an actor who appeared in one of more of his pictures.
- StarsClint WalkerClyde HowdyChuck HicksAfter the Civil War, nomadic adventurer Cheyenne Bodie roamed the West looking for fights, bad guys to beat up, and women. His job changed from episode to episode.
- StarsLee AakerJames BrownRin Tin Tin IIRusty was orphaned in an Indian raid. He and his dog Rin Tin Tin were adopted by the troops at Fort Apache in Arizona, and helped establish law and order in and around Mesa Grande.
- StarsGail DavisBrad JohnsonJimmy HawkinsA fictionalized account of the life of legendary Wild West sharpshooter Annie Oakley.
- StarsWayde PrestonDonald MayKenneth MacDonaldChristopher Colt appeared to be a gun salesman, but he was actually a government agent tracking down notorious bad guys. His cousin Sam took the lead when the studio had contract disputes with the original star.
- CreatorGeorge W. TrendleFran StrikerStarsDick SimmonsYukon KingVic PerrinCanadian Mountie Sgt. Preston patrols the wilds of the Yukon with his horse Rex and his faithful dog Yukon King, battling both the elements and criminals.
- StarsGene EvansAnita LouiseJohnny WashbrookSet in Wyoming about 1900, this was a story about young Ken McLaughlin and his horse Flicka. Ken lived on a ranch with his parents Rob and Nell and the ranch-hand Gus and had many an adventure.
- StarsPeter GravesWilliam FawcettBobby DiamondA horse and the boy who loved him.
- StarsWillard ParkerHarry LauterWilliam BoyettTypical western with a twist. The two stars appeared as Texas Rangers but in a different scenario each program. One week, they might be Rangers in the 1840s and the next week they would be current day Rangers, i.e., it was a history of the Texas Rangers.
- StarsDickie JonesNancy GilbertHarry CheshireBuffalo Bill Jr. and his kid sister Calamity are raised under the watchful eye of Judge Ben 'Fair and Square" Wiley. Together this dynamic trio keep law and order in small town of Wileyville, Arizona.
- StarsKeith LarsenAnthony NumkenaKim WinonaReflecting the Native American viewpoint in the settlement of the American West, This was the first series where an American Indian was the lead character.
- StarsScott ForbesWilliam SchallertJohn LaingThe adventures of frontier hero Jim Bowie are brought to life in this popular children's television series.
- CreatorMorton S. FineDavid FriedkinStarsWalter CoyScott ForbesDabbs GreerAn unglamorized look at the settling of the American West with pioneers dealing with the elements, beset with nefarious characters and other problems that test their fortitude.
- StarsRichard JoyPaul LambertHelen KleebOf the many anthology series, this is considered the most ambitious with outstanding talent in front of the camera. Attracting top ranked directors and scripts, it was often filmed live including the entire first season.Westerns.
- StarsJohn LuptonMichael AnsaraSteven RitchIndian Agent Tom Jeffords makes friends with Chief Cochise, becoming a blood brother of the Apache. Together they fight white schemers and renegade Indians.
- CreatorLuke ShortCharles A. WallaceStarsDick PowellWalter SandeDenver PyleAn anthology based (earlier more so than later) on the novels and stories of Zane Grey. Dick Powell was often the star, as well as the host.
- StarsMicky DolenzNoah Beery Jr.Robert Lowery12-year-old Corky has been adopted by a traveling circus owned by Big Tim Champion. He is water boy to baby elephant Bimbo and otherwise participates in the behind-the-scenes life of the circus.
- StarsEdgar BuchananJack BuetelJackie LougheryWestern set in the Texas town of Langtry, named after Lillie Langtry. When storekeeper Roy Bean becomes fed up with the lawlessness in the town, he establishes himself as a judge and introduces a system of law and order.
- CreatorSam SingerBased on Indian folklore, the fables included "How the Fox Got His White-Tipped Tale", "Pow Wow and the Stork", "How the Rabbit Got His Hop", "Pow Wow and Playing Possum", and "How the Turtle Got His Shell".
- StarsDuncan RenaldoLeo CarrilloTroy MeltonThe Cisco Kid rides through the American frontier with his sidekick, Pancho, fighting corruption with a blend of pride and humor that created a legend in the hearts of generations of television viewers.
- CreatorPeter PackerStarsRex ReasonMort MillsHarry HarveyThe adventures of Adam MacLean, publisher and chief reporter for the "Yellowstone Sentinel" of Yellowstone, Wyoming in the late 19th century.
- CreatorFrank GruberJames BrooksGene ReynoldsStarsDale RobertsonArt FelixKit CarsonAgent Jim Hardie splits his life between being an agent helping Wells Fargo cope with bad guys, and owning a ranch near San Francisco, California.
- StarsGuy WilliamsGene SheldonHenry CalvinDon Diego de la Vega opposes the corrupt tyrants of Spanish California as the masked swordsman, Zorro.
- CreatorRobert A. CinaderStarsJohn PickardDave WillockMichael HinnCaptain Shanks Adams is in charge of the real Ft. Lowell in this syndicated fictional series set in the dangerous Arizona territory, where Adams combats all sorts of trials assisted by his scout Luke Cummings and Lt. Binning.
- StarsJohn HartLon Chaney Jr.Bill WalshNat Cutler, known as Hawkeye, is a fur trader. With his faithful Indian companion Chingachgook, the last of the Mohican tribe, he fights to protect settlers against the raiding Huron Indians.
- StarsRobert CulpNorman LeavittEllen CorbyTexas Ranger Hoby Gilman travels the Old West tracking down assorted killers, bank robbers, horse thieves, and other evil-doers.
- StarsFrank McGrathTerry WilsonRobert HortonStories of the journeys of a wagon train as it leaves post-Civil War Missouri on its way to California through the plains, deserts, and Rocky Mountains.
- StarsPat ConwayRichard EasthamQuentin SondergaardTough Sheriff Clay Hollister keeps the law in Tombstone, Arizona with the support of his faithful deputies and the editor of the local newspaper.
- CreatorHerb MeadowSam RolfeStarsRichard BooneKam TongHal NeedhamThe adventures of a gentlemanly gunfighter-for-hire.
- StarsAlan Hale Jr.Bobby ClarkEddy WallerTelevision version of the classic train story of Casey Jones, the engineer of the steam-engine powered "Cannonball Express".
- StarsJohn PayneLeonard P. GeerDan BlockerThe adventures of Vint Bonner, a cowboy in the post Civil War era.
- StarsTod AndrewsPhil ChambersSherwood PriceThe Civil War exploits of Confederate cavalry officer John Singleton Mosby, the Gray Ghost, was the basis of this syndicated series. Sgt. Magruder was the only other regular character but actual historic people were occasionally portrayed.
- StarsTristram CoffinKelo HendersonHal HopperTrue stories of the Arizona rangers around 1900.
- StarsRichard CooganSean McCloryAdam KennedySan Franciscans during the goldrush of the 1850s attempt to maintain law and order in their wild city. Newly arrived Matthew Wayne becomes sheriff, then marshal, and organizes the city police force.
- CreatorRoy HugginsStarsJack KellyJames GarnerRoger MooreBret and Bart Maverick are well-dressed gamblers who migrate from town to town always looking for a good game.
- StarsJacques GodinRené CaronRoland LepageThe adventures of the French explorer and fur trader, Pierre Esprit Radisson.
- StarsJohn RussellPeter BrownPeggie CastleThis is the story of Marshal Dan Troop of Laramie, Wyoming, and his Deputy Johnny McKay, an orphan Troop took under his wing.
- StarsGene BarryAllen JaffeAllison HayesBat Masterson roams The West and defends the innocent.
- CreatorRichard SaleMary LoosStarsJock MahoneyX BrandsKevin HagenAn adventurer, gambler, and widely respected southern gentleman is recruited to work as a secret agent, at no pay, in post-Civil War New Orleans, helped by his companion, a silent Pawnee Native American.
- StarsTy HardinRobert ColbertClyde HowdyA former confederate soldier wanders the old west, and meets such famous characters as Jesse James, William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody, and Theodore Roosevelt.
- StarsSteve McQueenWright KingOlan SouleA Civil War veteran with a sawed-off rifle as a holstered weapon makes a living as a bounty hunter in the Wild West of the 1870s.
- CreatorMort BriskinStarsJohn BromfieldJames GriffithRobert BrubakerUnited States Marshal (renamed from Sheriff of Cochise) is a crime drama set in Tuscon, Arizona about a U.S. Marshal fighting crime.
- StarsRichard CarlsonArt GilmoreRiley HillColonel Mackenzie, commander of the 4th Cavalry Regiment at Fort Clark near Brackettville in Kinney County in southwest Texas during the 1870s, receives secret orders from President Ulysses S. Grant and Secretary of War William W. Belknap to stop bandits from crossing the Rio Grande into the United States, or from returning to Mexico.
- StarsRex AllenMason Alan DinehartRobert SwanThe adventures of a small town doctor working in the Arizona territory during the early 1900s.
- StarsKent TaylorJan MerlinPeter WhitneyAfter the Civil War, two former Union soldiers and an ex-Confederate team up to travel the West.
- StarsChuck ConnorsJohnny CrawfordPaul FixThe adventures of a Wild West rancher, wielding a customized rapid-fire Winchester rifle, and his son.
- CreatorRobert A. CinaderStarsJeff MorrowJudson PrattSusan CummingsBart McClelland supervises rail construction for Union Pacific west of Omaha dealing with everything from marauders to land issues. He's aided by surveyor Billy Kincaid and Georgia who runs the mobile Golden Nugget saloon.
- CreatorJames GunnKathleen HiteStarsRory CalhounRegis PartonDuncan LamontThe Texan, a Civil War Veteran whose reputation of being the fastest gun in the west precedes him, roams across Texas from town to town, not looking for trouble, but trouble finds him.
- CreatorHarold SwantonStarsTom NolanSallie BrophyMike RoadAnnie O'Connell's boarding house in Buckskin, Montana, in 1880, is the setting for dramas unfolding for travelers and townies alike. Stories are seen through the eyes of 10-year-old Jody.
- CreatorNick AdamsAndrew J. FenadyStarsNick AdamsChuck HamiltonSid TroyAfter the end of the Civil War, a former Confederate Army private roams the Wild West, and, as a rogue drifter, gets involved in helping out various settlers threatened by various bad guys.
- StarsRobert FullerJohn SmithSpring ByingtonIn the 1870s Wyoming Territory, Slim Sherman and his 14-year-old brother Andy try to hang on to their ranch after their father's death.
- CreatorHal HudsonJohn McGreeveyStarsPeter BreckRussell JohnsonAnna-LisaAfter his brothers are killed in a shootout, a gunfighter decides to hang up his guns and uphold the law by becoming a lawyer.
- CreatorCharles Marquis WarrenStarsClint EastwoodPaul BrinegarSteve RainesGil Favor is trail boss of a continuous cattle drive. He is assisted by Rowdy Yates. The crew runs into characters and adventures along the way.
- StarsDarren McGavinDick WesselJack LambertGrey Holden wins a river boat in a poker game, which he then pilots, along with his crew, in various adventures along the Mississippi River. This action series is set in the nineteenth century.
- CreatorFrank GruberStarsScott BradyFrank FergusonMonica LewisA late entry in the late-1950s television Western boom that featured a lead unlike other show heroes. Slade wasn't a Marshal, Sheriff, or gunfighter for hire; he was a private detective hired to track down criminals, return stolen money, or solve mysteries surrounding the deaths of townspeople. The show had more in common with shows like "Peter Gunn" (1958) and "77 Sunset Strip" (1958) than "Gunsmoke" (1955) and "Bonanza" (1959). This show depended on strong characters and storylines rather than action.
- StarsDaws ButlerDoug YoungDon MessickQuick Draw Mcgraw was a dimwitted and lanky mustang (horse) who caused much chaos in the Old West. If he could get his own six shooter out of his holster at all, he would usually shoot the wrong man. His partner, a Mexican burro name Baba Looie, was always trying to help Quick Draw as much as he could. Also on the show were cartoons featuring Snooper and Blabber, Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy.
- CreatorAaron SpellingStarsDon DurantMark GoddardKaren SharpeEx-gunfighter Johnny Ringo is now the sheriff of a small Western town, and attempts to keep the peace with the aid of his girl Laura Thomas and his deputy Cully.
- CreatorDavid DortortFred HamiltonStarsLorne GreeneMichael LandonDan BlockerThe Wild West adventures of Ben Cartwright and his sons as they run and defend their Nevada ranch while helping the surrounding community.
- StarsMichael AnsaraGina GillespieDayton LummisSam Buckhart, an Apache, rescues a Cavalry officer who later funds his Harvard education. Buckhart becomes a Deputy Marshal in New Mexico under Marshal Morrison. He boards with Martha Commager and had earlier saved orphan Tess Logan.
- CreatorRoland KibbeeNorman LearStarsHenry FondaAllen CaseRead MorganClay McCord is who often helped Chief Marshal Simon Fry in 1880's Arizona territory. McCord eventually becomes Fry's Chief Deputy assigned to Silver City. Fry and McCord are assisted by Sergeant Hapgood Tasker Army cavalry Sergeant.
- StarsJoel McCreaJody McCreaRobert FoulkIt's about a Wichita U. S. Marshal named Mike Dunbar along with his deputy named Ben Matheson, this show was produced by Four Star, and in association with Mirisch Television Enterprises and McCrea's production company and airs on NBC.
- CreatorStan JonesMort BriskinStarsJohn BromfieldStan JonesRoy EngelWhile this sounds like a western, "The Sheriff of Cochise" was a contemporary police drama set in Cochise County, Arizona. Stories seemed strangely similar to "Highway Patrol," emphasizing fist fights and car chases rather than gunplay. Tough Sheriff Frank Morgan was eventually promoted to U.S. Marshall and given the entire state of Arizona to keep under control (the series title would subsequently change to U.S. MARSHAL and remain in syndication until 1960). Singer Stan Jones was the series creator but departed the show in 1958. A total of 156 episodes were produced under both titles.
- CreatorFrank BaronStarsRobert RockwellJean WillesBethel LeslieThe adventures of an insurance investigator for the Blackhawk Insurance Co. in the Old West.
- StarsHugh O'BrianJimmy NoelEthan LaidlawLoosely based on historical fact, the series portrays the gunslinging Wyatt Earp and his successful determination for law and order.
- StarsBarry NelsonGeorge TobiasEric ClaveringStarring Barry Nelson and George Tobias. Western Series dealing with stories connected to the Hudson's Bay Company and its fur trade shortly after North America was colonized. Trappers, Explorers, Native Americans, French and British alike all traveled the territory seeking their fortunes and finding fame and adventure.
- StarsJock MahoneyDickie JonesBob WoodwardThe Range Rider had a reputation for fairness, fighting ability, and accuracy with his guns and was known far and wide, even by the Indians.
- StarsGeorge MontgomeryJohn SmithAudrey TotterCimmaron City is booming due to oil and gold and hopes to become capital of the future state of Oklahoma. Matthew Rockford is the son of the city's founder; he's now mayor and a major cattle rancher. Sheriff Temple must keep law and order.
- CreatorCharles Marquis WarrenClyde WareStarsJames ArnessMilburn StoneAmanda BlakeMarshal Matt Dillon keeps the peace in rough-and-tumble Dodge City.
- StarsRoscoe AtesEddie DeanRussell HaydenA marshal maintains law and order in his local town.
- CreatorWilliam BlinnStarsWalt DisneyPaul FreesClarence NashA Disney-produced anthology covering many different genres.The Nine Lives of Elfego Baca.
- CreatorRobert A. CinaderStarsJohn PickardDave WillockMichael HinnCaptain Shanks Adams is in charge of the real Ft. Lowell in this syndicated fictional series set in the dangerous Arizona territory, where Adams combats all sorts of trials assisted by his scout Luke Cummings and Lt. Binning.
- StarsKirby GrantGloria WintersEwing MitchellFly plane... Bust bad guys... Fuss with niece and nephew... Eat Peter Pan Peanut Butter... Dat's it!
- StarsJeff RichardsEugene MazzolaCyril DelevantiA widower with a young son starts a newspaper in a wild Western town.
- StarsDale EvansRoy RogersTriggerThe Double R Ranch featured "The King of the Cowboys" Roy, his "Smartest Horse in the Movies" Trigger, "Queen of the West" Dale, her horse Buttermilk, their dog Bullet, and even Pat's jeep, Nellybelle.
- StarsEarl HollimanJeanette NolanStrother MartinSundance, a reformed gunslinger just released from prison, drifts into the town of Georgetown, Colorado. A tangle with the town villain ends up with Sundance being forced to shoot him, resulting in his being made town Marshal. He takes a shine to two French sisters who own the town's most elegant hotel, The Hotel de Paree, especially the young, pretty one.
- StarsRobert FullerJohn SmithSpring ByingtonIn the 1870s Wyoming Territory, Slim Sherman and his 14-year-old brother Andy try to hang on to their ranch after their father's death.
- CreatorGeorge W. TrendleGeorge W. GeorgeStarsJay SilverheelsClayton MooreJohn HartThe adventures of the masked hero and his Native American partner.