The Legend of Jesse James (TV series)
The Legend of Jesse James is an American western series starring Christopher Jones in the title role of notorious outlaw Jesse James. The series aired on ABC from September 13, 1965, to May 9, 1966. Allen Case joined Jones as Jesse's brother, Frank James. It was produced by Don Siegel.[1]
The Legend of Jesse James | |
---|---|
Christopher Jones as Jesse James | |
Genre | Western |
Starring | Christopher Jones Allen Case Ann Doran Robert J. Wilke John Milford |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 34 |
Production | |
Producer(s) | Don Siegel |
Camera setup | Single-camera |
Running time | 25 mins. |
Production company(s) | 20th Century-Fox Television |
Distributor | 20th Century-Fox Television |
Release | |
Original network | ABC |
Picture format | Black-and-white Color |
Audio format | Monaural |
Original release | September 13, 1965 – May 9, 1966 |
Overview
The series portrays James as a 19th-century Robin Hood in Missouri, who robbed trains and banks to repay local residents whose property had been confiscated by railroad barons or greedy Northern bankers. The series depicts the barons as demanding that Mrs. James sell them her ranch.
Other cast members included Ann Doran as Zerelda James Samuel, the mother of Jesse and Frank James; Robert J. Wilke as Marshal Sam Corbett, the lawman who vainly pursued the Jameses; John Milford as Cole Younger, a member of the gang who served a long prison sentence, and David Richards as Jim Younger, Cole's brother.[2]
Guest stars
- Claude Akins
- John Anderson
- Whitney Blake
- Lloyd Bochner
- Charles Bronson
- Walter Burke
- Michael Burns
- Harry Carey, Jr.
- John Carradine
- John Cassavetes
- Glenn Corbett
- Royal Dano
- Jack Elam
- Gene Evans
- Shug Fisher
- Virginia Gregg
- Mariette Hartley
- Dennis Hopper
- Jeffrey Hunter
- Victor Jory
- Sally Kellerman
- Douglas Kennedy
- George Kennedy
- Gary Lockwood
- Strother Martin
- Kevin McCarthy
- Tim McIntire
- J. Pat O'Malley
- Nehemiah Persoff
- Slim Pickens
- Kurt Russell
- Albert Salmi
- Mickey Shaughnessy
- Robert F. Simon
- Ann Sothern
- Warren Stevens
- Harold J. Stone
- Susan Strasberg
- Lyle Talbot
- Buck Taylor
- Vaughn Taylor
- Tom Tully
Production notes
The Legend of Jesse James was created by Samuel Peeples for 20th Century Fox Television. It was filmed at the Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, California.
The series aired on Monday at 8:30 Eastern time after ABC's 12 O'Clock High military series. It faced tough competition: Lucille Ball's The Lucy Show on CBS and Richard Chamberlain's Dr. Kildare medical drama on NBC.[3]
Merchandising
The TV series was adapted into a comic strip by Dan Spiegle, distributed by Gold Key Comics.[4]
References
- Alvin H. Marill. "Television Westerns: Six Decades of Sagebrush Sheriffs, Scalawags, and Sidewinders". Google Books. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- Alex McNeil, Total Television, New York: Penguin Books, 1996, 4th ed., pp. 474-475
- 1965-1966 American network television schedule, in appendix of Total Television
- https://www.lambiek.net/artists/s/spiegle_d.htm