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 byPhilip Booth
Frank Fox
StarringRussell Hayden
Eddie Dean
Riley Hill
Roscoe Ates
Jan Sterling
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes22
Production
Producer(s)Philip Booth
Lou Holzer
Running time30 minutes
Release
Original networkABC
Picture formatBlack and white (1950)
Original releaseMarch 12 –
September 30, 1950

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 Internet Movie Data Base lists only the premiere episode of The Marshal of Gunsight Pass: "Shotgun Messenger", which aired on March 12, 1950. Other actors appearing in the episode were Hugh Hooker (1919–1987) as David Clay, Marshall Reed (1917–1980) as Larry Thomas, and Steve Conte (1920–1987) as The Road Agent. Three actors made their only career screen appearances on The Marshal of Gunsight Pass: Eddie Coffman as "The Gunfighter", Greg Rogers as Cal Darby, and Marcia Wren as "The Woman".[7]

The ABC program was broadcast from the former Vitagraph Studios site,[8] near Chatsworth,[9] 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.[8] 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.[10][11] However, the studio did have a large collection of western props and sets, as well as live horses.[12]

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.[13]

From 1952-1954, CBS also aired a live afternoon western, Action in the Afternoon.[12]

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. "The Marshal of Gunsight Pass". Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved February 22, 2009.
  8. "'Live' Westerns to Revolutionize TV?". Long Beach Independent. California, Long Beach. March 26, 1950. p. 21. Retrieved April 16, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. Bird, Bill (February 9, 1950). "Radio and Television on Review". Pasadena Independent. California, Pasadena. p. 36. Retrieved April 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Marshal of Gunsight Pass on ABC". TV Guide. Retrieved February 22, 2009.
  11. "The KECA-TV Story". Space Patrol. Retrieved March 2, 2009.
  12. 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.
  13. 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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