Black Saddle is an American Western television series starring Peter Breck that aired 44 episodes from January 10, 1959, to May 6, 1960. The first season of 20 episodes aired on NBC from January 1959-September 1959. ABC picked up the second season in the 1959-1960 season with 24 new episodes produced. The half-hour program was produced by Dick Powell's Four Star Television, and the original backdoor pilot was an episode of CBS's Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre, with Chris Alcaide originally portraying the principal character, Clay Culhane, in an episode entitled "A Threat of Violence." [1]
| Black Saddle | |
|---|---|
 Peter Breck as Clay Culhane and Anna-Lisa as Nora Travers (1959) | |
| Genre | Western |
| Created by |
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| Starring | |
| Theme music composer |
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| Composers |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 44 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Hal Hudson |
| Producers |
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| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 24 mins. |
| Original release | |
| Network | |
| Release | January 10, 1959 – May 6, 1960 |
Synopsis
editClay Culhane is a gunfighter who becomes a lawyer after his brothers are killed in a shootout. He carries his law books as he rides across the New Mexico Territory in the years following the Civil War, ready to help people who need help with the law. U. S. Marshal Gib Scott follows Culhane, dubious of Culhane's turning away from gunfighting.[2] Nora Travers owns the town's hotel, and Kelly is the bartender at the saloon.[3]
Cast
editMain cast
edit- Peter Breck as Clay Culhane[4]
- Russell Johnson as Marshal Gib Scott[4]
- Anna-Lisa as Nora Travers[4]
- J. Pat O'Malley as Judge Caleb Marsh
- Walter Burke as Tim Potter
Guest cast
editSome of the Black Saddle guest stars include Warren Oates,[5] Chris Alcaide (who portrayed Clay Culhane in the original pilot), Fred Aldrich, John Anderson, Parley Baer, Raymond Bailey, Russ Bender, Paul Birch (in the role of U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant in the episode "Mr. Simpson"), Lane Bradford, Paul Burke, Archie Butler, James Coburn, Dennis Cross, John Dehner, Frank Dekova, Alan Dexter, Buddy Ebsen, Hampton Fancher, Scott Forbes in Episode "Client: Steele"), James Franciscus, Jack Ging, Dabbs Greer, Robert Griffin, Clu Gulager, Robert Harland, Stacy Harris, Brett King, Jess Kirkpatrick, Robert Knapp, John Marley, Ken Mayer, Ann McCrea, Patrick McVey, James Parnell, Vic Perrin, Sam Reese, Stafford Repp, Bing Russell, Richard Rust, Simon Scott, Richard Shannon, Robert F. Simon, Quentin Sondergaard and Patrick Macnee.
Episodes
editSeason 1 (1959)
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Client: Travers" | John English | John McGreevey | January 10, 1959 |
| 2 | 2 | "Client: Meade" | Roger Kay | John McGreevey | January 17, 1959 |
| 3 | 3 | "Client: McQueen" | John English | Robert Yale Libott | January 24, 1959 |
| 4 | 4 | "Client: Dawes" | Roger Kay | John McGreevey | January 31, 1959 |
| 5 | 5 | "Client: Starkey" | John English | Robert Yale Libott | February 7, 1959 |
| 6 | 6 | "Client: Tagger" | John English | Frederick Louis Fox | February 14, 1959 |
| 7 | 7 | "Client: Robinson" | John Florea | Jack Jacobs | February 21, 1959 |
| 8 | 8 | "Client: Martinez" | Francis D. Lyon | John Tucker Battle | March 7, 1959 |
| 9 | 9 | "Client: Northrup" | David Lowell Rich | John McGreevey | March 14, 1959 |
| 10 | 10 | "Client: Steele" | Francis D. Lyon | Rod Peterson | March 21, 1959 |
| 11 | 11 | "Client: Mowery" | David Lowell Rich | Frederick Louis Fox | March 28, 1959 |
| 12 | 12 | "Client: Braun" | David Lowell Rich | John McGreevey | April 4, 1959 |
| 13 | 13 | "Client: Banks" | John English | Antony Ellis | April 11, 1959 |
| 14 | 14 | "Client: Jessup" | John English | Stuart Jerome | April 18, 1959 |
| 15 | 15 | "Client: Frome" | John English | Frederick Louis Fox | April 25, 1959 |
| 16 | 16 | "Client: Nelson" | Boris Sagal | John McGreevey | May 2, 1959 |
| 17 | 17 | "Client: Neal Adams" | William D. Faralla | Ken Kolb | May 9, 1959 |
| 18 | 18 | "Client: Brand" | Gerd Oswald | Joe Stone & Paul King | May 16, 1959 |
| 19 | 19 | "Client: Reynolds" | David Lowell Rich | John McGreevey | May 23, 1959 |
| 20 | 20 | "Client: Vardon" | William D. Faralla | Frederick Louis Fox | May 30, 1959 |
Season 2 (1959–60)
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 1 | "The Freebooters" | William D. Faralla | John McGreevey | October 2, 1959 |
| 22 | 2 | "The Saddle" | David Lowell Rich | John McGreevey | October 9, 1959 |
| 23 | 3 | "The Long Rider" | David Lowell Rich | Antony Ellis | October 16, 1959 |
| 24 | 4 | "The Hotel" | James Sheldon | Antony Ellis | October 23, 1959 |
| 25 | 5 | "Client: Peter Warren" | David Lowell Rich | Donn Mullally | October 30, 1959 |
| 26 | 6 | "The Freight Line" | David Lowell Rich | Antony Ellis | November 6, 1959 |
| 27 | 7 | "Murdock" | David Lowell Rich | Fred Frieberger | November 13, 1959 |
| 28 | 8 | "Apache Killer" | William D. Faralla | Joe Stone & Paul King | November 20, 1959 |
| 29 | 9 | "Four from Stillwater" | David Lowell Rich | George & Gertrude Fass | November 27, 1959 |
| 30 | 10 | "The Deal" | David Lowell Rich | William Link & Richard Levinson | December 4, 1959 |
| 31 | 11 | "Change of Venue" | William D. Faralla | John McGreevey | December 11, 1959 |
| 32 | 12 | "Blood Money" | Frank Baur | John McGreevey | December 18, 1959 |
| 33 | 13 | "The Killer" | William F. Claxton | Antony Ellis | January 1, 1960 |
| 34 | 14 | "Letter of Death" | David Lowell Rich | Frederick Louis Fox | January 8, 1960 |
| 35 | 15 | "Mr. Simpson" | David Lowell Rich | Antony Ellis | January 22, 1960 |
| 36 | 16 | "Means to an End" | Frank Baur | John McGreevey | January 29, 1960 |
| 37 | 17 | "The Indian Tree" | David Lowell Rich | John McGreevey & Antony Ellis | February 19, 1960 |
| 38 | 18 | "The Apprentice" | David Lowell Rich | John McGreevey | March 11, 1960 |
| 39 | 19 | "Burden of Guilt" | Elliott Silverstein | John McGreevey | March 18, 1960 |
| 40 | 20 | "The Cabin" | David Lowell Rich | Antony Ellis | April 1, 1960 |
| 41 | 21 | "The Return" | David Lowell Rich | John McGreevey | April 8, 1960 |
| 42 | 22 | "A Case of Slow" | David Lowell Rich | Antony Ellis | April 15, 1960 |
| 43 | 23 | "The Penalty" | William D. Faralla | John Falvo | April 22, 1960 |
| 44 | 24 | "End of the Line" | William F. Claxton | Richard Fielder | May 6, 1960 |
Production
editOriginally entitled War Gun, but changed just prior to filming (presumably due to the similarity to Warner Brothers' Lawman[6]), the series was created by executive producers Hal Hudson and John McGreevey.[7] Antony Ellis was the producer.[4] On NBC the show was broadcast on Saturdays from 9 to 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time. When it was moved to ABC it was shown on Fridays from 10:30 to 11 p.m. E. T.[2]
The pilot for the series was "Threat to Violence", the May 23, 1958, episode of Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre. Chris Alcaide portrayed Culhane in it, with Johnson and Anna Lisa in the roles that they had in the series.[7] The change of stars occurred because the program's sponsor thought Alacaide "had become too familiar as a villain".[1]
Filming
editThe NBC episodes were filmed at Fox Movie Ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains,[6][8] while ABC's were shot at the Republic studio lot in Studio City.[9]
Theme
editAlthough the Black Saddle TV series lasted less than two full seasons, its original theme tune—written by Jerry Goldsmith under the name of his then-brother-in-law, J. Michael Hennagin, because Goldsmith himself was still under contract to CBS[10][11]—lives on. Several cover versions of the tune have been recorded,[12][11][13] many of which have since become available on YouTube.[14] Moreover, from February 1967 until at least the fall of 1992, the theme was frequently featured in the programs of marching bands and bugle corps.[15]
Syndication as The Westerners
editFor syndicated reruns, Black Saddle was combined withLaw of the Plainsman, Johnny Ringo, and The Westerner, under the umbrella title, The Westerners,[7] with new hosting sequences by Keenan Wynn.[16]
Critical response
editA review of the premiere episode in the trade publication Variety said that the script "did not stand up with the better westerns" and indicated that the pace of the episode should have been faster.[17] The review called the characterizations of the sheriff and the villain "hard to swallow".[17] Lisa was praised, primarily for her beauty, while Breck was said to be "okay in a flat sort of way", and the "Supporting cast was competent."[17]
References
edit- ^ a b Aaker, Everett (2017). Television Western Players, 1960-1975: A Biographical Dictionary. McFarland. p. 54. ISBN 9781476662503. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
- ^ a b Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (June 24, 2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House Publishing Group. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
- ^ Terrace, Vincent (January 10, 2014). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010, 2d ed. McFarland. p. 111. ISBN 978-0-7864-8641-0. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
- ^ a b c d McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 101. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
- ^ Compo, Susan A. (April 17, 2009). Warren Oates: A Wild Life. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-3918-0. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
- ^ a b "Giving 'Law Gun ' New Tag to Avoid 'Lawman' Conflict". The Hollywood Reporter. December 2, 1958. p. 8. ProQuest 2338270459.
New telefilm series, 'Law Gun,' just signed by NBC for a mid-season January start, goes into immediate production tomorrow at Four Star's Fox Western studios with Peter Breck and Russell Johnson in stellar roles. According to executive producer Hal Hudson, title of the series will definitely be changed, presumably since it's too similar to Warner's 'Lawman.'
- ^ a b c Erickson, Hal (29 September 2009). Encyclopedia of Television Law Shows: Factual and Fictional Series About Judges, Lawyers and the Courtroom, 1948-2008. McFarland. pp. 45–46. ISBN 978-0-7864-3828-0. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
- ^ Newton, Dwight (December 19, 1958). "Day and Night: Westerns, Westerns, Westerns". The San Francisco Examiner. Sec. III, pg. 7. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
- ^ "Hal Hudson Sets Up Shop on Republic Lot". The Hollywood Repoprter. May 31, 1965. p. 7. ProQuest 2338330903.
Hal Hudsod, executive v-p of Zane Grey Prods., has moved the company to Republic to ready production of the telefilm series in which Zane Grey is partnered with Four Star. Hudson will again produce 'Zane Grey Theatre' which goes into its fourth year and will resume as exec producer of 'Black Saddle' which enters its second season.
- ^ Burlingame, Jon (1996). TV's Biggest Hits : The Story of Television Themes from "Dragnet" to "Friends". New York: Schirmer Books. pp. 83–84. ISBN 0028703243. "Goldsmith had scored to radio western 'Frontier Gentleman,' for producer Antony Ellis. When Ellis moved into television with 'Black Saddle,' starring Peter Breck as a gunfighter-turned-lawyer, he asked Goldsmith to write the theme. Because the composer was still under contract to CBS at the time, he penned it under a pseudonym (that of his then brother-in-law, J. Michael Hennagin) and never received screen credit for his fast rhythmically exciting theme for guitars, brass and percussion. Arthur Morton (b. 1908), who several years later became Goldsmith's regular orchestrator, wrote a library of Coplandesque music for the series."
- ^ a b "J. Michael Hennagin credits". Discogs. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ Harris, Steve (1988). Film, Television, and Stage Music on Phonograph Records : A Discography. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 281. ISBN 0-89950-251-2.
- ^ "Golden Buffalo Marching Band, University Of Colorado; 1975". Internet Archive. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^
evanlewis1836 (July 10, 2019). "BLACK SADDLE - Bud Wattles & His Orchestra". YouTube. Retrieved November 8, 2023. See also:
- Buddy Morrow - Topic (November 8, 2014). "Black Saddle". YouTube.
- mguidice1 (March 11, 2012). "The REVELAIRS - Theme From 'Black Saddle'". YouTube.
- Drew Weaver and the Alvarados (July 13, 2021). "Theme from 'Black Saddle'". YouTube.
- ^ "Remington Jr. Corps Reorganized". The Standard-Star. February 24, 1967. p.4 . Retrieved November 8, 2023. See also:
- Davis, Eric (August 12, 1976). "Corps Judges Work Hard But Gain Little Glory". The Marion Star. p. 33.
- "Six Units to Compete in Band Showcase '79". The Evening Sun. October 4, 1979. p. 9.
- Mitchell, Sandy; Buckwalter, Tim; Hostetler, Amy (August 28, 1984). "School Bands Ready for a Big Year; School Bands Ready to Strut Their Stuff". Intelligencer Journal. pp. 34, 9.
- Cramer, Gary; Knapp, Tom (September 8, 1987). "Bands Tune Up for Game Day; 17 Bands Tune Up for Game Day". Intelligencer Journal. pp. 42, 29.
- "Lincoln High School Hosting Lawrence County 'Festival'". Ellwood City Ledger. September 29, 1992. p. 1.
- ^ "New...In Syndication! 5 Great Stars...125 Action Half Hours! Keenan Wynn presents The Westerners (originally seen as: Black Saddle / Johnny Ringo / The Law of the Plainsman / The Westerner)". Broadcasting. May 31, 1965. pp. 12–13. ProQuest 1014491186.
Now being filmed in Hollywood! 125 different Keenan Wynn wrap-arounds are being produced and carefully integrated into each of THE WESTERNERS episodes ... giving this series A FIRST RUN LOOK! [...] Fall '65 start! For stripping, once-a-week, or as a back-to-back hour (with special Keenan Wynn bridges). [...] starring Brian Keith as Dave Blasingame, Michael Ansara as Sam Buchart, Peter Breck as Clay Culhane, Don Durant as Johnny Ringo.
- ^ a b c "Black Saddle". Variety. January 14, 1959. p. 39. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
External links
edit
- Black Saddle at IMDb
- Black Saddle at TVAddicts
- Black Saddle: Season 2, Ep.2 "The Saddle."