The Man from Blackhawk is a Western television series about an insurance investigator starring Robert Rockwell that aired on ABC from October 9, 1959 until September 23, 1960.[1] It was also shown in Canada on CBC Television.[2]
| The Man from Blackhawk | |
|---|---|
 Robert Rockwell as Sam Logan | |
| Genre | Western |
| Created by | Frank Barron |
| Starring | Robert Rockwell |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 37 |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | October 9, 1959 – September 23, 1960 |
Premise
edit
In The Man from Blackhawk, (set in the 1870s[3]), Rockwell plays Sam Logan, an insurance investigator from the Blackhawk Insurance Company,[1] which has headquarters in Chicago.[4] Logan scours the West investigating claims, verifying their accuracy, and seeking to root out fraud and dishonesty. He is also more inclined to use his fists than a gun.[5]
Much of Logan's work is done in disguise, and he has outfits for 34 professions,[3] including cotton speculator, cowhand, gentleman of leisure, professional gambler, and stage driver.[4]
Rockwell, who won the Logan role over 135 competing actors, said of his character: "He has strong principles, amazing integrity and is completely self sufficient. He's not particularly pleasant but he's always needling, always digging for evil."[6]
Characters and actors
editBeverly Garland is cast as Sarah Marshall, with Richard Rust as George Blackburn, in "Logan's Policy", the series premiere (October 9, 1959). Ruta Lee portrays Ginnie Thompson, a young woman due to collect her murdered father's life insurance policy, in "The Legacy" (December 25, 1959). Chubby Johnson portrayed Jessie Turnbull in the episode titled "The Last Days of Jessie Turnbull." Not all episodes are set in the American West. Tommy Rettig and Amanda Randolph, for instance, are cast as Pierre and Auntie Cotton, respectively, in "The Ghost of Lafitte" (1960), set in New Orleans, Louisiana, with Robert Foulk as Hoag Lafitte. Gregg Palmer and Walter Burke are cast as Gil Harrison and Tom Abbott, respectively, in "The Harpoon Story" (1960), set in coastal New England. Nita Talbot appears in the episode "In His Steps" (1960), set in the Bowery district of New York City. Child actor Robert Eyer portrays Davey in "The Montreal Story" (1960).
Other guest stars include:
Production
editThe Man from Blackhawk was a Screen Gems production. The series was created by Frank Barron and produced by Herb Meadow.[1] Meadow left after 13 weeks to return to writing. Although he had been under contract for 26 episodes, he cited the demands of 18-hour work days that exhausted him mentally and left no time for his family or other activities.[7]
The show was broadcast from 8:30 to 9 p.m. Eastern Time on Fridays.[5] Competition in its time slot included Hotel de Paree on CBS and Wichita Town on NBC.[8]
Producers spent more than two years looking through insurance company records, old newspapers, and other documents to find material about 1870s-era insurance business operations and how swindles and frauds were committed.[4]
Episodes
edit| No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Logan's Policy" | John Peyser | Herb Meadow & Al C. Ward | October 9, 1959 |
| 2 | "The Trouble with Tolliver" | Walter Grauman | Stirling Silliphant | October 16, 1959 |
| 3 | "The New Semaria Story" | Lamont Johnson | Herb Meadow | October 23, 1959 |
| 4 | "The Man Who Stole Happiness" | John Peyser | Herb Meadow | October 30, 1959 |
| 5 | "The Gypsy Story" | David Lowell Rich | Paul Savage | November 6, 1959 |
| 6 | "Station Six" | John Brahm | Calvin Clements | November 13, 1959 |
| 7 | "Vendetta for the Lovelorn" | Richard Whorf | Tom Gries | November 20, 1959 |
| 8 | "The Winthrop Woman" | David Lowell Rich | Michael Morris | November 27, 1959 |
| 9 | "Contraband Cargo" | John Peyser | Arthur Dales and Herb Meadow | December 4, 1959 |
| 10 | "A Matter of Conscience" | John Brahm | Lee Berg | December 11, 1959 |
| 11 | "Death is the Best Policy" | Walter Grauman | Bernie Giler | December 18, 1959 |
| 12 | "The Legacy" | Unknown | Unknown | December 25, 1959 |
| 13 | "The Biggest Legend" | Walter Grauman | Stirling Silliphant | January 1, 1960 |
| 14 | "Death at Noon" | Harmon Jones | Al C. Ward | January 8, 1960 |
| 15 | "The Savage" | Bernard L. Kowalski | Raphael Hayes | January 15, 1960 |
| 16 | "The Hundred Thousand Dollar Policy" | Robert Altman | Paul & Margaret Schneider | January 22, 1960 |
| 17 | "Portrait of Cynthia" | Unknown | Unknown | January 29, 1960 |
| 18 | "El Patron" | Anton Leader | Al C. Ward | February 5, 1960 |
| 19 | "Drawing Account" | Unknown | Unknown | February 12, 1960 |
| 20 | "The Ghost of Lafitte" | Harmon Jones | Al C. Ward | February 26, 1960 |
| 21 | "Execution Day" | Harmon Jones | Bob & Wanda Duncan | March 4, 1960 |
| 22 | "Destination Death" | Harmon Jones | Jack Laird | March 11, 1960 |
| 23 | "Diamond Cut Diamond" | John Peyser | Arthur E. Orloff | March 18, 1960 |
| 24 | "Death by Northwest" | Harmon Jones | Bill S. Ballinger | March 25, 1960 |
| 25 | "The Last Days of Jessie Turnbull" | Unknown | Unknown | April 1, 1960 |
| 26 | "The Search for Cape Borden" | Harmon Jones | E. Jack Neuman | April 15, 1960 |
| 27 | "The Sons of Don Antonio" | Harmon Jones | Bob and Wanda Duncan, Raphael Hayes | April 22, 1960 |
| 28 | "Incident at Tupelo" | Unknown | Unknown | April 29, 1960 |
| 29 | "The Harpoon Story" | Unknown | Unknown | May 6, 1960 |
| 30 | "The Montreal Story" | Unknown | Unknown | May 13, 1960 |
| 31 | "In His Steps" | Unknown | Unknown | May 20, 1960 |
| 32 | "Trial by Combat" | Unknown | Unknown | May 27, 1960 |
| 33 | "The Man Who Wanted Everything" | Unknown | Unknown | June 3, 1960 |
| 34 | "The Money Machine" | John Peyser | Donn Mullally | June 10, 1960 |
| 35 | "The Lady in Yellow" | Unknown | Unknown | June 17, 1960 |
| 36 | "Gold is Where You Find It" | Unknown | Unknown | June 24, 1960 |
| 37 | "Remember Me Not" | Unknown | Unknown | September 9, 1960 |
References
edit- ^ a b c Aaker, Everett (2017). Television Western Players, 1960-1975: A Biographical Dictionary. McFarland. p. 364. ISBN 9781476662503. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
- ^ "Canada to telecast U. S. programs first" (PDF). Broadcasting. August 3, 1959. p. 84. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
- ^ a b "Bob's Wardrobe Very Expensive". The Titusville Herald. July 9, 1960. p. 7. Retrieved March 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Rowan, Robert (November 28, 1959). "Bob Rockwell Happy With New Role". Napa Register. Napa, California. p. 2-A. Retrieved March 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ 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. 845. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
- ^ "He's a Happy Tough Guy Now" (PDF). CBC Times. November 13, 1959. p. 11. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
- ^ "Have Had-it, Will Travel" (PDF). Television Digest. October 12, 1959. p. 14. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
- ^ Hyatt, Wesley (October 6, 2015). Short-Lived Television Series, 1948-1978: Thirty Years of More Than 1,000 Flops. McFarland. pp. 99–100. ISBN 978-1-4766-0515-9. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
- McNeil, Alex. Total Television (1996). New York: Penguin Books ISBN 0-14-024916-8