More Early Television Westerns Quiz

Answer: Hopalong Cassidy

Boyd had the wisdom and the foresight to purchase the 'B' westerns he made. In a media starved for programming in the early days of television, his old westerns became a fascination. Thus, he became quite wealthy with residuals.

Answer: Tyrone Power

"Death Valley Days" was a radio icon from 1930 to 1945. In 1952 it was revived as a syndicated television half-hour program in 1952 and endured until 1975. Stanley Andrews was the original host. Reagan quit to enter politics, Taylor became ill. Country singer Merle Haggard was the voice-over narrator. Gene Autry was the producer.

Answer: The Cisco Kid

"The Caballero Way" by O'Henry portrayed a non-Hispanic man with a reputation for deception and murder. Through 28 movies, 600 radio dramas, and 158 television episodes, he became a dashing Mexican hero. Duncan Renaldo starred as Cisco and Leo Carrillo as his sidekick Pancho. Warner Baxter won an Oscar in 1928 for his turn as Cisco in the 1928 film "In Old Arizona".

The TV series was the first to be filmed in color although no one saw it in color until the 1960s.

Answer: Jim Davis

Although this series ran only a year (1954-1955) with 39 episodes, it was the first western to win an Emmy. Jim Davis played a railroad detective. His assistant was played by Mary Castle, the first woman to star in a TV western, considered a break-through role.

Answer: Edgar Buchanan

Despite the lack of success accorded the Judge Roy Bean TV series, Buchanan was a much sought after character actor who had parts in over a hundred films. His TV appearances were also numerous including TV sitcoms "Petticoat Junction", "Green Acres", "Beverly Hillbillies", and "Leave It To Beaver". Bean was an eccentric judge of the west but the TV series and film were highly fictionalized.

Answer: Henry Fonda

As Fred MacMurray had done in "My Three Sons", episodes were filmed around Fonda's schedule. He would be seen at the beginning and end with Deputy Clay McCord (Allen Case) carrying the action. Fonda was seen as a primary actor in only six of the seventy-five episodes. Fonda won an Oscar late in his life for "On Golden Pond" (1982).

Answer: Audie Murphy

First, co-star Guy Mitchell broke his shoulder which delayed shooting so long that Murphy ran into scheduling problems due to his film commitments. Actor Sam Buffington, a key player, committed suicide. There were time slot issues as it ran against the powerful Danny Thomas Show. To top everything off, Congress began an investigation of the show as it deemed it 'too violent'. Murphy played a police detective in Denver. Guest stars such Robert Redford, Richard Chamberlain, Clu Gulagar, Forrest Tucker, and Alan Hale could not save the show.

The show was based on a movie a few years earlier starring Alan Ladd.

Answer: Inexperienced cowboy or tenderfoot

Will Hutchins played "Sugarfoot" in 69 episodes from 1957 to 1961. He was a correspondence school 'lawyer' who was naive about western ways, avoided guns but used them when he had to. Jack Elam was his co-star.

Answer: The Lone Ranger

Moore so loved the character he played that, in essence, he became the Lone Ranger so much so, that he tried to pattern his life in the Lone Ranger's creed. The show lasted for 221 episodes from 1949 to 1957. John Hart played the Ranger during 1952-53 season due to contract dispute Moore had with the producers. Jay Silverheels played Tonto for the entire run.

Answer: Bat Masterson

The 'real' Bat Masterson in his younger days was a buffalo hunter, army scout, gambler, and sometimes sheriff or marshall. Returning to the east coast he became the sports editor for the New York Telegram. Gene Barry played Masterson as an eastern dandy with fancy clothes and a walking stick who looked for female companionship and adventure in the old west. The real Masterson died at his desk at the New York Telegram of a heart attack at 67.