| Boots and Saddles | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Western |
| Created by | Robert A. Cinader |
| Written by | Don Brinkley Robert A. Cinader John Hawkins Gene Roddenberry |
| Directed by | William J. Hole, Jr. Bernard L. Kowalski |
| Starring | Jack Pickard Patrick McVey Gardner McKay |
| Theme music composer | Fred Steiner |
| Composer(s) | Fred Steiner |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 38 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | George Cahan Robert Stillman |
| Editor(s) | Irving Berlin[1] |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production company(s) | California National Productions |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Syndication |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original run | September 19, 1957 – May 29, 1958 |
Boots and Saddles is an American Western television series created by Robert A. Cinader which aired in syndication from 1957 to 1958.
Contents |
Set at the 19th century Fort Lowell, fictionalized in appearance, in the former Arizona Territory, near Tucson, Arizona, the series stars Jack Pickard as Captain Shank Adams, Patrick McVey as Lieutenant Colonel Wesley Hayes, and Gardner McKay as Lieutenant Dan Kelly.[2] Other roles were filled by David Willock as Lieutenant Binning, John Alderson as Sergeant Bullock, and Mike Hinn as scout Luke Cummings.
McKay later starred in the ABC series, Adventures in Paradise.
In the first episode entitled "The Gatling Gun", a visiting general who is unaware of desert fighting techniques challenges Hayes' command. In the second episode, an arms trader named Jackson, played by Ned Glass, sells repeating rifles at high prices to Indians. Captain Adams forces Jackson to ride patrol to see the danger of his transactions.[2]
In "The Obsession", an officer blocks a young recruit’s attempts to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York on the grounds that the soldier (played by Wright King) cannot perform under battle conditions. In "Private War", the fort is split between lingering Confederate and Union Army sympathizers.[2]
In “The Prussian Farmer”, written by Gene Roddenberry, who nearly a decade later created Start Trek, a former Prussian cavalry officer named Franz Mueller (played by Herbert Rudley) helps the recruits repel an Apache attack. In "The Paymaster" calm at the fort dissipates after four months of pay arrives. Character actor Claude Akins guest stars. In the episode "Terror at Fort Lowell", scouts face danger tracking Apache raids. In "The Deserter" a trooper named Grimes (played by Paul Picerni) leaves his patrol in the desert without horses. In "A Quiet Day at Fort Lowell", Captain Adams helps a soldier deal with his feelings of guilt resulting from an act of cowardice.
In "The Treasure", an American Civil War bandit wills his contraband to the U.S. government, but his daughter, Laurie (played by Rebecca Welles), comes forward to contest her father’s will. Another episode "The Trooper’s Wife" features a domineering woman coming to the fort to reclaim her husband, played by character actor Strother Martin. DeForest Kelley, a Star Trek alumnus, appears as "Merriwether", a champion fighter from the Seventh Cavalry, in the episode "The Marquis of Donnybrook". In "The Duel", Lieutenant Kelly is challenged to a duel by an Apache chief, lance vs. saber.
Joe Conley, later storekeeper Ike Godsey on CBS' sThe Waltons, appears as Private Spanner in the episode "The Superstition", the story of a supposedly jinxed officer. A scout flees the fort fearful of Spanner’s "evil spirits". In "Weight of Command", diphtheria strikes. In "The Decision" the soldiers give food to hungry Paiute Indians in violation of military rules and face discipline for their "good deed". In the series finale, "The Captain’s Leave", Adams encounters a couple, with the wife pregnant, trying to cross the desert without sufficient supplies.
The series aired for one season, and was produced by California National Productions.[2]