| Sheriff of Cochise, renamed U.S. Marshal | |
|---|---|
| Format | Western-themed crime drama |
| Created by | Mort Briskin |
| Starring | John Bromfield Stan Jones |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 58 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Syndication |
| Picture format | Black and white (1956-1958) |
| Original run | September 14, 1956 – January 17, 1958 |
Sheriff of Cochise (1956–1958), renamed U.S. Marshal (1958–1960), is a 58-episode syndicated western-themed crime drama set in Arizona and starring John Bromfield (1922–2005) as law enforcement officer Frank Morgan. In the first two seasons, Morgan was sheriff of Cochise County. In the third season, Desilu Studios boss Desi Arnaz, Sr., retitled the series so that Morgan would work all over Arizona as a U.S. Marshal and be involved in a greater number of cases. The first season episodes were also released under the alternative title of Man from Cochise.[1]
Stan Jones (1914–1963), author of the classic western song "Ghost Riders in the Sky", created the series and played Bromfield's top deputy, Harry Olson, in twenty-four episodes of the program.[2] In the first season, Frank Ferguson of the My Friend Flicka series appeared twice as Henry Murdock; Roy Engel (1913–1980), John Doucette (1921–1994), James Griffith (1916–1993), and Forrest Lewis (1899–1977) also appeared as deputies.[3]
Selected episodes and guest stars include:
"The Check Artist", the series premiere, with Ross Martin, "The Turkey Farmers" (Peter Breck and David Janssen), "The Great Train Robbery" (Barbara Stuart), "Human Bomb" (Michael Landon), "Question of Honor" (Simon Oakland), "Fire on Chiricahua Mountains" (Lee Van Cleef), "The Red-Haired Visitor" (Myron Healey), "Closed for Repairs" (Jack Albertson), "Helldorado" (Robert Horton), "The Lost Mine" (John Dehner), "Grandfather Grandson" (Paul Richards and Dan Blocker as a bartender), "The Kidnapper" (Roger Smith and Gloria Winters), "Lynching Party" (James Best, Gloria Talbott, and Malcolm Atterbury), "Massacre 1883" (Roy Roberts and Dennis Cross), "Bandit Chief" (Kenneth Tobey), and "Statute of Limitations" (Carl Betz).[3]
Continued: "Federal Witness" (Dean Fredericks and Chris Alcaide) "The Fugitives" (Chris Alcaide), "Shoot to Kill" (Walter Coy), "The Promise" (Ron Hagerthy), "The Relatives" (Peter Whitney), "Vapor Lock" (Whit Bissell), "Revenge" (Whitney Blake, Dabbs Greer, and Francis De Sales), "I Am an American" (Johnny Crawford as Manuel), "Husband and Wife" (Mike Connors), "Copper Wire" (Darryl Hickman), "Hold Up" (Anthony George), "The Fence" (Russ Conway, "Apache Kid" (Charles Bronson in title role), and "Manhunt" (Claude Akins and Tyler McVey).[3]
The series was filmed about Bisbee, the seat of Cochise County in the southeastern corner of Arizona.[3]