| The Gray Ghost | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Western |
| Created by | Lindsley Parsons |
| Written by | Virgil Carrington Jones |
| Directed by | Hollingsworth Morse |
| Starring | Tod Andrews Phil Chambers Sherwood Price |
| Theme music composer | William Paul Dunlap |
| Opening theme | "The Gray Ghost" |
| Composer(s) | William Paul Dunlap |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 39 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Russell Hayden |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production company(s) | CBS Films Lindsley Parsons Picture Corporation |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Syndication |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original run | October 10, 1957 – July 9, 1958 |
The Gray Ghost is an American historical series which aired in syndication from October 10, 1957, to July 3, 1958. It depicts the true story of Major John Singleton Mosby, a Virginia officer in the Confederate Army, whose cunning and stealth earned him the nickname "Gray Ghost".
Contents |
The Gray Ghost stars Tod Andrews as Major Mosby, Phil Chambers as Sergeant Myles Magruder, and Sherwood Price in five episodes as General J.E.B. Stuart, also known for his cavalry skills. Recurring characters on the program were Donald Foster as Braddock, Jean Willes as Ansonia, Ralph Clanton as a general, Dick Jones as Ned Underwood, Otto Aldis as Mueller and John Banner as Major Heros von Borcke. [1]
Gray Ghost was cancelled after one season of thirty-nine half-hour episodes. High production costs may have made the program too expensive to continue.
The series was created by Lindsley Parsons Productions. The producer was Russell Hayden. William Paul Dunlap wrote the theme song. Virgil Carrington Jones, an expert on Mosby, was historical consultant for some episodes.
There are also two popular misconceptions about the series. The first is that it aired on the CBS network; it never did. The second is that the network and the sponsor did not wish to be affiliated with a show about Confederate soldiers. Syndicated shows, by definition, have no network sponsors. In New York City, The Gray Ghost ran not on WCBS (Channel 2) but on WPIX (Channel 11), an independent station. It ran Thursdays from 8:30-9:00 p.m. The series was distributed "in association with CBS Television film series." Such closing credits gave some the wrong impression that the program had aired on CBS.