| Brave Eagle | |
|---|---|
| Starring |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | September 28, 1955 – March 14, 1956 |
Brave Eagle is a 26-episode half-hour Western television series which aired on CBS from September 28, 1955, to March 14, 1956, with rebroadcasts continuing until June 6. [1]
Keith Larsen, who was of Norwegian descent,[ citation needed ] starred as Brave Eagle, a peaceful young Cheyenne chief. Larsen was one-fourth Cheyenne on his mother's side. [2]
The program was unconventional in that it reflects the Native American viewpoint in the settlement of the American West and was the first series to feature an American Indian character as a lead character. [3] [4]
Larsen's co-stars were Kim Winona (1930–1978), a Santee Sioux Indian, as Morning Star, Brave Eagle's romantic interest; Anthony Numkena (born 1942) of Arizona, a Hopi Indian then using the stage name Keena Nomkeena, appeared as Keena, the adopted son of Brave Eagle; Pat Hogan (1920–1966) as Black Cloud, and Bert Wheeler (1895–1968) of the comedy team Wheeler & Woolsey, as the halfbreed Smokey Joe, full of tribal tall tales but accompanying wisdom. [5]
The episodes center upon routine activities among the Cheyenne, clashes with other tribes, attempts to prevent war, encroachment from white settlers, racial prejudice, and a threat of smallpox.
| No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Blood Brother" | Paul Landres | Mona Fisher, Jack Jacobs, and Malvin Wald | September 28, 1955 |
| 2 | "Cry of the Heron" | Paul Landres | Mona Fisher | October 5, 1955 |
| 3 | "The Treachery of At-Ta-Tu" | Paul Landres | Dwight V. Babcock | October 12, 1955 |
| 4 | "Gold of Haunted Mountain" | Paul Landres | Wells Root | October 19, 1955 |
| 5 | "Search For The Sun" | Paul Landres | Mona Fisher | October 26, 1955 |
| 6 | "Moonfire" | Paul Landres | Mona Fisher | November 2, 1955 |
| 7 | "Mask Of The Manitou" | Paul Landres | William Copeland | November 9, 1955 |
| 8 | "The Flight" | Paul Landres | Jack Laird | November 16, 1955 |
| 9 | "Code Of A Chief" | Paul Landres | Lawrence L. Goldman | November 23, 1955 |
| 10 | "Face Of Fear" | Unknown | Unknown | November 30, 1955 |
| 11 | "Voice Of The Serpent" | Paul Landres | Mona Fisher | December 7, 1955 |
| 12 | "Shield Of Honor" | Paul Landres | Mona Fisher | December 14, 1955 |
| 13 | "The Challenge" | Paul Landres | Jack Jacobs and Malvin Wald | December 21, 1955 |
| 14 | "Medicine Drums" | Paul Landres | William Copeland | December 28, 1955 |
| 15 | "The Spirit of Hidden Valley" | Unknown | Unknown | January 4, 1956 |
| 16 | "Papoose" | Paul Landres | Wells Root | January 11, 1956 |
| 17 | "The Storm Fool" | Paul Landres | Mona Fisher | January 18, 1956 |
| 18 | "The Gentle Warrior" | Paul Landres | Unknown | January 25, 1956 |
| 19 | "The Strange Animal" | Paul Landres | William Copeland | February 1, 1956 |
| 20 | "White Medicine Man" | Paul Landres | Dwight V. Babcock | February 8, 1956 |
| 21 | "Death Trap" | Unknown | Unknown | February 15, 1956 |
| 22 | "War Paint" | Paul Landres | Wells Root | February 22, 1956 |
| 23 | "Valley Of Decision" | George Blair | William Copeland | February 29, 1956 |
| 24 | "Witch Bear" | Paul Landres | William Copeland | March 7, 1956 |
| 25 | "Trouble at Medicine Creek" | Paul Landres | Lawrence L. Goldman | March 14, 1956 |
| 26 | "Ambush at Arrow Pass[ citation needed ]" | Unknown | Unknown | March 21, 1956 |
Though Brave Eagle was produced by NBC, it aired on CBS at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday preceding Arthur Godfrey and His Friends . Since the 1980s, several episodes have been released on videotape. [4] Brave Eagle was filmed by Roy Rogers Productions on Rogers' 130-acre (0.53 km2) ranch in Chatsworth in Los Angeles, California, as well as the Corriganville Ranch in Simi Valley. [3] Jack Lacey was the producer; George Blair and Paul Landres were the directors. [6] Sam Bear, a full Chippewa, was the technical adviser. [2]
Brave Eagle's principal competition was ABC's Disneyland , the Walt Disney anthology series. [7] It was replaced by Cartoon Theatre. [8]
James Devane, writing in The Cincinnati Enquirer , found Brave Eagle to be "downright dull", so much so that he nearly went to sleep "before many minutes had passed" trying to review two episodes. [9] Devane expressed appreciation for the program's efforts to portray Indians in a better light than other programs had done, but he wrote that the result was portraying them as "bores who talked too much and did too little". [9]
Dell Comics released a Brave Eagle comic book series based on the TV show. It was published between 1956 and 1958 and drawn by Dan Spiegle. [10]