Colt .45 (TV series)

Last updated

Colt .45
Colt .45 Wayde Preston 1959.jpg
Wayde Preston as Christopher Colt, 1959
Also known asThe Colt Cousins
Genre Western
Created by
Developed by Roy Huggins
Starring
Theme music composer
Opening themePerformed by Hal Hopper
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes67
Production
Executive producer William T. Orr
Producers
Gordon Bau (make-up)
EditorJames Moore
Running time24-25 minutes
Production company Warner Bros. Television
Original release
Network ABC
ReleaseOctober 18, 1957 (1957-10-18) 
September 27, 1960 (1960-09-27)
Related

Colt .45 (also known as The Colt Cousins) is an American Western television series, originally starring Wayde Preston, which aired on ABC between October 1957 and September 1960. [1]

Contents

The half-hour program is loosely based on the 1950 Warner Bros. film of the same name, starring Randolph Scott. Colt .45 was part of the William T. Orr-produced array of Westerns which Warner produced for ABC in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Overview

Roy Huggins developed the series with Wayde Preston in the part of undercover government agent Christopher Colt, who takes the cover of a traveling Old West pistol salesman, hence the title of the series. Colt .45 also featured fictionalizations of actual historical characters, including Edwin Booth (brother of John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln), Sam Bass, Billy the Kid, Lew Wallace, Judge Roy Bean, Buffalo Bill Cody, Ned Buntline, and Calamity Jane.

Donald May as Sam Colt, Jr., in 1959 Donald May Colt 45 1960.jpg
Donald May as Sam Colt, Jr., in 1959

During this period, Colt .45 was one of several ABC/WB Western productions, along with Cheyenne , Sugarfoot , Lawman , Maverick , and Bronco . Various series leads occasionally did crossover episodes on some of the other WB programs. One of the most imaginative was the "Hadley's Hunters" episode of Maverick, in which Bart Maverick (Jack Kelly) comes upon Christopher Colt's sales satchel, abandoned in a room and covered with dust, as the series had been cancelled the previous season.

In 1958, series star Wayde Preston left the series because he claimed he was made to do stunts that required a stunt man. Preston was also reportedly unhappy with the show's low budget, which caused other problems. Because of Preston's departure, producers were forced to air repeats of the series along with a few new episodes to complete the 1958–1959 season. [1]

In 1959, Donald May assumed the lead role as Sam Colt, Jr., the cousin of Christopher Colt. [2] After leaving the series, Warner Bros. prevented Preston from obtaining other acting jobs. He eventually returned briefly to the series, but was demoted to a co-starring role with May. [3] Due to the casting changes, the series was eventually marketed in the United Kingdom as The Colt Cousins.

Guest stars

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 26October 18, 1957 (1957-10-18)April 11, 1958 (1958-04-11)
2 13April 5, 1959 (1959-04-05)June 28, 1959 (1959-06-28)
3 28October 4, 1959 (1959-10-04)June 21, 1960 (1960-06-21)

Episodes

Season 1: 1957–1958

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"Judgment Day"
"The Peacemaker"
Douglas Heyes S: Roy Huggins;
T: Marion Hargrove
October 18, 1957 (1957-10-18)
22"A Time to Die"Douglas Heyes Leo Gordon October 25, 1957 (1957-10-25)
33"The Three Thousand Dollar Bullet" Franklin Adreon Eric Freiwald,
Robert Schaefer
November 1, 1957 (1957-11-01)
44"Gallows at Granite Gap"Franklin AdreonS: Joseph Chadwick;
T: William F. Leicester
November 8, 1957 (1957-11-08)
55"Small Man" Edward Bernds Frederick BradyNovember 15, 1957 (1957-11-15)
66"Final Payment"Franklin Adreon Wells Root November 22, 1957 (1957-11-22)
77"One Good Turn"Edward Bernds John McGreevey November 29, 1957 (1957-11-29)
88"Last Chance"Edward BerndsS: Harold Shumate;
T: Gil Doud
December 6, 1957 (1957-12-06)
99"Young Gun" Walter Grauman T: Daniel B. Ullman;
S/T: William Driskill,
Joel Rapp
December 13, 1957 (1957-12-13)
1010"Rebellion"Walter GraumanS: Anthony Coldeway;
T: James Gunn
December 20, 1957 (1957-12-20)
1111"The Gypsies"Alan Crosland Jr.S: Wesley Haynes;
T: Frederick Brady
December 27, 1957 (1957-12-27)
1212"Sign in the Sand"Alan Crosland Jr.Frederick BradyJanuary 3, 1958 (1958-01-03)
1313"The Mirage" Montgomery Pittman Montgomery PittmanJanuary 10, 1958 (1958-01-10)
1414"Blood Money" Abner Biberman David LangJanuary 17, 1958 (1958-01-17)
1515"Dead Reckoning"Abner BibermanJack HarveyJanuary 24, 1958 (1958-01-24)
1616"Decoy" Leslie H. Martinson S: Albert Aley,
William MacLeod Raine;
T: James Edmiston
January 31, 1958 (1958-01-31)
1717"Rare Specimen"Leslie H. Martinson Gene Levitt,
Eugene Manlove Rhodes
February 7, 1958 (1958-02-07)
1818"Mantrap"UnknownMontgomery PittmanFebruary 14, 1958 (1958-02-14)
1919"Ghost Town" Lee Sholem S: Nelson Nye;
T: James Gunn
February 21, 1958 (1958-02-21)
2020"The Golden Gun" Richard L. Bare Frederick BradyFebruary 28, 1958 (1958-02-28)
2121"Circle of Fear"Leslie H. MartinsonS: Ben Markson;
T: Howard Browne
March 7, 1958 (1958-03-07)
2222"Split Second"Leslie H. MartinsonS: Orville H. Hampton;
T: William F. Leicester
March 14, 1958 (1958-03-14)
2323"Point of Honor"
"Woman on the Stagecoach"
William J. Hole Jr. Steve Fisher March 21, 1958 (1958-03-21)
2424"The Deserters"Leslie H. MartinsonS: Norman Daniels;
T: Tony Barrett,
Frederick Brady
March 28, 1958 (1958-03-28)
2525"The Manbuster" Oliver Drake S: Richard Wormser;
T: Oliver Drake
April 4, 1958 (1958-04-04)
2626"Long Odds"Franklin AdreonS: Joseph Hoffman;
T: David Lang
April 11, 1958 (1958-04-11)

Season 2: 1959

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
271"The Escape"Lee SholemT: Irwin Winehouse,
A. Sanford Wolfe
April 5, 1959 (1959-04-05)
282"Dead Aim"Lee SholemS: Sid Harris;
T: Wells Root
April 12, 1959 (1959-04-12)
293"The Magic Box" George Waggner Irwin Winehouse,
A. Sanford Wolfe
April 19, 1959 (1959-04-19)
304"The Confession"Harold DanielsDwight V. BabcockApril 26, 1959 (1959-04-26)
315"The Man Who Loved Lincoln" Arthur Ripley S: James Barnett,
Jack Emanuel;
T: Leonard Lee
May 3, 1959 (1959-05-03)
326"The Sanctuary" Jodie Copelan S: Jack Emanuel;
T: Frank Gruber,
Dean Riesner
May 10, 1959 (1959-05-10)
337"The Saga of Sam Bass"William J. Hole Jr.T: Irwin Winehouse,
A. Sanford Wolfe
May 17, 1959 (1959-05-17)
348"Amnesty"William J. Hole Jr.S: James Barnett,
Jack Emanuel;
T: Irwin Winehouse,
A. Sanford Wolfe
May 24, 1959 (1959-05-24)
359"The Pirate"Montgomery PittmanS: Day Keene;
T: Finlay McDermid
May 31, 1959 (1959-05-31)
3610"Law West of the Pecos"Alan Crosland Jr. John Tucker Battle June 7, 1959 (1959-06-07)
3711"Don't Tell Joe"UnknownS: Peter Dixon;
T: Maurice Zimm
June 14, 1959 (1959-06-14)
3812"Return to El Paso"Lee SholemT: Irwin Winehouse,
A. Sanford Wolfe
June 21, 1959 (1959-06-21)
3913"Night of Decision"Leslie H. MartinsonIrwin Winehouse,
A. Sanford Wolfe
June 28, 1959 (1959-06-28)

Season 3: 1959–1960

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
401"Queen of Dixie" Herbert L. Strock Irwin Winehouse,
A. Sanford Wolfe
October 4, 1959 (1959-10-04)
412"The Reckoning"UnknownCarl OnspaughOctober 11, 1959 (1959-10-11)
423"The Devil's Godson"Herbert L. StrockS: James Barnett,
Jack Emanuel;
T: Malcolm Stuart Boylan
October 18, 1959 (1959-10-18)
434"The Rival Gun"UnknownS: Mack David;
T: Malcolm Stuart Boylan
October 25, 1959 (1959-10-25)
445"The Hothead" Paul Guilfoyle S: Mack David;
T: Milton Raison,
Dean Riesner
November 1, 1959 (1959-11-01)
456"A Legend of Buffalo Bill"Emory HorgerS: James Barnett,
Jack Emanuel;
T: William Driskill
November 8, 1959 (1959-11-08)
467"Yellow Terror"Herbert L. StrockIrwin Winehouse,
A. Sanford Wolfe
November 15, 1959 (1959-11-15)
478"Tar and Feathers"Emory HorgerIrwin Winehouse,
A. Sanford Wolfe
November 22, 1959 (1959-11-22)
489"Alias Mr. Howard"Herbert L. StrockT: A. Sanford WolfeDecember 6, 1959 (1959-12-06)
4910"Calamity"Paul GuilfoyleDwight NewtonDecember 13, 1959 (1959-12-13)
5011"Under False Pretenses"UnknownS: Elmer Kelton;
T: Dwight Newton
January 10, 1960 (1960-01-10)
5112"Impasse" Paul Landres Lee Loeb,
Rudy Makoul
January 31, 1960 (1960-01-31)
5213"Arizona Anderson"George WaggnerMack David,
Lee Loeb
February 14, 1960 (1960-02-14)
5314"The Cause" H. Bruce Humberstone Irwin Winehouse,
A. Sanford Wolfe
February 28, 1960 (1960-02-28)
5415"Phantom Trail" Lew Landers S: James Barnett,
Mack David;
T: Nat Tanchuck
March 13, 1960 (1960-03-13)
5516"Breakthrough"UnknownKenneth GametMarch 27, 1960 (1960-03-27)
5617"Chain of Command"Lew LandersS: Roy Huggins;
T: Howard Browne,
Dean Riesner
April 5, 1960 (1960-04-05)
5718"Alibi"Lew LandersS: Edmund Morris;
T: W. Hermanos
April 12, 1960 (1960-04-12)
5819"Absent Without Leave"UnknownS: Hugh Benson;
T: William F. Leicester
April 19, 1960 (1960-04-19)
5920"Strange Encounter"Herbert L. StrockS: Irving Rubine;
T: W. Hermanos,
William F. Leicester
April 26, 1960 (1960-04-26)
6021"Trial by Rope"Herbert L. StrockW. Hermanos,
William F. Leicester
May 3, 1960 (1960-05-03)
6122"The Gandy Dancers"UnknownT: David Lang,
Edmund Morris
May 10, 1960 (1960-05-10)
6223"Martial Law"William J. Hole Jr.T: W. Hermanos,
Clair Huffaker
May 17, 1960 (1960-05-17)
6324"Attack"William J. Hole Jr.T: W. Hermanos,
Dean Riesner
May 24, 1960 (1960-05-24)
6425"Bounty List"Lee SholemT: W. Hermanos,
Finlay McDermid
May 31, 1960 (1960-05-31)
6526"Appointment in Agoura"Lee SholemT: W. Hermanos,
Edmund Morris;
S/T: William F. Leicester
June 7, 1960 (1960-06-07)
6627"Showdown at Goldtown"Lee SholemS: Kenneth Perkins;
T: W. Hermanos,
William F. Leicester
June 14, 1960 (1960-06-14)
6728"The Trespasser"Lee SholemT: Clair HuffakerJune 21, 1960 (1960-06-21)

Reception and cancellation

Publicity still with 1959 Warner Bros. series leads Will Hutchins (Sugarfoot), Peter Brown (Lawman), Jack Kelly (Maverick), Ty Hardin (Bronco), James Garner (Maverick), Wayde Preston (Colt .45), and John Russell (Lawman). Warner Brothers television westerns stars 1959.JPG
Publicity still with 1959 Warner Bros. series leads Will Hutchins ( Sugarfoot ), Peter Brown ( Lawman ), Jack Kelly ( Maverick ), Ty Hardin ( Bronco ), James Garner ( Maverick ), Wayde Preston (Colt .45), and John Russell ( Lawman ).

Upon its debut in October 1957, Colt .45 was a respectable ratings draw for ABC. It helped ABC win its timeslot against NBC and CBS. [4]

By season two, however, behind the scenes problems caused a dip in viewership. After series star Wayde Preston left the series due to his dissatisfaction with working conditions, producers were forced to repeat episodes to fill out the second season. There were also problems with the show's sponsorship which changed repeatedly. According to author Alvin H. Marill, the choice to cast Donald May in the lead role after Preston's departure was not explained in the storyline. [5] Wayde Preston eventually returned to the series but by then, ratings had dropped off and ABC canceled the series in 1960. The final episode aired on 27 September 1960.

Production notes

Theme song

The Colt .45 opening theme music was composed by Hal Hopper with lyrics by Douglas Heyes.

Merchandising

The TV show was adapted into a comic strip by Dan Spiegle, distributed by Dell Comics. [6]

Release notes

In January 2024, the Warner Archive announced that the complete series would be released in a Blu-ray set on March 12, 2024. It was released on March 12, 2024.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<i>Maverick</i> (TV series) American TV series (1957–1962)

Maverick is an American Western television series with comedic overtones created by Roy Huggins and originally starring James Garner as an adroitly articulate poker player plying his trade on riverboats and in saloons while traveling incessantly through the 19th-century American frontier. The show ran for five seasons from September 22, 1957, to July 8, 1962 on ABC.

<i>Bronco</i> (TV series) Western TV series

Bronco is a Western television series on ABC from 1958 through 1962. It was shown by the BBC in the United Kingdom. The program starred Ty Hardin as Bronco Layne, a former Confederate officer who wandered the Old West, meeting such well-known individuals as Wild Bill Hickok, Billy the Kid, Jesse James, Theodore Roosevelt, Belle Starr, Cole Younger, and John Wesley Hardin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorothy Provine</span> American singer, dancer, actress and comedienne

Dorothy Michelle Provine was an American singer, dancer and actress. Born in 1935 in Deadwood, South Dakota, she grew up in Seattle, Washington, and was hired in 1958 by Warner Bros., after which she first starred in The Bonnie Parker Story and played many roles in TV series. During the 1960s, Provine starred in series such as The Alaskans and The Roaring Twenties, and her major film roles included It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), Good Neighbor Sam (1964), The Great Race (1965). That Darn Cat! (1965), Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die (1966), Who's Minding the Mint? (1967), and Never a Dull Moment (1968). In 1968, Provine married the film and television director Robert Day and mostly retired. She died of emphysema on April 25, 2010, in Bremerton, Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Picerni</span> American actor

Horacio Paul Picerni was an American actor in film and television, perhaps best known today in the role of Federal Agent Lee Hobson, second-in-command to Robert Stack's Eliot Ness, in the ABC hit television series, The Untouchables.

<i>Sugarfoot</i> American Western TV series

Sugarfoot is an American Western television series that aired for 69 episodes on ABC from 1957-1961 on Tuesday nights on a "shared" slot basis – rotating with Cheyenne ; Cheyenne and Bronco ; and Bronco. The Warner Bros. production stars Will Hutchins as Tom Brewster, an Easterner who comes to the Oklahoma Territory to become a lawyer. Brewster was a correspondence-school student whose apparent lack of cowboy skills earned him the nickname "Sugarfoot", a designation even below that of a tenderfoot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Colbert</span> American actor (b. 1931)

Robert Louis Colbert is an American actor best known for his leading role as Dr. Doug Phillips on the ABC television series The Time Tunnel and his two appearances as Brent Maverick, a third Maverick brother in the ABC/Warner Brothers western Maverick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Duggan</span> American actor (1923–1988)

Andrew Duggan was an American character actor. His work includes 185 screen credits between 1949 and 1987 for roles in both film and television, as well a number more on stage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wayde Preston</span> American actor

Wayde Preston was an American actor cast from 1957 to 1960 in the lead role in 67 episodes of the ABC/Warner Bros. Western television series, Colt .45.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ray Teal</span> American actor (1902–1976)

Ray Elgin Teal was an American actor. His most famous role was as Sheriff Roy Coffee on the television series Bonanza (1959–1972), which was only one of dozens of sheriffs on television and in movies that he played during his long and prolific career stretching from 1937 to 1970. He appeared in pictures such as Western Jamboree (1938) with Gene Autry, The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) with Fredric March and Myrna Loy, The Black Arrow (1948), Billy Wilder's Ace in the Hole (1951) and Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) with Spencer Tracy and Burt Lancaster.

Robert McQueeney was an American actor, best known for television roles during the 1950s and 1960s. During and after his acting career, he also worked as a golf pro and instructor.

<i>The Alaskans</i> Television series (1959–1960)

The Alaskans is a 1959–1960 ABC/Warner Bros. Western television series set during the late 1890s in the port of Skagway, Alaska. The show features Roger Moore as "Silky Harris" and Jeff York as "Reno McKee", a pair of adventurers intent on swindling travelers bound for the Yukon Territories during the height of the Klondike Gold Rush. Their plans are inevitably complicated by the presence of singer "Rocky Shaw", "an entertainer with a taste for the finer things in life".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Brown (actor)</span> American actor (1935-2016)

Pierre Lynn de Lappe, also known as Peter Brown, was an American actor. He portrayed Deputy Johnny McKay opposite John Russell as Marshal Dan Troop in the 1958 to 1962 ABC-Warner Brothers western television series Lawman and Texas Ranger Chad Cooper on NBC's Laredo from 1965 to 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dick Foran</span> American actor (1910–1979)

John Nicholas "Dick" Foran was an American actor and singer, known for his performances in Western musicals and for playing supporting roles in dramatic pictures. He appeared in dozens of movies of every type during his lengthy career, often with top stars leading the cast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tol Avery</span> American actor (1915–1973)

Taliaferro Ware "Tol" Avery was an American film and television character actor who appeared in more than 100 separate works between 1950 and 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Dark</span> American actor (1920–1971)

Christopher Dark was an American actor. He graduated from Cornell University and did post graduate work at Columbia University. He served as an army medic in the Philippines during WWII, and received honors. He began his career in theater in NY, and then moved to Hollywood in 1952. He was a member of the Foreign Film Committee for SAG for most of his career. As well as acting, he also wrote many scripts, including collaborations with Ida Lupino and Christopher Cary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhodes Reason</span> American actor (1930–2014)

Rhodes Reason was an American actor who appeared in more than 200 roles in television, film, and stage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald May</span> American actor (1929–2022)

Donald Adam May was an American actor who was known for his roles in Colt .45 (1957–1960) and The Edge of Night.

<i>The Legend of Jesse James</i> (TV series) American western television series (1965-66)

The Legend of Jesse James is an American Western television series starring Christopher Jones in the title role of notorious outlaw Jesse James. Produced by Don Siegel, it aired on ABC from September 13, 1965, to May 9, 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Vinson</span> American actor (1936–84)

Robert Gary Vinson was an American actor who appeared in significant roles in three television series of the 1960s: The Roaring 20s, McHale's Navy, and Pistols 'n' Petticoats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Sheridan</span> American actor

Daniel Marvin Sheridan was an Irish-American actor who appeared in more than thirty-five television series between 1957 and his death at the age of forty-six in 1963. He was cast in forty-one episodes of the ABC/Warner Brothers western series, Lawman, usually as the bartender, Jake Summers.

References

  1. 1 2 Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (17 October 2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present (9 ed.). Ballantine Books. p. 273. ISBN   978-0-345-49773-4.
  2. Abbott, Doug; Jackson, Ronald (2009). 50 Years of the Television Western: A Pictorial History. AuthorHouse. p. 80. ISBN   978-1-434-35925-4.
  3. Moore, Barbara A.; Bensman, Marvin R.; Van Dyke, Jim (2006). Prime-Time Television: A Concise History. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 146. ISBN   0-275-98142-8.
  4. "Sunset Trailblazer in All-Out Race to Grab Adult Western Pull". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 28 October 1957. p. 2. ISSN   0006-2510.
  5. Marill, Alvin H. (2011). Television Westerns: Six Decades of Sagebrush Sheriffs, Scalawags, and Sidewinders. Scarecrow Press. p. 46. ISBN   978-0-810-88132-7.
  6. "Dan Spiegle".