Riders in the Sky (TV series)

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Riders in the Sky
Riders91TitleCard.PNG
Genre Western children's comedy
Based onCharacters created by Riders in the Sky
Written byGeorge McGrath
Directed byGary Halvorson
Starring Riders in the Sky (band)
Narrated byGeorge McGrath
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
ProducersChris Plourde, George McGrath, Alan Sacks
Production location CBS Studio Center
EditorRobert S. Douglas
Original release
Network CBS
ReleaseSeptember 14 (1991-09-14) –
December 7, 1991 (1991-12-07)

Riders in the Sky is an American live-action/animated children's television series starring western/comedy band Riders in the Sky. It aired on CBS in 1991.

Contents

Cast

Puppeteers

Production

Development

Riders in the Sky was originally pitched as a sitcom in which the Riders moved from a frontier town in the American west to Hollywood, California, with most of the humor of the series coming from the trio being "fish out of water". The idea was unappealing to television executives due to the premise sounding too similar to that of The Beverly Hillbillies , and the show was passed on. Later, producer Alan Sacks developed the idea of a children's show starring the Riders and pitched it to CBS executives, who after seeing the Riders perform, were immediately interested.

Writing and filming

CBS assigned George McGrath to write the series, although Sacks would later say, "that was a big mistake, we should have had the Riders writing." [1] The series began taping on July 17 and wrapped up on September 14, 1991, the same day it premiered.

Crew

Tie-in album

A few weeks before the series premiered, Riders in the Sky released Harmony Ranch, their second children's album and their first on the Columbia Records label. The album features characters from the show on the cover and takes its name from the Riders' home in the series.

Episodes

  1. Saddle Pals (September 14, 1991)
  2. Harmony Ranch (September 21, 1991)
  3. Horsenapped (September 28, 1991)
  4. Save the Buffalo (October 5, 1991)
  5. Cook Out (October 12, 1991)
  6. Sourdough's Surprise (October 19, 1991)
  7. Muley's Revenge (October 26, 1991)
  8. Trail Weevils (November 2, 1991)
  9. Fool's Gold (November 9, 1991)
  10. Bad Brothers (November 16, 1991)
  11. Curse of the Mine (November 23, 1991)
  12. The Contraption (November 30, 1991)
  13. Mail Order Brides (December 7, 1991)

Home video releases

The series has never been officially released on any home media, either physical or digital, due to rights issues. This was revealed while answering a question for the "Youth Wants To Know" article on the Riders in the Sky website, with "Ranger Doug" Green stating that "far too many people have a little piece of that series to make a video viable". [3]

Awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riders in the Sky (band)</span> American Western music and comedy group

Riders in the Sky is an American Western music and comedy group which began performing in 1977. The band has released more than 40 full length albums, starred in a single-season self-titled television series on CBS, wrote and starred in an NPR syndicated radio drama Riders Radio Theater, and appeared in television series and films including as featured contributors to Ken Burns' Country Music. Their family-friendly style also appeals to children, exemplified in their recordings for Disney and Pixar. They have won two Grammy Awards and have written and performed music for major motion pictures, including "Woody's Roundup" from Toy Story 2 and Pixar's short film, For the Birds. The band also recorded full length companion albums for Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc.

<i>Horse Opera</i> (album) 1990 studio album by Riders in the Sky

Horse Opera was the 13th album of the Western swing trio Riders in the Sky, released in 1990 by MCA Records.

<i>Harmony Ranch</i> 1991 studio album by Riders in the Sky

Harmony Ranch is a studio recording released by the Western band Riders in the Sky in 1991. It is a tie-in album to the Riders' 1991 CBS children's show.

<i>Merry Christmas from Harmony Ranch</i> 1992 studio album by Riders in the Sky

Merry Christmas from Harmony Ranch is a studio recording released by the Western band Riders in the Sky in 1992. It is available as a single CD.

<i>Cowboys in Love</i> 1994 studio album by Riders in the Sky

Cowboys in Love is a studio recording released by the Western band Riders in the Sky, released in 1994. It was their only release on the Epic label.

<i>A Great Big Western Howdy!</i> 1998 studio album by Riders in the Sky

A Great Big Western Howdy! is a studio recording released by the Western band Riders in the Sky in 1998. It is available as a single CD.

<i>Christmas the Cowboy Way</i> 1999 studio album by Riders in the Sky

Christmas the Cowboy Way is a studio recording released by the Western band Riders in the Sky on October 5, 1999. It is available as a single CD.

<i>Woodys Roundup: A Rootin Tootin Collection of Woodys Favorite Songs</i> 2000 studio album by Riders in the Sky

Woody's Roundup: A Rootin' Tootin' Collection of Woody's Favorite Songs is a studio recording released by the Western band Riders in the Sky on August 29, 2000. It was released on Compact Disc.

<i>A Pair of Kings</i> (album) 2002 studio album by Riders in the Sky

A Pair of Kings is a studio recording released by the Western band Riders in the Sky on February 19, 2002. It is available as a single CD.

<i>Monsters, Inc. Scream Factory Favorites</i> 2002 compilation album by Riders in the Sky

Monsters, Inc. Scream Factory Favorites is a studio recording released by the Western band Riders in the Sky on August 27, 2002 on a single CD. The album is produced by Joey Miskulin. It features covers of the songs from the Disney/Pixar film Monsters, Inc., as well as original material. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Album for Children at the Grammy Awards of 2003, making it the second such award for the band itself.

<i>Riders in the Sky Present: Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier</i> 2004 studio album by Riders in the Sky

Riders In The Sky Present: Davy Crockett, King Of The Wild Frontier is a studio recording released by the Western band Riders in the Sky on August 3, 2004. It is available as a single CD.

<i>Ridin the Tweetsie Railroad</i> 2002 studio album by Riders in the Sky

Ridin' the Tweetsie Railroad is a studio recording released by the Western band Riders in the Sky in 2002. Created with the cooperation of the Tweetsie Railroad theme park in Blowing Rock, North Carolina the album is a mixture of standard train songs (such as "I've Been Working On The Railroad" and "Casey Jones", and new compositions by the band exclusive to this album, including "Tweetsie Railroad Line", "Ghost Train" and "Tweetsie Junction".

<i>Riders in the Sky Live from the Golden Age of Riders Radio Theater</i> 2006 live album by Riders in the Sky

Live from the Golden Age of Riders Radio Theater is a compilation album by the Western band Riders in the Sky in 2006. The album is a collection of songs featured on the Riders' weekly radio show: Riders Radio Theater. It is available as a single CD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas B. Green</span> Musical artist

Douglas Bruce Green, better known by his stage name Ranger Doug, is an American musician, arranger, award-winning Western music songwriter, and Grand Ole Opry member best known for his work with Western music and the group Riders in the Sky in which he plays guitar and sings lead and baritone vocals. He is also an exceptionally accomplished yodeler. With the Riders, he is billed as "Ranger Doug — The Idol of American Youth" and "Governor of the Great State of Rhythm". He is also a member of The Time Jumpers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred LaBour</span> American singer-songwriter

Frederick Owen LaBour, better known by his stage name Too Slim, is a Grammy award-winning American musician, best known for his work with the Western swing musical and comedy group Riders in the Sky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Rice (actor)</span> American actor (1892–1936)

Frank Rice was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1912 and 1936. He was born in Muskegon, Michigan, and died in Los Angeles, California of hepatitis. Rice was educated in Portland, Oregon.

<i>Silver Jubilee</i> (Riders in the Sky album) 2003 compilation album by Riders in the Sky

Silver Jubilee is a compilation recording released by the Western band Riders in the Sky in 2003.

<i>Riders in the Sky "Lassoed Live" at the Schermerhorn with the Nashville Symphony</i> 2009 live album by Riders in the Sky

Riders in the Sky "Lassoed Live" at the Schermerhorn with the Nashville Symphony is a 2009 live album, the highlights of a 3-night concert series recorded by Riders in the Sky in conjunction with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra.

Riders Radio Theater was an ongoing radio show performed live by the Western band Riders in the Sky. The series was initially recorded in at the Johnson Theater at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, with WPLN-FM as the presenting station, but moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. These half-hour radio shows can be heard on Tuesdays at 11am (EST) on WMKV 89.3 FM, out of the Cincinnati, Ohio area and on Wednesday Nights at 7:00 PM (CST) on KPMI 1300 AM, out of the Bemidji, Minnesota area. It has recently been picked up by Bluegrass Country Radio on Tuesdays midnight to 1:00am and Fridays 9 until 10:00pm. page It can also be heard on the official Riders In The Sky iTunes page and SoundCloud for free at any time.

<i>Tumbleweed Theater</i> American TV series or program

Tumbleweed Theater is an American anthology television series starring western/comedy band Riders in the Sky which ran from 1983 to 1988. The premise of the show was each week, the Riders would present a B-Western/Singing Cowboy movie from the 1930s and 40s and perform songs and sketches between the film.

References

  1. ↑ It's the Cowboy Way!: The Amazing True Adventures of Riders in the Sky. University Press of Kentucky. January 1, 2003. ISBN   081312882X.
  2. ↑ The Puppet Studio
  3. ↑ "Youth Wants To Know". February 17, 2005. Archived from the original on February 17, 2005. Retrieved March 27, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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