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Revision as of 10:41, 20 January 2023
| Tales of Wells Fargo | |
|---|---|
 Dale Robertson as James "Jim" Whitcomb Hardie, 1958 | |
| Genre | Western |
| Created by | James Brooks Frank Gruber Gene Reynolds |
| Directed by | Earl Bellamy William F. Claxton Lewis R. Foster Jerry Hopper Leslie H. Martinson Gene Reynolds Sidney Salkow R. G. Springsteen George Waggner William Witney |
| Starring | Dale Robertson William Demarest Virginia Christine Jack Ging |
| Theme music composer | Mort Greene Harry Warren Stanley Wilson |
| Composers | Paul Dunlap Michael Greene Melvyn Lenard Morton Stevens Harry Sukman John Williams |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 201 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producers | Nat Holt Earle Lyon |
| Running time | 30 minutes (1957–1961) 60 minutes (1961–1962) |
| Production companies | Overland Productions Revue Studios |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | March 18, 1957 – June 2, 1962 |
Tales of Wells Fargo is an American Western television series starring Dale Robertson that ran from 1957 to 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until its final season, when it expanded to an hour and switched from black-and-white to color.[1][2]
Synopsis
Set in the 1870s and 1880s, the series starred Oklahoma native Dale Robertson as Wells Fargo special agent Jim Hardie, noted at the time as "the left-handed gun". The character was fictional, but the series' development was influenced by the biography of Wells Fargo detective Fred J. Dodge. Agent Hardie was shown working cases in many areas of the Old West, occasionally interacting with legendary outlaws such as Jesse James and Belle Starr, as well as with other American historical figures. Hardie's own history was rarely discussed, but one episode gave a detailed backstory, portraying him as a Louisiana-born drifter who almost became an outlaw before finding his true mission in life.[citation needed]
In the final season, when episodes were longer, Hardie was given a base of operations, in a town called Gloribee, and four regular supporting characters were added. Hardie usually rode a chestnut gelding with a white blaze on his face and four white stockings. The horse actually belonged to Dale Robertson, and was named "Jubilee". In at least one episode, Jubilee came when Hardie whistled and called his name.[citation needed]
Cast
Lead
- Dale Robertson as Jim Hardie, Wells Fargo agent
Recurring
- Jack Ging as Beau McCloud
- William Demarest as Jeb Gaine (1961–1962)
- Virginia Christine as Ovie (1961–1962)
- Lory Patrick as Tina (1961–1962)
- Mary Jayne Saunders as Mary G. (1961-1962)
Notable guest stars
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | Rank | Average viewership (in millions) | Run Time | Color | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||||||
| 1 | 14 | March 18, 1957 | July 8, 1957 | 3 | 14.8[5] | 30 min | black & white | |
| 2 | 38 | September 9, 1957 | May 26, 1958 | 7 | 13.3[6] | 30 min | black & white | |
| 3 | 39 | September 8, 1958 | June 15, 1959 | Not in top 30 | N/A | 30 min | black & white | |
| 4 | 37 | September 7, 1959 | May 30, 1960 | Not in top 30 | N/A | 30 min | black & white | |
| 5 | 39 | September 5, 1960 | July 10, 1961 | Not in top 30 | N/A | 30 min | black & white | |
| 6 | 34 | September 30, 1961 | June 2, 1962 | Not in top 30 | N/A | 60 min | color | |
Release
Broadcast
The pilot for Tales of Wells Fargo originally premiered as an episode of the anthology series Schlitz Playhouse of Stars.
In the 1960–61 season, Wells Fargo was scheduled opposite ABC's detective series Surfside 6 and CBS's new sitcom Bringing Up Buddy, starring Frank Aletter. Wells Fargo and Surfside 6 survived another year, but Bringing Up Buddy was cancelled. Wells Fargo was the lead-in that year to a new NBC Western, Klondike starring Ralph Taeger and James Coburn, but that series, set in the Klondike Gold Rush town of Skagway, Alaska, survived only 17 episodes.
Home media
Timeless Media Group released the first two seasons on DVD in Region 1.[7]
| DVD name | Ep # | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| The Complete First and Second Seasons | 52 | October 25, 2011 |
Ratings
For its first two years, the series was in the top 10 of the Nielsen Ratings. During the 1957–58 season, it was ranked number three,[8] and during the 1958–59 season, it was ranked number seven.[9]
Merchandise
The television series also spawned a number of publications for young readers, including the hardcover book Danger at Dry Creek (Golden Press, 1959), and a series of Dell Comics and Little Golden Books. One of the artists who created this comic-book adaptation was Russ Heath.[10]
References
- ^ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present. New York: Ballantine Books. p. 1003. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
- ^ McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present. New York: Penguin Books. p. 901. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
- ^ Lentz, Harris (1996). Western and Frontier Film and Television Credits 1903-1995: Section I. Actors and actresses. Section II. Directors, producers, and writers. McFarland. p. 56 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Tales of Wells Fargo: The Branding Iron". Video Detective.
- ^ "TV Ratings: 1957-1958". ClassicTVguide.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
- ^ "TV Ratings: 1958-1959". ClassicTVguide.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
- ^ Lambert, David (September 9, 2011). "Tales of Wells Fargo – 'The Complete 1st and 2nd Seasons' 6-DVD Tin". TV Shows On DVD. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
- ^ "TV Ratings: 1957–1958". classictvhits.com.
- ^ "TV Ratings: 1958–1959". classictvhits.com.
- ^ "Russ Heath". lambiek.net.
External links
- 1950s Western (genre) television series
- 1957 American television series debuts
- 1960s Western (genre) television series
- 1962 American television series endings
- Television series set in the 1870s
- Television series set in the 1880s
- Black-and-white American television shows
- NBC original programming
- Television series by Universal Television
- Television shows adapted into comics
- Wells Fargo