The Rough Riders is an American Western television series set in the West after the American Civil War. It aired on ABC for the 1958-1959 television season. It was produced by Ziv Television.
Synopsis
The program is about three ex-soldiers, two at one time fighting for the Union side and one for the Confederate, who traveled together across the West, fighting trouble and bad guys. The series starred Kent Taylor as ex-Union Captain Jim Flagg, Jan Merlin as former Confederate Lieutenant Colin Kirby, and Peter Whitney as former Union Sergeant Buck Sinclair. Prior to his starring role in The Rough Riders, Kent Taylor previously starred in still another Ziv Television-produced series, Boston Blackie, which aired for two seasons in syndication from 1951–53.[1]
Guest stars
Among series guest stars were John Anderson, Lon Chaney Jr., James Coburn, Mike Connors, William Conrad, Russ Conway, Walter Coy, Mimi Gibson, Ed Hinton, Jack Hogan, DeForest Kelley, Douglas Kennedy, George Macready, Tyler McVey, Joyce Meadows, Leonard Nimoy, Broderick Crawford, Judson Pratt, Stuart Randall, Karen Sharpe, Dan Sheridan, Carol Thurston, Gary Vinson, Barbara Woodell and Larry Pennell.
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Murderous Sutton Gang" | Eddie Davis | Bret Hill | October 2, 1958 |
| 2 | "Breakout" | Unknown | Unknown | October 9, 1958 |
| 3 | "The Maccabites" | Unknown | Unknown | October 16, 1958 |
| 4 | "The Duelists" | Unknown | Unknown | October 23, 1958 |
| 5 | "The Imposters" | Unknown | Unknown | October 30, 1958 |
| 6 | "The Governor" | Monroe Askins | Frederic Louis Fox | November 6, 1958 |
| 7 | "Blood Feud" | David Friedkin | Bret Hill | November 13, 1958 |
| 8 | "The Nightbinders" | Unknown | Unknown | November 20, 1958 |
| 9 | "Shadow of the Past" | Unknown | Unknown | November 27, 1958 |
| 10 | "Killers at Chocktaw Valley" | Unknown | Unknown | December 4, 1958 |
| 11 | "The Counterfeiters" | Unknown | Unknown | December 11, 1958 |
| 12 | "Strand of Wire" | Unknown | Unknown | December 18, 1958 |
| 13 | "The Electioners" | Unknown | Unknown | January 1, 1959 |
| 14 | "The Scavengers" | Unknown | Unknown | January 8, 1959 |
| 15 | "An Eye for an Eye" | Otto Lang | Joe Stone & Paul King | January 15, 1959 |
| 16 | "Double Cross" | Unknown | Unknown | January 22, 1959 |
| 17 | "Wilderness Trace" | Unknown | Unknown | January 29, 1959 |
| 18 | "The Plot to Assassinate President Johnson" | Unknown | Unknown | February 5, 1959 |
| 19 | "The End of Nowhere" | Unknown | Unknown | February 12, 1959 |
| 20 | "A Matter of Instinct" | Unknown | Unknown | February 19, 1959 |
| 21 | "Witness Against the Judge" | Unknown | Unknown | February 26, 1959 |
| 22 | "End of Track" | Unknown | Unknown | March 5, 1959 |
| 23 | "Death Sentence" | Unknown | Unknown | March 12, 1959 |
| 24 | "The Double Dealers" | Unknown | Unknown | March 19, 1959 |
| 25 | "Lesson in Violence" | Unknown | Unknown | March 26, 1959 |
| 26 | "The Promise" | Unknown | Unknown | April 2, 1959 |
| 27 | "The Injured" | Robert Florey | Samuel A. Peeples | April 9, 1959 |
| 28 | "Paradise Gap" | Unknown | Unknown | April 16, 1959 |
| 29 | "Hired Gun" | Unknown | Unknown | April 23, 1959 |
| 30 | "Gunpoint Persuasion" | Unknown | Unknown | April 30, 1959 |
| 31 | "The Rifle" | Unknown | Unknown | May 7, 1959 |
| 32 | "Forty-Five Calibre Law" | Unknown | Unknown | May 14, 1959 |
| 33 | "Deadfall" | Unknown | Unknown | May 21, 1959 |
| 34 | "The Highgraders" | Unknown | Unknown | May 28, 1959 |
| 35 | "The Wagon Raiders" | Franklin Adreon | Samuel A. Peeples | June 4, 1959 |
| 36 | "Ransom of Rita Renee" | Otto Lang | Joe Stone & Paul King | June 11, 1959 |
| 37 | "Reluctant Hostage" | Unknown | Unknown | June 18, 1959 |
| 38 | "The Holdout" | Unknown | Unknown | June 25, 1959 |
| 39 | "The Last Rebel" | Walter Doniger | Samuel A. Peeples | July 16, 1959 |
Production
The Rough Riders produced thirty-nine episodes. Unlike several other more successful Ziv Television-produced shows, such as Bat Masterson, Highway Patrol, and Sea Hunt, The Rough Riders, as of 2019, has not had an official DVD release.[citation needed]
P. Lorillard Company was an alternate sponsor for the program.[2]
References
- ^ Boston Blackie - Cop Killer Season 1, Episode 2 on YouTube
- ^ "ABC's Half-Sale On 'Rough Riders'". Variety. April 2, 1958. p. 27. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
External links
