The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok

The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok is an American Western television series that ran for eight seasons from April 15, 1951, through September 24, 1958. The Screen Gems series began in syndication,[1] but ran on CBS from June 5, 1955,[2] through 1958, and, at the same time, on ABC from 1957 through 1958.[3] The Kellogg's cereal company was the show's national sponsor.[1] The series was also exported to Australia during the late 1950s.

The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok
Andy Devine as Jingles
GenreWestern
Directed by
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons8
No. of episodes113 (list of episodes)
Production
ProducerWilliam F. Broidy
Cinematography
  • Henry Freulich
  • John J. Martin
  • William A. Sickner
Editors
Running time25 mins.
Production companiesNewhall Productions, William F. Broidy Productions
Release
Original network
Original releaseApril 15, 1951 (1951-04-15) –
September 24, 1958 (1958-09-24)

Synopsis

The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok starred Guy Madison as the legendary Old West lawman (in real life, also a gunfighter) United States Marshal James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok, and Andy Devine as his comedy sidekick, Jingles P. Jones. The series was set in the 1870s, with Hickok and Jones based at Fort Larabee.[4]

Production

The series was produced by William F. Broidy Productions. It consisted of 113 episodes, the last 13 of which were made in color.[5] In 1957 Screen Gems bought the Broidy company's assets, which included 100 Hickok episodes on film.[6] Tommy Carr was the director. Kellogg's cereals sponsored it.[5]

Episodes
Main article: List of The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
113April 14, 1951 (1951-04-14)July 8, 1951 (1951-07-08)
213October 14, 1951 (1951-10-14)January 6, 1952 (1952-01-06)
322January 27, 1952 (1952-01-27)June 30, 1952 (1952-06-30)
413September 13, 1953 (1953-09-13)December 6, 1953 (1953-12-06)
513November 21, 1954 (1954-11-21)February 13, 1955 (1955-02-13)
613September 4, 1955 (1955-09-04)November 27, 1955 (1955-11-27)
713September 2, 1956 (1956-09-02)November 25, 1956 (1956-11-25)
813February 19, 1958 (1958-02-19)May 16, 1958 (1958-05-16)

Other media

Devine and Madison portrayed their roles on Mutual radio from April 1, 1951, to 1956.[7]

During the 1950s, several episodes of the television show were spliced together and released as 16 feature films by Allied Artists.[5]

TitleDirectorCastYear
The Ghost of Crossbones CanyonFrank McDonaldRussell Simpson, Gordon Jones, John Doucette1952
Behind Southern LinesThomas CarrRand Brooks, Jonathan Hale1952
Trail of the ArrowThomas CarrMonte Blue, Terry Frost, Raymond Hatton1952
The Yellow Haired KidFrank McDonaldWilliam Edward Phipps, David Bruce, Marcia Mae Jones1952
Border City RustlersFrank McDonaldGloria Talbott, Isabel Randolph, George J. Lewis1953
Secret of Outlaw FlatsWesley Barry, Frank McDonaldKristine Miller, John Crawford, Richard Avonde1953
Six Gun DecisionFrank McDonaldGloria Saunders, David Sharpe, Lyle Talbot1953
Two Gun MarshalFrank McDonaldMichael Vallon, Pamela Duncan, Francis McDonald1953
Marshals In DisguiseFrank McDonaldAnthony Sydes, John Eldredge, Guy Beach1954
Outlaw's SonFrank McDonaldSally Fraser, Robert Hyatt, Fred Kelsey1954
Trouble on the TrailFrank McDonaldMartha Hyer, Robert Blake, Byron Foulger1954
The Two Gun TeacherFrank McDonaldCarole Mathews, Ann Carroll, Rory Mallinson1954
The Matchmaking MarshalFrank McDonaldBobby Jordan, Anna Lee Carroll, Forrest Taylor1955
Phantom TrailsWesley Barry, Frank McDonaldByron Foulger, Robert Filmer, Harry Harvey Jr.1955
Timber Country TroubleFrank McDonaldFrances Charles, Henry Blair, Harry Lauter1955
The Titled TenderfootFrank McDonaldJeanne Cagney, Marshall Reed, Clayton Moore1955

Guest stars
  • Mike Ragan appeared in three episodes, as Gus in "The Tax Collecting Story", as Collier in "Mexican Rustlers Story" (both 1951), and Malone in "The Doctor's Story" (1953).
  • Carole Mathews appeared twice, first as Miss Jennings in "The Slocum Family" (1951) and then as Anne Hardy in "Blacksmith Story" (1952).
  • Ewing Mitchell, as Mr. Harker in "Chain of Events" (1953)
  • Gloria Saunders, as Sally Jones in "Boulder City Election" (1951)
  • William Tannen, as Rand in "The Doctor's Story" (1953) and as Tom Maples in "The Maverick" (1954)

Award nominations
Year Award Result Category
1955Emmy AwardNominatedBest Western or Adventure Series

References
  1. "Breakfast cereal mascots: Beloved and bizarre". CBS News. 7 April 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  2. Hawes, William (December 26, 2001). Filmed Television Drama, 1952-1958. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-1132-0. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  3. Woolery, George W. (1985). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981, Part II: Live, Film, and Tape Series. The Scarecrow Press. pp. 34–37. ISBN 0-8108-1651-2.
  4. Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. pp. 1177–1178. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  5. Erickson, Hal (1989). Syndicated Television: The First Forty Years, 1947-1987'. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 101–102. ISBN 0-7864-1198-8.
  6. "SG Purchases Broidy Assets". The Billboard. April 13, 1957. p. 28. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  7. Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
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