With Frontierado fast approaching (August 7th this year) here’s another seasonal post from Balladeer’s Blog.
TWENTY-SIX MEN (1957-1959) – This television series ran for two seasons and 78 half-hour episodes. It dramatized the early years of the Arizona Rangers, who were established on March 21st, 1901, and for years consisted of just 26 men. Stories were based on the Arizona Rangers case files.
The program was unique in that it dealt with this law enforcement group instead of the more famous Texas Rangers. Additional novelty came from the turn of the century setting, since most other westerns of the time were set firmly in the 1800s. B-Movie icon Tris Coffin starred as Captain Tom Rynning with Kelo Henderson (lower right) as show heart-throb Ranger Clint Travis.
STANDOUT EPISODES:
THE RECRUIT – In this 1st episode of the series, Captain Rynning and Clint Travis receive an emergency telegram from a newspaper editor in Wilcox, Arizona. They ride there, but find the editor has been lynched, so they set about investigating what happened. With Don Haggerty as Big Red Monahan.
TROUBLE AT PINNACLE PEAK – Our main characters lead several Arizona Rangers in pursuit of a ruthless gang of outlaws. A Native American Scout helps in tracking them.
BORDER INCIDENT – Ranger Travis goes undercover as a gunrunner to shut down weapons smugglers who are fomenting violence on both sides of America’s border with Mexico. Continue reading
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