JOHNNY RINGO (1959) – Don Durant starred as the one and only Johnny Ringo, the real-life gunslinger. The fictional setting of this program takes place between Johnny’s original rise to fame during the Mason County War in Texas and his final years in Arizona as part of the Clanton-McLaury Crime Faction led by Curly Bill Brocius. Aaron Spelling was the producer.
Ringo is depicted being weary of his life as a gunfighter, so he tries to turn over a new leaf by becoming the Sheriff of the fictional town of Velardi in Arizona Territory. An odd gimmick of the Johnny Ringo television series was the fact that Johnny wielded a special seven-shot pistol designed by the real-life gunmaker Jean LeMat.
Other regular cast members were Mark Goddard as William Cully aka Kid Adonis, Ringo’s deputy; Karen Sharpe as Laura Thomas and Thomas Mitchell as Laura’s father Case Thomas, town drunk turned sheriff’s deputy. Johnny Ringo ran for one pilot episode followed by 38 regular season half-hour episodes. Star Don Durant wrote and sang the theme song.
THE EPISODES: Continue reading
STORIES OF THE CENTURY aka TALES OF THE WEST (1954-1955) starred future Jock Ewing Jim Davis as Railroad Detective Matt Clark. Part anthology series and part historical fiction, this series presented Clark crossing paths with assorted real-life outlaws of the Old West. During Season One (26 half-hour episodes) his female sidekick was Frankie Adams (Mary Castle). Season Two ran just 13 half-hour episodes and co-starred Kristine Miller as Matt’s sidekick Margaret “Jonesy” Jones. 
THE EPISODES: 
HARLEM DETECTIVE (1953-1954) – Black actors like THE William Marshall and William Hairston played police detectives in multiple episodes of this short-lived television series set in Harlem. They were partnered with the program’s major white detective, portrayed by Owen Jordan. Other black performers appeared in supporting roles each episode and several scripts were written by African American writer William Attaway (Above left). William’s sister Ruth appeared in the first episode of Harlem Detective. 
Before I delve into the few episodes that I was able to learn details about I’ll point out that William Marshall was forced off the series when he was accused of being a communist. Some online mentions claim the entire series was canceled because of that. 
CAVALCADE OF AMERICA (1952-1955) – This terrific 30-minute anthology series dramatized real-life events in U.S. history from the Revolutionary War onward. Sometimes fictional works appropriate for the series would be presented as well. Even if you don’t want to watch the show you can just pick out historical names below and look them up online.
POOR RICHARD – Benjamin Franklin and John Adams surreptitiously delay pretended negotiations with General William Howe for an American surrender just to help buy time for General George Washington’s withdrawal from New York. Starring Dabbs Greer, Alan Napier and Henry Brandon. 
THE NOTEBOOK WARRIOR (Sep 14th, 1954) – Ben Gazzara stars as a talented violinist who is drafted into the army and has difficulty adapting to the rigid lifestyle. Richard Kiley also stars. 
DADDY DEAREST (1993) – As usual for Father’s Day and Mother’s Day Balladeer’s Blog takes a look at obscure movies or television shows that fit the occasion. For this Father’s Day it’s Daddy Dearest, a largely forgotten sitcom that starred RICHARD LEWIS and DON RICKLES, a very bizarre pairing. 
EPISODE SEVEN: JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, DIPLOMAT (Mar 2nd, 1976) – From 1809 t0 1814 John Quincy Adams (David Birney) serves as U.S. Minister to Russia. Showing much more tact than his father, John Quincy charms Tsar Alexander (CHRISTOPHER LLOYD in his television debut!) and manages fairly favorable treatment of the United States by Russia during the Napoleonic Wars. 
THE ADAMS CHRONICLES (1976) – This mini-series of 13 50-minute episodes looked at historical giant John Adams and his descendants from the American Revolution up to the 1890s. Michael Tolan narrated 8 episodes. 
EPISODE ONE: JOHN ADAMS, LAWYER (Jan 20th, 1976) – As a young man, John Adams (George Grizzard) suffers setbacks in his career as a lawyer, so he returns to the farm his father left him. His fiery cousin Samuel Adams (W.B. Brydon) tells him he made a mistake and should go back to practicing law. John meets Abigail Smith (Kathryn Walker), daughter of a Reverend (Addison Powell). He marries her and as they raise their children he returns to his career as an attorney. 
THE LIVES OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN (1974-1975) – This was a series of four 90-minute (with commercials) dramas depicting America’s magnificently unorthodox genius at various stages of his life. Eddie Albert and Melvyn Douglas (husband of Helen Gahagan Douglas) depicted Franklin in his 70s and 80s, with flashback storylines in each episode. The Lives of Benjamin Franklin won five Primetime Emmys including Outstanding Limited Series. 
P.O.W. (Oct 27th, 1953) – David Davidson wrote and Alex Segal directed this tale of the tortuous brainwashing techniques that the Communist Chinese and their North Korean allies inflicted on Prisoners of War during the Korean War. In a way the 1950s Manchurian Candidate film trivialized the ordeals that service members were subjected to so that the reality seems to have faded into the background, replaced by pop culture melodrama. 
