The Monroes (1966 TV series)
The Monroes is a Western television series which originally aired on ABC during the 1966–67 season. The series centered on five orphans trying to survive as a family on the frontier in the area around what is now Grand Teton National Park near Jackson, Wyoming. Their parents die in an accident in the first episode and they try to carry on without them.
| The Monroes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | Milt Rosen |
| Starring | Michael Anderson Jr. Barbara Hershey Keith Schultz Kevin Schultz Tammy Locke |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production companies | Qualis Productions 20th Century-Fox Television |
| Distributor | 20th Century-Fox Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Picture format | Colorvideo of the 1966 montos western |
| Original release | September 7, 1966 – March 15, 1967 |
Production
The series was produced by Qualis in association with 20th Century Fox Television.[1] Filming took place on location in Jackson Hole, Wyoming[1] as well as Century City, California.
Cast
Starring
- Michael Anderson Jr. as eldest brother, Clay Monroe[1]
- Barbara Hershey as eldest sister, Kathy Monroe[1]
- Keith Schultz as Jefferson "Big Twin" Monroe[1]
- Kevin Schultz as Fenimore "Little Twin" Monroe[1]
- Tammy Locke as youngest sibling, Amy Monroe[1]
Recurring
- Ron Soble as Dirty Jim (19 episodes)[1]
- Liam Sullivan as Major Mapoy (17 episodes)[1]
- Ben Johnson as Sleeve (14 episodes)[1]
- James Westmoreland as Ruel Jaxon (12 episodes)[1]
- Robert Middleton as Barney Wales (6 episodes)
- Buck Taylor as John "Brad" Bradford (4 episodes)
- James Brolin as Dalton Wales (4 episodes)
- Dub Taylor as Cyrus (2 episodes)
Reception
The Monroes premiered at 8 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, September 7, 1966.[1] Though it benefited from the lead-in of ABC’s popular Batman series, The Monroes faced stiff competition against the last hour of NBC’s The Virginian and CBS’s second half of Lost in Space and The Beverly Hillbillies.[2] The series was unable to develop sufficient audience to remain on the air, and its concluding episode aired on March 15, 1967.[3] Although not a ratings success, Michael Anderson, Jr. and Barbara Hershey both won American Heritage Awards for their work on the series.
Home media
The Monroes was first released on DVD by Shout! Factory on September 6, 2016. The DVD set includes all 26 original episodes from the series' single broadcast season. The product was initially released exclusively in Walmart stores, but was later made widely available.
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Intruders" | Bernard L. Kowalski | Otis Carney | September 7, 1966 | 6031 |
| 2 | "Night of the Wolf" | Tom Gries | Harold Gast | September 14, 1966 | 8102 |
| 3 | "Ride with Terror" | Earl Belamy | Penrod Smith | September 21, 1966 | 8106 |
| 4 | "Forest Devil" | James B. Clark | Carey Wilber | September 28, 1966 | 8105 |
| 5 | "Wild Dog of the Tetons" | James B. Clark | Donald S. Sanford | October 5, 1966 | 8108 |
| 6 | "Incident at the Hanging Tree" | Larry Peerce | Halsted Welles | October 12, 1966 | 8112 |
| 7 | "Ordeal by Hope" | James B. Clark | Harold Gast | October 19, 1966 | 8111 |
| 8 | "The Hunter" | Tom Gries | Anthony Lawrence | October 26, 1966 | 8104 |
| 9 | "War Arrow" | Robert Totten | Donald S. Sanford | November 2, 1966 | 8107 |
| 10 | "The Friendly Enemy" | Carey Wilber | James B. Clark | November 9, 1966 | 8114 |
| 11 | "Court Martial" | John Dunkel | Robert L. Friend | November 16, 1966 | 8115 |
| 12 | "Silent Night, Deadly Night" | Norman Foster | Mary Worrell | November 23, 1966 | 8117 |
| 13 | "Lost in the Wilderness" | Ray Kellogg | Antony Ellis | November 30, 1966 | 8109 |
| 14 | "Gold Fever" | James B. Clark | Jack Turley | December 14, 1966 | 8103 |
| 15 | "Range War" | Larry Peerce | Antony Ellis | December 21, 1966 | 8113 |
| 16 | "Pawnee Warrior" | Harmon Jones | Jim Leighton | December 28, 1966 | 8116 |
| 17 | "Mark of Death" | James B. Clark | Story by : Calvin Clements, Jr. Teleplay by : Halsted Welles | January 4, 1967 | 8111 |
| 18 | "To Break a Colt" | Norman Foster | Thomas Thompson | January 11, 1967 | 8118 |
| 19 | "Race for a Rainbow" | Norman Foster | John Furia, Jr. | January 18, 1967 | 8119 |
| 20 | "Gun Bound" | William Wiard | Arthur Dales | January 25, 1967 | 8120 |
| 21 | "Killer Cougar" | R.G. Springsteen | Louis Pelletier | February 1, 1967 | 8121 |
| 22 | "Wild Bull" | William Tunberg | Robert Douglas | February 15, 1967 | 8122 |
| 23 | "Trapped" | Norman Foster | John Elton & Laura Earl | February 22, 1967 | 8123 |
| 24 | "Manhunt" | Robert Douglas | Arthur Dales | March 1, 1967 | 8124 |
| 25 | "Teach the Tigers to Purr" | Norman Foster | Barbara Chain | March 8, 1967 | 8125 |
| 26 | "The Ghosts of Paradox" | William Wiard | Otis Carney | March 15, 1967 | 8126 |
References
- "On Location with 'Monroes'". Times Daily. August 14, 1966.
- 1966-1967 United States network schedule
- The Monroes (1966) (a Titles and Air Dates Guide)
