Tombstone Territory
Tombstone Territory is an American Western series starring Pat Conway and Richard Eastham. The series' first two seasons aired on ABC from 1957 to 1959. The first season was sponsored by Bristol-Myers (consumer products) and the second season by Lipton (tea/soup) and Philip Morris (Marlboro cigarettes). The third and final season aired in syndication from 1959 until 1960. The program was produced by Ziv Television.
| Tombstone Territory | |
|---|---|
 Pat Conway as Clay Hollister, 1958. | |
| Genre | Western |
| Starring | Pat Conway Richard Eastham |
| Narrated by | Richard Eastham |
| Theme music composer | William M. Backer |
| Opening theme | "Whistle Me Up a Memory" performed by Jimmy Blaine |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 91 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Frederick W. Ziv |
| Producers | Frank Pittman Andy White |
| Cinematography | Monroe P. Askins Curt Fetters Robert Hoffman |
| Editors | W. Duncan Mansfield Joseph Silver |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company | Ziv Television Programs |
| Distributor | MGM Television Sony Pictures Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC (1957-1959) Syndication (1959-1960) |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | October 16, 1957 – July 8, 1960 |
Series background
This program took place in the boom town of Tombstone, Arizona Territory, one of the Old West's most notorious towns and the site of the shootout known as the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Located south of Tucson, Tombstone was then known by the sobriquet "the town too tough to die." The program's theme song, "Whistle Me Up a Memory," was written by William M. Backer and performed by Jimmy Blaine.[1]
The series did not deal with real characters in the history of Tombstone in the 1880s, such as Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, or the Clanton Gang. It was about fictional characters in the American Southwest. The first episode opens, according to the Narrator, on August 4, 1881. Conway played Sheriff Clay Hollister. Eastham, the only other actor besides Conway to appear in all the episodes, played Harris Claibourne, editor of The Tombstone Epitaph (an actual newspaper that still exists in limited form). Eastham, originally a singer in opera and on Broadway, also narrated the series in a deep baritone voice,[2] describing each episode as an actual report from the newspaper's archives.
The Ziv TV series aired on Wednesdays on ABC in the 1957-1958 season opposite Robert Young's sitcom Father Knows Best, then broadcast on NBC. It was returned to the ABC schedule for 12 new episodes on March 13, 1959, followed by summer rebroadcasts. It replaced the first season of Charles Bronson's Man with a Camera on Friday evenings at the 9:00 Eastern time slot, preceding the popular detective series 77 Sunset Strip. After the network run, Tombstone Territory was placed in syndication and ran mostly outside prime time in selected markets until it ceased production. Conway and Eastham appeared in all 91 episodes.[2]
Veteran actor Gerald Mohr had portrayed Doc Holliday the previous year in a first season episode of the television series Maverick starring James Garner and titled "The Quick and the Dead," and Mohr reprised his colorfully sardonic performance as the legendary gunfighter in the first season Tombstone Territory episode titled "Doc Holliday in Durango," initially broadcast in 1958.
The ending credits indicate that "This series is produced with the full cooperation of Clayton A. Smith, Editor of the The Tombstone Epitaph and D'Estell Iszard, Historian".[3]
Cast
- Pat Conway as Sheriff Clay Hollister
- Richard Eastham as Harris Clayton Claibourne, editor
Recurring
- Robert Foulk appeared in 1957 and 1958 as Curly Bill Brocius in three episodes, "Gunslinger from Galeville", "Ride Out at Noon", and "Skeleton Canyon Massacre".
- Quintin Sondergaard was cast as Quint in 11 episodes of the two later seasons.
- Gilman Rankin starred as Deputy Charlie Riggs in seven episodes.
- Dennis Moore appeared as "Deputy" in five segments.
- Robert J. Wilke, John Doucette, and Warren Oates all appeared three times, as Burt Foster, Apache Chief Geronimo, and Bob Pickett, respectively, as well as occasional other roles.
Guest stars
Episode list
Season 1 (1957–58)
| Nº | Ep | Title | Director | Writer | Air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Gunslinger from Galeyville" | Eddie Davis | Story by : Frank Pittman and Andy White Teleplay by : Andy White | October 16, 1957 |
| 2 | 2 | "Reward for a Gunslinger" | Leon Benson | Stuart Jerome | October 23, 1957 |
| 3 | 3 | "Ride Out at Noon" | Leon Benson | Clark E. Reynolds and Martin Berkeley | October 30, 1957 |
| 4 | 4 | "Revenge Town" | Eddie Davis | Steve Fisher | November 6, 1957 |
| 5 | 5 | "A Bullet for an Editor" | Walter Doniger | Leo Gordon | November 13, 1957 |
| 6 | 6 | "Killer Without a Conscience" | Walter Doniger | William Tunberg | November 20, 1957 |
| 7 | 7 | "Guns of Silver" | Eddie Davis | Fred Freiberger | November 27, 1957 |
| 8 | 8 | "Desert Survival" | Eddie Davis | Gene Levitt | December 4, 1957 |
| 9 | 9 | "Apache Vendetta" | Walter Doniger | Andy White | December 11, 1957 |
| 10 | 10 | "Ambush at Gila Gulch" | Leon Benson | William Tunberg | December 18, 1957 |
| 11 | 11 | "Sermons and Six Guns" | Walter Doniger | Laurence Heath | December 25, 1957 |
| 12 | 12 | "The Youngest Gun" | Leon Benson | Harold Shumate | January 1, 1958 |
| 13 | 13 | "Shoot Out at Dark" | Eddie Davis | Martin Berkeley and Clark E. Reynolds | January 8, 1958 |
| 14 | 14 | "The Rebels' Last Charge" | Eddie Davis | Steve Fisher | January 15, 1958 |
| 15 | 15 | "Gun Fever" | Eddie Davis | Barney Slater | January 22, 1958 |
| 16 | 16 | "Mexican Bandito" | Ted Post | Paul Savage | January 29, 1958 |
| 17 | 17 | "Tong War" | Eddie Davis | Leo Gordon | February 5, 1958 |
| 18 | 18 | "Postmarked for Death" | Ted Post | Martin Berkeley and Clark E. Reynolds | February 12, 1958 |
| 19 | 19 | "Johnny Ringo's Last Ride" | Ted Post | Story by : Andy White Teleplay by : Sam Peckinpah | February 19, 1958 |
| 20 | 20 | "Outlaw's Bugle" | Walter Doniger | Laurence Heath | February 26, 1958 |
| 21 | 21 | "Geronimo" | Harold D. Schuster | Story by : Andy White Teleplay by : Leo Gordon | March 5, 1958 |
| 22 | 22 | "The Return of the Outlaw" | Walter Doniger | Barney Slater | March 12, 1958 |
| 23 | 23 | "Guilt of a Town" | Norman Foster | Story by : Frank Pittman and Andy White Teleplay by : Andy White | March 19, 1958 |
| 24 | 24 | "Cave-In" | Walter Doniger | Story by : Andy White Teleplay by : Gene Levitt | March 26, 1958 |
| 25 | 25 | "Skeleton Canyon Massacre" | Christian Nyby | Robert C. Bennett | April 2, 1958 |
| 26 | 26 | "Strange Vengeance" | Christian Nyby | Don Brinkley | April 9, 1958 |
| 27 | 27 | "The Tin Gunman" | Walter Doniger | Warren Douglas | April 16, 1958 |
| 28 | 28 | "The Outcasts" | Tom Gries | Tom Gries | April 23, 1958 |
| 29 | 29 | "Doc Holliday in Durango" | Richard L. Bare | Gene Levitt, Frank Pittman, and Andy White | April 30, 1958 |
| 30 | 30 | "Triangle of Death" | Henry S. Kesler | Paul Savage | May 7, 1958 |
| 31 | 31 | "Pick up the Gun" | Walter Doniger | Maurice Tombragel | May 14, 1958 |
| 32 | 32 | "The Assassin" | Tom Gries | Fred Friedberger | May 21, 1958 |
| 33 | 33 | "The Lady Gambler" | Walter Doniger | William Driskill | May 28, 1958 |
| 34 | 34 | "Fight for a Fugitive" | Paul Guilfoyle | Barney Slater | June 4, 1958 |
| 35 | 35 | "Legacy of Death" | Tom Gries | Milton S. Gelman | June 11, 1958 |
| 36 | 36 | "The Gatling Gun" | Richard L. Bare | David Lang | August 27, 1958 |
| 37 | 37 | "The Black Marshal from Deadwood" | Christian Nyby | James Edmiston | September 3, 1958 |
| 38 | 38 | "Thicker Than Water" | Walter Doniger | Leo Gordon | September 10, 1958 |
| 39 | 39 | "Rose of the Rio Bravo" | Walter Doniger | Andy White | September 17, 1958 |
Season 2 (1959)
| Nº | Ep | Title | Director | Writer | Air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 1 | "Whipsaw" | Richard L. Bare | Bret Hill | March 13, 1959 |
| 41 | 2 | "Marked for Murder" | William Conrad | Barney Slater | March 20, 1959 |
| 42 | 3 | "Payroll to Tombstone" | Richard L. Bare | D.D. Beauchamp | March 27, 1959 |
| 43 | 4 | "Day of the Amnesty" | Richard L. Bare | Don Ingalls | April 3, 1959 |
| 44 | 5 | "Trail's End" | Otto Lang | Martin Berkeley and Clarke Reynolds | April 10, 1959 |
| 45 | 6 | "The Black Diamond" | William Conrad | Melvin Levy | April 17, 1959 |
| 46 | 7 | "The Man from Brewster" | Richard L. Bare | Guy de Vry | April 24, 1959 |
| 47 | 8 | "Gun Hostage" | Eddie Davis | Jim Carling and Martin Mooney | May 1, 1959 |
| 48 | 9 | "Warrant for Death" | Richard L. Bare | Turnley Walker | May 8, 1959 |
| 49 | 10 | "Surrender at Sunglow" | Richard L. Bare | Harold Shumate | May 15, 1959 |
| 50 | 11 | "Grave Near Tombstone" | Lew Landers | John Elliotte | May 22, 1959 |
| 51 | 12 | "Death Is to Write About" | Otto Lang | Leo Gordon | May 29, 1959 |
Season 3 (1959–60)
| Nº | Ep | Title | Director | Writer | Air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52 | 1 | "Red Terror of Tombstone" | Eddie Davis | Andy White | October 9, 1959 |
| 53 | 2 | "The Gunfighter" | Eddie Davis | Guy de Vry | October 16, 1959 |
| 54 | 3 | "Stolen Loot" | Franklin Adreon | Stephen Kandel | October 23, 1959 |
| 55 | 4 | "The Writer" | Alan Crosland Jr. | John W. Krafft | October 30, 1959 |
| 56 | 5 | "Payroll Robbery" | Eddie Davis | William Tunberg | November 6, 1959 |
| 57 | 6 | "The Horse Thief" | Eddie Davis | Virginia M. Cooke | November 13, 1959 |
| 58 | 7 | "The Legend" | Otto Lang | Wells Root and Ron Bishop | November 20, 1959 |
| 59 | 8 | "Premature Obituary" | Eddie Davis | Paul Franklin | November 27, 1959 |
| 60 | 9 | "Dangerous Romance" | Otto Lang | Barney Slater | December 4, 1959 |
| 61 | 10 | "Self-Defense" | Franklin Adreon | Stuart Jerome | December 11, 1959 |
| 62 | 11 | "The Marked Horseshoe" | Herman Hoffman | Jim Carling and Martin Mooney | December 18, 1959 |
| 63 | 12 | "The Noose That Broke" | Alan Crosland Jr. | Stuart Jerome | December 25, 1959 |
| 64 | 13 | "Mine Disasters" | Franklin Adreon | S.H. Barnett and Fran van Hartesveldt | January 1, 1960 |
| 65 | 14 | "Eyewitness" | Franklin Adreon | Leo Gordon | January 8, 1960 |
| 66 | 15 | "The Capture" | Eddie Davis | Barney Slater | January 15, 1960 |
| 67 | 16 | "State's Witness" | Lew Landers | Teddi Sherman | January 22, 1960 |
| 68 | 17 | "The Target" | James Goldstone | Dave Clay | January 29, 1960 |
| 69 | 18 | "The Bride" | Otto Lang | Robert Turner | February 5, 1960 |
| 70 | 19 | "Female Killer" | James Goldstone | Leo Gordon | February 12, 1960 |
| 71 | 20 | "The Lady Lawyer" | Jack Herzberg | Teddi Sherman | February 19, 1960 |
| 72 | 21 | "Silver Killers" | William Conrad | Joe Richardson | February 26, 1960 |
| 73 | 22 | "Holcomb Brothers" | Otto Lang | Paul Franklin | March 4, 1960 |
| 74 | 23 | "Young Killer" | James Goldstone | S.H. Barnett and Fran van Hartesveldt | March 11, 1960 |
| 75 | 24 | "Coded Newspaper" | James Goldstone | S.H. Barnett, Marion Parsonnet, and Fran van Hartesveldt | March 18, 1960 |
| 76 | 25 | "Memory" | William Conrad | Robert Turner | March 25, 1960 |
| 77 | 26 | "Revenge" | Eddie Davis | Stuart Jerome | April 1, 1960 |
| 78 | 27 | "The Hostage" | Franklin Adreon | Vernon E. Clark | April 8, 1960 |
| 79 | 28 | "The Governor" | William Conrad | Ron Bishop and Wells Root | April 16, 1960 |
| 80 | 29 | "The Kidnapping" | Eddie Davis | Stuart Jerome | April 22, 1960 |
| 81 | 30 | "Girl from Philadelphia" | Herman Hoffman | Ron Bishop and Wells Root | April 29, 1960 |
| 82 | 31 | "The Fortune" | James Goldstone | Guy de Vry | May 6, 1960 |
| 83 | 32 | "The Innocent Man" | Alan Crosland Jr. | Guy de Vry | May 13, 1960 |
| 84 | 33 | "The Siesta Killer" | David Friedkin | Lee Berg | May 20, 1960 |
| 85 | 34 | "The Return of Kansas Joe" | Franklin Adreon | William Tunberg | May 27, 1960 |
| 86 | 35 | "Betrayal" | William Conrad | Guy de Vry | June 3, 1960 |
| 87 | 36 | "The Treaty" | Eddie Davis | Guy de Vry | June 10, 1960 |
| 88 | 37 | "The Outlaw" | James Goldstone | Mikhail Rykoff | June 17, 1960 |
| 89 | 38 | "The Injury" | Eddie Davis | Don Brinkley | June 24, 1960 |
| 90 | 39 | "Crime Epidemic" | Herman Hoffman | Melvin Levy | July 1, 1960 |
| 91 | 40 | "Juan Diega" | Franklin Adreon | Leo Gordon | July 8, 1960 |
Home media
On April 2, 2013, Timeless Media Group released season 1 on DVD in Region 1.[4]
As of late 2014,The complete series of all 91 episodes has been released on DVD.[5]
Syndication
In 2016, reruns of the show are aired daily on GETTV as a part of its daytime schedule.
Merchandising
The TV show was also adapted into a comic book by Dan Spiegle, distributed by Dell Comics.[6]
References
- "TV Westerns: Tombstone Territory". fiftiesweb.com. Retrieved February 1, 2009.
- Alex McNeil, Total Television, New York: Penguin Books, 1996, 4th ed., p. 849, ISBN 0-14-024916-8
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvTT22yyI7o&feature=youtube.com&t=1540
- "DVD Calendar Feature Articles - Metacritic". www.metacritic.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013.
- https://www.amazon.com/Tombstone-Territory-Complete-Episodes-Seasons/dp/B00HX8CJ5Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1416151681&sr=1-1&keywords=tombstone+territory&pebp=1416151691225
- "Dan Spiegle". lambiek.net.