Tales of the Texas Rangers

Tales of the Texas Rangers, a western adventure old-time radio drama, premiered on July 8, 1950, on the US NBC radio network and remained on the air through September 14, 1952. Movie star Joel McCrea starred as Texas Ranger Jayce Pearson, who used the latest scientific techniques to identify the criminals and his faithful horse, Charcoal (or "Charky," as Jayce would sometimes refer to him), to track them down. The shows were reenactments of actual Texas Ranger cases.

The series was produced and directed by Stacy Keach, Sr., and was sponsored for part of its run by Wheaties.

Captain Manuel T. "Lone Wolf" Gonzaullas, a Ranger for 30 years and who was said to have killed 31 men during his career, served as consultant for the series.

The series was adapted for television from 1955 to 1957 and produced by Screen Gems. For the TV version, Willard Parker took over the role of Jace Pearson. On radio, Pearson often worked by request with a local sheriff's office or police department but on the TV show, he had a regular partner, Ranger Clay Morgan (who had been an occasional character on the radio show), played by Harry Lauter. During the opening and closing credits of the TV show, the actors would march toward the camera and an off-screen men's chorus sing the theme song, "These Are Tales of Texas Rangers", to the tune of "The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You", which is also the tune of "I've Been Working on the Railroad". The radio series used contemporary cases and modern detective methods to solve crimes; it was a procedural drama, in many ways Dragnet with a Western flavor. The TV show was aimed at children (and aired on Saturday mornings) and was more of a traditional Western (with chases and shoot-outs). The TV series did both modern cases and cases set in the "Old West." With new cases using a car with horse float to get the rangers to their destinations it always made sure that the use of horses was only a step away. With older themes they would always ride into town on the horses to mete out their justice, they wore differing ranger attire for new and old scenes, also their weaponry was totally different.

Irving J. Moore began his career as a director on Tales of the Texas Rangers.

Guest stars

• Ed Hinton as Matt Carter in "Blazing Across the Pecos" and as Walker in "The Rough, Tough West" (both 1955)
• I. Stanford Jolley as Sheriff Clinton in "West of Sonora" and as Parker (uncredited) in "The Devil's Deputy" (1956)

Episode Log

Number	Title	Airdate	Notes
AUD	Just A Number	04-13-50  :27:40
1	Title Unknown	07-08-50  :29:40
2	The White Elephant	07-15-50  :29:40
3	Apache Peak	07-22-50  :29:40
4	The Trigger Man	07-29-50  :29:40
5	Quick Silver	08-05-50  :29:30
6	The Broken Spur	08-12-50  :29:10
7	Fool's Gold	08-19-50  :29:40
8	The Open Range	08-26-50  :29:40
9	Play For Keeps	09-02-50  :29:50
10	Dead Or Alive	09-09-50  :29:30
11	Candy Man	09-16-50  :29:40
12	Open And Shut	09-23-50  :29:20	This is the broadcast of 11-11-51 of the same title.
13	Clean Up	09-30-50  :29:40
14	Living Death	10-08-50  :29:40	Show moves to Sundays at this point
15	Dead Give-Away	10-15-50  :29:40
16	Title Unknown	10-22-50  :30:00
17	Soft Touch	10-29-50  :29:50
18	The White Suit	11-05-50  :30:00
19	Blood Relative	11-12-50  :30:00
20	Hanging By A Thread	11-26-50  :30:00	show of 11-19 Pre-Empted for Hedda Hopper Program
21	Room 114	12-03-50  :30:00
22	The Lucky Dollar	12-10-50  :30:00
23	The Cactus Pear	12-17-50  :30:00
24	Christmas Present	12-24-50  :30:00	Christmas Program
25	The Devil's Share	12-31-50  :30:00
26	Deadhead Freight	01-07-51  :30:00
27	Death In The Cards	01-14-51  :30:00
28	Blood Harvest	01-21-51  :30:00
29	Title Unknown	01-28-51  :30:00
30	Logger's Larceny	02-04-51  :30:00
31	The Hatchet	02-11-51  :30:00
32	Sweet Revenge	02-18-51  :30:00
33	The Trap	02-25-51  :30:00
34	Blind Justice	03-11-51  :30:00	Show of 3/4 Pre-empted for "Theatre Guild's" HAMLET
35	Death By Adoption	03-18-51  :30:00
36	Breakdown	03-25-51  :30:00
37	Pressure	04-01-51  :30:00
38	Bad Blood	04-08-51  :30:00
39	Conspiracy	04-15-51  :30:00
40	Canned Death	04-22-51  :30:00
41	Title Unknown	04-29-51  :30:00
42	No Living Witnesses	05-06-51  :30:00
43	Paid In Full	05-13-51  :30:00
44	Squaredance	05-20-51  :30:00
45	Joy Ride	05-27-51  :30:00
46	Death Shaft	09-30-51  :30:00
47	The Wheelchair Killer	10-07-51  :30:00
48	Play For Keeps	10-14-51  :30:00
49	Fugitive Trail	10-21-51  :30:00
50	The White Elephant	10-28-51  :30:00
51	Helping Hand	11-04-51  :30:00
52	Open And Shut	11-11-51  :30:00
53	Wild Crop	11-18-51  :30:00
54	The Blow Off	11-25-51  :30:00
55	The Dead Give-Away	12-02-51  :30:00
56	Death Plant	12-09-51  :30:00
57	Pick-Up	12-16-51  :30:00
58	Christmas Payoff	12-23-51  :30:00	Christmas Program
59	Killer's Crop	12-30-51  :30:00
60	Birds Of A Feather	01-06-52  :30:00
61	Clip Job	01-13-52  :30:00
62	Blood Trail	01-20-52  :30:00
63	Night Chase	01-27-52  :30:00
64	The Rub Out	02-03-52  :30:00
65	Hitchhiker	02-10-52  :30:00
66	Cold Blood	02-17-52  :27:20
67	Bright Boy	02-24-52  :30:00
68	The Ice Man	03-02-52  :30:00
69	Dream Farm	03-09-52  :30:00
70	Prelude To Felony	03-16-52  :30:00
71	Nighthawk	03-30-52  :30:00	Program of 3-23 Preempted
72	Troop Train	04-06-52  :30:00
73	Uncertain Death	04-13-52  :30:00
74	Illusion	04-20-52  :30:00
75	Address Unknown	04-27-52  :30:00
76	Little Sister	05-04-52  :30:00
77	Unleashed Fury	05-11-52  :30:00
78	Smart Kill	05-18-52  :30:00
79	Jailbird	05-25-52  :30:00
80	Sell-Out	06-01-52  :30:00
81	Illegal Entry	06-08-52  :30:00
82	Travesty	06-15-52  :30:00
83	Knockout	06-22-52  :30:00
84	Ex-Con	06-29-52  :30:00
85	The Boomerang	07-06-52  :30:00
86	Finger Man	07-13-52  :30:00
87	Round Trip	07-20-52  :30:00
88	Stick-Up	07-27-52  :30:00
89	Double Edge	08-03-52  :30:00
90	Last Stop	08-10-52  :30:00
91	Cover-Up	08-17-52  :30:00
92	Three Victims	08-24-52  :30:00
93	Misplaced Person	08-31-52  :30:00
94	Alibi	09-07-52  :30:00
95	Drive-In	09-14-52  :30:00

External links

Download Tales of Texas Rangers Mp3s at OTRWesterns.com