The Dakotas (TV series)
| The Dakotas | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Western |
| Directed by | Allan A. Buckhantz Stuart Heisler Paul Landres Charles R. Rondeau Robert Totten |
| Starring | Larry Ward Jack Elam Chad Everett Mike Greene |
| Theme music composer | Harold Levey Kenneth S. Webb[1] |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 20 (1 unaired) (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | William T. Orr |
| Producer(s) | Anthony Spinner |
| Location(s) | California |
| Running time | 45–48 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original run | January 7, 1963 – September 9, 1963 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Cheyenne |
The Dakotas is an American Western television series starring Larry Ward and featuring Jack Elam broadcast by ABC during 1963. The short-lived show is a spin-off of Cheyenne,
The Dakotas is perhaps most notable for the fact that it was cancelled one week after heavy viewer protest over an objectionable scene.
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
The series follows the efforts of Federal Marshal Frank Ragan (Larry Ward) and his three deputies, J.D.Smith (Jack Elam), Vance Porter (Mike Greene) and Del Stark (Chad Everett) as they try to keep order in the Dakota Territory during the Gilded Age.
[edit] Series history
All four characters initially appeared in an April 1962 episode of Cheyenne called "A Man Called Ragan".
However, the degree to which this episode makes The Dakotas a spin-off of Cheyenne is debatable. In the pilot on Cheyenne, the titular character of Cheyenne Bodie never appears. Also, the episode had followed five consecutive weeks of Bronco episodes, broadcast as a part of the wheel series that Cheyenne had effectively become. Moreover, the length of time between pilot and series—almost eight months—further weakened the link between Cheyenne and The Dakotas.[2] The biggest tip-off to viewers as to the show's parentage was probably that it had assumed the Monday 7:30pm time slot previously occupied by Cheyenne since 1959.
Among guest stars, George Macready appeared as Captain Ridgeway in the third episode, "Mutiny at Fort Mercy".
[edit] Cancellation
The program would only last there long enough to finish out Cheyenne's abbreviated seventh season. When viewers saw the eighteenth episode, "Sanctuary at Crystal Springs", they were shocked by a scene that depicted the lawmen killing two outlaws in a church, one of whom caused injury to a pastor before dying. Calls for The Dakotas to end its run were answered virtually overnight. After just one more episode, the show was pulled. A twentieth episode had been completed, but was never shown.[3]
[edit] Episodes
| Episode # | Episode Title | Original Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Return To Drydock" | January 7, 1963 |
| 2 | "Red Sky Over Bismarck" | January 14, 1963 |
| 3 | "Mutiny at Fort Mercy" | January 21, 1963 |
| 4 | "Trouble at French Creek" | January 28, 1963 |
| 5 | "Thunder In Pleasant Valley" | February 4, 1963 |
| 6 | "Crisis at High Banjo" | February 11, 1963 |
| 7 | "Requiem at Dancer's Hill" | February 18, 1963 |
| 8 | "Fargo" | February 25, 1963 |
| 9 | "Incident at Rapid City" | March 4, 1963 |
| 10 | "Justice at Eagle's Nest" | March 11, 1963 |
| 11 | "Walk Through the Badlands" | March 18, 1963 |
| 12 | "Trial at Grand Forks" | March 25, 1963 |
| 13 | "Reformation at Big Nose Butte" | April 1, 1963 |
| 14 | "One Day In Vermillion" | April 8, 1963 |
| 15 | "Terror at Heart River" | April 15, 1963 |
| 16 | "The Chooser of the Slain" | April 22, 1963 |
| 17 | "Feud at Snake River" | April 29, 1963 |
| 18 | "Sanctuary at Crystal Springs" | May 6, 1963 |
| 19 | "A Nice Girl From Goliath" | May 13, 1963 |
[edit] References
- The Boys Western Television and Film Annual (Purnell & Sons Ltd 1963)
[edit] Footnotes
[edit] External links
- The Dakotas at the Internet Movie Database
- The Dakotas at TV.com
- Show information at Women Writers Block
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