The Restless Gun
| The Restless Gun | |
|---|---|
 Title card | |
| Genre | Western |
| Directed by | Christian Nyby Edward Ludwig Sam Strangis Earl Bellamy Justus Addiss |
| Starring | John Payne |
| Narrated by | John Payne |
| Composers | Paul Dunlap Dave Kahn Stanley Wilson |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 78 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | John Payne |
| Producers | David Dortort Felix Jackson |
| Production location | American Southwest |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies | Window Glen Productions Revue Studios |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | September 23, 1957 – June 22, 1959 |
| Related | |
| The Texan Cheyenne | |
The Restless Gun is an American Western television series that appeared on NBC between 1957 and 1959, with John Payne in the role of Vint Bonner, a wandering cowboy in the era after the American Civil War. A skilled gunfighter, Bonner is an idealistic person who prefers peaceful resolutions of conflict wherever possible. He is gregarious, intelligent, and public-spirited. The half-hour black-and-white program aired 78 episodes.
The Restless Gun theme song (officially titled "I Ride With the Wind") begins: "I ride with the wind, my eyes on the sun, and my hand on my restless gun..." The song composer is probably Paul Dunlap, credited as the primary series composer, but could have been contributed to by either of the two other series composers, Dave Kahn and Stanley Wilson. Two versions (one a vocal) are currently posted on YouTube, but neither posting lists any composer or performance credits.[1]
Background
Broadcast on March 29, 1957, as an installment of the CBS anthology series The Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, the pilot episode was based on a radio series The Six Shooter, with Payne's character named Britt Ponset.[2] For the television version, however, the name was changed to Vint Bonner. Some episodes were based on the radio programs.[3]
The principal producer of The Restless Gun was David Dortort, thereafter in 1959 the executive producer of NBC's blockbuster Western hit Bonanza. Dortort did not create The Restless Gun, nor did he produce the pilot episode, and he rarely contributed original scripts. A critic who considers The Restless Gun only an average program, writes that the series "probably owes its mediocrity more to MCA, the company that 'packaged' the series and produced it through its television arm Revue Productions, than to Dortort."[3]
The Restless Gun ranked in the top ten during its first season on the air, ending the year at number eight, but it was not among the highest-rated programs in the second season.[4][5]
Set in Texas, The Restless Gun pilot episode features Andrew Duggan, William Hopper, and Michael Landon in supporting roles. Hopper plays a former lawman from Laredo in South Texas and long-time friend of Bonner's. Hopper's character is being sought for revenge by Duggan, whom the lawman had sent to prison. In the episode, Bonner speaks of taking a job near Waco.[6]
Most end titles of The Restless Gun episodes have a line that reads "Based on characters created by Frank Burt", but Burt's name is not mentioned in the pilot episode. Though he is not listed as the "creator" of the TV series,[3] Burt was the creator of the radio series on which The Restless Gun was based.
Payne is the "executive producer" of his series, but a critic calls that designation "vanity".[3] Payne has sometimes been compared to actor Dick Powell, who during that same period hosted and sometimes starred in his own CBS Western anthology series, Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater during the second half of the 1950s.[3]
Episodes
Season 1: 1957–58
| Nº | Ep | Title | Director | Writer | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | "Pilot ('Red Lawson's Revenge')" | Robert Florey | N.B. Stone Jr. | March 29, 1957 |
| 1 | 1 | "Duel at Lockwood" | Justus Addiss | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : David Dortort | September 23, 1957 |
| 2 | 2 | "Trail to Sunset" | Justus Addiss | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Herbert Little Jr. & David Victor | September 30, 1957 |
| 3 | 3 | "Revenge at Harness Creek" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Jack Jacobs & Malvin Wald | October 7, 1957 |
| 4 | 4 | "Rink" | James Neilson | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : David Dortort | October 14, 1957 |
| 5 | 5 | "Jenny" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Marion Hargrove | October 21, 1957 |
| 6 | 6 | "The Shooting of Jett King" | Justus Addiss | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : John Payne | October 28, 1957 |
| 7 | 7 | "Jody" | Allen H. Miner | Story by : H.A. De Russo Teleplay by : Gene L. Coon | November 4, 1957 |
| 8 | 8 | "General Gilford's Widow" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Halsey Malone | November 11, 1957 |
| 9 | 9 | "The New Sheriff" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Dean Riesner | November 18, 1957 |
| 10 | 10 | "Man and Boy" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : David Victor | November 25, 1957 |
| 11 | 11 | "Cheyenne Express" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Christopher Knopf | December 2, 1957 |
| 12 | 12 | "Thicker Than Water" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Kenneth Gamet | December 9, 1957 |
| 13 | 13 | "Silver Threads" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Marion Hargrove | December 16, 1957 |
| 14 | 14 | "The Child" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : John Payne Teleplay by : Herbert Little Jr. & David Victor | December 23, 1957 |
| 15 | 15 | "The Gold Buckle" | Justus Addiss | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Dan Mainwaring | December 30, 1957 |
| 16 | 16 | "The Coward" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Christopher Knopf | January 6, 1958 |
| 17 | 17 | "Friend in Need" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : William Tunberg | January 13, 1958 |
| 18 | 18 | "Strange Family in Town" | Earl Bellamy | Lawrence Goldman | January 20, 1958 |
| 19 | 19 | "Hang and Be Damned" | Earl Bellamy | Story by : Talmadge Powell Teleplay by : David Dortort | January 27, 1958 |
| 20 | 20 | "Quiet City" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Alvin Sapinsley | February 3, 1958 |
| 21 | 21 | "Hornitas Town" | Edward Ludwig | Jack Natteford & Luci Ward | February 10, 1958 |
| 22 | 22 | "Imposter for a Day" | Earl Bellamy | Jack Laird & Wilton Schiller | February 17, 1958 |
| 23 | 23 | "A Pressing Engagement" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Mary C McCall Jr. | February 24, 1958 |
| 24 | 24 | "Woman from Sacramento" | Edward Ludwig | Halsey Malone | March 3, 1958 |
| 25 | 25 | "Sheriff Billy" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Herbert Little Jr. & David Victor | March 10, 1958 |
| 26 | 26 | "The Hand Is Quicker" | Earl Bellamy | Arthur Weiss | March 17, 1958 |
| 27 | 27 | "The Suffragette" | Edward Ludwig | Charles B. Smith | March 24, 1958 |
| 28 | 28 | "The Whip" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Oliver Crawford | March 31, 1958 |
| 29 | 29 | "The Crisis at Easter Creek" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Jess Carneol & Kay Lenard | April 7, 1958 |
| 30 | 30 | "Aunt Emma" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Al Martin | April 14, 1958 |
| 31 | 31 | "The Outlander" | Edward Ludwig | Herbert Little Jr. & David Victor | April 21, 1958 |
| 32 | 32 | "The Battle of Tower Rock" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Howard J. Green | April 28, 1958 |
| 33 | 33 | "The Torn Flag" | Edward Ludwig | Alvin Sapinsley | May 5, 1958 |
| 34 | 34 | "Hiram Grover's Strike" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : David Dortort | May 12, 1958 |
| 35 | 35 | "The Gold Star" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : John Payne Teleplay by : Alvin Sapinsley | May 19, 1958 |
| 36 | 36 | "More Than Kin" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : David Dortort | May 26, 1958 |
| 37 | 37 | "The Manhunters" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Richard J. Harper Teleplay by : Herbert Little Jr. & David Victor | June 2, 1958 |
| 38 | 38 | "The Peddler" | Edward Ludwig | John Tucker Battle | June 9, 1958 |
| 39 | 39 | "Gratitude" | Edward Ludwig | Arnold Belgard | June 16, 1958 |
Season 2: 1958–59
| Nº | Ep | Title | Director | Writer | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 1 | "Jebediah Bonner" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Will Cook Teleplay by : John Payne | September 22, 1958 |
| 41 | 2 | "Day of the Dragon" | Justus Addiss | John Tucker Battle | September 29, 1958 |
| 42 | 3 | "Mercyday" | Edward Ludwig | Charles B. Smith | October 6, 1958 |
| 43 | 4 | "Thunder Alley" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Hal G. Evarts Teleplay by : Hal G. Evarts | October 13, 1958 |
| 44 | 5 | "The Nowhere Kid" | Edward Ludwig | Mary C. McCall Jr. | October 20, 1958 |
| 45 | 6 | "Bonner's Squaw" | Edward Ludwig | Joel Kane & Lee Karson | November 3, 1958 |
| 46 | 7 | "Tomboy" | Edward Ludwig | Marion Hargrove | November 10, 1958 |
| 47 | 8 | "Remember the Dead" | Justus Addiss | Rik Vollaerts | November 17, 1958 |
| 48 | 9 | "No Way to Kill" | Edward Ludwig | John Falvo | November 24, 1958 |
| 49 | 10 | "Take Me Home" | Edward Ludwig | Newt Arnold & David Cross | December 1, 1958 |
| 50 | 11 | "Multiply One Boy" | Edward Ludwig | Lee Berg & Lawrence Menkin | December 8, 1958 |
| 51 | 12 | "Peligroso" | Justus Addiss | Thomas Thompson | December 15, 1958 |
| 52 | 13 | "A Bell for Santo Domingo" | Edward Ludwig | Richard Newman | December 22, 1958 |
| 53 | 14 | "The Way Back" | Edward Ludwig | Robert Leslie Bellem & Frank Bonham | December 29, 1958 |
| 54 | 15 | "The Painted Beauty" | Justus Addiss | Halsey Melone | January 5, 1959 |
| 55 | 16 | "Shadow of a Gunfighter" | Edward Ludwig | Herman J. Groves | January 12, 1959 |
| 56 | 17 | "The Lady and the Gun" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : David Dortort | January 19, 1959 |
| 57 | 18 | "Blood of Courage" | Edward Ludwig | Ronald Bishop | February 2, 1959 |
| 58 | 19 | "Better Than a Cannon" | Edward Ludwig | John Tucker Battle | February 9, 1959 |
| 59 | 20 | "The Dead Ringer" | Edward Ludwig | John Tucker Battle | February 16, 1959 |
| 60 | 21 | "The Last Grey Man" | Justus Addiss | Richard Newman | February 23, 1959 |
| 61 | 22 | "Melany" | Justus Addiss | Herman J. Groves | March 2, 1959 |
| 62 | 23 | "Ricochet" | Justus Addiss | Fanya Lawrence & Ted Thomas | March 9, 1959 |
| 63 | 24 | "Dead Man's Hand" | Justus Addiss | Harry Kronman | March 16, 1959 |
| 64 | 25 | "The Sweet Sisters" | Sam Strangis | Joel Kane & Lee Karson | March 23, 1959 |
| 65 | 26 | "Incident at Bluefield" | Edward Ludwig | Herman J. Groves | March 30, 1959 |
| 66 | 27 | "The Pawn" | Edward Ludwig | Charles B. Smith | April 6, 1959 |
| 67 | 28 | "Four Lives" | Edward Ludwig | Thomas Thompson | April 13, 1959 |
| 68 | 29 | "One on the House" | Edward Ludwig | Norman Daniels | April 20, 1959 |
| 69 | 30 | "Code for a Killer" | Sam Strangis | Hal Fimberg & Frank Waldman | April 27, 1959 |
| 70 | 31 | "Mme. Brimstone" | Sam Strangis | Adele Buffington | May 4, 1959 |
| 71 | 32 | "Lady by Law" | Sam Strangis | Norman Daniels | May 11, 1959 |
| 72 | 33 | "Ride with the Devil" | Sam Strangis | Nat Tanchuck | May 18, 1959 |
| 73 | 34 | "A Trial for Jenny May" | Sam Strangis | John Tucker Battle | May 25, 1959 |
| 74 | 35 | "The Cavis Boy" | Sam Strangis | Ronald Bishop & Wells Root | June 1, 1959 |
| 75 | 36 | "The Englishman" | Sam Strangis | Story by : Lester Wm. Berke & Robert J. Black Jr. Teleplay by : Lester Wm. Berke, Robert J. Black Jr., & Richard Newman | June 8, 1959 |
| 76 | 37 | "A Very Special Investigator" | Edward Ludwig | Arnold Belgard | June 15, 1959 |
| 77 | 38 | "The Hill of Death" | Sam Strangis | Joe Stone | June 22, 1959 |
Selected guest stars
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- Claude Akins
- Jeanne Bates
- Trevor Bardette
- Jack Elam
- Roy Roberts
- Denver Pyle
- Rip Torn
- Dan Blocker
- Paul Fix
- Lurene Tuttle
- Olan Soule
- Royal Dano
- James Gleason
- Anthony Caruso
- Peggie Castle
- Glenn Strange
- Bea Benaderet
- Charles Lane
- Edgar Buchanan
- George Dolenz
- Johnny Crawford
- Don Grady
- Dabbs Greer
- James Coburn
- Ruta Lee
- Ewing Mitchell
- J. Carrol Naish
- Alan Hale, Jr.
- Regis Toomey
- Robert Blake
- Irene Ryan
- Hank Patterson
- John Ericson
DVD Releases
On March 1, 2010, Timeless Media Group released a three-disc best-of set featuring 24 episodes from the series.[7]
On April 23, 2013, Timeless Media released Restless Gun: The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1.[8] The 9-disc set features all 78 episodes of the series.
Scheduling
In its first season, The Restless Gun was aired opposite The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show on CBS and the short-lived variety program, The Guy Mitchell Show on ABC. In the second season, CBS aired a western, Rory Calhoun's The Texan, in the opposing time slot.[9]
Syndication
Rebroadcasts of The Restless Gun continued on NBC until September 1959. Then ABC rebroadcast The Restless Gun weekdays from October 1959 to September 1960 and on Saturday mornings from November 1959 to March 1960.[10] As of May 2016, it currently runs weekdays on GetTV at 7:00 am PT.
References
- ^ "The Restless Gun". film.com. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
- ^ "Schlitz Playhouse of Stars". tv.com. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e "David Dortort and The Restless Gun". classictvhistory.wordpress.com. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
- ^ A. C. Nielsen Media Research, 1957-1958 television season
- ^ The number-9 show that year was Spring Byington's December Bride on CBS, which also aired on Monday evenings.
- ^ Pilot episode (1957), The Restless Gun, DVD, Timeless Media Group
- ^ https://www.amazon.com/Restless-Gun-John-Payne/dp/B003BJODHS
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-11-28. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ 1957-1959 network television schedules, Alex McNeil, Total Television, appendix
- ^ "The Restless Gun". Classic TV Hits. Retrieved January 1, 2011.