Outlaws (1960 TV series)

Series premise

The program aired fifty one-hour episodes from September 29, 1960, to May 10, 1962. The first season was shot in black-and-white, the second in colour. Co-starring with MacLane in the 1960–1961 season was Don Collier as deputy marshal Will Foreman. In the second season, MacLane left the program, and Collier was promoted to full marshal, with Bruce Yarnell joining the cast as deputy marshal Chalk Breeson. Jock Gaynor appeared in the first season as deputy Heck Martin, the on-screen nephew of Will Foreman. Slim Pickens appeared as "Slim" in the second season. Judy Lewis also appeared the second season as Connie Masters, an employee of the Wells Fargo office in Stillwater.

In the first season, episodes of Outlaws were told from the view of the outlaws themselves. James Coburn starred on February 16, 1961, as "Culley", a confused young outlaw who wants to repent. He stops on a chase from the law to help a blind elderly man (Henry Hull). Judson Pratt also appeared in the episode in the role of Daggott. For the second season, telecast in color, the stories were told from the standpoint of the lawmen.

Others who appeared on Outlaws on at least three occasions were Vic Morrow, Cliff Robertson, Pippa Scott, and Harry Townes. In addition, John Anderson, Edgar Buchanan, Jackie Coogan, Bruce Gordon, Robert Harland, Robert Lansing Cloris Leachman, Robert Karnes, Brian Keith, Wright King, Larry Pennell, Chris Robinson, William Shatner, Ray Walston, Jack Warden, and David Wayne each appeared twice in the series.Jimmy Noel was cast in uncredited appearances in four episodes.

The dog who appeared in Walt Disney's Old Yeller was also cast in Outlaws.

Selected episodes

On October 27, 1960, in the segment "The Rape of Red Sky", veteran western film star Roscoe Ates appeared as a bartender; others in the episode were Patricia Barry as Aimee, Jackie Coogan as Corbett, and Skip Homeier as Gabe Cutter. Homeier also appeared that season in his own NBC detective series Dan Raven.

On November 3, 1960, Vivi Janiss was cast as Chloe Duane, the wife of an irate rancher, Jack Duane (Alfred Ryder) in the episode, "Shorty". In the story line, Duane disobeys a court order that permits others to drive cattle through his land. Hampton Fancher is cast as Mike Duane, Edward Binns as Sam Decker, Robert Harland as Clem Decker, Leonard Nimoy as Logan, and Lane Bradford as Ben Garth.

A two-part segment entitled "Starfall" aired on November 24 and December 1, 1960, with guest stars John Anderson, Edgar Buchanan, Pippa Scott, Cloris Leachman, James Millhollin, William Shatner, and Jack Warden.Johnny Washbrook, the child actor from My Friend Flicka appeared as Vince Nickels, along with character actor J. Pat O'Malley in the 1960 episode "The Quiet Killer". In another two-parter on January 26 and February 2, 1961, entitled "The Daltons Must Die", Charles Carlson, Robert Lansing, and Larry Pennell played the Dalton brothers, Grat, Frank, and Robert Dalton, respectively. In December 1960, Clegg Hoyt played the role of Isham Dart in "The Quiet Killer."

In the 1961 episode "The Brathwaite Brothers", Conlan Carter, later on ABC's Combat!, appeared as the outlaw Perry Brathwaite. Barbara Stuart appeared as Juno in the 1961 episode "Roly".John M. Pickard, formerly of Boots and Saddles, appeared as Wick Boley in the 1961 episode, "Return to New March."

On May 4, 1961, the series aired the episode "Sam Bass" about the outlaw Sam Bass, with Jack Chaplain in the guest starring title role; Gregg Palmer appeared in the episode as Heff. Bass was shot on July 19, 1878, and died two days later on his twenty-seventh birthday in Round Rock, Texas, north of Austin, after having been betrayed by an associate. Cliff Robertson starred in the title role and wrote the episode "The Dark Sunrise of Griff Kincaid", which aired on January 4, 1962. The costars were Ed Asner, Nancy Kulp, and Reta Shaw.

Judy Lewis, Olive Sturgess, Gina Gillespie, and Jackie Coogan guest starred in the 1962 episode "The Sisters".