Bronco is a Western television series on ABC from 1958 through 1962. It was shown by the BBC in the United Kingdom. The program starred Ty Hardin as Bronco Layne, a former Confederate officer who wandered the Old West, meeting such well-known individuals as Wild Bill Hickok, Billy the Kid, Jesse James, Theodore Roosevelt, Belle Starr, Cole Younger, and John Wesley Hardin.
Overview[]
Bronco premiered in the fall of 1958 when Warner Bros. executives and actor Clint Walker clashed over Walker's contract on the series Cheyenne. Walker had walked out on his show over such stringent clauses as a requirement that he return half of all personal appearance fees to Warner Bros., and that he only record for Warner music labels. When the two sides came to an impasse, the network hired newcomer Ty Hardin to play the new character of Bronco Layne, but kept the title of Cheyenne.
When Walker came back to his series, Bronco became a spin-off of Cheyenne. Bronco at first alternated with another Western series, Sugarfoot, featuring Will Hutchins. In 1960, the two began alternating with Cheyenne under the Cheyenne title. Sugarfoot was dropped in 1961, leaving only Bronco and Cheyenne to alternate. Other Warner Bros. Westerns in production around this time included Maverick with James Garner, Jack Kelly, and Roger Moore, Colt .45 with Wayde Preston, and Lawman with John Russell; series characters occasionally crossed over into each other's series.
According to the theme song, Bronco came from the Texas Panhandle, but episodes of the series are set throughout the West.
In the eighth episode, "Freeze-Out" (December 30, 1958), a writer calling herself Mary Brown, played by Grace Raynor, hires Bronco to escort her to a ghost town in the high country, where they encounter three men amid the isolation. As it develops, Mary is not interested so much in story ideas, but in the body of a man buried in a nearby glacier and missing gold. Some four years before the debut of his The Virginian, James Drury plays the part of John Smith, who develops a romantic interest in Mary. Edgar Stehli (1884–1973) plays the part of "Pancake" Riddle.[citation needed]
Guest stars[]
- Peter Breck was Theodore Roosevelt in "Yankee Tornado" (1961).
- Ahna Capri appeared as the child Emily in "A Town That Lived and Died" (1962).
- Russ Conway appeared as Willis Turner, with Chris Alcaide as Brutus Traxel, in "The Silent Witness" (1959).
- Walter Coy was Sheriff Walters in "The Turning Point" (1958), Victor Leggett in "Backfire" (1959), and Sheriff Springer in "Beginner's Luck" (1962).
- Francis De Sales was Lawrence Larson in "Hero of the Town" (1959).
- Med Flory appeared as Vance Pelham in "Then the Mountains" (1962).
- Dean Fredericks was Great Wolf in "Seminole War Pipe" (1960).
- Tod Griffin was Sheriff Garth Nelson in "The Silent Witness" (1959) and Chip Garnes in "Volunteers from Aberdeen" (1960).
- Rodolfo Hoyos Jr. portrayed Manuel Figueres in "Flight from an Empire" (1959).
- I. Stanford Jolley was Stover in "Brand of Courage" (1958) and Old Man Shirley in "Shadow of Jesse James" (1960).
- Douglas Kennedy as Paul Duquesne in "Four Guns and a Prayer" (1958)
- Scott Marlowe appeared as John Wesley Hardin in "The Turning Point" (1958).
- Gregg Palmer was Colton in "Destinies West" (1962).
- Judson Pratt was Marlow in "Manitoba Manhunt" (1961).
- Pernell Roberts appeared as Reverend Dave Clayton in "The Belles of Silver Flats" (1959).
- Randy Stuart was Claire Russo in "Tangled Trail" (1960).
- Olive Sturgess was Virginia Munger in "Guns of the Lawless" (1961).
- Gary Vinson appeared four times in different roles between 1958 and 1961: "Four Guns and a Prayer", "The Devil's Spawn" (as Bud Donner), "The Invaders", and "Cousin from Atlanta".
- Tony Young appeared twice, as Cpl. Red Bird in "The Burning Springs" (1959) and as Tod Chapman in "One Evening in Abilene" (1962).
- Jack Nicholson appeared as the young lover Bob in the episode "The Equalizer" in season four, episode four (1961). Jack Elam played Mr. Thompson in the same episode.
Episodes[]
Series overview[]
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| 1 | 20 | September 23, 1958 | September 19, 1959 | ||
| 2 | 20 | September 22, 1959 | June 14, 1960 | ||
| 3 | 10 | October 17, 1960 | May 8, 1961 | ||
| 4 | 18 | October 16, 1961 | April 30, 1962 | ||
Season 1 (1958–59)[]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | “The Besieged” | Alan Crosland Jr. | Teleplay by : Robert Fisher & Alan Lipscott | September 23, 1958 |
| 2 | 2 | “Quest of the Thirty Dead” | Lee Sholem | Teleplay by : Thomas W. Blackburn | October 7, 1958 |
| 3 | 3 | “The Turning Point” | Alan Crosland Jr. | Story by : George W. George Teleplay by : George F. Slavin | October 21, 1958 |
| 4 | 4 | “Four Guns and a Prayer” | Alan Crosland Jr. | Teleplay by : Dean Riesner | November 4, 1958 |
| 5 | 5 | “Long Ride Back” | Leslie H. Martinson | Teleplay by : James O'Hanlon | November 18, 1958 |
| 6 | 6 | “Trail to Taos” | Alan Crosland Jr. | Teleplay by : Richard H. Landau | December 2, 1958 |
| 7 | 7 | “Brand of Courage” | Lee Sholem | Teleplay by : Berne Giler | December 16, 1958 |
| 8 | 8 | “Freeze-Out” | Lee Sholem | Story by : Steve Frazee Teleplay by : Thomas W. Blackburn | December 30, 1958 |
| 9 | 9 | “Baron of Broken Lance” | Lee Sholem | Story by : Gerald Drayson Adams Teleplay by : Gerald Drayson Adams & Dean Riesner | January 13, 1959 |
| 10 | 10 | “Payroll of the Dead” | Lee Sholem | Story by : Steve Frazee Teleplay by : George F. Slavin | January 27, 1959 |
| 11 | 11 | “Riding Solo” | Alan Crosland Jr. | Story by : Kenneth Perkins Teleplay by : Thomas W. Blackburn | February 10, 1959 |
| 12 | 12 | “Borrowed Glory” | Harmon Jones | Story by : Vick Knight Teleplay by : Berne Giler | February 24, 1959 |
| 13 | 13 | “Silent Witness” | Harmon Jones | Teleplay by : Arnold Belgard & Tom Gries | March 10, 1959 |
| 14 | 14 | “The Belles of Silver Flat” | Lee Sholem | Teleplay by : Robert Fisher & Alan Lipscott | March 24, 1959 |
| 15 | 15 | “Backfire” | Lee Sholem | Story by : Will Cook Teleplay by : Albert Aley | April 7, 1959 |
| 16 | 16 | “School for Cowards” | Lee Sholem | Teleplay by : George F. Slavin | April 21, 1959 |
| 17 | 17 | “Prairie Skipper” | Alan Crosland Jr. | Teleplay by : Arnold Belgard | May 5, 1959 |
| 18 | 18 | “Shadow of a Man” | Alan Crosland Jr. | Story by : Walker A. Tomkins Teleplay by : Albert Aley | May 19, 1959 |
| 19 | 19 | “Hero of the Town” | Lee Sholem | Teleplay by : Arnold Belgard | June 2, 1959 |
| 20 | 20 | “Red Water North” | Lee Sholem | Story by : Alan Le May Teleplay by : Fenton Earnshaw & Dean Reisner | September 19, 1959 |
Season 2 (1959–60)[]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 1 | “Game at the Beacon Club” | Arthur Lubin | Story by : Arthur W. Silver Teleplay by : Jackson Gillis | September 22, 1959 |
| 22 | 2 | “The Burning Springs” | Edward Dein | Teleplay by : Gerald Drayson Adams | October 6, 1959 |
| 23 | 3 | “Bodyguard” | Lee Sholem | Teleplay by : James O'Hanlon | October 20, 1959 |
| 24 | 4 | “The Soft Answer” | Leslie Goodwins | Teleplay by : Arnold Belgard | November 3, 1959 |
| 25 | 5 | “The Last Resort” | Lee Sholem | Teleplay by : Jack Laird | November 17, 1959 |
| 26 | 6 | “The Devil's Spawn” | Lee Sholem | Story by : Wayne D. Overholser & George F. Slavin Teleplay by : George F. Slavin | December 1, 1959 |
| 27 | 7 | “Flight from an Empire” | Edward Dein | Story by : James Gunn Teleplay by : Albert Aley | December 15, 1959 |
| 28 | 8 | “Night Train to Denver” | Leslie Goodwins | Teleplay by : George F. Slavin | December 29, 1959 |
| 29 | 9 | “Shadow of Jesse James” | Leslie Goodwins | Teleplay by : Gerald Drayson Adams | January 12, 1960 |
| 30 | 10 | “Masquerade” | Herbert L. Strock | Teleplay by : Arnold Belgard | January 26, 1960 |
| 31 | 11 | “Volunteers from Aberdeen” | Herbert L. Strock | Story by : Louis S. Kaye Teleplay by : Ron Bishop & Wells Root | February 9, 1960 |
| 32 | 12 | “Every Man a Hero” | Herbert L. Strock | Teleplay by : George F. Slavin | February 23, 1960 |
| 33 | 13 | “Death of an Outlaw” | Herbert L. Strock | Teleplay by : Gerald Drayson Adams | March 8, 1960 |
| 34 | 14 | “The Human Equation” | Lee Sholem | Teleplay by : Arnold Belgard | March 22, 1960 |
| 35 | 15 | “Montana Passage” | Reginald Le Borg | Story by : Jack DeWitt Teleplay by : Gerald Drayson Adams & Howard Browne | April 5, 1960 |
| 36 | 16 | “Legacy of Twisted Creek” | Andre De Toth | Teleplay by : Jack Laird | April 19, 1960 |
| 37 | 17 | “Tangled Trail” | Herbert L. Strock | Teleplay by : R. Wright Campbell & Dean Riesner | May 3, 1960 |
| 38 | 18 | “La Rubia” | Reginald Le Borg | Story by : Gerald Drayson Adams Teleplay by : Arthur W. Silver | May 17, 1960 |
| 39 | 19 | “Winter Kill” | Jesse Hibbs | Story by : Walter Doniger Teleplay by : Kenneth Higgins | May 31, 1960 |
| 40 | 20 | “End of a Rope” | Lew Landers | Story by : Orville H. Hampton Teleplay by : Orville H. Hampton & W. Hermanos | June 14, 1960 |
Season 3 (1960–61)[]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | 1 | “The Mustangers” | Robert Altman | Story by : Frank Bonham Teleplay by : William Bruckner | October 17, 1960 |
| 42 | 2 | “Apache Treasure” | Robert B. Sinclair | Teleplay by : Charles Smith | November 7, 1960 |
| 43 | 3 | “Seminole War Pipe” | Robert Sparr | Teleplay by : Gerald Drayson Adams | December 12, 1960 |
| 44 | 4 | “Ordeal at Dead Tree” | Robert Sparr | Teleplay by : Frank Castle | January 2, 1961 |
| 45 | 5 | “The Invaders” | William J. Hole Jr. | Teleplay by : Sylvan Churnas & Don Tait | January 23, 1961 |
| 46 | 6 | “The Buckbrier Trail” | Robert Sparr | Teleplay by : William Bruckner | February 20, 1961 |
| 47 | 7 | “Yankee Tornado” | Lee Sholem | Teleplay by : Warren Douglas | March 13, 1961 |
| 48 | 8 | “Manitoba Manhunt” | Herbert L. Strock | Teleplay by : Gerald Drayson Adams | April 3, 1961 |
| 49 | 9 | “Stage to the Sky” | Robert Sparr | Teleplay by : Warren Douglas | April 24, 1961 |
| 50 | 10 | “Guns of the Lawless” | Richard C. Sarafian | Story by : Todhunter Ballard Teleplay by : William L. Stuart | May 8, 1961 |
Season 4 (1961–62)[]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | 1 | “The Cousin from Atlanta” | Michael O'Herlihy | Teleplay by : Peter Germano | October 16, 1961 |
| 52 | 2 | “Prince of Darkness” | Marc Lawrence | Teleplay by : Warren Douglas | November 6, 1961 |
| 53 | 3 | “One Came Back” | Robert Sparr | Teleplay by : Lee Loeb | November 27, 1961 |
| 54 | 4 | “The Equalizer” | Marc Lawrence | Teleplay by : Warren Douglas | December 18, 1961 |
| 55 | 5 | “The Harrigan” | Robert Sparr | Story by : William L. Stuart Teleplay by : Fred Eggers | December 25, 1961 |
| 56 | 6 | “Beginner's Luck” | Leslie H. Martinson | Story by : Steve Frazee Teleplay by : George F. Slavin | January 1, 1962 |
| 57 | 7 | “Ride the Whirlwind” | Gunther von Fritsch | Teleplay by : Warren Douglas | January 15, 1962 |
| 58 | 8 | “A Sure Thing” | Paul Landres | Story by : Don Martin Teleplay by : Fred Eggers & Don Martin | January 22, 1962 |
| 59 | 9 | “Trail of Hatred” | Paul Landres | Story by : Gerald Drayson Adams Teleplay by : Cy Chermak | February 5, 1962 |
| 60 | 10 | “Rendezvous with a Miracle” | Gunther von Fritsch | Story by : Kay Linaker & Howard Phillips Teleplay by : Kay Linaker, Howard Phillips & Bob Wehling | February 12, 1962 |
| 61 | 11 | “Destinies West” | George Waggner | Teleplay by : Barry Shipman | February 26, 1962 |
| 62 | 12 | “The Last Letter” | Robert Sparr | Teleplay by : David Lang | March 5, 1962 |
| 63 | 13 | “One Evening in Abilene” | Richard Benedict | Teleplay by : Berne Giler | March 19, 1962 |
| 64 | 14 | “Until Kingdom Come” | Paul Landres | Teleplay by : Lee Loeb | March 26, 1962 |
| 65 | 15 | “Moment of Doubt” | Paul Landres | Teleplay by : Lester Fuller | April 2, 1962 |
| 66 | 16 | “A Town That Lived and Died” | Paul Landres | Teleplay by : Richard H. Landau | April 9, 1962 |
| 67 | 17 | “The Immovable Object” | Sidney Salkow | Teleplay by : Arnold Belgard | April 16, 1962 |
| 68 | 18 | “Then the Mountains” | George Waggner | Teleplay by : George Waggner | April 30, 1962 |
Release[]
Home media[]
Warner Bros. has released the first three seasons on DVD in Region 1 via their Warner Archive Collection. These are manufacture-on-demand (MOD) releases, available through Warner's online store and Amazon.com.[1][2][3] The fourth and final season was released on May 19, 2015.[4]
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | 20 | July 29, 2014 |
| The Complete Second Season | 20 | October 14, 2014 |
| The Complete Third Season | 10 | February 3, 2015 |
| The Complete Fourth Season | 18 | May 19, 2015 |
References[]
- ↑ 'The Complete 1st Season' of the Western is Coming to DVD Next Week! Archived 2014-07-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Warner Archive Collection Releases 'The Complete 2nd Season' Archived 2014-10-16 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ The Next-To-Last Season of the Western Series is Now on DVD! Archived 2015-02-26 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Release Date Revealed for the 4th and Final Season of the Show Archived 2015-05-01 at the Wayback Machine
External links[]
- Bronco at epguides.com
Bronco at the Internet Movie Database
- Bronco at CVTA