Tombstone Territory

American Western TV series

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Tombstone Territory

Pat Conway as Clay Hollister, 1958

Genre| Western
Starring|

* Pat Conway
* Richard Eastham
* Gilman Rankin

Narrated by| Richard Eastham
Theme music composer| William M. Backer
Opening theme| "Whistle Me Up a Memory" performed by Jimmy Blaine
Country of origin| United States
Original language| English
No. of seasons| 3
No. of episodes| 91
Production
Executive producer| Frederick W. Ziv
Producers|

* Frank Pittman
* Andy White

Cinematography|

* Monroe P. Askins
* Curt Fetters
* Robert Hoffman

Editors|

* W. Duncan Mansfield
* Joseph Silver

Running time| 30 minutes
Production company| Ziv Television Programs
Original release
Network|

* ABC (1957-1959)
* Syndication (1959-1960)

Release| October 16, 1957 (1957-10-16) –
July 8, 1960 (1960-07-08)

Tombstone Territory is an American Western television series starring Pat Conway and Richard Eastham. The first two seasons aired on ABC from 1957 to 1959. The first season was sponsored by Bristol-Myers (consumer products) and the second season by Lipton (tea/soup) and Philip Morris (Marlboro cigarettes). The third and final season aired in syndication from 1959 until 1960. The program was produced by Ziv Television.

## Overview

[edit]

This program took place in the boomtown of Tombstone, Arizona Territory, one of the Old West's most notorious towns and the site of the shootout known as the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Located south of Tucson, Tombstone was then known by the sobriquet "the town too tough to die". The program's theme song, "Whistle Me Up a Memory", was written by William M. Backer and performed by Jimmy Blaine.[1]

The series did not deal with real characters in the history of Tombstone in the 1880s, such as Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, or the Clanton gang, with the exception of Curly Bill Brocius, who appeared in the first season. It was about fictional characters in the American Southwest. The first episode opens, according to the narrator, on August 4, 1881. Conway played Sheriff Clay Hollister. Eastham, the only other actor besides Conway to appear in all the episodes, played Harris Claibourne, editor of The Tombstone Epitaph (an actual newspaper that still exists in limited form). Eastham, originally a singer in opera and on Broadway, also narrated the series in a deep baritone voice,[2] describing each episode as an actual report from the newspaper's archives.

Gerald Mohr played Doc Holliday in the first-season Tombstone Territory episode titled "Doc Holliday in Durango", initially broadcast in 1958. The previous year, Mohr had portrayed Holliday in an episode of Maverick titled "The Quick and the Dead" starring James Garner and Marie Windsor. Mohr's version of Holliday was identical in both series.

The ending credits indicate, "This series is produced with the full cooperation of Clayton A. Smith, editor of the TOMBSTONE EPITAPH and D'Estell Iszard, historian".[3]

The program was a notable early example of a television network imitating itself. At the time it was airing Tombstone Territory, whose main character resembled Wyatt Earp in everything but name, ABC also was broadcasting The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp.

## Cast

[edit]

* Pat Conway as Sheriff Clay Hollister
* Richard Eastham as Harris Clayton Claibourne, editor
* Gilman Rankin starred as Deputy Charlie Riggs in eight episodes, only appearing in the first season.[4]

### Recurring

[edit]

* Robert Foulk appeared as Curly Bill Brocius.[5]
* Quentin Sondergaard was cast as Deputy Sheriff Quint in 11 episodes of the two later seasons.
* Dennis Moore appeared as Deputy in five segments.
* Robert J. Wilke, John Doucette, and Warren Oates all appeared three times, as Burt Foster, Apache Chief Geronimo, and Bob Pickett, respectively, as well as occasional other roles.

### Guest stars

[edit]

* Fred Aldrich
* Lee Allen
* John Anderson
* Rayford Barnes
* James Best
* Peter Breck
* Diane Brewster
* Harry Carey Jr.
* John Carradine
* Anthony Caruso
* Lon Chaney Jr.
* James Coburn
* Fred Coby
* William Conrad
* Russ Conway
* Elisha Cook Jr.
* Angie Dickinson
* John Doucette
* Andrew Duggan
* Jack Elam
* Bill Erwin
* Don Eitner
* Margaret Field
* Duke Fishman
* Constance Ford
* Bruce Gordon
* Leo Gordon
* Dabbs Greer
* Virginia Gregg
* Raymond Guth
* Herman Hack
* Ron Hagerthy
* Alan Hale Jr.
* Allison Hayes
* Ron Hayes
* Myron Healey
* Thomas Browne Henry
* Robert Hinkle
* Ed Hinton
* Bern Hoffman
* Rodolfo Hoyos Jr.
* Don Kennedy
* Douglas Kennedy
* Brett King
* Wright King
* Ethan Laidlaw

* Michael Landon
* Keith Larsen
* Harry Lauter
* Karl Lukas
* Herbert Lytton
* Wayne Mallory
* Ken Mayer
* Rod McGaughy
* Patrick McVey
* Tyler McVey
* Joyce Meadows
* Jan Merlin
* Gerald Mohr
* Donald Murphy
* Anna Navarro
* Ed Nelson
* Leonard Nimoy
* Jimmy Noel
* Kathleen Nolan
* Warren Oates
* Larry Pennell
* Joe Ploski
* Mala Powers
* Andrew Prine
* Denver Pyle \- appeared in "Crime Epidemic" as Will Gunther
* Rhodes Reason
* Richard Reeves
* Paul Richards
* Pernell Roberts
* Bing Russell
* Milan Smith
* Fay Spain
* Guy Stockwell
* Brick Sullivan
* Liam Sullivan
* Ralph Taeger
* Kent Taylor
* Robert Tetrick
* Regis Toomey
* Brad Trumbull
* Lee Van Cleef
* John Vivyan
* Patrick Waltz
* Peter Whitney
* Tony Young
* Len Lesser

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## Episode list

[edit]

### Season 1 (1957–58)

[edit]

No.
overall| No. in
series| Title| Directed by| Written by| Original release date

|
|
|
|
|

1| 1| "Gunslinger from Galeyville"| Eddie Davis| Story by : Frank Pittman and Andy White
Teleplay by : Andy White| October 16, 1957 (1957-10-16)
2| 2| "Reward for a Gunslinger"| Leon Benson| Stuart Jerome| October 23, 1957 (1957-10-23)
3| 3| "Ride Out at Noon"| Leon Benson| Clark E. Reynolds and Martin Berkeley| October 30, 1957 (1957-10-30)
4| 4| "Revenge Town"| Eddie Davis| Steve Fisher| November 6, 1957 (1957-11-06)
5| 5| "A Bullet for an Editor"| Walter Doniger| Leo Gordon| November 13, 1957 (1957-11-13)
6| 6| "Killer Without a Conscience"| Walter Doniger| William Tunberg| November 20, 1957 (1957-11-20)
7| 7| "Guns of Silver"| Eddie Davis| Fred Freiberger| November 27, 1957 (1957-11-27)
8| 8| "Desert Survival"| Eddie Davis| Gene Levitt| December 4, 1957 (1957-12-04)
9| 9| "Apache Vendetta"| Walter Doniger| Andy White| December 11, 1957 (1957-12-11)
10| 10| "Ambush at Gila Gulch"| Leon Benson| William Tunberg| December 18, 1957 (1957-12-18)
11| 11| "Sermons and Six Guns"| Walter Doniger| Laurence Heath| December 25, 1957 (1957-12-25)
12| 12| "The Youngest Gun"| Leon Benson| Harold Shumate| January 1, 1958 (1958-01-01)
13| 13| "Shoot Out at Dark"| Eddie Davis| Martin Berkeley and Clark E. Reynolds| January 8, 1958 (1958-01-08)
14| 14| "The Rebels' Last Charge"| Eddie Davis| Steve Fisher| January 15, 1958 (1958-01-15)
15| 15| "Gun Fever"| Eddie Davis| Barney Slater| January 22, 1958 (1958-01-22)
16| 16| "Mexican Bandito"| Ted Post| Paul Savage| January 29, 1958 (1958-01-29)
17| 17| "Tong War"| Eddie Davis| Leo Gordon| February 5, 1958 (1958-02-05)
18| 18| "Postmarked for Death"| Ted Post| Martin Berkeley and Clark E. Reynolds| February 12, 1958 (1958-02-12)
19| 19| "Johnny Ringo's Last Ride"| Ted Post| Story by : Andy White
Teleplay by : Sam Peckinpah| February 19, 1958 (1958-02-19)
20| 20| "Outlaw's Bugle"| Walter Doniger| Laurence Heath| February 26, 1958 (1958-02-26)
21| 21| "Geronimo"| Harold D. Schuster| Story by : Andy White
Teleplay by : Leo Gordon| March 5, 1958 (1958-03-05)
22| 22| "The Return of the Outlaw"| Walter Doniger| Barney Slater| March 12, 1958 (1958-03-12)
23| 23| "Guilt of a Town"| Norman Foster| Story by : Frank Pittman and Andy White
Teleplay by : Andy White| March 19, 1958 (1958-03-19)
24| 24| "Cave-In"| Walter Doniger| Story by : Andy White
Teleplay by : Gene Levitt| March 26, 1958 (1958-03-26)
25| 25| "Skeleton Canyon Massacre"| Christian Nyby| Robert C. Bennett| April 2, 1958 (1958-04-02)
26| 26| "Strange Vengeance"| Christian Nyby| Don Brinkley| April 9, 1958 (1958-04-09)
27| 27| "The Tin Gunman"| Walter Doniger| Warren Douglas| April 16, 1958 (1958-04-16)
28| 28| "The Outcasts"| Tom Gries| Tom Gries| April 23, 1958 (1958-04-23)
29| 29| "Doc Holliday in Durango"| Richard L. Bare| Gene Levitt, Frank Pittman, and Andy White| April 30, 1958 (1958-04-30)
30| 30| "Triangle of Death"| Henry S. Kesler| Paul Savage| May 7, 1958 (1958-05-07)
31| 31| "Pick up the Gun"| Walter Doniger| Maurice Tombragel| May 14, 1958 (1958-05-14)
32| 32| "The Assassin"| Tom Gries| Fred Friedberger| May 21, 1958 (1958-05-21)
33| 33| "The Lady Gambler"| Walter Doniger| William Driskill| May 28, 1958 (1958-05-28)
34| 34| "Fight for a Fugitive"| Paul Guilfoyle| Barney Slater| June 4, 1958 (1958-06-04)

Kenne Duncan as the Bartender

35| 35| "Legacy of Death"| Tom Gries| Milton S. Gelman| June 11, 1958 (1958-06-11)
36| 36| "The Gatling Gun"| Richard L. Bare| David Lang| August 27, 1958 (1958-08-27)

Kenne Duncan as the Bartender

37| 37| "The Black Marshal from Deadwood"| Christian Nyby| James Edmiston| September 3, 1958 (1958-09-03)

Kenne Duncan as the Bartender

38| 38| "Thicker Than Water"| Walter Doniger| Leo Gordon| September 10, 1958 (1958-09-10)
39| 39| "Rose of the Rio Bravo"| Walter Doniger| Andy White| September 17, 1958 (1958-09-17)

### Season 2 (1959)

[edit]

No.
overall| No. in
series| Title| Directed by| Written by| Original release date

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|
|
|
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40| 1| "Whipsaw"| Richard L. Bare| Bret Hill| March 13, 1959 (1959-03-13)
41| 2| "Marked for Murder"| William Conrad| Barney Slater| March 20, 1959 (1959-03-20)
42| 3| "Payroll to Tombstone"| Richard L. Bare| D.D. Beauchamp| March 27, 1959 (1959-03-27)
43| 4| "Day of the Amnesty"| Richard L. Bare| Don Ingalls| April 3, 1959 (1959-04-03)
44| 5| "Trail's End"| Otto Lang| Martin Berkeley and Clarke Reynolds| April 10, 1959 (1959-04-10)
45| 6| "The Black Diamond"| William Conrad| Melvin Levy| April 17, 1959 (1959-04-17)
46| 7| "The Man from Brewster"| Richard L. Bare| Guy de Vry| April 24, 1959 (1959-04-24)
47| 8| "Gun Hostage"| Eddie Davis| Jim Carling and Martin Mooney| May 1, 1959 (1959-05-01)
48| 9| "Warrant for Death"| Richard L. Bare| Turnley Walker| May 8, 1959 (1959-05-08)
49| 10| "Surrender at Sunglow"| Richard L. Bare| Harold Shumate| May 15, 1959 (1959-05-15)
50| 11| "Grave Near Tombstone"| Lew Landers| John Elliotte| May 22, 1959 (1959-05-22)
51| 12| "Death Is to Write About"| Otto Lang| Leo Gordon| May 29, 1959 (1959-05-29)

### Season 3 (1959–60)

[edit]

No.
overall| No. in
series| Title| Directed by| Written by| Original release date

|
|
|
|
|

52| 1| "Red Terror of Tombstone"| Eddie Davis| Andy White| October 9, 1959 (1959-10-09)
53| 2| "The Gunfighter"| Eddie Davis| Guy de Vry| October 16, 1959 (1959-10-16)
54| 3| "Stolen Loot"| Franklin Adreon| Stephen Kandel| October 23, 1959 (1959-10-23)
55| 4| "The Writer"| Alan Crosland Jr.| John W. Krafft| October 30, 1959 (1959-10-30)
56| 5| "Payroll Robbery"| Eddie Davis| William Tunberg| November 6, 1959 (1959-11-06)
57| 6| "The Horse Thief"| Eddie Davis| Virginia M. Cooke| November 13, 1959 (1959-11-13)
58| 7| "The Legend"| Otto Lang| Wells Root and Ron Bishop| November 20, 1959 (1959-11-20)
59| 8| "Premature Obituary"| Eddie Davis| Paul Franklin| November 27, 1959 (1959-11-27)
60| 9| "Dangerous Romance"| Otto Lang| Barney Slater| December 4, 1959 (1959-12-04)
61| 10| "Self-Defense"| Franklin Adreon| Stuart Jerome| December 11, 1959 (1959-12-11)
62| 11| "The Marked Horseshoe"| Herman Hoffman| Jim Carling and Martin Mooney| December 18, 1959 (1959-12-18)
63| 12| "The Noose That Broke"| Alan Crosland Jr.| Stuart Jerome| December 25, 1959 (1959-12-25)
64| 13| "Mine Disasters"| Franklin Adreon| S.H. Barnett and Fran van Hartesveldt| January 1, 1960 (1960-01-01)
65| 14| "The Witness"| James Goldstone| Barney Slater| January 8, 1960 (1960-01-08)
66| 15| "The Capture"| Eddie Davis| Barney Slater| January 15, 1960 (1960-01-15)
67| 16| "State's Witness"| Lew Landers| Teddi Sherman| January 22, 1960 (1960-01-22)
68| 17| "The Target"| James Goldstone| Dave Clay| January 29, 1960 (1960-01-29)
69| 18| "The Bride"| Otto Lang| Robert Turner| February 5, 1960 (1960-02-05)
70| 19| "Female Killer"| James Goldstone| Leo Gordon| February 12, 1960 (1960-02-12)
71| 20| "The Lady Lawyer"| Jack Herzberg| Teddi Sherman| February 19, 1960 (1960-02-19)
72| 21| "Silver Killers"| William Conrad| Joe Richardson| February 26, 1960 (1960-02-26)
73| 22| "Holcomb Brothers"| Otto Lang| Paul Franklin| March 4, 1960 (1960-03-04)
74| 23| "Young Killer"| James Goldstone| S.H. Barnett and Fran van Hartesveldt| March 11, 1960 (1960-03-11)
75| 24| "Coded Newspaper"| James Goldstone| S.H. Barnett, Marion Parsonnet, and Fran van Hartesveldt| March 18, 1960 (1960-03-18)
76| 25| "Memory"| William Conrad| Robert Turner| March 25, 1960 (1960-03-25)
77| 26| "Revenge"| Eddie Davis| Stuart Jerome| April 1, 1960 (1960-04-01)
78| 27| "The Hostage"| Franklin Adreon| Vernon E. Clark| April 8, 1960 (1960-04-08)
79| 28| "The Governor"| William Conrad| Ron Bishop and Wells Root| April 16, 1960 (1960-04-16)
80| 29| "The Kidnapping"| Eddie Davis| Stuart Jerome| April 22, 1960 (1960-04-22)
81| 30| "Girl from Philadelphia"| Herman Hoffman| Ron Bishop and Wells Root| April 29, 1960 (1960-04-29)
82| 31| "The Fortune"| James Goldstone| Guy de Vry| May 6, 1960 (1960-05-06)
83| 32| "The Innocent Man"| Alan Crosland Jr.| Guy de Vry| May 13, 1960 (1960-05-13)
84| 33| "The Siesta Killer"| David Friedkin| Lee Berg| May 20, 1960 (1960-05-20)
85| 34| "The Return of Kansas Joe"| Franklin Adreon| William Tunberg| May 27, 1960 (1960-05-27)
86| 35| "Betrayal"| William Conrad| Guy de Vry| June 3, 1960 (1960-06-03)
87| 36| "The Treaty"| Eddie Davis| Guy de Vry| June 10, 1960 (1960-06-10)
88| 37| "The Outlaw"| James Goldstone| Mikhail Rykoff| June 17, 1960 (1960-06-17)
89| 38| "The Injury"| Eddie Davis| Don Brinkley| June 24, 1960 (1960-06-24)
90| 39| "Crime Epidemic"| Herman Hoffman| Melvin Levy| July 1, 1960 (1960-07-01)
91| 40| "Juan Diego"| Franklin Adreon| Leo Gordon| July 8, 1960 (1960-07-08)

## Release

[edit]

### Home media

[edit]

On April 2, 2013, Timeless Media Group released season 1 on DVD in Region 1.[6]

As of late 2014, The Complete Series of all 91 episodes has been released on DVD.[7]

### Syndication

[edit]

Reruns aired on FETV from 2021 to 2022, and as of 2022, the show is aired daily on Grit as a part of its daytime schedule.

### Merchandising

[edit]

The TV show was also adapted into a comic book by Dan Spiegle, distributed by Dell Comics.[8]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "TV Westerns: Tombstone Territory". fiftiesweb.com. July 5, 1999. Retrieved February 1, 2009.
2. ^ Alex McNeil, Total Television, New York: Penguin Books, 1996, 4th ed., p. 849, ISBN 0-14-024916-8
3. ^ "TOMBSTONE TERRITORY - THE TARGET". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 5, 2021.
4. ^ Aaker, Everett (1997). Television Western Players of the Fifties: A Biographical Encyclopedia of All Regular Cast Members in Western Series, 1949-1959. McFarland. p. 434\. ISBN 9780786402847.
5. ^ Brode, Douglas (January 1, 2010). Shooting Stars of the Small Screen: Encyclopedia of TV Western Actors, 1946–Present. University of Texas Press. p. 92\. ISBN 9780292783317 - via Google Books.
6. ^ "DVD Calendar Feature Articles - Metacritic". www.metacritic.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013.
7. ^ "Tombstone Territory: The Complete TV Series". Amazon. December 17, 2013.
8. ^ "Dan Spiegle". lambiek.net.

## External links

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* Tombstone Territory at IMDb

*[No.]: Number