Saturday Matinee: The Range Rider - Old Timers Trail

Classic Streams: Old Time Retro Radio

The Range Rider is an American Western television series that was first broadcast in syndication from 1951 to 1953. A single lost episode surfaced and was broadcast in 1959. The Range Rider was also broadcast on British television during the 1960s, and in Melbourne, Australia, during the 1950s.

Synopsis.

Jock Mahoney, later star of CBS's Yancy Derringer, played the title character in 79 black-and-white half-hour episodes, along with partner Dick West, played by Dick Jones, later star of the syndicated series Buffalo Bill, Jr. The character had no name other than Range Rider. His reputation for fairness, fighting ability, and accuracy with his guns was known far and wide, even by Indians. Mahoney towered over Jones, conveying the idea that Dick West was a youth rather than a full-grown adult.

Stanley Andrews, the first host of the syndicated anthology series, Death Valley Days, appeared in 17 episodes of The Range Rider in different roles, including "Pack Rat" and "Marked for Death" in 1951 and "Marshal from Madero" in 1953. Gregg Barton similarly guest-starred in 16 episodes. Harry Lauter, later a co-star with Willard Parker on CBS's Tales of the Texas Rangers, appeared 11 times, including the episodes "Ten Thousand Reward" and "Dim Trails" (both in 1951), "Ambush in Coyote Canyon" (1952), and "Convict at Large" and "Marshal from Madero" (both in 1953). William Fawcett, prior to NBC's Fury, guest-starred in 9 episodes, including in "Diablo Posse", as Matt Ryan in "Last of the Pony Express", "Dim Trails" (all 1951), and "Shotgun Stage" (1952).

The show was a production of Gene Autry's Flying A Productions, and Autry himself was the executive producer. The theme tune was "Home on the Range", though in later episodes, this was played at a fast tempo without the song. The two main characters were the only consistent ones. Five or six names of other actors were given at the end of each episode, but not the parts they played.

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