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Outlaws
Don Collier as Marshal Will Foreman
Outlaws! Runnin' from the hang rope.
Outlaws! Runnin' from the gun.
Outlaws! Ridin' through the night trails
Hidin' from the sun.
But there's no use hidin' when the law starts ridin',
And there's no use runnin' when the law starts gunnin'
For the Outlaws!
Life in the Oklahoma Territory in the 1890's was never easy. Flooded overnight by tens of thousands of homesteaders in the great land rush of 1889, it became a magnet for all sorts of outlaws. Land grabbers, train robbers, thieves and murderers...the local peace official was hard-pressed to maintain any semblance of law and order. More often than not, outlaws would strike and run, escaping into territory so remote that danger lurked around each corner. No ordinary town sheriff could handle the devious badman, and people like Bill Doolin, the Daltons, and Sam Bass eluded capture for many years.
What was needed was a drastic change in the Territorial judicial system, and President Grover Cleveland took action. He appointed Frank Caine (Barton MacLane) as Chief United States Marshal. Caine's two deputies were Will Foreman (Don Collier) and Foreman's nephew Heck Martin (Jock Gaynor). Since Guthrie was the Territorial capital at the time, it became center stage for the Office of the Marshal Service, a sort of home base to tie all the stories together.
Outlaws premiered on September 29, 1960, and it ran for two seasons. Season One had the unusual distinction of telling the tales from the viewpoint of the criminal element. It was highly entertaining to see how criminals thought, how they managed to talk themselves into whatever devious deed they plotted, how they cringed when they were caught. Watching U. S. Marshal Will Foreman outwit them was half the fun. It was also more historically accurate, using such "real life" outlaws as Bill Doolin, the Dalton Gang, and Sam Bass. As the marshals weave in and out each episode, the storytelling is taunt with compelling and tight scripts. The show commanded the coveted 7:30-8:30 NBC Thursday night lineup. With its dark film noir feel to it, Outlaws with its novel approach to law and order, just about turned badmen into hero worship.
Right after the 9th episode was telecast, Jock Gaynor as Deputy Heck Martin, disappeared with no explanation, and Will Foreman got a new partner, Deputy Steve Corbie, played by Wynn Pearce. Deputy Corbie had a keen sense of humor, and he was a wonderful addition as a sidekick for Will Foreman. Whenever Foreman made one of his dry observations, Corbie could be counted upon to say something about it. One exchange in The Waiting Game went like this. Foreman: "I feel stupid." Corbie: "You don't look stupid." When Foreman glared at him, Corbie hastily added, "Not real stupid." It would have been nice to have Deputy Corbie continue in his role, but after four episodes, he also disappeared with no explanation. For the remainder of Season One, it was Deputy Will Foreman who was the star with an occasional smattering of Marshal Frank Caine thrown in for good measure.
Season Two changed the tone and theme by shifting the emphasis to the standard "through the eyes of the lawman" focus. Leaving the darkness behind, it takes on many of the more familiar aspects of television westerns. The sun comes out, the action moves from Guthrie to Stillwater, and Will Foreman gets a promotion to chief United States Marshal, which he does not particularly want. He also gets his own office, his own hot-headed deputy marshal, and a deputy-hating dog, which Will characteristically names "Bill Doolin." There is bitingly funny dialog, a love interest of sorts, and a town character guaranteed to create havoc at the most inopportune times. Only Don Collier of the original cast returned in his role as Will Foreman. The new cast included: U.S. Deputy Marshal Chalk Breeson (Bruce Yarnell), cafe owner Connie Masters (Judy Lewis), and a town character who could always be counted upon to wind up in some sort of predicament, named Slim, played to perfection by the great Slim Pickens.
Throughout the series, there was no lack of outstanding guest stars. Among the many to appear were Jack Lord, Vic Morrow, Dean Stockwell, Leonard Nimoy, Ray Walston, Warren Oats, Simon Oakland, Jackie Coogan, James Coburn, Robert Culp, Steve Forrest, and William Shatner. Even little Johnny Washburn had a starring role as a twelve-year-old orphan in one of the episodes. Before one gets the idea that all the guest spots were designed for men, some of the leading ladies of Hollywood made an appearance. Stars such as Sue Ann Langdon, Pippa Scott, Cloris Leachman, Anne Helm, Phyllis Thaxter, Jean Allison, Diane Foster, and Patricia Barry had prominent parts.
From the very first episode, Don Collier was the voice of Outlaws. He gave the overview of each story, explaining what life was like in the Oklahoma Territory, and the tension would build from there. There were just as many stories about ordinary folks caught up in the ordinary frustrations in towns on the fringe of bandit territory as there were about the outlaws themselves. Always, the tales were true-to-life and exciting. By the time it went off the air, fifty episodes had been shot.
There was to be a third season. In fact, scripts had already been written, and the cast had already been notified to report for work, when word came down that the show had been canceled. Ralph Edwards had a long-running show on NBC called This Is Your Life, which aired on Sunday nights in the 10:30-11:30 timeslot. When it went off the air at the end of the 1960 season, he immediately threw himself into production on a western for the 1962-1963 season. It was to be about a champion rodeo bronco buster. Unfortunately for Outlaws, Edwards' former timeslot of 10:30-11:30 on Sunday nights was not deemed suitable by Edwards for his new series. He demanded, and got, the 7:30-8:30 Thursday night timeslot, and The Wide Country debuted on September 20, 1962. It lasted one year before it was replaced by Temple Houston, which was, in turn, replaced by Daniel Boone a year later.
Step back to 1890's Oklahoma Territory with a journey through Outlaws.
Click on the photo below to hear the Outlaws theme song
