September 28, 1955 (1955-09-28) – March 14, 1956 (1956-03-14)
Brave Eagle is a 26-episode half-hour Western television series which aired on CBS from September 28, 1955, to March 14, 1956, with rebroadcasts continuing until June 6.[1]Keith Larsen, who was of Norwegian descent, starred as Brave Eagle, a peaceful young Cheyenne chief.
The program was unconventional in that it reflects the Native American viewpoint in the settlement of the American West and was the first series to feature an American Indian character as a lead character.[2][3]
Larsen's co-stars were Kim Winona (1930–1978), a Santee Sioux Indian, as Morning Star, Brave Eagle's romantic interest; Anthony Numkena (born 1942) of Arizona, a Hopi Indian then using the stage name Keena Nomkeena, appeared as Keena, the adopted son of Brave Eagle; Pat Hogan (1920–1966) as Black Cloud, and Bert Wheeler (1895–1968) of the comedy team Wheeler & Woolsey, as the halfbreed Smokey Joe, full of tribal tall tales but accompanying wisdom.[4]
The episodes center upon routine activities among the Cheyenne, clashes with other tribes, attempts to prevent war, encroachment from white settlers, racial prejudice, and a threat of smallpox.
Dell Comics released a Brave Eagle comic book series based on the TV show. It was published between 1956 and 1958 and drawn by Dan Spiegle.[6]
References
^Woolery, George W. (1985). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981, Part II: Live, Film, and Tape Series. The Scarecrow Press. pp. 71–72. ISBN0-8108-1651-2.