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*Colt .45*
Colt .45
	Wayde Preston as Christopher Colt, 1959
Also known as	The Colt Cousins
Genre	Western
Created by	Based on the film by; Thomas W. Blackburn;
Developed by	Roy Huggins
Starring	Wayde Preston; Donald May; Kenneth MacDonald;
Theme music composer	Mack David; Jerry Livingston;
Opening theme	Performed by Hal Hopper
Composers	Paul Sawtell; Bert Shefter;
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	67
Production
Executive producer	William T. Orr
Producers	Roy Huggins; Harry Tatelman; Cedric Francis; Mack David; Joseph Hoffman; Oren W. Haglund (production manager); ; Gordon Bau (make-up)
Editor	James Moore
Running time	23-25 minutes
Production company	Warner Bros. Television
Original release
Network	ABC
Release	October 18, 1957 –; September 27, 1960
Related
	Colt .45; Maverick; Shotgun Slade; Sugarfoot;

Colt .45 (also known as The Colt Cousins) is an American Western television series, originally starring Wayde Preston, which aired on ABC between October 1957 and September 1960.^[1]

The half-hour program is loosely based on the 1950 Warner Bros. film of the same name, starring Randolph Scott. Colt .45 was part of the William T. Orr-produced array of Westerns which Warner produced for ABC in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Overview

Roy Huggins developed the series with Wayde Preston in the part of undercover government agent Christopher Colt, who takes the cover of a traveling Old West pistol salesman, hence the title of the series. Colt .45 also featured fictionalizations of actual historical characters, including Edwin Booth (brother of John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln), Sam Bass, Billy the Kid, Lew Wallace, Judge Roy Bean, Buffalo Bill Cody, Ned Buntline, and Calamity Jane.

During this period, Colt .45 was one of several ABC/WB Western productions, along with Cheyenne, Sugarfoot, Lawman, Maverick, and Bronco. Various series leads occasionally did crossover episodes on some of the other WB programs. One of the most imaginative was the "Hadley's Hunters" episode of Maverick, in which Bart Maverick (Jack Kelly) comes upon Christopher Colt's sales satchel, abandoned in a room and covered with dust, as the series had been cancelled the previous season.

In 1958, series star Wayde Preston left the series because he claimed he was made to do stunts that required a stunt man. Preston was also reportedly unhappy with the show's low budget, which caused other problems. Because of Preston's departure, producers were forced to air repeats of the series along with a few new episodes to complete the 1958–1959 season.^[1]

In 1959, Donald May assumed the lead role as Sam Colt, Jr., the cousin of Christopher Colt.^[2] After leaving the series, Warner Bros. prevented Preston from obtaining other acting jobs. He eventually returned briefly to the series, but was demoted to a co-starring role with May.^[3] Due to the casting changes, the series was eventually marketed in the United Kingdom as The Colt Cousins.

Guest stars

Series overview

Season	Episodes	Originally aired
Season	Episodes	First aired	Last aired
1	26	October 18, 1957 (1957-10-18)	April 11, 1958 (1958-04-11)
2	13	April 5, 1959 (1959-04-05)	June 28, 1959 (1959-06-28)
3	28	October 4, 1959 (1959-10-04)	June 21, 1960 (1960-06-21)

Episodes

Season 1: 1957–1958

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	1	"Judgment Day" "The Peacemaker"	Douglas Heyes	S : Roy Huggins; T : Marion Hargrove	October 18, 1957 (1957-10-18)
2	2	"A Time to Die"	Douglas Heyes	Leo Gordon	October 25, 1957 (1957-10-25)
3	3	"The Three Thousand Dollar Bullet"	Franklin Adreon	Eric Freiwald, Robert Schaefer	November 1, 1957 (1957-11-01)
4	4	"Gallows at Granite Gap"	Franklin Adreon	S : Joseph Chadwick; T : William F. Leicester	November 8, 1957 (1957-11-08)
5	5	"Small Man"	Edward Bernds	Frederick Brady	November 15, 1957 (1957-11-15)
6	6	"Final Payment"	Franklin Adreon	Wells Root	November 22, 1957 (1957-11-22)
7	7	"One Good Turn"	Edward Bernds	John McGreevey	November 29, 1957 (1957-11-29)
8	8	"Last Chance"	Edward Bernds	S : Harold Shumate; T : Gil Doud	December 6, 1957 (1957-12-06)
9	9	"Young Gun"	Walter Grauman	T : Daniel B. Ullman; S/T : William Driskill, Joel Rapp	December 13, 1957 (1957-12-13)
10	10	"Rebellion"	Walter Grauman	S : Anthony Coldeway; T : James Gunn	December 20, 1957 (1957-12-20)
11	11	"The Gypsies"	Alan Crosland Jr.	S : Wesley Haynes; T : Frederick Brady	December 27, 1957 (1957-12-27)
12	12	"Sign in the Sand"	Alan Crosland Jr.	Frederick Brady	January 3, 1958 (1958-01-03)
13	13	"The Mirage"	Montgomery Pittman	Montgomery Pittman	January 10, 1958 (1958-01-10)
14	14	"Blood Money"	Abner Biberman	David Lang	January 17, 1958 (1958-01-17)
15	15	"Dead Reckoning"	Abner Biberman	Jack Harvey	January 24, 1958 (1958-01-24)
16	16	"Decoy"	Leslie H. Martinson	S : Albert Aley, William MacLeod Raine; T : James Edmiston	January 31, 1958 (1958-01-31)
17	17	"Rare Specimen"	Leslie H. Martinson	Gene Levitt, Eugene Manlove Rhodes	February 7, 1958 (1958-02-07)
18	18	"Mantrap"	Unknown	Montgomery Pittman	February 14, 1958 (1958-02-14)
19	19	"Ghost Town"	Lee Sholem	S : Nelson Nye; T : James Gunn	February 21, 1958 (1958-02-21)
20	20	"The Golden Gun"	Richard L. Bare	Frederick Brady	February 28, 1958 (1958-02-28)
21	21	"Circle of Fear"	Leslie H. Martinson	S : Ben Markson; T : Howard Browne	March 7, 1958 (1958-03-07)
22	22	"Split Second"	Leslie H. Martinson	S : Orville H. Hampton; T : William F. Leicester	March 14, 1958 (1958-03-14)
23	23	"Point of Honor" "Woman on the Stagecoach"	William J. Hole Jr.	Steve Fisher	March 21, 1958 (1958-03-21)
24	24	"The Deserters"	Leslie H. Martinson	S : Norman Daniels; T : Tony Barrett, Frederick Brady	March 28, 1958 (1958-03-28)
25	25	"The Manbuster"	Oliver Drake	S : Richard Wormser; T : Oliver Drake	April 4, 1958 (1958-04-04)
26	26	"Long Odds"	Franklin Adreon	S : Joseph Hoffman; T : David Lang	April 11, 1958 (1958-04-11)

Season 2: 1959

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
27	1	"The Escape"	Lee Sholem	T : Irwin Winehouse, A. Sanford Wolfe	April 5, 1959 (1959-04-05)
28	2	"Dead Aim"	Lee Sholem	S : Sid Harris; T : Wells Root	April 12, 1959 (1959-04-12)
29	3	"The Magic Box"	George Waggner	Irwin Winehouse, A. Sanford Wolfe	April 19, 1959 (1959-04-19)
30	4	"The Confession"	Harold Daniels	Dwight V. Babcock	April 26, 1959 (1959-04-26)
31	5	"The Man Who Loved Lincoln"	Arthur Ripley	S : James Barnett, Jack Emanuel; T : Leonard Lee	May 3, 1959 (1959-05-03)
32	6	"The Sanctuary"	Jodie Copelan	S : Jack Emanuel; T : Frank Gruber, Dean Riesner	May 10, 1959 (1959-05-10)
33	7	"The Saga of Sam Bass"	William J. Hole Jr.	T : Irwin Winehouse, A. Sanford Wolfe	May 17, 1959 (1959-05-17)
34	8	"Amnesty"	William J. Hole Jr.	S : James Barnett, Jack Emanuel; T : Irwin Winehouse, A. Sanford Wolfe	May 24, 1959 (1959-05-24)
35	9	"The Pirate"	Montgomery Pittman	S : Day Keene; T : Finlay McDermid	May 31, 1959 (1959-05-31)
36	10	"Law West of the Pecos"	Alan Crosland Jr.	John Tucker Battle	June 7, 1959 (1959-06-07)
37	11	"Don't Tell Joe"	Unknown	S : Peter Dixon; T : Maurice Zimm	June 14, 1959 (1959-06-14)
38	12	"Return to El Paso"	Lee Sholem	T : Irwin Winehouse, A. Sanford Wolfe	June 21, 1959 (1959-06-21)
39	13	"Night of Decision"	Leslie H. Martinson	Irwin Winehouse, A. Sanford Wolfe	June 28, 1959 (1959-06-28)

Season 3: 1959–1960

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
40	1	"Queen of Dixie"	Herbert L. Strock	Irwin Winehouse, A. Sanford Wolfe	October 4, 1959 (1959-10-04)
41	2	"The Reckoning"	Unknown	Carl Onspaugh	October 11, 1959 (1959-10-11)
42	3	"The Devil's Godson"	Herbert L. Strock	S : James Barnett, Jack Emanuel; T : Malcolm Stuart Boylan	October 18, 1959 (1959-10-18)
43	4	"The Rival Gun"	Unknown	S : Mack David; T : Malcolm Stuart Boylan	October 25, 1959 (1959-10-25)
44	5	"The Hothead"	Paul Guilfoyle	S : Mack David; T : Milton Raison, Dean Riesner	November 1, 1959 (1959-11-01)
45	6	"A Legend of Buffalo Bill"	Emory Horger	S : James Barnett, Jack Emanuel; T : William Driskill	November 8, 1959 (1959-11-08)
46	7	"Yellow Terror"	Herbert L. Strock	Irwin Winehouse, A. Sanford Wolfe	November 15, 1959 (1959-11-15)
47	8	"Tar and Feathers"	Emory Horger	Irwin Winehouse, A. Sanford Wolfe	November 22, 1959 (1959-11-22)
48	9	"Alias Mr. Howard"	Herbert L. Strock	T : A. Sanford Wolfe	December 6, 1959 (1959-12-06)
49	10	"Calamity"	Paul Guilfoyle	Dwight Newton	December 13, 1959 (1959-12-13)
50	11	"Under False Pretenses"	Unknown	S : Elmer Kelton; T : Dwight Newton	January 10, 1960 (1960-01-10)
51	12	"Impasse"	Paul Landres	Lee Loeb, Rudy Makoul	January 31, 1960 (1960-01-31)
52	13	"Arizona Anderson"	George Waggner	Mack David, Lee Loeb	February 14, 1960 (1960-02-14)
53	14	"The Cause"	H. Bruce Humberstone	Irwin Winehouse, A. Sanford Wolfe	February 28, 1960 (1960-02-28)
54	15	"Phantom Trail"	Lew Landers	S : James Barnett, Mack David; T : Nat Tanchuck	March 13, 1960 (1960-03-13)
55	16	"Breakthrough"	Unknown	Kenneth Gamet	March 27, 1960 (1960-03-27)
56	17	"Chain of Command"	Lew Landers	S : Roy Huggins; T : Howard Browne, Dean Riesner	April 5, 1960 (1960-04-05)
57	18	"Alibi"	Lew Landers	S : Edmund Morris; T : W. Hermanos	April 12, 1960 (1960-04-12)
58	19	"Absent Without Leave"	Unknown	S : Hugh Benson; T : William F. Leicester	April 19, 1960 (1960-04-19)
59	20	"Strange Encounter"	Herbert L. Strock	S : Irving Rubine; T : W. Hermanos, William F. Leicester	April 26, 1960 (1960-04-26)
60	21	"Trial by Rope"	Herbert L. Strock	W. Hermanos, William F. Leicester	May 3, 1960 (1960-05-03)
61	22	"The Gandy Dancers"	Unknown	T : David Lang, Edmund Morris	May 10, 1960 (1960-05-10)
62	23	"Martial Law"	William J. Hole Jr.	T : W. Hermanos, Clair Huffaker	May 17, 1960 (1960-05-17)
63	24	"Attack"	William J. Hole Jr.	T : W. Hermanos, Dean Riesner	May 24, 1960 (1960-05-24)
64	25	"Bounty List"	Lee Sholem	T : W. Hermanos, Finlay McDermid	May 31, 1960 (1960-05-31)
65	26	"Appointment in Agoura"	Lee Sholem	T : W. Hermanos, Edmund Morris; S/T : William F. Leicester	June 7, 1960 (1960-06-07)
66	27	"Showdown at Goldtown"	Lee Sholem	S : Kenneth Perkins; T : W. Hermanos, William F. Leicester	June 14, 1960 (1960-06-14)
67	28	"The Trespasser"	Lee Sholem	T : Clair Huffaker	June 21, 1960 (1960-06-21)

Reception and cancellation

Upon its debut in October 1957, Colt .45 was a respectable ratings draw for ABC. It helped ABC win its timeslot against NBC and CBS.^[4]

By season two, however, behind the scenes problems caused a dip in viewership. After series star Wayde Preston left the series due to his dissatisfaction with working conditions, producers were forced to repeat episodes to fill out the second season. There were also problems with the show's sponsorship which changed repeatedly. According to author Alvin H. Marill, the choice to cast Donald May in the lead role after Preston's departure was not explained in the storyline.^[5] Wayde Preston eventually returned to the series but by then, ratings had dropped off and ABC canceled the series in 1960. The final episode aired on 27 September 1960.

Production notes

Theme song

The Colt .45 opening theme music was composed by Hal Hopper with lyrics by Douglas Heyes.

Merchandising

The TV show was adapted into a comic strip by Dan Spiegle, distributed by Dell Comics.^[6]

Release notes

In January 2024, the Warner Archive announced that the complete series would be released in a Blu-ray set on March 12, 2024. It was released on March 12, 2024.^{[citation needed]}

References

^ ^a ^b Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (17 October 2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present (9 ed.). Ballantine Books. p. 273. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
^ Abbott, Doug; Jackson, Ronald (2009). 50 Years of the Television Western: A Pictorial History. AuthorHouse. p. 80. ISBN 978-1-434-35925-4.
^ Moore, Barbara A.; Bensman, Marvin R.; Van Dyke, Jim (2006). Prime-Time Television: A Concise History. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 146. ISBN 0-275-98142-8.
^ "Sunset Trailblazer in All-Out Race to Grab Adult Western Pull". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 28 October 1957. p. 2. ISSN 0006-2510.
^ Marill, Alvin H. (2011). Television Westerns: Six Decades of Sagebrush Sheriffs, Scalawags, and Sidewinders. Scarecrow Press. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-810-88132-7.
^ "Dan Spiegle".