Dirty Sally

Dirty Sally
GenreWestern
Created byJack Miller
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes14 (1 unaired)
Production
Producers
  • John Mantley
  • Leonard Katzman
Running time30-minute episodes
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseJanuary 11 (1974-01-11) –
April 19, 1974 (1974-04-19)

Dirty Sally is a humorous Western television series about a hard-drinking cantankerous old woman and a young former outlaw traveling to the California gold fields in a wagon pulled by a mule named Worthless. The series consists of 14 half-hour episodes that aired on CBS Fridays, 8:00 to 8:30 p.m., from January 11, 1974, to July 19, 1974. Jeanette Nolan stars as Sally Fergus and Dack Rambo stars as Cyrus Pike in this Gunsmoke spin-off.[1] Guest stars include John McIntire, Tim McIntire, Jackie Coogan, and Kathleen Cody.[2] Nolan was nominated for an Emmy Award for her role in the series.[3]

During the 16th season of Gunsmoke, a two-part episode titled "Pike" was broadcast on March 1 and March 8, 1971. Dirty Sally, an old woman who collected bottles and other discarded items to sell, found outlaw Cyrus Pike, who had been shot. Sally nursed Pike back to health and tried to protect him from the men who wanted him dead. According to TV Guide reviewer Cleveland Amory the Gunsmoke office "received more mail on that episode than any other segment in the series' 19 years".[4] The character of Dirty Sally was brought back during the next season of Gunsmoke in an episode titled "One for the Road". The character was spun off into a new series.

Dirty Sally was produced by the CBS Television Network at the CBS Studio Center in Hollywood. John Mantley was the executive producer, Leonard Katzman the producer, and Jack Miller was creator and story consultant. All three were on the production team for Gunsmoke.[5]

In the series Pike is anxious to reach California, but the journey is often delayed by Sally becoming involved with the problems of people they meet.[1]

While no episodes of this series have surfaced anywhere and the series has never been released on DVD, an audio recording of episode #3 exists on YouTube.

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1"Right of Way"UnknownUnknown11 January 1974 (1974-01-11)
Sally protects a pig farmer (John McIntire) from a land-grabbing railroad baron.
2"The Orphans"UnknownUnknown18 January 1974 (1974-01-18)
Worthless the mule is stolen by a six-year old boy. Sally and Pike learn the boy and his four siblings have been abandoned and are homeless.
3"The Old Soldier"UnknownUnknown25 January 1974 (1974-01-25)
Thoughts of marriage enter Sally's head when she meets an old friend who's turned to alcohol after he was forced to retire from the cavalry and who feels life has no meaning.
4"Convict"UnknownUnknown1 February 1974 (1974-02-01)
An escaped convict strikes a deal with Sally and Pike – he'll let them turn him in for a reward if they'll help him visit his wife who's about to give birth.
5"Horse of a Different Color"UnknownUnknown8 February 1974 (1974-02-08)
Denver Pyle plays a foxy old horse trader Pike is trying to outfox.
6"Too Long to Wait"UnknownUnknown15 February 1974 (1974-02-15)
A blind old woman is waiting for the return of her long-overdue grandson. Sally and Pike suspect he'll never come back.
7"All That Glitters"UnknownUnknown22 February 1974 (1974-02-22)
A beautiful card sharp pretends to be a damsel in distress to take advantage of gullible Pike.
8"Much Ado About Nothing"UnknownUnknown8 March 1974 (1974-03-08)
Pike prepares for his acting debut in a melodrama and grows so conceited Sally wonders how she'll put up with him.
9"Wimmen’s Rights"UnknownCalvin Clements, Sr.15 March 1974 (1974-03-15)
Sally starts a fight for women's rights after being ejected from a men-only saloon.
10"I Never Saw the Pacific"UnknownUnknown22 March 1974 (1974-03-22)
A critically ill preacher thinks he's dying and asks Sally to tell his congregation he was never ordained. Trouble starts when the preacher recovers.
11"My Fair Laddie"UnknownUnknown29 March 1974 (1974-03-29)
Sally raises the ire of a moonshiner when she converts his tomboy daughter into a beautiful lady.
12"The Hanging of Cyrus Pike"UnknownCalvin Clements, Sr.5 April 1974 (1974-04-05)
Pike is framed as a horse thief and sentenced to be hanged. Jackie Coogan plays the sheriff.
13"Get the Wampum"Don HaldaneGeorge Salverson19 April 1974 (1974-04-19)
Sally pretends she's the mother of Billy the Kid to teach a lesson to a gang of crooked poker players.
14"I Don’t, I Don’t"TBDEarl BarretUnaired (Unaired)
Sally is accused by Sheriff Maxwell of being a cattle rustler.

References

  1. ^ a b Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946 – Present (First Edition), Ballantine Books, 1979, page 161.
  2. ^ Summers, Neil, The Official TV Western Book, Volume 3, page 89, The Old West Shop Publishing, 1991
  3. ^ 1974 Emmys
  4. ^ Amory, Cleveland, Dirty Sally Review, TV Guide, March 2, 1974, page 35.
  5. ^ O'Connor, John J. (January 11, 1974). "TV: 'Dirty Sally' New Series by 'Gunsmoke' Team". The New York Times. p. 63. Retrieved June 4, 2021.