Shotgun Slade
Scott Brady in the title role (1960)
Created byFrank Gruber
StarringScott Brady
ComposerGerald Fried
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes78
Production
Executive producerNat Holt
Producers
  • Frank Gruber (1959–1960)
  • Ralph Dietrich (1960–1961)
Running time30 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkSyndication
ReleaseOctober 24, 1959 (1959-10-24) 
1961 (1961)

Shotgun Slade is an American western mystery television series starring Scott Brady that aired seventy-eight episodes in syndication from 1959 to 1961 Created by Frank Gruber, the stories were written by John Berardino, Charissa Hughes, and Martin Berkeley. The series was filmed in Hollywood by Revue Studios.

The pilot for Shotgun Slade aired earlier in 1959 on CBS's Schlitz Playhouse.

Overview

After several years of total saturation on the networks, many western series began to lose popularity with viewing audiences, Shotgun Slade had three characteristics that made it unique. The first was Slade's profession. Instead being a marshal, sheriff or wandering gunfighter, Slade was a private detective, hired by individuals to track down criminals, return stolen money, or perform other similar duties. This was obviously influenced by the growing popularity of television private eyes such as Peter Gunn, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, 77 Sunset Strip, and Hawaiian Eye.

Another quirk was Slade's weapon of choice. Instead of packing a six gun, Slade carried a combination shotgun that has an upper and lower barrel. The lower barrel fired a 12-gauge shotgun shell, while the top barrel fired a .32 caliber rifle bullet. The idea was that this weapon gave Slade the ability to fire at close and distant targets with the same amount of accuracy. Several western television shows were known for featuring distinctive weapons, such as those on shows like The Rifleman, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Johnny Ringo, and The Rebel, but Slade's shotgun stood out even among the weapons of those other shows. Despite the quirks and idiosyncrasies of the series, Shotgun Slade lasted for only two seasons.

Guest stars

  • Chris Alcaide appeared in "Freight Line".
  • Roscoe Ates as Lou Nugget in the episode "The Fabulous Fiddle"
  • Lane Bradford in the episodes "Gunnar Yensen" (1959) and "A Noose for Hurley" (1961)
  • Terry Burnham as Linda in "The Ghost of Yucca Flats" (1960)[1]
  • Francis X. Bushman as Eckhart in "Crossed Guns" (1960)
  • Andy Clyde as Omar James in "Omar the Sign Maker" (1959) and in "A Noose for Hurley" (1961)
  • Jeanne Cooper as Sally Claymore in "Sudden Death" and as Francie in "Turkey Shoot" (both 1960)
  • Walter Coy as Lou Canner in "The Deadfall" (January 1, 1960)
  • Ted de Corsia as Ben Douglas in "Lost Goal" (1960)
  • Frank Ferguson as Mike Oliver in "The Salted Mine" (1959) and as a Sheriff in "Charcoal Bullet" (1960), and "Valley of the Shadow" (1961)
  • Dean Fredericks as Vance in "Killer's Brand" (1960)
  • Rodolfo Hoyos, Jr., in "A Grave at San Gallo" (1961)
  • Brad Johnson as Kirby in "Barbed Wire Keep Out" and in another episode "The Missing Dog" (1960)
  • Brett King in "Five Graves" (1961)
  • Ernie Kovacs as "Hack" Hackberry in the episode "Salted Mine"
  • Bethel Leslie in two episodes, including the character Kate Heinie (1960)
  • Nan Leslie as Judy Travers in "Treasure Trap" (1959)
  • Nora Marlowe in "The Safe Crackers"
  • Tyler McVey as Homer Carlson in episode "Dead Man's Tale" (1960)
  • Gregg Palmer as a marshal in "Freight Line" (1959) and "Donna Juanita" (1960)
  • Brad Weston as Wiley in "Mesa of Missing Men" (1959) and as Billy in "Killer's Brand" (1960)

Music themes

The third novelty of the series is that it featured a modern jazz score instead of the traditional Western-themed music that was the norm for western television shows and movies. Again, this seems an influence of the private eye genre's popularity because most private eye shows featured a jazz score.

Episodes

Season 1

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"The Missing Train"UnknownUnknownOctober 24, 1959 (1959-10-24)
22"The Salted Mine"UnknownUnknownOctober 26, 1959 (1959-10-26)
33"Too Smart to Live"UnknownUnknownOctober 31, 1959 (1959-10-31)
44"Barbed Wire, Keep Out"UnknownUnknownNovember 5, 1959 (1959-11-05)
55"Mesa of Missing Men"UnknownUnknownNovember 16, 1959 (1959-11-16)
66"Freight Line"UnknownUnknownNovember 14, 1959 (1959-11-14)
77"Gunnar Yensen"UnknownUnknownNovember 21, 1959 (1959-11-21)
88"Marked Money"UnknownUnknownNovember 28, 1959 (1959-11-28)
99"The Stalker"UnknownUnknownDecember 5, 1959 (1959-12-05)
1010"Bob Ford"UnknownUnknownDecember 12, 1959 (1959-12-12)
1111"Treasure Trap"UnknownUnknownDecember 12, 1959 (1959-12-12)
1212"Omar the Sign Maker"UnknownUnknownDecember 19, 1959 (1959-12-19)
1313"The Safe Crackers (aka The Peterman)"UnknownUnknownDecember 26, 1959 (1959-12-26)
1414"Major Trouble"UnknownUnknownJanuary 4, 1960 (1960-01-04)
1515"Murder in Gingham"UnknownUnknownJanuary 9, 1960 (1960-01-09)
1616"The Blue Dog"UnknownUnknownJanuary 16, 1960 (1960-01-16)
1717"The Deadfall"UnknownUnknownJanuary 23, 1960 (1960-01-23)
1818"Lady and the Piano"UnknownUnknownJanuary 30, 1960 (1960-01-30)
1919"Plate of Death"UnknownUnknownFebruary 6, 1960 (1960-02-06)
2020"Street of Terror"UnknownUnknownFebruary 13, 1960 (1960-02-13)
2121"The Pool Shark"UnknownUnknownFebruary 27, 1960 (1960-02-27)
2222"The Marriage Circle"UnknownUnknownMarch 5, 1960 (1960-03-05)
2323"The Deadly Key"UnknownUnknownMarch 8, 1960 (1960-03-08)
2424"The Swindle"UnknownUnknownMarch 8, 1960 (1960-03-08)
2525"Donna Juanita"UnknownUnknownMarch 21, 1960 (1960-03-21)
2626"Shotgun Trial"UnknownUnknownMarch 28, 1960 (1960-03-28)
2727"The Golden Tunnel"UnknownUnknownApril 22, 1960 (1960-04-22)
2828"A Flower for Jenny"UnknownUnknownApril 29, 1960 (1960-04-29)
2929"The Fabulous Fiddle"UnknownUnknownMay 6, 1960 (1960-05-06)
3030"Crossed Guns"UnknownUnknownMay 13, 1960 (1960-05-13)
3131"Sudden Death"UnknownUnknownMay 20, 1960 (1960-05-20)
3232"The Spanish Box"UnknownUnknownMay 21, 1960 (1960-05-21)
3333"Backtrack"UnknownUnknownMay 28, 1960 (1960-05-28)
3434"Ring of Death (aka Scales of Death)"UnknownUnknownJune 3, 1960 (1960-06-03)
3535"Killer's Brand"UnknownUnknownJune 4, 1960 (1960-06-04)
3636"A Flower on Boot Hill"UnknownUnknownJune 11, 1960 (1960-06-11)
3737"Charcoal Bullet"UnknownUnknownJuly 1, 1960 (1960-07-01)
3838"Lost Gold"UnknownUnknownJuly 5, 1960 (1960-07-05)
3939"The Smell of Money"UnknownUnknownJuly 12, 1960 (1960-07-12)

Season 2

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
401"Skyfire"UnknownUnknownOctober 17, 1960 (1960-10-17)
412"Ghost of Yucca Flats"UnknownUnknownOctober 24, 1960 (1960-10-24)
423"Secret Gold"UnknownUnknownOctober 31, 1960 (1960-10-31)
434"The Missing Dog"UnknownUnknownNovember 7, 1960 (1960-11-07)
445"Mountain Murderess"UnknownUnknownNovember 14, 1960 (1960-11-14)
456"Dead Man's Tale"UnknownUnknownNovember 21, 1960 (1960-11-21)
467"Vengeance"UnknownUnknownNovember 28, 1960 (1960-11-28)
478"Rail Head at Rampart"UnknownUnknownDecember 5, 1960 (1960-12-05)
489"Woman from Wyoming"UnknownUnknownDecember 12, 1960 (1960-12-12)
4910"The Laughing Widow"UnknownUnknownDecember 19, 1960 (1960-12-19)
5011"Turkey Shoot"UnknownUnknownDecember 26, 1960 (1960-12-26)
5112"Hang Him Twice"UnknownUnknownJanuary 2, 1961 (1961-01-02)
5213"Traveling Trunk"UnknownUnknownJanuary 9, 1961 (1961-01-09)
5314"The Silver Queen"UnknownUnknownJanuary 21, 1961 (1961-01-21)
5415"Little Sister"UnknownUnknownJanuary 28, 1961 (1961-01-28)
5516"Copper Cylinder"UnknownUnknownFebruary 4, 1961 (1961-02-04)
5617"Misplaced Genius"UnknownUnknownFebruary 11, 1961 (1961-02-11)
5718"Mother Six Gun"UnknownUnknownFebruary 18, 1961 (1961-02-18)
5819"The Impatient Bullet"UnknownUnknownFebruary 25, 1961 (1961-02-25)
5920"The Silent Man"UnknownUnknownMarch 4, 1961 (1961-03-04)
6021"School Ma'am"UnknownUnknownMarch 11, 1961 (1961-03-11)
6122"Legend of a Hero"UnknownUnknownMarch 18, 1961 (1961-03-18)
6223"The Mystery of Black River"UnknownUnknownMarch 25, 1961 (1961-03-25)
6324"Widow of El Dorado"UnknownUnknownApril 1, 1961 (1961-04-01)
6425"Valley of the Shadow"UnknownUnknownApril 8, 1961 (1961-04-08)
6526"A Noose for Hurley (aka Noose Brand Frame-Up)"UnknownUnknownApril 15, 1961 (1961-04-15)
6627"A Grave at San Gallo"UnknownUnknownApril 22, 1961 (1961-04-22)
6728"Friends No More"UnknownUnknownApril 29, 1961 (1961-04-29)
6829"Yankee Spy"UnknownUnknownMay 6, 1961 (1961-05-06)
6930"Skinner's Rainbow"UnknownUnknownMay 13, 1961 (1961-05-13)
7031"The Lost Herds"UnknownUnknownMay 20, 1961 (1961-05-20)
7132"The Search for Susan (aka Welcome Home)"UnknownUnknownMay 27, 1961 (1961-05-27)
7233"The Phantom Noose"UnknownUnknownJune 3, 1961 (1961-06-03)
7334"Madame Vengeance"UnknownUnknownJune 10, 1961 (1961-06-10)
7435"Five Graves"UnknownUnknownJune 17, 1961 (1961-06-17)
7536"The Payrollers"UnknownUnknownJune 24, 1961 (1961-06-24)
7637"A Gun and a Prayer"UnknownUnknownJuly 1, 1961 (1961-07-01)
7738"The Ranch Ghost (aka Ghost of a Chance)"UnknownUnknownJuly 8, 1961 (1961-07-08)
7839"Something to Die For"UnknownUnknownJuly 15, 1961 (1961-07-15)

References

  • McNeil, Alex. Total Television (1996). New York: Penguin Books ISBN 0-14-024916-8
  • Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows (1999). New York: Ballantine Books ISBN 0-345-42923-0
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