Entertainment Trivia

• In what TV Western did the main character throw his rifle to the deputy during the opening of the show? The answer is The Lawman.  The show aired from 1958 to 1962. John Russell played Marshall Dan Troop, and Peter Brown and Deputy Johnny McKay.  They helped to keep the peace in Laramie, Wyoming.  Russell says that he based his character on an officer he knew in the U.S. Marine Corps.  McKay was orphaned at the age of ten. To attract more female viewers, the producers tried a number of love interests for Dan.
• Gail Davis starred as Annie Oakley in the TV Western series. What was the name of her horse?Annie Oakley’s horse was Target. Her brother Tagg, played in the TV series by Jimmy Hawkins, had a horse named Pixie. Deputy Sheriff’ Lofty Craig, played by Brad Johnson, had a horse named Forest.Gail Davis (1925-1997) was born Betty Jeanne Grayson in Little Rock, Arkansas. When she and her husband moved to Hollywood and she went under contract with MGM, they told her she needed a professional name. There was already a Bette Davis, and Betty Grayson was too close to Kathryn Grayson. So Gail Davis it became. She often had roles in Western films. This includes The Far Frontier with Roy Rogers. She had a long association with Gene Autry and appeared in about 20 films with him or for his production company. She was also an accomplished equestrienne and toured with Gene Autry’s traveling rodeo. On television, she appeared in The Cisco Kid, The Long Ranger, The Range Rider, The Adventures of Kit Carson, and The Gene Autry Show. She’s best known for her role as Annie Oakley in the Annie Oakley TV series, which aired from 1954 to 1957 and was picked up for syndication after that. Of the character, Davis said: “Annie Oakley had to deal with the same ruthless characters–rustlers and killers–that the cowboys dealt with. And she did it without ever killing a one of them.” Davis also made a guest appearance on The Andy Griffith Show as Thelma Lou’s cousin.
• What character did Dennis Weaver play in Gunsmoke? What was his job? Which foot was stiff? Dennis Weaver had the role of Chester Goode from 1955 to 1964. He was an assistant/helper to Marshal Matt Dillon. Although many think he was a deputy, that never was his official title. It was his right leg, and no explanation was ever given for the limp.
• What were the names of the horses for Wild Bill Hickok and Jingles in the TV Series The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok? Guy Madison played the legendary Old West lawn Marshal James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok and rode a horse named Buckshot. Andy Devine provided comic relief as his sidekick Jingles P. Jones. Jingles rode a horse named Joker
• Now why are the two brothers both named Luke in TV series The Real McCoys? The elder Luke, who was played by Richard Crenna, explains the naming of the brothers in the first episode of the show. It seems that their parents were so excited over the birth of the younger boy, they forgot all about the older boy. Michael Winkelman played the younger brother, who was usually known as Little Luke.
• What did Chester A. Riley in the TV series The Life of Riley do for a living? Riley was a wing riveter for the Cunningham Aircraft plant in California. Although, given his druthers, he wanted to work as little as possible and be kept in the style to which he’d like to become accustomed. But such was not to be. “What a revoltin’ development this is!”
• Who’s the man in a black derby and fancy vest? This TV series ran from 1958 to 1961 and featured stories of a ladies’ man who traveled the old West in search of adventure. His wit and the elegant cane — his trademark—were his weapons of choice. That was Bat Masterson, played by Gene Barry.
• The TV adventure series Sea Hunt starred Lloyd Bridges as SCUBA diver Mike Nelson, who performs rescues and solves mysteries. The show aired from 1958 to 1961. What was the name of Nelson’s boat? The Argonaut.
• Who were the animal stars of The Roy Rogers Show? They were Trigger, Roy’s Palomino horse, and Bullet, a German Shepherd wonder dog. The Roy Rogers Show aired from 1951 to 1957. Roy was a ranch owner (that is, of the Double R Ranch) and Dale Evans took care of the Eureka Cafe. Pat Brady played Roy’s sidekick and Dale’s cook. Pat had a jeep called Nellybelle.
• In what U.S. city was Derringer based? The TV Western series Yancy Derringer starred Jock Mahoney, who was a “gentleman adventurer” and crime fighter under cover in the late 1860s. His sidekick was Pahoo-Ka-Ta-wah, played by X Brands. Frances Bergen played Madame Francine, Derringer’s love interest. The show aired from 1958-1959. It was a Desilu Production and was sponsored by Johnson Wax.  The show was set in New Orleans.
• On The Howdy Doody Show, Buffalo Bob told the kids that he discovered Flub-A-Dub in South America. Flub-A-Dub was a combination of eight different animals. Four were a duck’s head, a raccoon’s tail, a cat’s whiskers, and the memory of an elephant. What are the other four? The are a cocker spaniel’s ears, a seal’s flippers, a giraffe’s neck, a dachshund’s body.
• James Drury and Doug McClure appeared in all 249 episodes of the The Virginian. The show aired from 1962 to 1971 and is the third longest-running TV Western. What are the first and second longest-running TV Westerns? The first longest-running TV Western series is Gunsmoke. It starred James Arness, Milburn Stone, and Amanda Blake. There were 635 episodes, and the show aired from 1955 to 1975. The second long-running Western was Bonanza. This starred Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Block, and Michael Landon. There were 430 episodes, and the show aired from 1959 to 1973.