Series synopsis
Bat Masterson is an American western drama television series that premiered on NBC on October 8, 1958. It ended on June 1, 1961. It stars Gene Barry.
Bat Masterson is an American Western television series which showed a fictionalized account of the life of real-life marshal/gambler/dandy Bat Masterson. The title character was played by Gene Barry and the half-hour black-and-white shows ran on NBC from 1958 to 1961. The series was produced by Ziv Television Productions, the company responsible for such hit series as Sea Hunt and Highway Patrol.
Premise
Bat Masterson is an American Western television series which showed a fictionalized account of the life of real-life marshal/gambler/dandy Bat Masterson. The title character was played by Gene Barry and the half-hour black-and-white shows ran on NBC from 1958 to 1961. The series was produced by Ziv Television Productions, the company responsible for such hit series as Sea Hunt and Highway Patrol.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Gene Barry as Bat Masterson
Guest cast
- Harry Dean Stanton as Jay Simms
- Gene Nelson as Whit Morrison
- Kent Taylor as John Martin / Gabilan
- John Larch as Garrickson
- Ray Danton as Tonio
- Cliff Edwards as A.J. Mulcaney
- Edward Platt as Roy Evens
- Fay Spain as Julie Poe
- Walter Barnes as Paulson
- Willis Bouchey as Marshal
- Allison Hayes as Ellie Winters
- Olan Soule as Bartender
Episodes
This series spans 3 seasons with 108 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 37 | October 8, 1958 | July 29, 1959 |
| Season 2 | 37 | October 1, 1959 | June 30, 1960 |
| Season 3 | 34 | September 29, 1960 | June 1, 1961 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Double Showdown Bat responds to cry for help when a friend's small gambling house is threatened by rival casino owned by Big Keel Roberts. Roberts suggest that he and Bat play one hand of poker, with the winner gaining ownership of both casinos. |
October 8, 1958 |
| 2 |
Two Graves for Swan Valley A vicious night rider reacts with murderous intent when he thinks Bat is flirting with his girl, pretty saloon girl Molly Doyle. Everyone tells Bat to leave town to save his life but Bat not wanting to be told what to do decides to stay. |
October 15, 1958 |
| 3 |
Dynamite Blows Two Ways Bat wins a herd of cattle in a card game in Laramie and discovers that in order to convert them into cash, he'll have to fight his way past a rancher determined to only allow his cattle to be sold in Cheyenne. |
October 22, 1958 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
To the Manner Born An old friend asks Bat to San Francisco to look into the background of her daughter's fiancée which is a cousin. Bat learns she is a frequent visitor at a casino where she seems to win but her fiancée seems to lose - even his life. |
October 1, 1959 |
| 2 |
Wanted ... Dead Bat seeks to collect a loan given to a reformed gunman who is now a rancher. In order to get his money he must save the man from a trigger-happy sheriff who believes the man is guilty of murder due to a witness's story. |
October 15, 1959 |
| 3 |
No Funeral for Thorn Bat finds himself trapped by friendship between the guns of two warring sons. |
October 22, 1959 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Debt of Honor Bat grubstakes Cactus Charlie, an elderly prospector searching for a gold strike. Charlie finds gold, all right, the proceeds from a recent robbery and the crooks who buried the loot will stop at nothing to recover their ill-gotten gains. |
September 29, 1960 |
| 2 |
Law of the Land Working again for his friend Hugh Blaine, Bat is hired to investigate the theft of barbed-wire fencing that prevents cattle from climbing onto a railroad's right-of-way. Question is whether Bat wants to tackle the five to one odds. |
October 6, 1960 |
| 3 |
Bat Trap Midas Creek hires Bat to run their annual shooting contest. The council believe that the local bully will generally do anything in his power to win the contest. When the local gunsmith wins, it's the thug's rifle vs. Bat's pistol. |
October 13, 1960 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | NBC |
|---|---|
| First aired | October 8, 1958 |
| Last aired | June 1, 1961 |
| Runtime | 30 minutes |
| Status | Ended |
| Schedule | Thursday at 20:30:00 |