Stoney Burke (TV series)

Stoney Burke is an American contemporary Western television series broadcast on ABC from October 1, 1962, until May 20, 1963. Jack Lord starred in the title role. Burke is a professional rodeo cowboy who specializes in saddle bronc riding and competes for the Golden Buckle, presented annually to the rodeo world champion in each rodeo event.

Stoney Burke
Jack Lord as Stoney Burke
Genre	Western
Starring	Jack Lord Warren Oates Robert Dowdell Bruce Dern
Theme music composer	Dominic Frontiere
Composer	Dominic Frontiere
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	32
Production
Producer	Leslie Stevens
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	44 mins.
Production company	Daystar Productions
Original release
Network	ABC
Release	October 1, 1962 (1962-10-01) – May 20, 1963 (1963-05-20)

Overview

During his quest for the Golden Buckle, Stoney becomes entangled in the lives of numerous people and is accompanied on the rodeo circuit by friends Ves Painter (Warren Oates), Cody Bristol (Robert Dowdell), and E. J. Stocker (Bruce Dern).

Lord said that he wanted Stoney Burke to move beyond rodeos "into good thematically solid stories."^[1] He added, "What we're trying to do is say something to gently lift the moral tone of society. We have a responsibility to ennoble and enlighten as well as entertain."^[1]

Production

Leslie Stevens was the producer. Daystar Productions partnered with United Artists to produce the series.^[2] Dominic Frontiere scored the episodes.^[3] “The Stoney Burke Theme” was recorded by Maureen Bayand (released by United Artists)^[4] and by Nelson Riddle (released by Capitol).^[5]

Stoney Burke was broadcast on Mondays from 9 to 10 p. m. Eastern Time.^[6]

By May 1963, plans were underway for syndication of the show. A representative of Economee Television Programs (a subsidiary of United Artists Television) said that stations in 14 major markets had bought the series. Those markets included Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Indianapolis, and Los Angeles.^[7]

Reception

The same year that Stoney Burke premiered, NBC aired its own drama about rodeo performers, Wide Country. Both series were Westerns that debuted at the end of the time when Western programs—a fixture of 1950s and early 1960s television—had been a number one draw on the medium. By the mid-1960s, market saturation had begun to take its toll; while established series such as Bonanza and Gunsmoke continued to thrive, new shows with less than robust ratings struggled to survive. Both rodeo series were cancelled after one season.^[8]

William W. Savage, in his book The Cowboy Hero: His Image in American History & Culture, commented, ". . . while the rodeo format afforded the sorts of dramatic possibilities (weekly changes of locale and population, for example) that had ensured the success of dozens of western programs, it seems clear that rodeo performers paled in comparison to the 'genuine' television cowboy heroes . . .".^[9]

Guest stars

Dick Clark of American Bandstand was cast as Sgt. Andy Kincaid in the 1963 episode "Kincaid" (one of several backdoor pilots),^[10] which also featured real-life rodeo cowboy Casey Tibbs playing himself. James Coburn was cast as Jamison in the 1963 episode "The Test"; J. Pat O'Malley, Richard Eyer, and Ivan Dixon were also featured in this episode.

• Philip Abbott
• Philip Ahn
• Denise Alexander
• John Anderson
• Michael Anderson, Jr.
• Elizabeth Ashley
• Ed Asner
• Edward Binns
• Willis Bouchey
• Patricia Breslin
• Geraldine Brooks
• Edgar Buchanan
• James Callahan
• Dyan Cannon
• J.D. Cannon
• Harry Carey Jr.
• Jean Carson
• Conlan Carter
• Virginia Christine
• Steve Cochran
• Nudie Cohn
• Paul Comi
• Jeanne Cooper
• Ted de Corsia
• Henry Darrow
• Jim Davis
• John Dehner
• Robert Duvall
• Robert Emhardt
• Jena Engstrom
• Eduard Franz
• Dabbs Greer
• Mariette Hartley
• Peter Helm
• Carol Henry
• Diana Hyland
• L.Q. Jones
• John Larch
• Cloris Leachman
• Gene Lyons
• Scott Marlowe
• Strother Martin
• Rod McGaughy
• Lin McCarthy
• Mark Miller
• George Mitchell
• Leonard Nimoy
• Ed Nelson
• Simon Oakland
• Carroll O'Connor
• Michael Parks
• William Phipps
• Judson Pratt
• Ford Rainey
• Peter Mark Richman
• Charles Robinson
• Chris Robinson
• Bing Russell
• Mark Russell
• Albert Salmi
• Cosmo Sardo
• William Schallert
• Jacqueline Scott
• Vito Scotti
• Pilar Seurat
• Tom Simcox
• Mark Slade
• William Smith
• Fay Spain
• Joan Staley
• Dean Stanton
• Maxine Stuart
• Buck Taylor
• Kenneth Tobey
• Joyce Van Patten
• Charles Wagenheim
• Jack Weston

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	"The Contender"	Leslie Stevens	Leslie Stevens	October 1, 1962 (1962-10-01)
CO–STARRING Kate Manx SPECIAL GUEST STAR Philip Abbott as Royce Hamilton CAST Carl Benton Reid Bartlett Robinson Cleo Ann as Ruby Lee Bill Hart Notes: Episode title does not appear on-screen. Kate Manx was married to series producer, director and writer Leslie Stevens from 1958 until shortly before her death in 1964.
2	"Fight Night"	Leslie Stevens	Leslie Stevens	October 8, 1962 (1962-10-08)
CAST Edgar Buchanan        Alan Bunce George Mitchell        Bill Hart Claudia Bryar        Leonard Nimoy Bill Zuckert        Paul Birch Note: Episode title does not appear on-screen.
3	"Child of Luxury"	Leslie Stevens	Leslie Stevens	October 15, 1962 (1962-10-15)
GUEST STARS Ina Balin Eduard Franz CAST               Judson Laire George Mitchell        Charles Carlson Bill Hart        Dee J. Thompson         and Stan Berman Uncredited Shep Houghton Note: Episode includes a teaser and preview of next week's episode.
4	"Point of Honor"	Leslie Stevens	Leslie Stevens	October 22, 1962 (1962-10-22)
GUEST STAR Scott Marlowe CAST          Patricia Breslin Ben Johnson        Ian Wolfe Bill Hart        Bill Mullikin Lew Brown        Casey Tibbs and Dean Stanton as Dell Tindall Uncredited Bill Walker Note: Episode includes a teaser.
5	"The Mob Riders"	Leslie Stevens	Leslie Stevens	October 29, 1962 (1962-10-29)
CAST Gene Lyons        Denise Alexander Bill Gunn        Curt Conway Ford Rainey        John Duke Kim Hamilton        Bill Hart and Michael Parks as Tack Reynolds Uncredited Buck Taylor Note: Episode starts with cold open and ends with preview of next week's episode.
6	"A Matter of Pride"	Leslie Stevens	Leslie Stevens	November 5, 1962 (1962-11-05)
GUEST STARS Ben Piazza          William Windom          Conrad Janis CAST                Jena Engstrom Virginia Christine        Edith Atwater George Mitchell        Bill Hart Robert Brubaker        Henry Scott Note: Episode includes a teaser and preview of next week's episode.
7	"Sidewinder"	Leslie Stevens	Leslie Stevens	November 12, 1962 (1962-11-12)
GUEST STARS Edward Binns Mark Miller CAST David White        Gail Kobe George Mitchell        Bill Hart Shirley O'Hara        Helen Gurley Brown            and Strother Martin Uncredited Bill Walker Note: Episode includes a teaser.
8	"The Scavenger"	Leslie Stevens	Leslie Stevens	November 19, 1962 (1962-11-19)
CAST          John Kellogg Paul Comi        Shirley Ballard Bill Hart        Roy Glenn and Enoch Gates as The Derelict Note: Episode starts with cold open and ends with preview of next week's episode.
9	"Spin a Golden Web"	Robert Butler	Philip Saltzman	November 26, 1962 (1962-11-26)
GUEST STARS Robert Webber Salome Jens CAST           John Anderson Ken Lynch        Mary Munday James Callahan        Bill Hart Uncredited Bill Walker, Carol Henry Note: Episode starts with cold open and ends with preview of next week's episode.
10	"The Wanderer"	Leonard Horn	Milton Geiger	December 3, 1962 (1962-12-03)
GUEST STARS Albert Salmi Jacqueline Scott          Milton Selzer CAST Bill Hart        Nora Marlowe Roy Engel        Betty Harford Lex Connelly        Bill Erwin John Graham        Wes Liston Uncredited Mark Russell Note: Episode starts with cold open.
11	"Five by Eight by Eight"	Tom Gries	Palmer Thompson	December 10, 1962 (1962-12-10)
12	"Bandwagon"	Laslo Benedek	Meyer Dolinsky	December 17, 1962 (1962-12-17)
13	"Cousin Eunice"	Tom Gries	Bob Barbash	December 24, 1962 (1962-12-24)
14	"Gold-Plated Maverick"	William A. Graham	S.S. Schweitzer	January 7, 1963 (1963-01-07)
15	"Death Rides a Pale Horse"	Tom Gries	Frank L. Moss	January 14, 1963 (1963-01-14)
16	"The King of the Hill"	Tom Gries	John Falvo	January 21, 1963 (1963-01-21)
17	"A Matter of Percentage"	William A. Graham	Richard Levinson & William Link	January 28, 1963 (1963-01-28)
18	"Image of Glory"	John Erman	Bob Barbash	February 4, 1963 (1963-02-04)
19	"Cat's Eyes"	Laslo Benedek	Philip Saltzman	February 11, 1963 (1963-02-11)
20	"Web of Fear"	Laszlo Benedek	Ed Adamson	February 18, 1963 (1963-02-18)
21	"Point of Entry"	Leonard Horn	Leslie Stevens	March 4, 1963 (1963-03-04)
22	"To Catch the Kaiser"	Tom Gries	Philip Saltzman	March 11, 1963 (1963-03-11)
23	"Joby"	John Erman	Philip Saltzman	March 18, 1963 (1963-03-18)
24	"Forget Me More"	Robert Butler	Peter Packer	March 25, 1963 (1963-03-25)
25	"Color Him Lucky"	Laslo Benedek	Donn Mullally	April 1, 1963 (1963-04-01)
26	"The Weapons Man"	Leslie Stevens	Leslie Stevens	April 8, 1963 (1963-04-08)
27	"Kelly's Place"	Tom Gries	Stephen Lord	April 15, 1963 (1963-04-15)
28	"Kincaid"	Leonard J. Horn	Bob Barbash	April 22, 1963 (1963-04-22)
29	"A Girl Named Amy"	Lalso Benedek	Bob Barbash & S.S.Schweitzer	April 29, 1963 (1963-04-29)
30	"Tigress by the Tail"	Tom Gries	Barry Trivers	May 6, 1963 (1963-05-06)
31	"The Test"	Leonard J. Horn	Bob Barbash	May 13, 1963 (1963-05-13)
32	"The Journey"	Leslie Stevens	Leslie Stevens	May 20, 1963 (1963-05-20)

DVD release

On April 16, 2013, Timeless Media Group released Stoney Burke - The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1.^[11] The six disc set includes all 32 episodes of the series.

See also

Jack Lord filmography