Stoney Burke (TV series)

Stoney Burke
Jack Lord as Stoney Burke
Genre Western
Starring
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 –
May 20, 1963

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.

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." 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."

Production

Leslie Stevens was the producer. Daystar Productions partnered with United Artists to produce the series. Dominic Frontiere scored the episodes. The Stoney Burk Theme was recorded by Maureen Bayand (released by United Artists) and by Nelson Riddle (released by Capitol).

Stoney Burke was broadcast on Mondays from 9 to 10 p. m. Eastern Time.

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.

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.

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 . . .".

Guest stars

Dick Clark of American Bandstand was cast as Sgt. Andy Kincaid in the 1963 episode "Kincaid" (one of several backdoor pilots), 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.

Episodes

No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1 "The Contender" Leslie Stevens Leslie Stevens October 1, 1962

  • 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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
12 "Bandwagon" Laslo Benedek Meyer Dolinsky December 17, 1962
13 "Cousin Eunice" Tom Gries Bob Barbash December 24, 1962
14 "Gold-Plated Maverick" William A. Graham S.S. Schweitzer January 7, 1963
15 "Death Rides a Pale Horse" Tom Gries Frank L. Moss January 14, 1963
16 "The King of the Hill" Tom Gries John Falvo January 21, 1963
17 "A Matter of Percentage" William A. Graham Richard Levinson & William Link January 28, 1963
18 "Image of Glory" John Erman Bob Barbash February 4, 1963
19 "Cat's Eyes" Laslo Benedek Philip Saltzman February 11, 1963
20 "Web of Fear" Laszlo Benedek Ed Adamson February 18, 1963
21 "Point of Entry" Leonard Horn Leslie Stevens March 4, 1963
22 "To Catch the Kaiser" Tom Gries Philip Saltzman March 11, 1963
23 "Joby" John Erman Philip Saltzman March 18, 1963
24 "Forget Me More" Robert Butler Peter Packer March 25, 1963
25 "Color Him Lucky" Laslo Benedek Donn Mullally April 1, 1963
26 "The Weapons Man" Leslie Stevens Leslie Stevens April 8, 1963
27 "Kelly's Place" Tom Gries Stephen Lord April 15, 1963
28 "Kincaid" Leonard J. Horn Bob Barbash April 22, 1963
29 "A Girl Named Amy" Lalso Benedek Bob Barbash & S.S.Schweitzer April 29, 1963
30 "Tigress by the Tail" Tom Gries Barry Trivers May 6, 1963
31 "The Test" Leonard J. Horn Bob Barbash May 13, 1963
32 "The Journey" Leslie Stevens Leslie Stevens May 20, 1963

DVD release

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

See also

Jack Lord filmography