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26 Men

26 Men is a syndicated American Western television series about the Arizona Rangers, a law-enforcement group limited to 26 active members.[1] By March 1958, the program was carried on 158 stations in the United States.[2] The program was also broadcast on ATN-7 in Australia[3] and on ZBM-TV in Bermuda.[4]

Synopsis and background

The series is set in the Arizona Territory in the first decade of the 20th century.[3] The rangers were part of the group established by the Arizona Territorial Legislature in 1901.[1] The number of members was limited to 26 "to avoid vigilantism".[5] Information from government archives and newspapers provided the basis of the plots of episodes.[6]

Critical response

A review in the trade publication Variety said that the premiere episode had "clean action and plot situations", making it different from the era's trend toward adult westerns.[7] It commended the work of Tris Coffin and Kelo Henderson and the pacing of the direction but noted that production values appeared weaker than those of Western programs on networks.[7]

Cast

Main

Guest stars

Tex Palmer, Hal Hopper, Don Haggerty and William Murphy in 26 Men, 1957

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (1957–58)

Season 2 (1958–59)

Production

Russell Hayden was the producer[8] of the ABC Film Syndication series. Reg Browne was the director, Sloane Nibley was the writer, and Oliver Drake was the adapter.[9] The theme song was written by Hal Hopper.[5]

Facilities of Cudia City Studios, in Phoenix, Arizona, were expanded to handle filming of 26 Men.[6] When the series filmed on location, local residents often filled some roles in the cast.[5] It was "reportedly the first TV series ever to be filmed completely in Arizona."[10]

Sponsors

As a syndicated program, 26 Men had different sponsors in different parts of the United States. They included H. P. Hood and Sons (a dairy) for all of New England; Mrs. Smith's Pie Company and Freihofer Baking Company (alternating weekly) in four cities in Pennsylvania; Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company in Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Buffalo; and Standard Oil of Texas in eight markets in Texas and New Mexico.[11]

Release

Home media

Timeless Media Group released a 3-disc best-of set, featuring 20 episodes from the series on DVD in Region 1 on April 12, 2011.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. pp. 870–871. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  2. ^ Stern, Harold (March 15, 1958). "26 Men Based on Fact". The Record. New Jersey, Hackensack. p. 37. Retrieved June 26, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b "More Western Series". The Sydney Morning Herald. June 16, 1958. p. 15. Retrieved June 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Film Clips" (PDF). Broadcasting. December 23, 1957. p. 64. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Erickson, Hal (1989). Syndicated Television: The First Forty Years, 1947-1987'. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 101. ISBN 0-7864-1198-8.
  6. ^ a b "'26 Men' - the Story of Arizona". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. August 2, 1958. p. 74. Retrieved June 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b "26 Men". Variety. October 16, 1957. p. 52. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  8. ^ "Russell (Lucky) Hayden, Romantic Film Cowboy". The New York Times. Associated Press. June 13, 1981. p. 16. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  9. ^ "George T. (2-gun) Shupert calls it a Western, son!" (PDF). Billboard. August 19, 1957. p. 10. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  10. ^ "'26 Men' Filming begins" (PDF). Broadcasting. September 2, 1957. p. 81.
  11. ^ "ABC Film's '26 Men' Racks Up $500,000 in Advance Sales" (PDF). Broadcasting. July 22, 1957. p. 62. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  12. ^ David Lambert (April 7, 2011). "26 Men - TMG Release a 3-DVD Set about the Old West's Arizona Rangers". Archived from the original on 2011-09-16. Retrieved 2012-05-01.

External links