Casey Jones (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Casey Jones is an American children's
Western series
that ran during the '58-'59 television season, based around the pioneering western railroads. The series aired in syndication in the United States. Casey Jones also aired on BBC
in the United Kingdom
, and on the Nine Network
in Australia
.
and the crew of the Cannonball Express steam locomotive, fireman Wallie Sims and conductor Redrock Smith, working for the Midwest and Central Railroad. Casey lived in Midvale, a fictional town within commuting distance of St. Louis, Missouri
with his wife Alice, their young son Casey Jr and their dog Cinders. Although there really was a famous locomotive engineer named Casey Jones
, the TV series was only very loosely based on him. However it did use the real names of his train, the Cannonball Express, and his fireman, Wallie.
Kenneth Gamet wrote a children's format gentler Western series, against the more violent adult shows of the time like The Virginian
. The series featured the same classical types of plots as other westerns such as train robbers, vandals, etc, but the plots also centered as much on Casey's interaction with his family, particularly his young son.
/CBS
owned KTTV
, it was shot on a special set at Ray "Crash" Corrigan's studio Corriganville in the Simi Valley
, California
.
Shot for one season, in part due to Hale's commitment to filming episodes of The Texan
, the series ran for 32 half-hour black-and-white
episodes. The series' theme song was a version of the "Ballad of Casey Jones".
There are two versions of the opening title sequence. The first version features Pat Hogan
(billed as playing Sam Peachpit) alongside Dub Taylor
and Eddy Waller
however he only appears in the opening episode "Night Mail". This version features Cinders the dog but not Mary Lawrence
. The second version opens with a head-on shot of the Cannonball coming down the line, has a different version of the shot of Alan Hale, Jr.
with Bobby Clark in the cab and credits Mary Lawrence, omitting Cinders.
There are alternate versions of the closing credits. Both feature Alan Hale, Jr.
and Bobby Clark waving from the cab, the second features different shots of the Cannonball, including one of it passing over a trestle and the brow of a hill, and a different version of the song with slight amendments to the lyrics (to include Cinders). Alan Hale, Jr.
filmed an introduction to the first episode on set with Bobby Clark where he introduced the new series to the audience.
The locomotive used in location footage was Sierra No. 3
, which was also used in many other TV shows and films.
Children's television series
Children's television series, are commercial television programs designed for, and marketed to children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run in the early evening, for the children that go to school...
Western series
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
that ran during the '58-'59 television season, based around the pioneering western railroads. The series aired in syndication in the United States. Casey Jones also aired on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and on the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Synopsis
The series was set in the late 19th Century featuring the adventures of railroad engineer Casey JonesCasey Jones
John Luther Jones was an American railroad engineer from Jackson, Tennessee, who worked for the Illinois Central Railroad...
and the crew of the Cannonball Express steam locomotive, fireman Wallie Sims and conductor Redrock Smith, working for the Midwest and Central Railroad. Casey lived in Midvale, a fictional town within commuting distance of St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
with his wife Alice, their young son Casey Jr and their dog Cinders. Although there really was a famous locomotive engineer named Casey Jones
Casey Jones
John Luther Jones was an American railroad engineer from Jackson, Tennessee, who worked for the Illinois Central Railroad...
, the TV series was only very loosely based on him. However it did use the real names of his train, the Cannonball Express, and his fireman, Wallie.
Kenneth Gamet wrote a children's format gentler Western series, against the more violent adult shows of the time like The Virginian
The Virginian (TV series)
The Virginian is an American Western television series starring James Drury and Doug McClure, which aired on NBC from 1962 to 1971 for a total of 249 episodes. Filmed in color, The Virginian became television's first 90-minute western series...
. The series featured the same classical types of plots as other westerns such as train robbers, vandals, etc, but the plots also centered as much on Casey's interaction with his family, particularly his young son.
Cast list
- Alan Hale, Jr.Alan Hale, Jr.Alan Hale, Jr. was an American film and television actor, best known for his role as Skipper on the popular sitcom Gilligan's Island. Hale was the lookalike son of popular supporting film actor Alan Hale, Sr....
- Casey Jones - Dub TaylorDub TaylorWalter Clarence Taylor, Jr. , better known as Dub Taylor, was an American actor who worked extensively in Westerns, but also in comedy from the 1940s into the 1990s.-Early life:...
- Wallie Sims (the fireman) - Bobby ClarkBobby Clark (actor)Bobby Clark is an American film, TV and stage actor.Probably his longest lasting role was Casey Junior in Casey Jones ....
- Casey Jones, Jr. (Casey's son) - Mary LawrenceMary Lawrence (actor)Mary Lawrence was an American actress, who had a lengthy career in film and television.She had a recurring role in the TV series Casey Jones , where she played Casey's wife Alice Jones...
- Alice Jones (Casey's wife) - Eddy WallerEddy WallerEdward C. "Eddy" Waller was an American film and television actor. He was born in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.-Career:...
- Red Rock Smith (the train conductor)
Production notes
Commissioned by the then jointly Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
/CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
owned KTTV
KTTV
KTTV, channel 11, is an owned-and-operated television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, located in Los Angeles, California. Serving the vast Los Angeles metropolitan area, KTTV is a sister station to KCOP , Los Angeles' MyNetworkTV station...
, it was shot on a special set at Ray "Crash" Corrigan's studio Corriganville in the Simi Valley
Simi Valley
Simi Valley is a synclinal valley in Southern California in the United States. It is an enclosed or hidden valley surrounded by mountains and hills. It is connected to the San Fernando Valley to the east by the Santa Susana Pass & 118 freeway, and in the west the narrows of the Arroyo Simi and 118...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Shot for one season, in part due to Hale's commitment to filming episodes of The Texan
The Texan (TV series)
The Texan is a Western television series starring popular B movie star Rory Calhoun. It aired on the CBS television network from 1958-1960.-Production notes:...
, the series ran for 32 half-hour black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
episodes. The series' theme song was a version of the "Ballad of Casey Jones".
There are two versions of the opening title sequence. The first version features Pat Hogan
Pat Hogan
Pat Hogan was an American actor.- Career :Born in Oklahoma, U.S. to Native American family. He has appeared in many western television series and a few movies. Onstage, he starred in Arrowhead , The Last Frontier , . Indian Paint starred his brothers-in-law, Johnny Crawford and Robert "Bobby"...
(billed as playing Sam Peachpit) alongside Dub Taylor
Dub Taylor
Walter Clarence Taylor, Jr. , better known as Dub Taylor, was an American actor who worked extensively in Westerns, but also in comedy from the 1940s into the 1990s.-Early life:...
and Eddy Waller
Eddy Waller
Edward C. "Eddy" Waller was an American film and television actor. He was born in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.-Career:...
however he only appears in the opening episode "Night Mail". This version features Cinders the dog but not Mary Lawrence
Mary Lawrence (actor)
Mary Lawrence was an American actress, who had a lengthy career in film and television.She had a recurring role in the TV series Casey Jones , where she played Casey's wife Alice Jones...
. The second version opens with a head-on shot of the Cannonball coming down the line, has a different version of the shot of Alan Hale, Jr.
Alan Hale, Jr.
Alan Hale, Jr. was an American film and television actor, best known for his role as Skipper on the popular sitcom Gilligan's Island. Hale was the lookalike son of popular supporting film actor Alan Hale, Sr....
with Bobby Clark in the cab and credits Mary Lawrence, omitting Cinders.
There are alternate versions of the closing credits. Both feature Alan Hale, Jr.
Alan Hale, Jr.
Alan Hale, Jr. was an American film and television actor, best known for his role as Skipper on the popular sitcom Gilligan's Island. Hale was the lookalike son of popular supporting film actor Alan Hale, Sr....
and Bobby Clark waving from the cab, the second features different shots of the Cannonball, including one of it passing over a trestle and the brow of a hill, and a different version of the song with slight amendments to the lyrics (to include Cinders). Alan Hale, Jr.
Alan Hale, Jr.
Alan Hale, Jr. was an American film and television actor, best known for his role as Skipper on the popular sitcom Gilligan's Island. Hale was the lookalike son of popular supporting film actor Alan Hale, Sr....
filmed an introduction to the first episode on set with Bobby Clark where he introduced the new series to the audience.
The locomotive used in location footage was Sierra No. 3
Sierra No. 3
Sierra Railway No. 3, often called the "movie star locomotive", is a 19th century steam locomotive owned by Railtown 1897 State Historic Park in Jamestown, California. Former Transportation History curator at the Smithsonian Institution William L. Withhuhn described the locomotive's historical and...
, which was also used in many other TV shows and films.
Episode list
| |Title | |Writer(s) | Radio Times Radio Times Radio Times is a UK weekly television and radio programme listings magazine, owned by the BBC. It has been published since 1923 by BBC Magazines, which also provides an on-line listings service under the same title... magazine, the series was shown in the UK on BBC1, the first run commencing on 8th November 1967 (accompanied by a half-page photo feature), with a second run from 21st March 1969. Both runs showed only 26 episodes of the series. It was last shown in the UK in August 1975. The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
|
|---|