Stoney Burke (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Stoney Burke is a short-lived Western
television series
broadcast on the ABC
television network
from October 1, 1962 until May 20, 1963. The series starred Jack Lord
, who would later go on to star in the popular television series, Hawaii Five-O
.
rider who was competing for the Golden Buckle, the award
given to the world champion saddle
bronc rider
. During his quest, Stoney became entangled in the lives of numerous people, and got into and out of trouble. He was sometimes accompanied by his friends Ves Painter, played by Warren Oates
, and E.J. Stocker, played by Bruce Dern
. After its quick cancellation, Stoney Burke has been seen in limited release.
Guest stars included Peter Helm
as Todd in the episode "A Girl Named Amy", Scott Marlowe
as Soames Hewitt in "Point of Honor", and Judson Pratt
as Ed Mitchnet in "Color Him Lucky".
In the same season as Stoney Burke, NBC
aired its own drama about rodeo performers, The Wide Country
starring Earl Holliman
and Andrew Prine
. It ended after twenty-eight episodes.
Both "Stoney Burke" and "The Wide Country" were essentially "Westerns" that had the misfortune to debut right at the end of the time when Western shows - a fixture of 1950's and early 1960's television - had been a #1 draw on the medium. Both were essentially well-written and acted shows, but American taste had moved on.
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...
television series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
broadcast on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
from October 1, 1962 until May 20, 1963. The series starred Jack Lord
Jack Lord
John Joseph Patrick Ryan , best known by his stage name Jack Lord, was an American television, film, and Broadway actor. He was known for his starring role as Steve McGarrett in the American television program Hawaii Five-O from 1968 to 1980. Lord appeared in feature films earlier in his career,...
, who would later go on to star in the popular television series, Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...
.
Overview
Stoney Burke was a rodeoRodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
rider who was competing for the Golden Buckle, the award
Award
An award is something given to a person or a group of people to recognize excellence in a certain field; a certificate of excellence. Awards are often signifiedby trophies, titles, certificates, commemorative plaques, medals, badges, pins, or ribbons...
given to the world champion saddle
Saddle
A saddle is a supportive structure for a rider or other load, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is the equestrian saddle designed for a horse, but specialized saddles have been created for camels and other creatures...
bronc rider
Bronc riding
Bronc riding, either saddle bronc or bareback bronc competition, is a rodeo event that involves a rodeo participant riding on a horse , that attempts to throw or buck off the rider...
. During his quest, Stoney became entangled in the lives of numerous people, and got into and out of trouble. He was sometimes accompanied by his friends Ves Painter, played by Warren Oates
Warren Oates
Warren Mercer Oates was an American actor best known for his performances in several films directed by Sam Peckinpah including The Wild Bunch and Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia...
, and E.J. Stocker, played by Bruce Dern
Bruce Dern
Bruce MacLeish Dern is an American film actor. He also appeared as a guest star in numerous television shows. He frequently takes roles as a character actor, often playing unstable and villainous characters...
. After its quick cancellation, Stoney Burke has been seen in limited release.
Guest stars included Peter Helm
Peter Helm
Peter J. Helm is an actor originally from Toronto, Canada, who appeared on American television from 1960-1971.-Early years:...
as Todd in the episode "A Girl Named Amy", Scott Marlowe
Scott Marlowe
Scott Gregory Marlowe was a versatile American actor of film, television, and stage, who was born and died in Los Angeles, California.-Early film career:...
as Soames Hewitt in "Point of Honor", and Judson Pratt
Judson Pratt
Judson Pratt was an American actor whose longest continuing work was in thirteen episodes of ABC's Walt Disney Presents and NBC's Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color. A native of Hingham in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Pratt appeared in numerous television westerns and drama series from...
as Ed Mitchnet in "Color Him Lucky".
In the same season as Stoney Burke, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
aired its own drama about rodeo performers, The Wide Country
The Wide Country
The Wide Country is an American Western television series which aired on NBC from September 20, 1962 to April 25, 1963.-Synopsis:The series stars Earl Holliman and Andrew Prine as brothers, Mitch and Andy Guthrie, respectively, who are traveling rodeo competitors...
starring Earl Holliman
Earl Holliman
-Early life:Earl Holliman was born at Delhi in Richland Parish of northeastern Louisiana. Holliman’s biological father died before he was born, and his biological mother, living in poverty with several other children, gave him up for adoption at birth...
and Andrew Prine
Andrew Prine
Andrew Lewis Prine is an American film, stage, and television actor.-Early life and career:Prine was born in Jennings, Florida. After graduation from Andrew Jackson High School in Miami, Prine made his acting debut three years later in an episode of CBS U.S. Steel Hour...
. It ended after twenty-eight episodes.
Both "Stoney Burke" and "The Wide Country" were essentially "Westerns" that had the misfortune to debut right at the end of the time when Western shows - a fixture of 1950's and early 1960's television - had been a #1 draw on the medium. Both were essentially well-written and acted shows, but American taste had moved on.