The Dakotas (TV series)
Encyclopedia
The Dakotas is an American
Western
television series starring Larry Ward
and featuring Jack Elam
broadcast by ABC
during 1963. The short-lived show is a spin-off
of Cheyenne,
The Dakotas is perhaps most notable for the fact that it was cancelled one week after heavy viewer protest over an objectionable scene.
), Vance Porter (Mike Greene) and Del Stark (Chad Everett
) as they try to keep order in the Dakota Territory
during the Gilded Age
.
However, the degree to which this episode makes The Dakotas a spin-off of Cheyenne is debatable. In the pilot on Cheyenne, the titular character of Cheyenne Bodie never appears. Also, the episode had followed five consecutive weeks of Bronco
episodes, broadcast as a part of the wheel series
that Cheyenne had effectively become. Moreover, the length of time between pilot and series—almost eight months—further weakened the link between Cheyenne and The Dakotas. The biggest tip-off to viewers as to the show's parentage was probably that it had assumed the Monday 7:30pm time slot previously occupied by Cheyenne since 1959.
Among guest stars, George Macready
appeared as Captain Ridgeway in the third episode, "Mutiny at Fort Mercy".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Western
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 starring Larry Ward
Larry Ward
Larry Ward may refer to:* Larry Ward , American voice actor who provided the voices of Greedo in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and Jabba the Hutt in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi...
and featuring Jack Elam
Jack Elam
William Scott "Jack" Elam was an American film actor best known for his numerous roles as villains in Western films and, later in his career, comedies .-Early life:...
broadcast by 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...
during 1963. The short-lived show is a spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
of Cheyenne,
The Dakotas is perhaps most notable for the fact that it was cancelled one week after heavy viewer protest over an objectionable scene.
Synopsis
The series follows the efforts of Federal Marshal Frank Ragan (Larry Ward) and his three deputies, J.D.Smith (Jack ElamJack Elam
William Scott "Jack" Elam was an American film actor best known for his numerous roles as villains in Western films and, later in his career, comedies .-Early life:...
), Vance Porter (Mike Greene) and Del Stark (Chad Everett
Chad Everett
Chad Everett is an American actor who has appeared in over 40 films and television series but is probably best known for his role as Dr. Joe Gannon in the 1970s television drama Medical Center.-Early life:...
) as they try to keep order in the Dakota Territory
Dakota Territory
The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of North and South Dakota.The Dakota Territory consisted of...
during the Gilded Age
Gilded Age
In United States history, the Gilded Age refers to the era of rapid economic and population growth in the United States during the post–Civil War and post-Reconstruction eras of the late 19th century. The term "Gilded Age" was coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in their book The Gilded...
.
Series history
All four characters initially appeared in an April 1962 episode of Cheyenne called "A Man Called Ragan".However, the degree to which this episode makes The Dakotas a spin-off of Cheyenne is debatable. In the pilot on Cheyenne, the titular character of Cheyenne Bodie never appears. Also, the episode had followed five consecutive weeks of Bronco
Bronco (TV series)
Bronco is a Western series on ABC from 1958 through 1962. It was shown by the BBC in the United Kingdom. The program starred Ty Hardin as Bronco Layne, a former Confederate officer who wandered the Old West, meeting such well-known individuals as Wild Bill Hickok, Billy the Kid, Jesse James,...
episodes, broadcast as a part of the wheel series
Wheel series
A wheel series is a term applied in the broadcast television industry to a television program in which two or more regular series are rotated with the same time slot...
that Cheyenne had effectively become. Moreover, the length of time between pilot and series—almost eight months—further weakened the link between Cheyenne and The Dakotas. The biggest tip-off to viewers as to the show's parentage was probably that it had assumed the Monday 7:30pm time slot previously occupied by Cheyenne since 1959.
Among guest stars, George Macready
George Macready
George Peabody Macready, Jr. , was an American stage, film, and television actor often cast in roles as polished villains.-Background:...
appeared as Captain Ridgeway in the third episode, "Mutiny at Fort Mercy".
Cancellation
The program would only last there long enough to finish out Cheyennes abbreviated seventh season. When viewers saw the eighteenth episode, "Sanctuary at Crystal Springs", they were shocked by a scene that depicted the lawmen killing two outlaws in a church, one of whom caused injury to a pastor before dying. Calls for The Dakotas to end its run were answered virtually overnight. After just one more episode, the show was pulled. A twentieth episode had been completed, but was never shown.Episodes
| Episode # | Episode Title | Original Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Return To Drydock" | January 7, 1963 |
| 2 | "Red Sky Over Bismarck" | January 14, 1963 |
| 3 | "Mutiny at Fort Mercy" | January 21, 1963 |
| 4 | "Trouble at French Creek" | January 28, 1963 |
| 5 | "Thunder In Pleasant Valley" | February 4, 1963 |
| 6 | "Crisis at High Banjo" | February 11, 1963 |
| 7 | "Requiem at Dancer's Hill" | February 18, 1963 |
| 8 | "Fargo" | February 25, 1963 |
| 9 | "Incident at Rapid City" | March 4, 1963 |
| 10 | "Justice at Eagle's Nest" | March 11, 1963 |
| 11 | "Walk Through the Badlands" | March 18, 1963 |
| 12 | "Trial at Grand Forks" | March 25, 1963 |
| 13 | "Reformation at Big Nose Butte" | April 1, 1963 |
| 14 | "One Day In Vermillion" | April 8, 1963 |
| 15 | "Terror at Heart River" | April 15, 1963 |
| 16 | "The Chooser of the Slain" | April 22, 1963 |
| 17 | "Feud at Snake River" | April 29, 1963 |
| 18 | "Sanctuary at Crystal Springs" | May 6, 1963 |
| 19 | "A Nice Girl From Goliath" | May 13, 1963 |