The Adventures of Kit Carson
| The Adventures of Kit Carson | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Western |
| Inspired by | Kit Carson |
| Directed by | John English, Lew Landers, Paul Landres, Philip Ford, Charles S. Gould, Derwin Abrahams, Will Sheldon, Norman Lloyd |
| Starring | Bill Williams and Don Diamond |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 104 |
| Production | |
| Producers | Leon Fromkess, Richard Irving |
| Cinematography | Clark Ramsey, Joe Novack, John Macburnie |
| Camera setup | Single-Camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies | MCA TV Revue Productions |
| Distributor | MCA TV |
| Release | |
| Original network | Syndication |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | August 11, 1951 – November 22, 1955 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | The Lone Ranger (TV series) |
The Adventures of Kit Carson is an American Western that aired from 1951 to 1955. The show ran for four seasons and consisted of 104 episodes over four years. The original air date was Saturday, August 11, 1951. It concluded on January 22, 1955.[citation needed] While airing, the show was shown in over 130 markets and was sold to the Coca-Cola Bottling Company by MCA-TV.[1] After airing, MCA-TV acquired syndication rights to the show. In New York, the show aired on Tuesday evenings on WNBT (TV) and ran for thirty-minutes.[1] The show starred Bill Williams in the title role as frontier scout Christopher "Kit" Carson, and Don Diamond co-starred as El Toro, Carson's Mexican companion. Though the show may have been inspired by the historic Kit Carson, it is not historically accurate.[2]
The show was primarily targeted to children.[citation needed] In Omaha, there was a horse drawing competition to promote the show. The winner received a real Shetland pony.[3] During the shows airtime, it received fair reviews from a variety of publications. Many critiques critiqued the direction of the show but generally liked the acting of Bill Williams and Don Diamond. However, for a children's show, it was well liked.
Premise[]
The show is set in the Wild West in the late 19th century.[4] Frontiersman, Kit Carson, and his Mexican friend, El Toro, explore the vast expanse the American frontier. They capture outlaws and righ wrongs.[citation needed]
Cast[]
- Bill Williams as Kit Carson (105 Episodes)[citation needed]
- Don Diamond as El Toro (105 Episodes)[citation needed]
- John Cason as Carl Rigby, Deputy, Drayson's Henchman, Henchman Ben, Henchman Carson, Henchman Trig, Lead Henchman, Marshal Trent, Morgan, Porter, Stage Driver, Trigger Dawson, Wagon driver Morris (12 Episodes)[citation needed]
- Peter Mamakos as El Broho, Benito Morales aka El Morosco, Henchman Spence, Hernandez, Marco Mesconti, Padre Diego, Ricardo (11 Episodes)[citation needed]
- as Henchman, Henchman Joe, Henchman Pete, Last Stage Driver, Murdock (9 Episodes)[citation needed]
- Carol Henry as Henchman, Deputy, Garth, Hadley Man, Hank, Ned, Outlaw (7 Episodes)[citation needed]
- Tristam Coffin as Col. Culver, Maj. John Phelps, Malee, Mark Stacey, Padre, Taggart, The Baron (9 Episodes)[citation needed]
- Richard Avonden as Don Felope, Barker, Captured Henchman, Henchman Wolf (9 Episodes)[citation needed]
- Terry Frost as Commandant, Henchman, Langley, Sheriff (9 Episodes)[citation needed]
Seasons[]
| Season | Episodes | Originally Aired | Last Aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 | August 11, 1951 | February 2, 1952 |
| 2 | 26 | August 2, 1952 | January 24, 1953 |
| 3 | 26 | August 1, 1953 | January 30, 1954 |
| 4 | 26 | July 31, 1954 | January 22, 1955 |
Episodes[]
| No. Overall | No. In Season | Title | Original Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "California Outlaws" | August 11, 1951 |
| 2 | 2 | "Prince of Padua Hills" | August 18, 1951 |
| 3 | 3 | "Road to Monterey" | August 25, 1951 |
| 4 | 4 | "Padres Treasure" | September 1, 1951 |
| 5 | 5 | "The Murango Story" | September 8, 1951 |
| 6 | 6 | "Rides of Capistrano" | September 15, 1951 |
| 7 | 7 | "Enemies of the West" | September 22, 1951 |
| 8 | 8 | "Law of Six Guns" | September 29, 1951 |
| 9 | 9 | "The Devil Angel's Camp" | October 6, 1951 |
| 10 | 10 | "Law of the Frontier" | October 13, 1951 |
| 11 | 11 | "The Road to El Dorado" | October 20, 1951 |
| 12 | 12 | "Fury at Red Gulch" | October 27, 1951 |
| 13 | 13 | "Outlaws of Manzanita" | November 3, 1951 |
| 14 | 14 | "The Desperate Sheriff" | November 10, 1951 |
| 15 | 15 | "Hero of Hermosa" | November 17, 1951 |
| 16 | 16 | "A Ticket to Mexico" | November 24, 1951 |
| 17 | 17 | "The Return of Trigger Dawson" | December 1, 1951 |
| 18 | 18 | "The Teton Tornado" | December 8, 1951 |
| 19 | 19 | "Bad Man of Briscoe" | December 15, 1951 |
| 20 | 20 | "Spoilers of California" | December 22, 1951 |
| 21 | 21 | "Feud in San Felipe" | December 29, 1951 |
| 22 | 22 | "The Trap" | January 5, 1952 |
| 23 | 23 | "Border Corsairs" | January 12, 1952 |
| 24 | 24 | "Curse of the Albas" | January 19, 1952 |
| 25 | 25 | "Bandit's Blade" | January 26, 1952 |
| 26 | 26 | "The Marauder of Madera" | February 2, 1952 |
| No. Overall | No. In Season | Title | Original Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 1 | "Snake River Trappers" | August 2, 1952 |
| 28 | 2 | "Baron of Black Springs" | August 9, 1952 |
| 29 | 3 | "Danger Hill" | August 16, 1952 |
| 30 | 4 | "Wild Horses of Pala" | August 23, 1952 |
| 31 | 5 | "Trail to Fort Hazard" | August 30, 1952 |
| 32 | 6 | "Warwhoop" | September 6, 1952 |
| 33 | 7 | "Outlaw Paradise" | September 13, 1952 |
| 34 | 8 | "Powdersnake Trail" | September 20, 1952 |
| 35 | 9 | "Trouble in Tuscarora" | September 27, 1952 |
| 36 | 10 | "Trail to Old Sonora" | October 4, 1952 |
| 37 | 11 | "Road to Destiny" | October 11, 1952 |
| 38 | 12 | "Border Town" | October 18, 1952 |
| 39 | 13 | "Roaring Challenge" | October 25, 1952 |
| 40 | 14 | "Range Masters" | November 1, 1952 |
| 41 | 15 | "Thunder Over Inyo" | November 8, 1952 |
| 42 | 16 | "Pledge to Danger" | November 15, 1952 |
| 43 | 17 | "Golden Snare" | November 22, 1952 |
| 44 | 18 | "Singing Wires" | November 29, 1952 |
| 45 | 19 | "Mojave Desperados" | December 6, 1952 |
| 46 | 20 | "Highway to Doom" | December 13, 1952 |
| 47 | 21 | "Hideout" | December 20, 1952 |
| 48 | 22 | "Broken Spur" | December 27, 1952 |
| 49 | 23 | "Ventura Feud" | January 3, 1953 |
| 50 | 24 | "Bad Men of Marysville" | January 10, 1953 |
| 51 | 25 | "Claim Jumpers of Juniper" | January 17, 1953 |
| 52 | 26 | "Mask of the Vigilantes" | January 24, 1953 |
| No. Overall | No. In Season | Title | Original Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 53 | 1 | "Outlaw Trail" | August 1, 1953 |
| 54 | 2 | "Savage Outpost" | August 8, 1953 |
| 55 | 3 | "Hawk Raiders" | August 15, 1953 |
| 56 | 4 | "Widow of Indian Wells" | August 22, 1953 |
| 57 | 5 | "The Law of Boot Hill" | August 29, 1953 |
| 58 | 6 | "Trouble at Fort Mojave" | September 5, 1953 |
| 59 | 7 | "Powdersmoke Law" | September 12, 1953 |
| 60 | 8 | "Secret Sheriff" | September 19, 1953 |
| 61 | 9 | "Outlaw Army" | September 26, 1953 |
| 62 | 10 | "Lost Treasure of Panamint" | October 3, 1953 |
| 63 | 11 | "Frontier Mail" | October 10, 1953 |
| 64 | 12 | "Open Season" | October 17, 1953 |
| 65 | 13 | "Gunsmoke Justice" | October 24, 1953 |
| 66 | 14 | "Challenge to Chance" | October 31, 1953 |
| 67 | 15 | "Marshall of Gun Town" | November 7, 1953 |
| 68 | 16 | "Uprising at Pawhuska" | November 14, 1953 |
| 69 | 17 | "Army Renegades" | November 21, 1953 |
| 70 | 18 | "Badman's Escape" | November 28, 1953 |
| 71 | 19 | "Haunted Hacienda" | December 5, 1953 |
| 72 | 20 | "Gunsmoke Valley" | December 12, 1953 |
| 73 | 21 | "Renegade Wires" | December 19, 1953 |
| 74 | 22 | "Ambush" | December 26, 1953 |
| 75 | 23 | "Dry Creek Chase" | January 9, 1954 |
| 76 | 24 | "Copper Town" | January 16, 1954 |
| 77 | 25 | "Counterfeit County" | January 23, 1954 |
| 78 | 26 | "Cache" | January 30, 1954 |
| No. Overall | No. In Season | Title | Original Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79 | 1 | "Trails Westward" | July 31, 1954 |
| 80 | 2 | "Stampede Fury" | August 7, 1954 |
| 81 | 3 | "Bullets of Mystery" | August 14, 1954 |
| 82 | 4 | "The Wrong Man" | August 21, 1954 |
| 83 | 5 | "Gatling Gun" | August 28, 1954 |
| 84 | 6 | "Powder Depot" | September 4, 1954 |
| 85 | 7 | "Hermit of Indian Ridge" | September 11, 1954 |
| 86 | 8 | "Riders of Hooded League" | September 18, 1954 |
| 87 | 9 | "Frontier of Challenge" | September 25, 1954 |
| 88 | 10 | "Trail to Bordertown" | October 2, 1954 |
| 89 | 11 | "No Man's Law" | October 9, 1954 |
| 90 | 12 | "Missing Hacienda" | October 16, 1954 |
| 91 | 13 | "Renegades of Rejo" | October 23, 1954 |
| 92 | 14 | "Ghost Town Garrison" | October 30, 1954 |
| 93 | 15 | "Eyes of the Outlaw" | November 6, 1954 |
| 94 | 16 | "The Valiant Outlaw" | November 13, 1954 |
| 95 | 17 | "Judge of Black Mesa" | November 20, 1954 |
| 96 | 18 | "Frontier Empire" | November 27, 1954 |
| 97 | 19 | "Trouble at Sundown" | December 4, 1954 |
| 98 | 20 | "Outlaw's Justice" | December 11, 1954 |
| 99 | 21 | "Golden Ring of Cibola" | December 18, 1954 |
| 100 | 22 | "The Overland Stage" | December 25, 1954 |
| 101 | 23 | "Devil's Remuda" | January 1, 1955 |
| 102 | 24 | "Phantom Uprising" | January 8, 1955 |
| 103 | 25 | "Mission to Alkali" | January 15, 1955 |
| 104 | 26 | "Incident at Wagontire" | January 22, 1955 |
Production[]
Crew[citation needed][]
- Directors: John English, Lew Landers, Paul Landres, Philip Ford, Charles S. Gould, Derwin Abrahams, , Norman Lloyd
- Producers: , Richard Irving
- Cinematography: Clark Ramsey, Joe Novack, John Macburnie
- Editors: Richard G. Wray, Dwight Caldwell, Edward A. Biery
Production Companies[]
- Revue Productions[citation needed]
- MCA - TV[citation needed]
Technical Aspects[]
- Run Time: 30 minutes[citation needed]
- Sound Mix: Mono[citation needed]
- Color: Black and White[citation needed]
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33 : 1[citation needed]
Early Promotion[]
KETV - Omaha[]
- KETV held a pony drawing contest for children to promote The Adventures of Kit Carson. The promotion was targeted at children to determine who could draw the best horse. The winner of the competition received a real Shetland pony.[3]
Reviews and Reception[]
During The Adventures of Kit Carson's original air time, the show was generally well-received. The show saw several good reviews in trade press publications at the time.
Variety[]
- Variety said that the show "fit like a glove into the groove for which it's patterned; and should keep the juves (and Coca-Cola) happy." Variety also said that Bill Williams and Don Diamond were "just okay."[9]
S.S. Picturegoer[]
- Called the show "energetic and likeable" but also critiqued the direction of the show. Additionally, they stated the plot was "well-constructed" and applauded the acting of Bill Williams and Don Diamond.[10]
Streaming[]
Amazon Prime Video[]
Limited episodes of The Adventures of Kit Carson are available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.[11]
- 40 episodes included with Amazon Prime subscription.
Roku Channel[]
- 49 Episodes of The Adventures of Kit Carson are available to watch for free on the Roku Channel. The available episodes are from the first and second season.[12]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Advertisers & Agencies: Coca-Cola of N.Y. Names Murray V.P. for Radio-Tv". Broadcasting, Telecasting. 45 (18). November 2, 1953. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ The Adventures of Kit Carson | TVmaze, retrieved 2021-05-06
- ^ Jump up to: a b "PROGRAMS & PROMOTIONS: KETV (TV) Promotes 'Kit Carson'". Broadcasting. 54 (2). January 13, 1958. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ "Adventures of Kit Carson TV in Public Domain". www.fesfilms.com. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ "The Adventures of Kit Carson Season 1 Episodes". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ "The Adventures of Kit Carson Season 2 Episodes". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ "The Adventures of Kit Carson Season 3 Episodes". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ "The Adventures of Kit Carson Season 4 Episodes". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ "TV-Films: TELEPIX REVIEWS - Nelson Vice Cole". Variety. 188 (9). Los Angeles. November 5, 1952. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
- ^ "Bad Men Of Marysville". S.S. Picturegoer. 11 (1010). London. September 11, 1954. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
- ^ "Watch The Adventures of Kit Carson | Prime Video". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ "The Adventures of Kit Carson". Roku Guide. 2019-06-27. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
External links[]
Categories:
- 1951 American television series debuts
- 1955 American television series endings
- 1950s Western (genre) television series
- Cultural depictions of Kit Carson
- NBC original programming
- Television series set in the 19th century