The Range Rider

{{short description|American Western television series}} {{Infobox television | image =Jock_Mahoney_in_The_Range_Rider_(The_Buckskin).jpg | caption = Jock Mahoney in "The Buckskin" episode of The Range Rider | genre = Western | writer = {{Plainlist| * Buckley Angell * Eric Freiwald * Oliver Drake * Orville H. Hampton * Lawrence Hazard * Edward Llewellyn * Joe Richardson * Arthur Rowe * Jack Townley }} | director = {{Plainlist| * George Archainbaud * William A. Berke * Thomas Carr * John English * Wallace Fox * D. Ross Lederman * Frank McDonald * Don McDougall * Ray Nazarro }} | starring = {{Plainlist| * Jock Mahoney * Dick Jones }} | open_theme = "Home on the Range" | composer = {{Plainlist| * Carl Cotner * Walter Greene }} | country = United States | language = English | num_seasons = 3 | num_episodes = 78 | executive_producer = {{Plainlist| * Gene Autry * Louis Gray }} | producer = {{Plainlist| * Hugh McCollum * Armand Schaefer }} | company = Range Rider Productions | runtime = 30 mins. (approx) | channel = Syndication | first_aired = {{start date|1951|4|5}} | last_aired = {{end date|1953|9|1}} }}

'''''The Range Rider''''' is an American Western television series that was first broadcast in syndication from 1951 to 1952.<ref name=st>{{cite book |last1=Erickson |first1=Hal |title=Syndicated Television: The First Forty Years, 1947-1987' |date=1989 |publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc. |isbn=0-7864-1198-8 |pages= 98–99 }}</ref> A single lost episode surfaced and was broadcast in 1959.{{Citation needed |date=February 2023}} In 1954, the BBC purchased rights to show the program in the UK .<ref>{{cite news |title=B. B. C. gets rights to 'Amos 'n' Andy': TV Series Will Start April 21 in Britain -- Group Also to Show 'Range Rider' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1954/04/07/archives/bbc-gets-rights-to-amos-n-andy-tv-series-will-start-april-21-in.html |access-date=February 10, 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=April 7, 1954 |page=47|url-access=subscription}}</ref> It was also shown in Melbourne, Australia, during the 1950s.{{Citation needed |date=February 2023}} It was broadcast in Canada and in Rome (with dialog dubbed in Italian).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Subotnik |first1=Nadine |title=The Old Range Rider Comes A Lopin' In To Have a Swim |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/118415108/range-rider/ |access-date=February 11, 2023 |work=The Cedar Rapids Gazette |date=June 24, 1954 |via = Newspapers.com}}</ref>

ABC ran the program on weekends in 1964-65.<ref name="st" />

==Synopsis== Jock Mahoney, later star of CBS's ''Yancy Derringer'', played the title character in 79 black-and-white half-hour episodes, along with partner Dick West, played by Dick Jones, later star of the syndicated series ''Buffalo Bill, Jr.'' The character had no name other than Range Rider. His reputation for fairness, fighting ability, and accuracy with his guns was known far and wide, even by Indians. Mahoney towered over Jones, conveying the idea that Dick West was a youth rather than a full-grown adult.<ref name="Woolery">{{cite book |last1=Woolery |first1=George W. |title=Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981, Part II: Live, Film, and Tape Series |date=1985 |publisher=The Scarecrow Press |isbn=0-8108-1651-2 |pages=411–413}}</ref>

Stanley Andrews, the first host of the syndicated anthology series, ''Death Valley Days'', appeared in 17 episodes of ''The Range Rider'' in different roles, including "Pack Rat" and "Marked for Death" in 1951 and "Marshal from Madero" in 1953. Gregg Barton similarly guest-starred in 16 episodes. Harry Lauter, later a co-star with Willard Parker on CBS's ''Tales of the Texas Rangers'', appeared 11 times, including the episodes "Ten Thousand Reward" and "Dim Trails" (both in 1951), "Ambush in Coyote Canyon" (1952), and "Convict at Large" and "Marshal from Madero" (both in 1953). William Fawcett, prior to NBC's ''Fury'', guest-starred in 9 episodes, including in "Diablo Posse", as Matt Ryan in "Last of the Pony Express", "Dim Trails" (all 1951), and "Shotgun Stage" (1952).

==Production== The show was a production of Gene Autry's Flying A Productions,<ref name=tt>{{cite book|last1=McNeil|first1=Alex|title=Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present |date=1996|publisher=Penguin Books USA, Inc.|location=New York, New York|isbn=0-14-02-4916-8|page= 683|edition=4th}}</ref> and Autry himself was the executive producer, along with Louis Gray. Producers were Hugh McCollum and Armand Schaefer. Directors were George Archainbaud, William Berke, Thomas Carr, Wallace Fox, D. Ross Lederman, Frank McDonald, Donald McDougall, and Ray Nazarro.<ref name="tss">{{cite book |title=Television Series and Specials Scripts, 1946-1992: A Catalog of the American Radio Archives Collection |date=October 21, 2009 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-5437-2 |page=257 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f9K4tLMSbJAC&dq=%22Range+Rider%22+syndicated&pg=PA257 |access-date=February 11, 2023 |language=en}}</ref>

Mahoney (who was a stunt man before he became an actor) did his own stunt work on the program, which led to his receiving four broken bones and 16 wounds on his head, in addition to being knocked unconscious three times.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Berkshire |first1=Bob |title='Range Rider' Show Packs Punches -- And Jack Mahoney Gets His Share |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/118413602/range-rider/ |access-date=February 11, 2023 |work=The Lincoln Star |date=July 4, 1954 |page=8-D|via = Newspapers.com}}</ref>

The theme was "Home on the Range",<ref name="pbtv" /> though in later episodes, this was played at a fast tempo without the words.

''The Range Rider'' was the first major syndicated program to be broadcast five times a week in many areas, which led CBS Films to sometimes pull episodes from distribution to prevent overexposure.<ref name="st" /> Although the last episode of the show was made in December 1952, reruns continued to be shown, and by 1958 in some markets they were "on their third time around."<ref>{{cite news |title=Double Life For Mahoney |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/118414009/the-charlotte-news/ |access-date=February 11, 2023 |work=The Charlotte News |date=December 13, 1958 |page=17|via = Newspapers.com}}</ref>

== Promotion == CBS owned half of the show<ref name="pbtv">{{cite book |last1=Irvin |first1=Richard |title=Pioneers of "B" Television: Independent Producers, Series and Pilots of the 1950s |date=28 October 2022 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-8996-8 |page=188 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c_mZEAAAQBAJ&dq=%22Range+Rider%22&pg=PA188 |access-date=February 11, 2023 |language=en}}</ref> and helped to promote it by providing "comprehensive merchandising kits" for use in TV markets.<ref name=bb>{{cite magazine |date=October 18, 1952 |page=16 |title=CBS TV Film Sale Kits Score Heavily |magazine=Billboard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RyAEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Range+Rider%22+syndicated&pg=PA16 |accessdate=February 11, 2023}}</ref> Mahoney promoted the show by making personal appearances on a tour of 20 cities. When he appeared in Pittsburgh, 20,000 children came to see him.<ref name=bb/>

Mahoney and West performed at rodeos in 1953 in cities such as Philadelphia, where they re-enacted stunts from the program<ref>{{cite news |title=Mahoney Clan Will Cheer Namesake at Arena Rodeo |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/118413313/the-philadelphia-inquirer/ |access-date=February 11, 2023 |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer |date=April 20, 1953 |page=25|via = Newspapers.com}}</ref> and Oakland, where the fights included "use of real furniture — not the easily collapsed propes used in a majority of movies and TV films."<ref>{{cite news |title='Range Rider' and Pal Dick West Promise Lots of Action at Rodeo |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/118414360/range-rider/ |access-date=February 11, 2023 |work=Oakland Tribune |date=September 11, 1953 |page=24|via = Newspapers.com}}</ref> A fight at a stock show in Houston resulted in four broken fingers for Jones and an ankle injury for Manoney.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mahoney |first1=Ralph |title=Range Rider Limps Into Phoenix After Rolling With TV Punches |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/118414749/range-rider/ |access-date=February 11, 2023 |work=Arizona Republic |date=February 17, 1953 |page=1|via = Newspapers.com}}</ref>

Flying A Productions created a merchandise tie-in by selling buckskin shirts and other items related to the program.<ref name="brooks">{{cite book|last1=Brooks|first1=Tim|last2=Marsh|first2=Earle|title=The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present|date=1999|publisher=The Ballentine Publishing Group|location=New York|isbn=0-345-42923-0|page=841|edition=7th}}</ref>

==DVD release== In 2006, Timeless Media Group released a licensed two-DVD (Region 1), 10-episode best-of collection.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Range-Rider/dp/B000KWZ1NO|title=The Range Rider|website=Amazon |date=5 May 2010}}</ref> Subsequently, a second licensed set was released, this time consisting of 20 episodes on six DVDs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Range-Rider-Collection-Jock-Mahoney/dp/B006U15QXO|title=Range Rider Collection|website=Amazon }}</ref> Between 2005 and 2007, Alpha Home Entertainment released five unlicensed best-of DVDs (region 0), with four episodes on each.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000WPJT1Y|title=Range Rider - Volumes 1-5 (5-DVD)|website=Amazon |date=28 August 2007|accessdate=2009-02-26}}</ref> Though the series is not actually in the public domain, various episodes also appear in numerous unlicensed budget TV Western DVD collections.

==Cultural references== In ''The A-Team'' episode ''When you Comin' Back, Range Rider?'' (season two, episodes five and six), Murdock is seen watching an episode of ''The Range Rider'' in his room at the psychiatric hospital. He adopts the persona of the Range Rider as the team pursues wild mustang rustlers, and is frequently seen wearing a mask of the Range Rider he cut from a cereal box.

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{IMDb title|id=0043223|title=The Range Rider}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Range Rider}} Category:1950s Western (genre) television series Category:1951 American television series debuts Category:1953 American television series endings Category:Black-and-white American television shows Category:First-run syndicated television programs in the United States Category:Western (genre) gunfighters Category:Western (genre) heroes