Tales of Wells Fargo


Tales of Wells Fargo is an American Western television series starring Dale Robertson in 201 episodes that aired from 1957 to 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until its final season, when it expanded to a full hour and switched from black-and-white to color.

Synopsis

Set in the 1870s and 1880s, the series starred Oklahoma native Dale Robertson as Wells Fargo special agent Jim Hardie, noted at the time as "the left-handed gun". The character was fictional, but the series' development was influenced by the biography of Wells Fargo detective Fred J. Dodge. Agent Hardie was shown working cases in many areas of the Old West, occasionally interacting with legendary outlaws such as Jesse James and Belle Starr, as well as with other American historical figures. Hardie's own history was rarely discussed, but one episode gave a detailed backstory, portraying him as a Louisiana-born drifter who almost became an outlaw before finding his true mission in life.
In the final season, when episodes were longer, Hardie was given a base of operations, on a new ranch in a town called Gloribee, and four regular supporting characters were added. He was even joined by a Wells Fargo partner, the former henchman of a Confederate insurrectionist, for the first half of the season.
Throughout the series Hardie often rode a chestnut gelding with a white blaze on his face and four white stockings. The horse belonged to Dale Robertson, and was named "Jubilee".

Cast

Lead

Recurring

Notable guest stars

Production

Nat Holt was the producer of Tales of Wells Fargo. It initially was broadcast on Mondays from 8:30 to 9 p.m. Eastern Time. Pall Mall and General Foods were the sponsors.
Leslie H. Martinson directed the first 2 episodes, which were written by N.B. Stone Jr. and Dwight Newton respectively. Other directors over the show's 6 seasons included Sidney Salkow, Earl Bellamy, Lewis R. Foster, William Witney, George Waggner and R.G. Springsteen. Co-creator Frank Gruber wrote several episodes, including one co-written by L. Ron Hubbard. Other notable writers included novelist Louis L'Amour, Cyril Hume, Mark Hanna, Steve Fisher and Sam Peckinpah.

Critical response

A review of the series' first episode in the trade publication Variety described the show as "strictly formula, with none of the characterization or human values that have embellished the better class of TV westerns to date." It said that Robertson seemed "authoritative enough" in his role but compared the overall product to the lesser of two films in a double feature. In summary the review said that the show was better suited for syndication because "network exposure implies the willingness to depart from the routine."

Release

Broadcast

The pilot for Tales of Wells Fargo originally premiered as an episode of the anthology series Schlitz Playhouse of Stars. “A Tale of Wells Fargo” aired on December 14, 1956, with Robertson as Jim Hardie. It was directed by Bernard Girad and written by Frank Gruber, based on a story that he wrote with Zane Grey.
In the 1960–61 season, Wells Fargo was scheduled opposite ABC's detective series Surfside 6 and CBS's new sitcom Bringing Up Buddy, starring Frank Aletter. In its final season, it moved to Saturday nights, putting it in direct competition with Perry Mason.
In the United States, reruns of the series can be seen on the GRIT channel.

Home media

Timeless Media Group released the first two seasons on DVD in Region 1.
DVD nameEp #Release date
The Complete First and Second Seasons52October 25, 2011

Ratings

For its first two years, the series was in the top 10 of the Nielsen Ratings. During the 1957–58 season, it was ranked number three, and during the 1958–59 season, it was ranked number seven.

Merchandise

The television series also spawned a number of publications for young readers, including the hardcover book Danger at Dry Creek, and a series of Dell Comics and Little Golden Books. Amongst the uncredited artists who created the comic book adaptation were Dan Spiegle, Gil Kane, Alberto Giolitti and Russ Heath. A hardcover & paperback collection of 8 teleplays, written by Frank Gruber, was released in 1958 by Bantam Books.