Tate (TV series)
A one-armed bounty hunter roams the Old West.
Tate is an American Western television series that aired on NBC from June 8 until September 14, 1960, with reruns on the 21st and 28th. Created by Harry Julian Fink and produced by Perry Como's Roncom Video Films, Inc., it starred David McLean as the title character. The series is notable for featuring the first handicapped lead character in television history.
Quick Facts
- Creator
- Harry Julian Fink
- Executive producers
- Alvin Cooperman
- Producer
- Shelley Hull
- Director
- Ida Lupino; Richard Whorf
- Company
- Roncom Video Films, Inc.
- Runtime
- 30 minutes
- Starring
- David McLean
- Country
- United States
Facts from the source article.
Overview
David McLean portrayed Tate, a bounty hunter-gunfighter who lost the use of his left arm during the American Civil War at the Battle of Vicksburg. His arm is covered in black leather and a glove and supported by a sling. Tate is a widower; the cause of his wife Mary's death is not specified, though a gunfight seems likely. He left his hometown as a teenager because of a gunfight. In the pilot episode, "Home Town", Marshal Morty Taw urges Tate to help hang an old childhood friend, played by James Coburn, who has murdered four people. Tate roams the Old West, discriminating about whom he works for and willing to change sides if misled. He is fast on the draw and carries a shotgun to even the odds. His reputation precedes him, and other men often seek him out in gunfights. Tate's physical disability made him the first handicapped lead character in television history, paving the way for later programs such as Ironside and Longstreet.
Background and production
Sponsored by Kraft Foods, the western series Tate aired as a summer replacement for the second half of Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall, part of the Kraft Summer Theater lineup. It followed another show from the same production company, the sitcom Happy with Ronnie Burns. Though some sources suggest it was shot on videotape, the series was actually filmed; the confusion likely comes from the name Roncom Video Films, Inc., where "Video" referred to making films for television. The show never gained enough traction to become a regular series. Its star, David McLean, was already famous as the Marlboro Man from advertising. McLean passed away in 1995 from lung cancer, a result of years of smoking. The complete run of thirteen episodes was released on a three-DVD set by Timeless Media Group on October 30, 2007, in Region One. Most of the series is now in the public domain.
Guest stars
Robert Redford appeared in two episodes: as John Torsett in "The Bounty Hunter" and as Tad Dundee in "Comanche Scalps", the latter with Leonard Nimoy as the Comanche and Lane Bradford as William Essey. Other guest stars included Julie Adams, Chris Alcaide, Patricia Breslin, James Coburn, Robert Culp, Royal Dano, Ted de Corsia, Louise Fletcher, Peggy Ann Garner, Jock Gaynor, Marianna Hill, Martin Landau, Mort Mills, Gregory Morton, Warren Oates, Paul Richards, Bing Russell, Robert F. Simon, Vaughn Taylor, Warren Vanders, Peter Whitney, and Don Wilbanks.
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