Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

Did You Know?

• The Zane Grey Radio Show had run for one season beginning in 1947 and had little in common with the stories of Zane Grey.
• TV Guide called the show 'an educated 20th century view of the Old West'.
• After five seasons, CBS ran a sixth season composed of reruns of the best episodes.

Synopsis

Dick Powell hosted and sometimes starred in this series, which drew many episodes from Zane Grey novels that Four Star Films had exclusive rights to. Powell found Grey's action stories a valuable resource but struggled to squeeze a novel into a half-hour TV show. As writers used up Grey's adaptable work, they eventually turned to other authors. The program also gave many guest stars their first television roles.

Production

Four Star Films secured the rights to dozens of Zane Grey stories for this TV series, but his plots proved too dense for half-hour episodes, so most scripts were original creations. The show’s producers included Helen Ainsworth, Hal Hudson, and Aaron Spelling. Directors like Felix Feist and Budd Boetticher worked on it, with writers such as John McGreevey. A Billboard preview predicted the series would attract women because of its prominent romantic storylines.

Release

The series first aired Fridays, replacing Our Miss Brooks in fall 1956, then moved to Thursdays in its third season. In summer 1959, reruns aired as Frontier Justice with Melvyn Douglas hosting. In August 1961, episodes were sold to Procter & Gamble for Canadian broadcast. The series ended when Powell moved to NBC's The Dick Powell Show, followed by a 1962 summer rerun run.

Spin-offs

Chris Alcaide, who starred in the Black Saddle pilot, was replaced by Peter Breck when the series sold. The NBC series Law of the Plainsman also stemmed from a February 17, 1959 episode of The Rifleman.