Wanted Dead or Alive (TV series)

Did You Know?

• The show helped launch the careers of several directors.
• A review in Variety on September 10, 1958, called McQueen's characterization 'almost stuffy in its allegiance to the breed.'

Synopsis

Josh Randall is a Confederate veteran and bounty hunter who often donates his earnings to the needy and helps prisoners who have been wrongly accused. Beyond chasing wanted men, he settles family feuds, frees unjustly jailed individuals, aids an amnesia victim, and finds missing persons including a daughter captured by Indians, an Army deserter, a pet sheep, and Santa Claus. This variety and his pursuit of justice contributed to the show's popularity. Randall rode a horse named Ringo except in a few early episodes. Actor Wright King appeared as deputy sheriff turned bounty hunter Jason Nichols beginning with the 1960 episode "Jason," but the character was dropped by the third season.

Production

Vincent Fennelly and Four Star Television planned a spinoff of Trackdown, itself a spinoff of Zane Grey Theater. McQueen's manager Hillard Elkins, who also represented Trackdown star Robert Culp, suggested McQueen for the role. McQueen initially was not interested in Westerns but agreed after connecting with Fennelly's vision. The pilot was filmed before McQueen made The Blob in 1958. Four Star founder Dick Powell hesitated over McQueen's short stature and inability to ride horses but changed his mind after seeing early clips; Powell also suggested giving Randall a gimmick weapon. McQueen learned to ride for the show. He fired three stunt men on the first day, including Richard Farnsworth; Loren Janes ultimately doubled for him. McQueen's salary rose from $750 per episode to $100,000 per year. The time slot change for the third season may have been CBS's way of killing the show due to rising costs, and McQueen's strained relationship with sponsor Viceroy cigarettes was another factor. Writers included Samuel A. Peeples, Tom Gries, and Charles Beaumont.

Themes

Wanted Dead or Alive was one of several shows that defined the "adult Western" of the era, focusing on action rather than character development. McQueen's method style was unique to Westerns of the period; his character was a man of few words who showed little emotion and often appeared more interested in the reward than justice. Josh Randall was more of an antihero of the Revisionist Western genre. McQueen, initially reluctant to do a Western, felt he could bring more of himself into a realistic portrayal when the character was less of a traditional hero.

Release

The series first aired on CBS on September 6, 1958, Saturday nights from 8:30–9 p.m. until September 1960, then Wednesday nights from 8:30–9 p.m. until March 1961. New Line Home Entertainment released season 1 on DVD on June 7, 2005. BCI Eclipse released seasons 2 and 3 in 2007. Mill Creek Entertainment acquired rights in June 2009 and released an 11-disc box set of all 94 episodes on August 25, 2009.