The Tall Man (TV series)

The Tall Man
Clu Gulager as Billy the Kid and Marianna Hill as Rita
Genre	Western
Written by	Arthur Browne, Jr. D. C. Fontana David Lang Paul King Samuel A. Peeples Frank Price Barry Shipman
Directed by	Tay Garnett Sidney Lanfield Sydney Pollack Lesley Selander William Witney
Starring	Barry Sullivan Clu Gulager
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	75
Production
Executive producer	Nat Holt
Producers	Edward Montagne Samuel A. Peeples Frank Price
Running time	30 minutes
Production companies	Lincoln Country Production Company Revue Studios
Original release
Network	NBC
Release	September 10, 1960 (1960-09-10) – May 26, 1962 (1962-05-26)

The Tall Man is a half-hour American Western television series about Sheriff Pat Garrett and gunfighter Billy the Kid that aired on NBC from September 10, 1960, to September 1, 1962, filmed by Revue Productions.

Created and produced by Samuel Peeples, the series is set in New Mexico in the late 1870s and also depicts other figures of the period, such as John Tunstall and Lew Wallace.

Sponsors included Beech-Nut Life Savers.

Synopsis

The real Pat Garrett

The Tall Man stars 6'3" Barry Sullivan as Sheriff Pat Garrett, and Clu Gulager as Billy the Kid.

In the premiere episode, "Garrett and the Kid" (September 10, 1960), Garrett arrives in Lincoln, depicted in the series as a gold-mining boomtown, as the new deputy sheriff, only to learn that a crooked saloon owner, Paul Mason (Robert Middleton), dominates the community, including the marshal, Dave Leggert (Denver Pyle). When he sees his power threatened, Mason tries to hire Billy to kill Garrett, unaware that the two were then on friendly terms. Vaughn Taylor is cast in this episode as Judge Riley, and King Donovan appears as a Mason henchman.

Marianna Hill was cast in several episodes as one of Billy's girlfriends, Rita. In one episode, Robert Lansing played the frontier dentist, gambler, and gunfighter John H. "Doc" Holliday in the episode "Rovin' Gambler."

Cast

• Barry Sullivan as Sheriff Pat Garrett
• Clu Gulager as Billy the Kid.

Andy Clyde was cast in five episodes as Pa McBeam; Judy Nugent plays McBean's daughter, June. Different actresses were cast as the other daughter, May. Olive Sturgess played the part of May in "McBean Rides Again" (Nº 13), "The Reluctant Bridegroom" (Nº 23), and "Millionaire McBean" (Nº 31). Andy Clyde also appeared at the time in the role of the neighboring farmer George MacMichael on ABC's The Real McCoys, starring Walter Brennan.

Other guest stars

In addition to the aforementioned, other actors appearing on The Tall Man in individual episodes include:

• Claude Akins
• Chris Alcaide
• John Anderson
• R.G. Armstrong
• Malcolm Atterbury
• Patricia Barry
• Don Beddoe
• Russ Bender
• Lyle Bettger
• Lane Bradford
• Jocelyn Brando
• Hank Brandt
• X Brands
• Edgar Buchanan
• Michael Burns
• Robert Burton
• Harry Carey, Jr.
• Paul Carr
• John Cliff
• James Coburn
• Iron Eyes Cody
• Jim Davis
• Cyril Delevanti
• Richard Devon
• Pamela Duncan
• Faith Domergue
• Jena Engstrom
• William Fawcett
• Mona Freeman
• Robert Griffin
• Herman Hack
• Chick Hannan
• Ron Harper
• Don C. Harvey
• Raymond Hatton
• Rex Holman
• Rodolfo Hoyos Jr.

• Clegg Hoyt
• Kathleen Hughes
• Tommy Ivo
• Richard Jaeckel
• I. Stanford Jolley
• Ray Kellogg
• Sandy Kenyon
• Michael Landon
• Nan Leslie
• Herbert Lytton
• Adele Mara
• Howard McNear
• Don Megowan
• Jan Merlin
• Mark Miller
• Vic Morrow
• Leonard Nimoy
• Gregg Palmer
• James Parnell
• Dennis Patrick
• William Phipps
• Ford Rainey
• Richard Reeves
• Stafford Repp
• Addison Richards
• Julie Sommars
• Harold J. Stone
• Kelly Thordsen
• Regis Toomey
• Harry von Zell
• Ralph Votrian
• Gregory Walcott
• Patrick Waltz
• Robert J. Wilke
• Elen Willard

Critical response

Jack Gould, in a review in The New York Times, called the program "a characteristic item of uninventive tripe". He described Sullivan's portrayal of Garrett as "an official who exudes sternness, physique, and no-think" and, comparing Gulager's Billy the Kid to Edd Byrnes's character on 77 Sunset Strip, as "made to resemble a Kookie of the sagebrush".

Episode list

Season 1: 1960–61

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	1	"Garrett and the Kid"	Herschel Daugherty	Samuel A. Peeples	September 10, 1960 (1960-09-10)
2	2	"Forty-Dollar Boots"	Richard Irving	Samuel A. Peeples	September 17, 1960 (1960-09-17)
3	3	"Bad Company"	Richard Irving	Samuel A. Peeples	September 24, 1960 (1960-09-24)
4	4	"The Shawl"	Herschel Daugherty	Frank Price	October 1, 1960 (1960-10-01)
5	5	"The Lonely Star"	Henry S. Kesler	Samuel A. Peeples	October 8, 1960 (1960-10-08)
6	6	"A Bounty for Billy"	Franklin Adreon	Story by : D. C. Fontana Teleplay by : Martin Berkeley	October 15, 1960 (1960-10-15)
7	7	"The Parson"	Henry S. Kesler	D.C. Fontana Frank Price	October 29, 1960 (1960-10-29)
8	8	"Night Train to Tularosa"	Franklin Adreon	Barry Shipman	November 5, 1960 (1960-11-05)
9	9	"Larceny and the Ladies"	Herschel Daugherty	Frank Price	November 12, 1960 (1960-11-12)
10	10	"Counterfeit Law"	Franklin Adreon	Samuel A. Peeples	November 19, 1960 (1960-11-19)
11	11	"And the Beast"	Frank Arrigo	Frank Price	November 26, 1960 (1960-11-26)
12	12	"Bitter Ashes"	Richard Irving	Samual A. Peeples	December 3, 1960 (1960-12-03)
13	13	"McBean Rides Again"	Frank Arrigo	Frank Price	December 10, 1960 (1960-12-10)
14	14	"Tiger Eye"	Franklin Adreon	D.C. Fontana	December 17, 1960 (1960-12-17)
15	15	"Billy's Baby"	Franklin Adreon	Frank Price	December 24, 1960 (1960-12-24)
16	16	"One of One Thousand"	Franklin Adreon	Borden Chase	December 31, 1960 (1960-12-31)
17	17	"First Blood"	Franklin Adreon	Samual A. Peeples	January 7, 1961 (1961-01-07)
18	18	"A Gun is for Killing"	Franlin Adreon	Samual A. Peeples	January 14, 1961 (1961-01-14)
19	19	"The Grudge Fight"	Richard Irving	Cyril Hume	January 21, 1961 (1961-01-21)
20	20	"The Best Policy"	Franklin Adreon	Frank Price	January 28, 1961 (1961-01-28)
21	21	"The Reversed Blade"	Franklin Adreon	Peter Barry	February 4, 1961 (1961-02-04)
Murray Matheson portrays Billy's employer, John Tundall, though the name of the historical person is John Tunstall. Tundall grows indignant when the con-man Ben Webster (John Archer), who stole his wife and $10,000 eight years earlier, arrives in Lincoln. Jeanne Cooper plays Tundall's former wife, now Mrs. Elmira Webster. John Tunstall died at twenty-four, but Matheson was forty-nine when he assumed the role as Billy's employer.
22	22	"Dark Moment"	William Witney	Samuel A. Peeples	February 11, 1961 (1961-02-11)
23	23	"The Reluctant Bridegroom"	Lesley Selander	Frank Price	February 18, 1961 (1961-02-18)
Ellen Corby is featured as Hannah Blossom, a potential mail order bride, for Pa McBeam. Hannah is lured to Lincoln through a fraudulent letter written by the McBeam daughters.
24	24	"Maria's Little Lamb"	Frank Arrigo	Barry Shipman	February 25, 1961 (1961-02-25)
25	25	"Big Sam's Boy"	Leslay Selander	Tom Seller	March 4, 1961 (1961-03-04)
26	26	"The Last Resource"	Richard Bartlett	Frank Price	March 11, 1961 (1961-03-11)
27	27	"Rovin' Gambler"	William Witney	Samual A. Peeples	March 18, 1961 (1961-03-18)
28	28	"Hard Justice"	William Witney	Samuel A. Peeples	March 25, 1961 (1961-03-25)
29	29	"The Legend and the Gun"	R.G. Springsteen	Samual A. Peeples	April 1, 1961 (1961-04-01)
30	30	"A Kind of Courage"	R.G. Springsteen	Tom Seller	April 8, 1961 (1961-04-08)
31	31	"Millionaire McBean"	William Witney	Frank Price	April 15, 1961 (1961-04-15)
32	32	"A Scheme of Hearts"	R.G. Springsteen	Tom Seller	April 22, 1961 (1961-04-22)
33	33	"The Cloudbusters"	R.G. Springsteen	D. C. Fontana	April 29, 1961 (1961-04-29)
Frank de Kova plays Mike Gray Eagle, who sells water to Lincoln residents at inflated prices during a drought, during which the only flowing stream is on the Apache reservation.
34	34	"Ransom of a Town"	Franklin Adreon	Story by : Mark Weingart Teleplay by : Barry Shipman	May 6, 1961 (1961-05-06)
35	35	"Ladies of the Town"	Richard Barlett	Samual A. Peeples	May 20, 1961 (1961-05-20)
36	36	"Death or Taxes"	Frank Arrigo	Barry Shipman	May 27, 1961 (1961-05-27)
Garrett rides into a railroad company town that abuses its workers, runs illegal gambling halls, and refuses to pay its taxes. Character actor Will Wright plays Mayor Hackett in this episode, which features James Seay as Holman.
37	37	"The Great Western"	Frank Arrigo	Melton S. Gelman	June 3, 1961 (1961-06-03)
Frank Ferguson plays Wallace in a story about Big Mamacita (Connie Gilchrist), the owner of a rowdy cantina outside Lincoln and her grandson, who is a Wallace aide.

Season 2: 1961–62

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
38	1	"Full Payment"	Lesley Selander	David Lang	September 9, 1961 (1961-09-09)
39	2	"The Liberty Belle"	Tay Garnett	Les Crutchfield	September 16, 1961 (1961-09-16)
40	3	"Where is Sylvia?"	Sidney Landfield	Robert E. Thompson Frank Price	September 23, 1961 (1961-09-23)
41	4	"The Female Artillery"	Lesley Selander	Frank Price	September 30, 1961 (1961-09-30)
42	5	"Shadow of the Past"	Tay Garnett	Richard Fielder	October 7, 1961 (1961-10-07)
Charles Aidman is cast as Ben Wiley, the father of Billy's newest girlfriend, Sue Wiley (Barbara Parkins). Sheriff Garrett recognizes Wiley as an informant who stopped Garrett from escaping from a Confederate prison during the American Civil War. Nancy Davis Reagan appears in this episode as Ben's wife, Sarah.
43	6	"An Item for Auction"	Sidney Landfield	Arthur Browne Jr.	October 14, 1961 (1961-10-14)
44	7	"The Judas Palm"	Sidney Lanfield	David Lang	October 21, 1961 (1961-10-21)
45	8	"The Woman"	Ted Post	Arthur Browne, Jr.	October 28, 1961 (1961-10-28)
46	9	"Trial by Hanging"	Sidney Lanfield	Arthur Browne, Jr.	November 4, 1961 (1961-11-04)
47	10	"The Leopard's Spots"	Richard Donner	Tom Seller	November 11, 1961 (1961-11-11)
48	11	"Petticoat Crusade"	Richard Donner	Frank Price	November 18, 1961 (1961-11-18)
49	12	"Time of Foreshadowing"	R.G. Springsteen	Robert E. Thompson	November 25, 1961 (1961-11-25)
50	13	"Fool's Play"	Lesley Selander	David Lang	December 2, 1961 (1961-12-02)
51	14	"The Legend of Billy"	Tay Garnett	Shimon Wincelberg	December 9, 1961 (1961-12-09)
52	15	"A Tombstone for Billy"	Sidney Landfield	Thomas Thompson	December 16, 1961 (1961-12-16)
53	16	"Sidekick"	Ted Post	Les Crutchfield	December 23, 1961 (1961-12-23)
54	17	"Apache Daughter"	Tay Garnett	Richard Fielder	December 30, 1961 (1961-12-30)
J. Pat O'Malley portrays Sam Bartlett, whose daughter, Sally (Sherry Jackson), is released from Apache captivity after nine years. However, Sally wants to return to her husband, Talano, (Anthony Hall, aka Sal Ponti) a Chiricahua warrior.
55	18	"Substitute Sheriff"	Lesley Selander	Frank Price	January 6, 1962 (1962-01-06)
The McBeam daughters enlist their father as an acting sheriff in a scheme to thwart the seizure of their property for right-of-way by the railroad. Bob Hastings appears in this episode as J. S. Chase.
56	19	"The Girl from Paradise"	Edward Montagne	Richard Fielder	January 13, 1962 (1962-01-13)
Billy is framed for murder by his old nemesis, Rafe Tollinger (Kelly Thordsen), the sheriff of a neighboring county. He is sent to the gallows along with Anne Drake (Pippa Scott), a pretty young woman who is also framed for murder. The two are handcuffed together but manage to escape and then must flee from an approaching posse.
57	20	"St. Louis Woman"	Sidney Lanfield	Arthur Browne, Jr.	January 20, 1962 (1962-01-20)
Jan Clayton, formerly of CBS's Lassie, portrays Janet Harper, a widow engaged to marry Tom Davis (Russ Conway), a longtime friend of Sheriff Garrett. While Tom is away from Lincoln on a cattle drive, Janet begins to show a romantic interest in Garrett. Roger Mobley appears in this episode as David Harper, Janet's young son.
58	21	"The Hunt"	Lesley Selander	Paul King	January 27, 1962 (1962-01-27)
A wealthy young man, Edward Van Doren (Richard Ney) hires Billy to guide him into the wilderness to kill a mountain lion. However, Van Doren's real target is Billy himself. This episode presents details about the Colt Model 1877 .41 caliber, the gun used by Billy the Kid.
59	22	"The Impatient Brides"	Edward Montagne	Frank Price	February 3, 1962 (1962-02-03)
60	23	"Rio Doloroso"	Sydney Pollack	Joe Stone Paul King	February 10, 1962 (1962-02-10)
61	24	"A Day to Kill"	Frank McDonald	Paul King	February 17, 1962 (1962-02-17)
62	25	"Property of the Crown"	Frank McDonald	Tom Seller	February 24, 1962 (1962-02-24)
63	26	"Night of the Hawk"	Tay Garnett	Richard Fielder	March 3, 1962 (1962-03-03)
64	27	"Three for All"	Tay Garnett	Arthur Browne, Jr.	March 10, 1962 (1962-03-10)
Irene Tedrow portrays the fiery Maw Killgore, who breaks her sons out of the Lincoln jail, where they are being held for having vandalized a saloon. The Killgores then place Garrett in his own cell while they go on a crime spree. George Kennedy plays Hyram Killgore.
65	28	"Quarantine"	Sidney Lanfield	Samuel A. Peeples	March 17, 1962 (1962-03-17)
66	29	"The Four Queens"	Sidney Lanfield	Tom Seller	March 24, 1962 (1962-03-24)
67	30	"The Long Way Home"	Tay Garnett	D.D. Beauchamp	March 31, 1962 (1962-03-31)
68	31	"A Time to Run"	Tay Garnett	Paul King	April 7, 1962 (1962-04-07)
69	32	"Trial by Fury"	Edward Montagne	Paul King	April 14, 1962 (1962-04-14)
Billy receives a letter from a prospector, Johnny Red (Fuzzy Knight), informing him of the potential discovery of a lost Spanish mine near San Miguel, a ghost town, in southern New Mexico. James Griffith is cast in this episode as James Cutter and Robert Emhardt as Judge Oliver Cromwell.
70	33	"The Frame"	Edward Montagne	Margaret Armen	April 21, 1962 (1962-04-21)
Harry Townes is cast as Henry Stewart, diagnosed with a fatal illness and jealous of his wife's former association with Sheriff Garrett. While mentally unbalanced from his illness, Stewart plots his own suicide and plans to frame his wife, Isobel (Lori March), for murder.
71	34	"The Runaway Groom"	Edward Montagne	Frank Price	April 28, 1962 (1962-04-28)
The Tugwell Brothers seek the husband of their sister, Sally (Roberta Shore), who deserted his wife right after the marriage a year earlier. They believe Billy the Kid is the missing husband and father of Sally's baby, rather than Charlie Fox (Gary Vinson).
72	35	"The Black Robe"	R.G. Springsteen	Cyril Hume	May 5, 1962 (1962-05-05)
Robert Burton plays Governor Wallace. After the fall of Emperor Maximilian, a French foreign agent is supplying arms to the Mescalero Apaches in a murky plot to reoccupy Mexico. Chief Yowlachie is cast as "The Great Chief"; Slim Pickens as Starr, and Martin Landau as Father Gueschim, a Roman Catholic priest.
73	36	"The Woman in Black"	Edward Montagne	Richard Fielder	May 12, 1962 (1962-05-12)
74	37	"Doctor on Horseback"	Edward Montagne	Frank Price	May 19, 1962 (1962-05-19)
Dr. Wade Parsons (Ed Nelson), who has assumed the practice of a beloved doctor who retired, must attempt to save the life of a young pregnant woman after she attempts suicide when her husband deserts her.
75	38	"Phoebe"	Sydney Pollack	David Lang	May 26, 1962 (1962-05-26)
George Macready portrays Cyrus Canfield, a vengeful father searching for his runaway teenaged daughter, played by Floy Dean. When Canfield sees Billy with a necklace owned by Phoebe, he suspects that the young gunfighter may have killed his daughter. Billy, however, explains that Phoebe gave him the necklace as a gift after he rescued her in a rockslide.

Release

On October 30, 2007, Timeless Media Group released fifteen episodes of the series on a Region 1 three-DVD set in the United States. On December 6, 2011, Timeless Media Group released The Tall Man- The Complete TV Series on DVD in Region 1.

External links

• The Tall Man at IMDb