Sugarfoot is an American Western television series that aired for 69 episodes on ABC from 1957-1961 on Tuesday nights on a "shared" slot basis – rotating with Cheyenne (first season); Cheyenne and Bronco (both second and fourth seasons); and Bronco (third season). The Warner Bros. production stars Will Hutchins as Tom Brewster, an Easterner who comes to the Oklahoma Territory to become a lawyer. Brewster was a correspondence-school student whose apparent lack of cowboy skills earned him the nickname "Sugarfoot", a designation even below that of a tenderfoot.
| Sugarfoot | |
|---|---|
 Will Hutchins as Tom "Sugarfoot" Brewster, 1958. | |
| Also known as | Tenderfoot (UK name) |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Michael Fessier |
| Written by | Montgomery Pittman (four episodes) |
| Directed by |
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| Starring | |
| Theme music composer | |
| Composers | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 69 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | William T. Orr |
| Producers |
|
| Production location | California |
| Editors |
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| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 50 mins. |
| Production company | Warner Bros. Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | September 17, 1957 – April 17, 1961 |
| Related | |
Hutchins was the only regular on the show. In four episodes, Hutchins also plays the dual role of Abram Thomas, a.k.a. "The Canary Kid", leader of an outlaw gang who is a dead ringer for Brewster. In each of these episodes, Brewster is joined in the fight against The Canary Kid's plans by Christopher Colt—i.e., Wayde Preston crossing over from his role in the simultaneously-produced WB series Colt .45. Towards the very end of the run, Jack Elam was cast in two of the final five episodes as Brewster's occasional sidekick Toothy Thompson, but the series was cancelled shortly thereafter.
Background
editSugarfoot had no relation to the 1951 Randolph Scott Western film Sugarfoot aside from the studio owning the title (and the theme music), but its pilot episode was a remake of a 1954 Western film called The Boy from Oklahoma starring Will Rogers Jr. as Tom Brewster. The pilot and premiere episode, "Brannigan's Boots", was so similar to The Boy from Oklahoma that Sheb Wooley and Slim Pickens reprised their roles from the film.
As played by Rogers in the film, Brewster carried no gun, disliked firearms in general, and vanquished villains with his roping skills (à la Will Rogers) if friendly persuasion failed. Perhaps for practical reasons, the pilot altered the character slightly and made Brewster more like the typical Western hero—reluctant to use guns (or any other kind of violence), but able and willing to do so if necessary. That remained his stance throughout the series, and the title song mentions that Sugarfoot carries a rifle and a law book.
Whenever he enters a saloon, Sugarfoot refuses liquor and orders sarsaparilla "with a dash of cherry". (Sarsaparilla is a drink similar to root beer, both of which are non-alcohol-based.)
Sugarfoot was one of the earliest products of the alliance between ABC and the fledgling Warner Bros. Television Department, chaired by William T. Orr. During the same period, other similar programs appeared, including Maverick, Cheyenne, Bronco, Lawman, and Colt .45. Hutchins appeared as Sugarfoot in crossover episodes of Cheyenne and Maverick, and in an installment of Bronco called "The Yankee Tornado" with Peter Breck as a young Theodore Roosevelt. Jack Kelly appeared as Bart Maverick in the Sugarfoot episode "A Price on His Head". James Garner made an appearance as Bret Maverick at the end of the episode "Misfire."
Cast
editCast of "Brannigan's Boots"
edit- Will Hutchins as Tom 'Sugarfoot' Brewster
- Merry Anders as Katie Brannigan
- Louis Jean Heydt as Paul Evans
- Dennis Hopper as Billy the Kid
- Arthur Hunnicutt as Pop Purty
- Chubby Johnson as Postmaster Wally Higgins
- Slim Pickens as Shorty
- Ainslie Pryor as Mayor Barney Turlock
- Sheb Wooley as Pete
Cast of The Boy from Oklahoma film (1954)
edit- Will Rogers Jr. as Sheriff Tom Brewster
- Nancy Olson as Katie Brannigan
- Lon Chaney Jr. as Crazy Charlie
- Anthony Caruso as Mayor Barney Turlock
- Wallace Ford as Postmaster Wally Higgins
- Clem Bevans as Pop Pruty, Justice of the Peace
- Merv Griffin as Steve
- Louis Jean Heydt as Paul Evans
- Sheb Wooley as Pete Martin
- Slim Pickens as Shorty
- Tyler MacDuff as Billy the Kid
- James Griffith as Joe Downey
Guest stars
edit- Rico Alaniz
- Chris Alcaide
- Roscoe Ates
- Rayford Barnes
- Fred Beir
- Russ Bender
- Charles Bronson
- Joe Brooks
- Ahna Capri
- Albert Carrier
- Ronnie Dapo
- Janet De Gore
- Richard Devon
- Dick Elliott
- Bill Erwin
- Dean Fredericks
- Richard Garland
- James Garner
- Sean Garrison
- Don Gordon
- Kevin Hagen
- Harry Holcombe
- Rodolfo Hoyos Jr.
- Clegg Hoyt
- Gary Hunley
- Douglas Kennedy
- Jess Kirkpatrick
- Nolan Leary
- Dayton Lummis
- Donald May
- Ken Mayer
- Patrick McVey
- James Millhollin
- Ewing Mitchell
- Neyle Morrow
- Jay Novello
- Cathy O'Donnell
- Gregg Palmer
- Michael Pate
- James Philbrook
- John M. Pickard
- Slim Pickens
- Stuart Randall
- Richard Reeves
- Rudy Sooter
- Suzanne Storrs
- Kent Taylor
- Kelly Thordsen
- Gary Vinson
- John Vivyan
- Gregory Walcott
- Patrick Waltz
- Efrem Zimbalist Jr.
Episodes
editSeason 1: 1957–1958
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Brannigan's Boots" | Leslie H. Martinson | Teleplay by : Devery Freeman Based on a screenplay by : Frank Davis & Winston Miller Original magazine story by : Michael Fessier | September 17, 1957 | |
| 2 | 2 | "Reluctant Hero" | Leslie H. Martinson | Story by : S. Omar Barker Teleplay by : Dean Riesner | October 1, 1957 | |
|
Cade dies in the fire, and Sugarfoot is shot in the attack. Linda takes it upon herself to nurse Sugarfoot back to health. I. Stanford Jolley plays the mysterious "The Nighthawk". | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "The Strange Land" | Leslie H. Martinson | Story by : Louis L'Amour Teleplay by : Russell S. Hughes | October 15, 1957 | |
| 4 | 4 | "Bunch Quitter" | Leslie H. Martinson | Story by : Dee Linford Teleplay by : Wells Root | October 29, 1957 | |
| 5 | 5 | "Trail's End" | Leslie H. Martinson | Story by : Norman A. Fox Teleplay by : James O'Hanlon & Michael Fessier | November 12, 1957 | |
|
Sugarfoot comes upon a former childhood sweetheart, Kathy Larsen (Venetia Stevenson), who is managing a dance hall. Chris Alcaide plays the corrupt Clay Horton, who forces Kathy to marry him so that she cannot testify in court in regard to Horton's crimes. Barbara Stuart portrays Muriel, Kathy's business partner. Gordon Jones plays Sugarfoot's lively friend, Wasco Wolters, who has an interest in Muriel. This episode reveals that Tom Brewster spent his childhood in Vermont before coming to the Oklahoma Territory. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Quicksilver" | Franklin Adreon | Story by : James Gunn Teleplay by : Kay Lenard & Jess Carneol | November 26, 1957 | |
|
Sugarfoot investigates the robbery of a silver mine which prevents the owner from meeting his payroll. The episode features Lane Bradford as the cutthroat Ellis; John Litel as Hank Tatum, the owner of the mine, and Fay Spain as Tatum's daughter, Susie, the girlfriend and eventual wife of the local sheriff. Frank Wilcox plays George Beaumont, an unscrupulous businessman who had been rejected years earlier by Hank Tatum's late wife. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Misfire" | Franklin Adreon | Story by : Alan Le May Teleplay by : James O'Hanlon | December 10, 1957 | |
| 8 | 8 | "The Stallion Trail" | Edward Bernds | Story by : Crane Wilbur Teleplay by : Dean Riesner | December 24, 1957 | |
| 9 | 9 | "Small War at Custer Junction" | Franklin Adreon | Story by : Jess Carneol & Kay Lenard Teleplay by : James O'Hanlon and Jess Carneol & Kay Lenard | January 7, 1958 | |
| 10 | 10 | "Bullet Proof" | Franklin Adreon | Fredric M. Frank | January 21, 1958 | |
|
Sugarfoot tricks a gang into believing that he knows the location of the loot from their last bank robbery. Gregory Walcott plays Peaches' presumed fiance, Duke McKlintock, and Don "Red" Barry is cast as Tanner. Joi Lansing guest stars as the unsavory but attractive "Peaches", who claims to be a belle from Georgia | ||||||
| 11 | 11 | "Deadlock" | Franklin Adreon | James O'Hanlon | February 4, 1958 | |
| 12 | 12 | "Man Wanted" | Franklin Adreon | Sig Herzig | February 18, 1958 | |
| 13 | 13 | "The Dead Hills" | Franklin Adreon | Story by : Louis L'Amour Teleplay by : Earl Baldwin Adaptation : Paul Gangelin | March 4, 1958 | |
| 14 | 14 | "A Wreath for Charity Lloyd" | Franklin Adreon | Jackson Gillis | March 18, 1958 | |
| 15 | 15 | "Hideout" | Montgomery Pittman | Story by : Maurita Pittman Teleplay by : Russell S. Hughes | April 1, 1958 | |
| 16 | 16 | "Guns for Big Bear" | Franklin Adreon | Story by : Elliot West Teleplay by : Sig Herzig | April 15, 1958 | |
| 17 | 17 | "Price on His Head" | Richard L. Bare | Story by : Pamela Herbert & Leo Guild Teleplay by : Henry Kuttner & C.L. Moore | April 29, 1958 | |
| 18 | 18 | "Short Range" | Montgomery Pittman | Story by : James Barnett & Steve Goodman Teleplay by : Montgomery Pittman | May 13, 1958 | |
| 19 | 19 | "The Bullet and the Cross" | Lee Sholem | Peter R. Brooke | May 27, 1958 | |
| 20 | 20 | "Mule Team" | Franklin Adreon | Story by : Kenneth Perkins Teleplay by : Sig Herzig | June 10, 1958 | |
Season 2: 1958–1959
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 1 | "Ring of Sand" | Leslie H. Martinson | Raphael Hayes | September 16, 1958 | |
| 22 | 2 | "Brink of Fear" | Leslie H. Martinson | Harold Medford | September 30, 1958 | |
| 23 | 3 | "The Wizard" | Joseph Lejtes | C.L. Moore | October 14, 1958 | |
| 24 | 4 | "The Ghost" | Lee Sholem | C.L. Moore (as Catherine Kuttner) | October 28, 1958 | |
| 25 | 5 | "The Canary Kid" | Montgomery Pittman | Montgomery Pittman | November 11, 1958 | |
| 26 | 6 | "The Hunted" | Joseph Lejtes | Peter R. Brooke Based on a story from : True West Magazine | November 25, 1958 | |
| 27 | 7 | "Yampa Crossing" | Joseph Lejtes | Thomas W. Blackburn | December 9, 1958 | |
| 28 | 8 | "Devil to Pay" | Lee Sholem | Fredric M. Frank | December 23, 1958 | |
| 29 | 9 | "The Desperadoes" | Joseph Lejtes | Raphael Hayes | January 6, 1959 | |
| 30 | 10 | "The Extra Hand" | Lee Sholem | Peter R. Brooke | January 20, 1959 | |
| 31 | 11 | "The Return of the Canary Kid" | Montgomery Pittman | Montgomery Pittman | February 3, 1959 | |
| 32 | 12 | "The Mysterious Stranger" | Paul Henreid | Story by : Jack Emanuel Teleplay by : Raphael Hayes | February 17, 1959 | |
| 33 | 13 | "The Giant Killer" | Joseph Lejtes | Norman Daniels & Harold Medford | March 3, 1959 | |
| 34 | 14 | "The Royal Raiders" | Leslie H. Martinson | Peter R. Brooke | March 17, 1959 | |
| 35 | 15 | "The Mountain" | Joseph Lejtes | C.L. Moore (as Catherine Kuttner) | March 31, 1959 | |
| 36 | 16 | "The Twister" | Joseph Lejtes | James Gunn & Ellis St. Joseph | April 14, 1959 | |
| 37 | 17 | "The Vultures" | Joseph Lejtes | Peter R. Brooke & James Gunn | April 28, 1959 | |
| 38 | 18 | "The Avengers" | Joseph Lejtes | Story by : Jack Emanuel & Montgomery Pittman Teleplay by : Lowell Barrington | May 12, 1959 | |
| 39 | 19 | "Small Hostage" | Anton Leader | Polly James | May 26, 1959 | |
| 40 | 20 | "Wolf" | Joseph Lejtes | Story by : Robert Moore Williams Teleplay by : Milton S. Gelman | June 9, 1959 | |
Season 3: 1959–1960
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | 1 | "The Trial of the Canary Kid" | Montgomery Pittman | Story by : Montgomery Pittman Teleplay by : C.L. Moore (as Catherine Kuttner) | September 15, 1959 |
| 42 | 2 | "The Wild Bunch" | Leslie Goodwins | Dean Riesner | September 29, 1959 |
| 43 | 3 | "MacBrewster the Bold" | Leslie Goodwins | Dean Riesner | October 13, 1959 |
| 44 | 4 | "The Gitanos" | Leslie Goodwins | Edmund Morris | October 27, 1959 |
| 45 | 5 | "The Canary Kid, Inc." | Leslie Goodwins | Samuel Roeca | November 10, 1959 |
| 46 | 6 | "Outlaw Island" | Reginald Le Borg | Lowell Barrington | November 24, 1959 |
| 47 | 7 | "Apollo with a Gun" | Robert Altman | Warren Douglas | December 8, 1959 |
| 48 | 8 | "The Gaucho" | Paul Guilfoyle | Edmund Morris | December 22, 1959 |
| 49 | 9 | "Journey to Provision" | James V. Kern | Edmund Morris | January 5, 1960 |
| 50 | 10 | "The Highbinder" | Robert Altman | Warren Douglas | January 19, 1960 |
| 51 | 11 | "Wolfpack" | Leslie Goodwins | Story by : Dick Nelson Teleplay by : William L. Stuart | February 2, 1960 |
| 52 | 12 | "Fernando" | H. Bruce Humberstone | Dean Riesner | February 16, 1960 |
| 53 | 13 | "Blackwater Swamp" | Leslie Goodwins | Story by : Jim Barnett Teleplay by : Warren Douglas | March 1, 1960 |
| 54 | 14 | "Return to Boot Hill" | Lee Sholem | Warren Douglas | March 15, 1960 |
| 55 | 15 | "Vinegarroon" | William J. Hole, Jr. | Warren Douglas | March 29, 1960 |
| 56 | 16 | "The Corsican" | William J. Hole, Jr. | Ric Hardman | April 12, 1960 |
| 57 | 17 | "Blue Bonnet Stray" | Leslie Goodwins | Warren Douglas | April 26, 1960 |
| 58 | 18 | "The Long Dry" | Lew Landers | Story by : Jim Barnett (as Iain MacCormick) Teleplay by : Buckley Angell | May 10, 1960 |
| 59 | 19 | "Funeral at Forty Mile" | Leslie Goodwins | Story by : Hugh Benson and Dick Nelson Teleplay by : Dick Nelson | May 24, 1960 |
| 60 | 20 | "The Captive Locomotive" | Leslie Goodwins | Irwin Winehouse & A. Sanford Wolfe | June 7, 1960 |
Season 4: 1960–1961
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 61 | 1 | "Shadow Catcher" | Leslie Goodwins | Warren Douglas | September 26, 1960 |
| 62 | 2 | "A Noose for Nora" | Lee Sholem | Lester Fuller & Lee Loeb | October 24, 1960 |
| 63 | 3 | "Man from Medora" | Leslie Goodwins | Warren Douglas | November 21, 1960 |
| 64 | 4 | "Welcome Enemy" | Leslie Goodwins | W. Hermanos | December 26, 1960 |
| 65 | 5 | "Toothy Thompson" | Lee Sholem | Howard Browne & Warren Douglas | January 16, 1961 |
| 66 | 6 | "Shepherd with a Gun" | Lew Landers | Warren Douglas | February 6, 1961 |
| 67 | 7 | "Angel" | Lee Sholem | Warren Douglas | March 6, 1961 |
| 68 | 8 | "Stranger in Town" | Lew Landers | Lester Fuller | March 27, 1961 |
| 69 | 9 | "Trouble at Sand Springs" | Herbert L. Strock | Leo Gordon | April 17, 1961 |
Background and production
editAfter several episodes aired in the second season, a disappointed Hutchins complained in a letter to executive director William T. Orr that the scripts were written so that the lead character Sugarfoot was not particularly needed in many of the episodes.[1]
Wayde Preston, who played Christopher Colt on the ABC Western Colt .45, appeared four times in that same role on Sugarfoot in the episodes dealing with "The Canary Kid," a role also played by Will Hutchins.
Reception
editSugarfoot finished at #24 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1957-1958 season and #21 for 1958-1959.[2]
Release
editHome media
editWarner Bros. has released all four seasons on MOD (manufacture on demand) DVD-R's in Region 1 via their Warner Archive Collection.[3][4][5][6]
In popular culture
edit- In an episode of Arrested Development titled "Spring Breakout", Sugarfoot is mentioned and the theme song is presented.
- The series debuted in 1958 in the United Kingdom but only in the Midlands area.[7] In 1960, it was aired nationally in the UK by the BBC,[8] at which point it was renamed Tenderfoot despite the fact that it kept the theme song which refers to the character as "Sugarfoot". After 1964, the series returned to ITV, this time not just restricted to the Midlands, where it was once again billed under its original name.
References
edit- ^ "Somewhat Forgotten Figure to Some Extent Remembered: Notes on Television Director, Script Writer, and Occasional Actor Montgomery Pittman". brightlightsfilm.com. November 2010. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
- ^ "TV Ratings". ClassicTVguide.com. Retrieved 2023-05-06.
- ^ 'The Complete 1st Season' Now Available from Warner Archive Archived 2013-07-18 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ 'The Complete 2nd Season' Announced: Date, Cost, Autographed Box Archived 2013-10-19 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Warner Archive Announces 'The Complete 3rd Season': Date, Cost, Box Archived 2014-06-09 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ The Last Stories are Upon Us, with 'The Complete 4th Season' Archived 2014-10-28 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ TV Times, midlands edition, week commencing September 14, 1958.
- ^ Radio Times, week commencing September 4, 1960.
External links
edit- Sugarfoot at IMDb
- Roy Huggins' Archive of American Television Interview Archived 2008-02-26 at the Wayback Machine