26 Men

26 Men is a syndicated American Western television series about the Arizona Rangers, a law-enforcement group limited to 26 active members.^[1] By March 1958, the program was carried on 158 stations in the United States.^[2] The program was also broadcast on ATN-7 in Australia^[3] and on ZBM-TV in Bermuda.^[4]

26 Men
Genre	Western
Directed by	Franklin Adreon Joseph Kane Reg Browne Oliver Drake
Starring	Tristram Coffin Kelo Henderson
Theme music composer	Russell Hayden Hal Hopper
Composers	Al Sack Gordon Zahler
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	78
Production
Executive producer	Russell Hayden
Producers	William Dennis Russell Hayden
Cinematography	Buddy Harris John Mathew Nickolaus Jr. Kenneth Peach J.D. Weiler
Editors	Tom Biggart Reg Browne Frank Capacchione Everett Dodd Axel Hubert Sr. Roy V. Livingston
Running time	25 minutes
Production company	Russell Hayden Productions
Original release
Network	Syndication
Release	November 1, 1957 (1957-11-01) – June 30, 1959 (1959-06-30)

Synopsis and background

The series is set in the Arizona Territory in the first decade of the 20th century.^[3] The rangers were part of the group established by the Arizona Territorial Legislature in 1901.^[1] The number of members was limited to 26 "to avoid vigilantism".^[5] Information from government archives and newspapers provided the basis of the plots of episodes.^[6]

Critical response

A review in the trade publication Variety said that the premiere episode had "clean action and plot situations", making it different from the era's trend toward adult westerns.^[7] It commended the work of Tris Coffin and Kelo Henderson and the pacing of the direction but noted that production values appeared weaker than those of Western programs on networks.^[7]

Cast

Main

• Tris Coffin as Captain Thomas H. Rynning
• Kelo Henderson as ranger Clint Travis.

Guest stars

Tex Palmer, Hal Hopper, Don Haggerty and William Murphy in 26 Men, 1957

• Rico Alaniz
• Rayford Barnes
• Baynes Barron
• Robert Blake
• Edgar Buchanan
• Mason Alan Dinehart
• William Fawcett
• Richard Garland
• Don Haggerty
• Ron Hayes
• Tom Hennesy
• Robert Karnes
• DeForest Kelley
• Lash LaRue
• Forrest Lewis
• Jackie Loughery
• Walter Maslow
• Doug McClure
• William Murphy
• Leonard Nimoy
• Gregg Palmer
• Tex Palmer
• Denver Pyle
• Maudie Prickett
• Richard Reeves
• Kim Spalding
• Glenn Strange
• Dub Taylor
• Carol Thurston
• Gregory Walcott
• Patrick Waltz
• Grant Withers

Episodes

Series overview

Season	Episodes		Originally aired
			First aired	Last aired
1	39		October 15, 1957 (1957-10-15)	July 15, 1958 (1958-07-15)
2	39		October 7, 1958 (1958-10-07)	June 30, 1959 (1959-06-30)

Season 1 (1957–58)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	1	"The Recruit"	Reg Browne	Unknown	October 15, 1957 (1957-10-15)
2	2	"Trouble at Pinnacle Peak"	Reg Browne	Sloan Nibley	October 22, 1957 (1957-10-22)
3	3	"The Wild Bunch"	Reg Browne	Buckley Angell	October 29, 1957 (1957-10-29)
4	4	"Border Incident"	Reg Browne	Joe Richardson	November 5, 1957 (1957-11-05)
5	5	"Destination Nowhere"	Unknown	Dwight V. Babcock	November 12, 1957 (1957-11-12)
6	6	"Incident at Yuma"	Reg Browne	Ed Repp	November 19, 1957 (1957-11-19)
7	7	"The Slater Brothers"	Oliver Drake	Terence Maples & Sam Roeca & Tom Hubbard	November 26, 1957 (1957-11-26)
8	8	"Dead Man in Tucson"	Reg Browne	Tom Hubbard & Sam Roeca	December 3, 1957 (1957-12-03)
9	9	"Man on the Run"	Oliver Drake	Sam Roeca & Tom Hubbard & Will George	December 10, 1957 (1957-12-10)
10	10	"The Big Rope"	Oliver Drake	John K. Butler	December 17, 1957 (1957-12-17)
11	11	"Valley of Fear"	Unknown	Sloan Nibley	December 24, 1957 (1957-12-24)
12	12	"Indian Gunslinger"	Reg Browne	Frank Graves	December 31, 1957 (1957-12-31)
13	13	"Trail of Darkness"	Unknown	Joe Richardson	January 7, 1958 (1958-01-07)
14	14	"Trade Me Deadly"	Oliver Drake	Buckley Angell	January 14, 1958 (1958-01-14)
15	15	"Violent Land"	Unknown	Unknown	January 28, 1958 (1958-01-28)
16	16	"Panic at Bisbee"	Unknown	Unknown	February 4, 1958 (1958-02-04)
17	17	"Insurrection"	Unknown	Dwight V. Babcock	February 11, 1958 (1958-02-11)
18	18	"Slaughter Trail"	Unknown	Unknown	February 18, 1958 (1958-02-18)
19	19	"Gun Hand"	Unknown	Unknown	February 25, 1958 (1958-02-25)
20	20	"Cattle Embargo"	Unknown	Unknown	March 4, 1958 (1958-03-04)
21	21	"Badge to Kill"	Unknown	Unknown	March 11, 1958 (1958-03-11)
22	22	"Montezuma's Cave"	Unknown	Unknown	March 18, 1958 (1958-03-18)
23	23	"Sundown Decision"	Unknown	Unknown	March 25, 1958 (1958-03-25)
24	24	"The Parrish Gang"	Unknown	Unknown	April 1, 1958 (1958-04-01)
25	25	"Hoax at Globe"	Unknown	Unknown	April 8, 1958 (1958-04-08)
26	26	"The Bounty Hunter"	Unknown	Unknown	April 15, 1958 (1958-04-15)
27	27	"Apache Water"	Unknown	Unknown	April 22, 1958 (1958-04-22)
28	28	"Legacy of Death"	Oliver Drake	Oliver Drake	April 29, 1958 (1958-04-29)
29	29	"Chain Gang"	Unknown	Unknown	May 6, 1958 (1958-05-06)
30	30	"The Bells of St. Thomas"	Oliver Drake	Oliver Drake	May 13, 1958 (1958-05-13)
31	31	"Hondo Man"	Unknown	Unknown	May 20, 1958 (1958-05-20)
32	32	"The Vanquisher"	Unknown	Unknown	May 27, 1958 (1958-05-27)
33	33	"The Ranger and the Lady"	Unknown	Unknown	June 3, 1958 (1958-06-03)
34	34	"Idol in the Dust"	Unknown	Unknown	June 10, 1958 (1958-06-10)
35	35	"Runaway Stage"	Unknown	Unknown	June 17, 1958 (1958-06-17)
36	36	"Wayward Gun"	Unknown	Unknown	June 24, 1958 (1958-06-24)
37	37	"Hole Up"	Unknown	Unknown	July 1, 1958 (1958-07-01)
38	38	"Unholy Partners"	Unknown	Unknown	July 8, 1958 (1958-07-08)
39	39	"Killer's Trail"	Unknown	Unknown	July 15, 1958 (1958-07-15)

Season 2 (1958–59)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
40	1	"The Glory Road"	Unknown	Unknown	October 7, 1958 (1958-10-07)
41	2	"Shadow of Doubt"	Unknown	Unknown	October 14, 1958 (1958-10-14)
42	3	"Man in Hiding"	Unknown	Unknown	October 21, 1958 (1958-10-21)
43	4	"Cross and Double Cross"	Unknown	Unknown	October 28, 1958 (1958-10-28)
44	5	"The Last Rebellion"	Unknown	Unknown	November 4, 1958 (1958-11-04)
45	6	"Brief Glory"	Unknown	Unknown	November 11, 1958 (1958-11-11)
46	7	"Dog Eat Dog"	Unknown	Unknown	November 18, 1958 (1958-11-18)
47	8	"Judge Not"	Unknown	Unknown	November 25, 1958 (1958-11-25)
48	9	"My Brother's Keeper"	Unknown	Unknown	December 2, 1958 (1958-12-02)
49	10	"Run No More"	Unknown	Unknown	December 9, 1958 (1958-12-09)
50	11	"The Manhunt"	Unknown	Unknown	December 16, 1958 (1958-12-16)
51	12	"The Avenger"	Unknown	Unknown	December 23, 1958 (1958-12-23)
52	13	"False Witness"	Unknown	Unknown	December 30, 1958 (1958-12-30)
53	14	"The Torch"	Unknown	Unknown	January 6, 1959 (1959-01-06)
54	15	"Trail of Revenge"	Unknown	Unknown	January 13, 1959 (1959-01-13)
55	16	"The Hellion"	Unknown	Unknown	January 20, 1959 (1959-01-20)
56	17	"Ranger Without a Badge"	Unknown	Unknown	January 27, 1959 (1959-01-27)
57	18	"The Showdown"	Unknown	Unknown	February 3, 1959 (1959-02-03)
58	19	"The Long Trail Home"	Unknown	Unknown	February 10, 1959 (1959-02-10)
59	20	"Death in the Dragoons"	Unknown	Unknown	February 17, 1959 (1959-02-17)
60	21	"Ricochet"	Unknown	Unknown	February 24, 1959 (1959-02-24)
61	22	"House Divided"	Unknown	Unknown	March 3, 1959 (1959-03-03)
62	23	"Profane Masquerade"	Unknown	Unknown	March 10, 1959 (1959-03-10)
63	24	"Dead or Alive"	Unknown	Unknown	March 17, 1959 (1959-03-17)
64	25	"The Has Been"	Unknown	Unknown	March 24, 1959 (1959-03-24)
65	26	"The Unwanted"	Unknown	Unknown	March 31, 1959 (1959-03-31)
66	27	"Live and Let Die"	Unknown	Unknown	April 7, 1958 (1958-04-07)
67	28	"Trial at Verde River"	Unknown	Unknown	April 14, 1959 (1959-04-14)
68	29	"Scorpion"	Unknown	Unknown	April 21, 1959 (1959-04-21)
69	30	"The Last Kill"	Unknown	Unknown	April 28, 1959 (1959-04-28)
70	31	"Redskin"	Unknown	Unknown	May 5, 1959 (1959-05-05)
71	32	"Cave-In"	Unknown	Unknown	May 12, 1959 (1959-05-12)
72	33	"Terror in Paradise"	Unknown	Unknown	May 19, 1959 (1959-05-19)
73	34	"Fighting Man"	Unknown	Unknown	May 26, 1959 (1959-05-26)
74	35	"Tumbleweed Ranger"	Unknown	Unknown	June 2, 1959 (1959-06-02)
75	36	"The Tiger"	Unknown	Unknown	June 9, 1959 (1959-06-09)
76	37	"Abandoned"	Unknown	Unknown	June 16, 1959 (1959-06-16)
77	38	"Bandit Queen"	Unknown	Unknown	June 23, 1959 (1959-06-23)
78	39	"Refuge at Broken Bow"	Unknown	Unknown	June 30, 1959 (1959-06-30)

Production

Russell Hayden was the producer^[8] of the ABC Film Syndication series. Reg Browne was the director, Sloane Nibley was the writer, and Oliver Drake was the adapter.^[9] The theme song was written by Hal Hopper.^[5]

Facilities of Cudia City Studios, in Phoenix, Arizona, were expanded to handle filming of 26 Men.^[6] When the series filmed on location, local residents often filled some roles in the cast.^[5] It was "reportedly the first TV series ever to be filmed completely in Arizona."^[10]

Sponsors

As a syndicated program, 26 Men had different sponsors in different parts of the United States. They included H. P. Hood and Sons (a dairy) for all of New England; Mrs. Smith's Pie Company and Freihofer Baking Company (alternating weekly) in four cities in Pennsylvania; Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company in Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Buffalo; and Standard Oil of Texas in eight markets in Texas and New Mexico.^[11]

Release

Home media

Timeless Media Group released a 3-disc best-of set, featuring 20 episodes from the series on DVD in Region 1 on April 12, 2011.^[12]

UK television network Talking Pictures TV began a re-run of series 1 from Wednesday 09 October 2024

References

1. McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. pp. 870–871. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
2. Stern, Harold (March 15, 1958). "26 Men Based on Fact". The Record. New Jersey, Hackensack. p. 37. Retrieved June 26, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "More Western Series". The Sydney Morning Herald. June 16, 1958. p. 15. Retrieved June 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Film Clips" (PDF). Broadcasting. December 23, 1957. p. 64. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
5. Erickson, Hal (1989). Syndicated Television: The First Forty Years, 1947-1987'. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 101. ISBN 0-7864-1198-8.
6. "'26 Men' - the Story of Arizona". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. August 2, 1958. p. 74. Retrieved June 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "26 Men". Variety. October 16, 1957. p. 52. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
8. "Russell (Lucky) Hayden, Romantic Film Cowboy". The New York Times. Associated Press. June 13, 1981. p. 16. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
9. "George T. (2-gun) Shupert calls it a Western, son!" (PDF). Billboard. August 19, 1957. p. 10. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
10. "'26 Men' Filming begins" (PDF). Broadcasting. September 2, 1957. p. 81.
11. "ABC Film's '26 Men' Racks Up $500,000 in Advance Sales" (PDF). Broadcasting. July 22, 1957. p. 62. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
12. David Lambert (April 7, 2011). "26 Men - TMG Release a 3-DVD Set about the Old West's Arizona Rangers". Archived from the original on 2011-09-16. Retrieved 2012-05-01.

External links

• 26 Men at IMDb