THE SIX SHOOTER - Retro Radio Memories Podcast

[The Professor]

 

 

The Retro Radio Memories Podcast is a weekly retro podcast that takes a look back at radio shows of yesteryear and is hosted by The Retroist's Vic Sage and The Projectionist! This week's podcast is about an episode of the 1950s old-time radio series The Six Shooter, entitled "Trail to Sunset".

 

James Stewart starred as Britt Ponset, a drifting cowboy in the final years of the wild west. Episodes ranged from straight western drama to whimsical comedy. A trademark of the show was Jimmy Stewart's use of whispered narration during tense scenes that created a heightened sense of drama and relief when the situation was resolved.

 

 

The Six Shooter was created by Frank Burt, who also wrote many of the episodes, and lasted only one season of 39 episodes on NBC  from September 20, 1953 to June 24, 1954. The Six Shooter came at a moment when television was taking off and old-time radio programs were on the decline. One old-time radio directory called the program "a last, desperate effort by a radio network (NBC) to maintain interest in adventure drama by employing a major Hollywood movie star in the leading role."

 

Some of the more prominent actors to perform on the program included Parley Baer, Virginia Gregg, Harry Bartell, Howard McNear, Jeanette Nolan, Dan O'Herlihy, Alan Reed, Marvin Miller and William Conrad (often credited as "Julius Krelboyne" because he was also the star of CBS' Gunsmoke at the time). Some did multiple episodes playing different characters.

 

Each episode opened with the announcer stating: The man in the saddle is angular and long-legged. His skin is sun-dyed brown. The gun in his holster is gray steel and rainbow mother-of-pearl, its handle unmarked. People call them both "the Six Shooter".

 

 

The haunting theme music was "Highland Lament," arranged by series composer Basil Adlam. Jack Johnstone was the producer-director for NBC Radio, in association with Revue Productions.

 

The final episode, "Myra Barker", provided a satisfying (if melancholy) finale to the series: Ponset falls in love with Myra, and proposes marriage. Myra, after thinking it over, appears to accept - but then tells Britt she's heard that Sheriff Jennings of Eagle Falls has asked for his help, and Britt admits that he feels obligated to go. Myra tells Britt to go and not come back - telling him some adventure will always call him, and he'll always go, or regret not going. Britt goes, resuming his wanderings, but not before revealing to the audience that he knows he was *not* needed in Eagle Falls - and knows Myra knows that too. The moment comes across of a moment of supreme self-realization by Britt that he always will be a wanderer.

 

If you enjoy classic radio and television shows, you may enjoy the Retro Radio Memories Podcast. I hope you'll hop on over to The Retroist give it a listen.

 

 

 

 

Listen to the Retro Radio Memories Podcast here:

 

https://ia601500.us.archive.org/20/items/RetroRadioMemoriesEp40TheSixShooter/Retro-Radio-Memories-Ep-40-the-six-shooter.mp3

 

 

 

 

Subscribe:  iTunes  |  Support The Retroist Podcast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can also search iTunes for Retro Radio Memories Podcast, or visit Retro Radio Memories here at The Retroist:

http://www.retroist.com/2015/11/02/retro-radio-memorie-ep-040-the-six-shooter/

 

 

Here's what Vic Sage had to say about the episode:

 

 

Retro Radio Memories Podcast – Episode 040 – The Six Shooter 

 

View this episode at The Retroist

 

Welcome back to the Retro Radio Memories Podcast! Each week we will briefly talk about an old time radio episode before presenting it for your listening enjoyment. 

This week we offer a 1954 episode of the short lived Western Drama The Six Shooter entitled “Trail to Sunset”. This series really knocks it out of the ball park and certainly should have lasted more than a year, it’s hard not to have a quality piece of entertainment though when your main actor is none other than Jimmy Stewart!

 

If you have any comments or feedback for the Projectionist and I you can contact us at by way of VicSage@Retroist.com. You can also reach us by Twitter and of course on Facebook.