Based on Richard O'Connor's best selling novel and autobiography,the classic television western series "Bat Masterson" became one of the biggest hits of the 1958-1959 premiere season and introduce audiences to actor Gene Barry who became a major star due to this series which was far beyond the other typical TV-Westerns that came out that period that showed a fictionalized account of the life of real-life marshal/gambler/dandy Bat Masterson. The series was produced by Ziv Television Productions,the company responsible for such hit series as "Stories of the Highway Patrol","Tales of the Texas Rangers",and "Sea Hunt". "Bat Masterson" upon the first episode was an immediate hit that ran for three seasons in prime-time for NBC-TV from October 8, 1958 until June 1, 1961 for 107 episodes all in classic black and white. The theme song to "The Ballad of Bat Masterson" was sung by Bill Lee who was a member of the popular singing group "The Mellomen".
About the show, in just about every episode,took a tongue-in-cheek approach,with Gene Barry's character coming into a sort of ordinary Western town often dressed in expensive Eastern clothing and preferring to use his cane rather than a gun to get himself out of trouble or out of a sticky situation usually to help a damsel in distress or sometimes when dealing with gunslingers or bandits would use a gun whenever the situation got out of hand. In part Bat Masterson each week would roam from one Western town to another who always portrayed himself as a ladies' man traveling the vast and dangerous wastelands of the Old West in search of adventure. The show was so successful that during its three year run on NBC was Nominated for 2 Prime-Time Emmys for Outstanding Actor in a Prime-Time Series(Gene Barry),and also for Outstanding Editing in a Prime-Time Series(Richard L. Van Enger). Also during its run,Bat Masterson brought along a lot of successful writers to go along with the incredible stories in each episode. Top notch writers ranging from Andy White, Don Brinkley, Richard Collins, Harry Essex, to future "I Spy" producers David Friedkin and Morton S.Fine not to mention future "Star Trek",and future "Outer Limits" story consultant Samuel A. Peeples,along with Frank Pittman, Don Ingalls, Stanley Kallis, the husband and wife team of D.D. and Mary Beauchamp, and Ellis Kadison.
Top notch directors added spice to some of the intriguing stories ranging from Alan Crosland, William Conrad, Hollingsworth Morse, to Jesse Hibbs, Monroe Askins, Montgomery Pittman, Earl Bellamy,and future "Dick Van Dyke Show" director John Rich.
Several guest stars included some big name Hollywood heavyweights and newcomers including Robert F. Simon, Richard Eastham, George Macready, to Yvonne Lime, Gary Vinson, Brett King, Douglas Kennedy, Ron Hayes, Gary Vinson, Dan Sheridan, James Coburn, Warren Oates, Edgar Buchanan, to R.G. Armstrong, Gene Nelson, Kenneth Tobey, John Agar, Jack Elam, Frank Silvera, Morgan Woodward, Dabbs Greer, Ross Martin, Elaine Stewart, to future "Star Trek" players DeForest Kelley and Grace Lee Whitney not to mention fresh newcomers like Stephanie Powers, Ralph Taeger,Kevin Hagen, Diane Brewster, future Dukes of Hazzard star James Best,and Dabbs Greer along with 50's scarlet Allison Hayes and Allen Jaffe.
Several great episodes from the "Bat Masterson" series stand out ranging from "Double Showdown"(the pilot episode), "Dynamite Blows Both Ways", "Death by Decree", "Dead Man's Claim", "Incident At Fort Bowie", to "A Noose Fits Anybody", "Six Feet of Gold", "License To Cheat", "Election Day", "Buffalo Kill","General Sherman's March Through Dodge City",to "The Conspiracy"(Parts 1 and 2), "The Fourth Man", "The Treasure of Worthy Hill",to "A Matter of Honor", "Jeopardy at Jackson Hole"(which was the final episode of the series). After the success of Bat Masterson's run ,actor Gene Barry went to star in the detective series "Burke's Law" in which he played a Beverly Hills millionaire who was chief of detectives of the Los Angeles Police Department that lasted from 1963 to 1966 for ABC. In 1968 he starred in the 90- minute detective drama series "The Name of the Game" that also starred Robert Stack and Tony Franciosa.
