Death Valley Days, brought to by 20 Mule Team Borax in the original airings, always has entertaining true life stories.
The horse that can swim is a great story of a con man bringing some excitement to the city of the Angels.
Jess Pearson, of Bye Bye Birdie game, and a regular on Days, stars as the smooth talking huckster.
The plot evolves around building the public's anticipation that a horse can swim to Catalina Island (26 miles across the sea, as the song says).
Of course, there is a pretty girl involved.
I won't reveal the outcome, it is well played out.
Each week Death Valley Days presented a concise thirty minute program based on western history.
We were blessed in the 1950's with a broad mixture of action shows that tell a story in thirty minutes.
Today, we have one hour programs that stretch a half hour plot into thirty extra minutes of commercials.
Death Valley is a great place to visit in the winter because places like Furnance Creek and120 air temperatures make summer visits slightly unpleasant.
One Death Valley episode outlines the accidental discovery of borax. Another show has an Irish prospector who believes his short acquaintance is a leprechaun and he will lead the tall Irishman to gold.
The west is full of exciting stories and Death Valley Days was on television for many years.
The stories were first introduced by the Old Ranger. Later, came Robert Taylor, Ronald Reagan, and, finally, Dale Robertson.
Death Valley Days plays daily on StarzEncore Western channel. Here you can watch the television shows: Wyatt Earp, Big Valley, Laramie, Maverick, Cheyenne, Lawman, and the Virginian.
This is some of the best television ever. The west was used as a metaphor for the issues that face mankind. In the western setting the issues of prejudice, greed, pride and cowardice are exposed and discussed. We discover that things haven't changed all that much.
Death Valley Days uses real stories to illustrate timeless issues. Watch it, if you can.
