Trackdown (TV series)
{{short description|American Western TV series (1957–1959)}}
{{about|the American TV series starring Robert Culp|the 1976 film|Trackdown (film){{!}}Trackdown (film)|the 2000 film|Track Down{{!}}Track Down}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox television
|image = Robert Culp Trackdown 1957.JPG
|caption = Robert Culp as Hoby Gilman (1957)
|genre = Western
|writer = {{Plainlist|
- D.D. Beauchamp
- Frank Burt
- Fred Freiberger
- Norman Jacobs
- Christopher Knopf
- Sidney Marshall
- John McGreevey
- John Robinson
- Sam Peckinpah
}}
|director = {{Plainlist|
}}
|starring = {{Plainlist|
}}
|theme_music_composer = {{Plainlist|
- William Loose
- and John Seely
}}
|composer = Harry King
|country = United States
|language = English
|company = Four Star Productions
|num_seasons = 2
|num_episodes = 71 plus pilot
|producer = Vincent M. Fennelly
|narrated = Ed Prentiss
|cinematography = Guy Roe
|runtime = 25 minutes
|network = CBS
|first_aired = {{Start date|1957|10|04}}
|last_aired = {{End date|1959|09|23}}
|related = {{Plainlist|
- Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater
- Wanted: Dead or Alive
}}
}}
Trackdown is an American Western television series starring Robert Culp that aired on CBS between 1957 and 1959. The series was produced by Dick Powell's Four Star Television and filmed at the Desilu-Culver Studio. Trackdown was a spin-off of Powell's anthology series, Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre. The series was sponsored by the American Tobacco Company via its Lucky Strike brand and Mobil.
Overview
Trackdown stars Robert Culp as Texas Ranger Hoby Gilman. It is set in the 1870s after the American Civil War. In early episodes, stories focused on Gilman going to different Texas towns in pursuit of wanted fugitives. At midseason, the series became set in the town of Porter, Texas. Episodes touched on multiple Western themes and topics, so it was known as "the thinking man's Western".{{cite web|url=http://www.westernclippings.com/remember/trackdown_doyouremember.shtml|title=Do You Remember... "Trackdown"|work=westernclippings.com|access-date=5 March 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://ispy65.tripod.com/id63.htm|title=Culp interview|work=tripod.com|access-date=5 March 2015}}
Gilman is the de facto sheriff in Porter. His friends in the town include Henrietta Porter (portrayed by Ellen Corby). She is the widow of the town's founder and owns The Porter Enterprise newspaper. His other friends included Tenner Smith (played by Peter Leeds),owner of the local saloon, Norman Leavitt as Ralph,his assistant, handyman, and de facto deputy, Occasionally, Gilman's duties as a Texas Ranger took him out of town, where he used his fast gun to "track down" and apprehend wanted criminals throughout the Lone Star State.
The pilot episode, "Badge of Honor", directed by Arthur Hiller, aired on Zane Grey Theatre on May 3, 1957. Gilman, then an ex-Confederate cavalry officer, returns to his Central Texas hometown, called "Crawford", after the war. He finds the town under the ruthless control of a gang led by an ex-Confederate colonel, Boyd Nelson (played by Gary Merrill). The once-courageous town sheriff (portrayed by Tom Tully) is now a drunken shell of a man Gilman had once known, who is afraid to face the outlaws. When a Texas Ranger came to town to arrest Colonel Nelson, he is fatally shot in the back. His Ranger badge falls on the dusty road. Gilman, who previously had served with the Texas Rangers, was weary of the Civil War and did not want to continue as a lawman, but after learning of the Ranger's death, he picks up the badge and finishes the job of bringing Nelson and his gang to justice.
Trackdown carried the endorsement of both the State of Texas and the Texas Rangers, an accolade no other Western television series has received. Some episodes were inspired by the actual files of the Rangers.{{cite web |title=Trackdown Television Series Archives, 1957-1959 |url=https://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/taro/utcah/01858/cah-01858.html |website=Dolph Briscoe Center for American History |publisher=University of Texas at Austin |access-date=30 April 2020}}
Episodes
=Season 1: 1957–58=
{{Episode table|total_width=|background=#B0171F|overall=|season=|title=|director=|writer=|airdate=|episodes=
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 1
| EpisodeNumber2 = 1
| Title = The Marple Brothers
| DirectedBy = Thomas Carr
| WrittenBy = John McGreevey
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1957|10|04}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 2
| EpisodeNumber2 = 2
| Title = Law in Lampasas
| DirectedBy = Thomas Carr
| WrittenBy = Norman Jacobs
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1957|10|11}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 3
| EpisodeNumber2 = 3
| Title = The San Saba Incident
| DirectedBy = Don McDougall
| WrittenBy = D.D. Beauchamp
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1957|10|18}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 4
| EpisodeNumber2 = 4
| Title = Easton, Texas
| DirectedBy = Thomas Carr
| WrittenBy = John Robinson
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1957|10|25}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 5
| EpisodeNumber2 = 5
| Title = Like Father
| DirectedBy = John English
| WrittenBy = John Robinson
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1957|11|01}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 6
| EpisodeNumber2 = 6
| Title = Sweetwater, Texas
| DirectedBy = Don McDougall
| WrittenBy = Norman Jacobs
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1957|11|08}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 7
| EpisodeNumber2 = 7
| Title = Alpine, Texas
| DirectedBy = Thomas Carr
| WrittenBy = Fred Freiberger
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1957|11|15}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 8
| EpisodeNumber2 = 8
| Title = Self-Defense
| DirectedBy = Thomas Carr
| WrittenBy = John Robinson
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1957|11|22}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 9
| EpisodeNumber2 = 9
| Title = End of an Outlaw
| DirectedBy = Thomas Carr
| WrittenBy = Curtis Kenyon
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1957|11|29}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 10
| EpisodeNumber2 = 10
| Title = Look for the Woman
| DirectedBy = Don McDougall
| WrittenBy = Daniel B. Ullman
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1957|12|06}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 11
| EpisodeNumber2 = 11
| Title = The Town
| DirectedBy = Don McDougall
| WrittenBy = Sam Peckinpah
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1957|12|13}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 12
| EpisodeNumber2 = 12
| Title = Man and Money
| DirectedBy = Don McDougall
| WrittenBy = Daniel B. Ullman
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1957|12|27}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 13
| EpisodeNumber2 = 13
| Title = The Reward
| DirectedBy = Don McDougall
| WrittenBy = Fred Freiberger
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|01|03}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 14
| EpisodeNumber2 = 14
| Title = The Farrand Story
| DirectedBy = Don McDougall
| WrittenBy = John Robinson
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|01|10}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 15
| EpisodeNumber2 = 15
| Title = Right of Way
| DirectedBy = Don McDougall
| WrittenBy = Don Clark
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|01|17}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 16
| EpisodeNumber2 = 16
| Title = The Witness
| DirectedBy = Thomas Carr
| WrittenBy = Christopher Knopf
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|01|24}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 17
| EpisodeNumber2 = 17
| Title = The Toll Road
| DirectedBy = Don McDougall
| WrittenBy = Fred Freiberger
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|01|31}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 18
| EpisodeNumber2 = 18
| Title = The Young Gun
| DirectedBy = Thomas Carr
| WrittenBy = Daniel B. Ullman
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|02|07}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 19
| EpisodeNumber2 = 19
| Title = The Wedding
| DirectedBy = Don McDougall
| WrittenBy = Sidney Marshall
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|02|14}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 20
| EpisodeNumber2 = 20
| Title = The Trail
| DirectedBy = Don McDougall
| WrittenBy = John Robinson
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|02|28}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 21
| EpisodeNumber2 = 21
| Title = The Bounty Hunter
| DirectedBy = Don McDougall
| WrittenBy = John Robinson
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|03|07}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 22
| EpisodeNumber2 = 22
| Title = The Judge
| DirectedBy = Don McDougall
| WrittenBy = John Robinson
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|03|14}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 23
| EpisodeNumber2 = 23
| Title = The House
| DirectedBy = Thomas Carr
| WrittenBy = John Robinson
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|03|21}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 24
| EpisodeNumber2 = 24
| Title = The Boy
| DirectedBy = Thomas Carr
| WrittenBy = John Robinson
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|03|28}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 25
| EpisodeNumber2 = 25
| Title = The Pueblo Kid
| DirectedBy = Don McDougall
| WrittenBy = Frank Bert
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|04|04}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 26
| EpisodeNumber2 = 26
| Title = The Winter Boys
| DirectedBy = Don McDougall
| WrittenBy = Frank Bert
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|04|11}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 27
| EpisodeNumber2 = 27
| Title = The Mistake
| DirectedBy = Don McDougall
| WrittenBy = John Robinson
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|04|18}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 28
| EpisodeNumber2 = 28
| Title = The Deal
| DirectedBy = Don McDougall
| WrittenBy = John Robinson
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|04|25}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 29
| EpisodeNumber2 = 29
| Title = The Jailbreak
| DirectedBy = Don McDougall
| WrittenBy = John McGreevey
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|05|02}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 30
| EpisodeNumber2 = 30
| Title = The End of the World
| DirectedBy = Don McDougall
| WrittenBy = John Robinson
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|05|09}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 31
| EpisodeNumber2 = 31
| Title = The Brothers
| DirectedBy = Don McDougall
| WrittenBy = D.D. Beauchamp
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|05|16}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 32
| EpisodeNumber2 = 32
| Title = The Governor
| DirectedBy = Don McDougall
| WrittenBy = Fred Freiberger
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|05|23}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = B0171F
}}
}}
=Season 2: 1958–59=
{{Episode table|total_width=|background=#CDAD00|overall=|season=|title=|director=|writer=|airdate=|episodes=
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 33
| EpisodeNumber2 = 1
| Title = Killer Take All
| DirectedBy = Donald McDougall
| WrittenBy = Norman Jacob
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|09|05}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 34
| EpisodeNumber2 = 2
| Title = Outlaw's Wife
| DirectedBy = Donald McDougall
| WrittenBy = Frank Burt
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|09|12}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 35
| EpisodeNumber2 = 3
| Title = Chinese Cowboy
| DirectedBy = Donald McDougall
| WrittenBy = Bob Barbash
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|09|19}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 36
| EpisodeNumber2 = 4
| Title = The Set Up
| DirectedBy = Thomas Carr
| WrittenBy = John Robinson
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|09|26}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 37
| EpisodeNumber2 = 5
| Title = A Stone for Benny French
| DirectedBy = Donald McDougall
| WrittenBy = Christopher Knopf
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|10|03}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 38
| EpisodeNumber2 = 6
| Title = Trapped
| DirectedBy = Donald McDougall
| WrittenBy = D. D. Beauchamp & Mary M. Beauchamp
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|10|10}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 39
| EpisodeNumber2 = 7
| Title = Matter of Justice
| DirectedBy = Thomas Carr
| WrittenBy = David Lang
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|10|17}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 40
| EpisodeNumber2 = 8
| Title = Tenner Smith
| DirectedBy = Donald McDougall
| WrittenBy = John Robinson
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|10|24}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 41
| EpisodeNumber2 = 9
| Title = The Avenger
| DirectedBy = Thomas Carr
| WrittenBy = Fred Freiberger
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|10|31}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 42
| EpisodeNumber2 = 10
| Title = The Schoolteacher
| DirectedBy = Thomas Carr
| WrittenBy = Fred Freiberger
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|11|07}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 43
| EpisodeNumber2 = 11
| Title = Deadly Decoy
| DirectedBy = Donald McDougall
| WrittenBy = George F. Slavin
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|11|14}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 44
| EpisodeNumber2 = 12
| Title = Sunday's Child
| DirectedBy = R.G. Springsteen
| WrittenBy = Maurice Tombragel
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|11|21}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 45
| EpisodeNumber2 = 13
| Title = Day of Vengeance
| DirectedBy = R.G. Springsteen
| WrittenBy = Dan Ullman
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|11|28}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 46
| EpisodeNumber2 = 14
| Title = Three-Legged Fox
| DirectedBy = Donald McDougall
| WrittenBy = Christopher Knopf
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|12|05}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 47
| EpisodeNumber2 = 15
| Title = The Kid
| DirectedBy = Thomas Carr
| WrittenBy = John Robinson
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|12|12}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 48
| EpisodeNumber2 = 16
| Title = Guilt
| DirectedBy = Donald McDougall
| WrittenBy = Christopher Knopf
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|12|19}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 49
| EpisodeNumber2 = 17
| Title = Every Man a Witness
| DirectedBy = Lawrence Dobkin
| WrittenBy = George F. Slavin
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1958|12|26}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 50
| EpisodeNumber2 = 18
| Title = McCallin's Daughter
| DirectedBy = Arthur D. Hilton
| WrittenBy = Sidney Marshall
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1959|01|02}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 51
| EpisodeNumber2 = 19
| Title = Bad Judgment
| DirectedBy = Donald McDougall
| WrittenBy = D. D. Beauchamp & Mary M. Beauchamp
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1959|01|28}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 52
| EpisodeNumber2 = 20
| Title = Terror
| DirectedBy = Donald McDougall
| WrittenBy = D. D. Beauchamp & Mary M. Beauchamp
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1959|02|04}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 53
| EpisodeNumber2 = 21
| Title = The Feud
| DirectedBy = R. G. Springsteen
| WrittenBy = John McGreevey
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1959|02|11}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 54
| EpisodeNumber2 = 22
| Title = The Samaritan
| DirectedBy = R.G. Springsteen
| WrittenBy = D.D. Beauchamp and Mary M. Beauchamp
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1959|02|18}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 55
| EpisodeNumber2 = 23
| Title = The Gang
| DirectedBy =
| WrittenBy =
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1959|02|25}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 56
| EpisodeNumber2 = 24
| Title = The Threat
| DirectedBy = Thomas Carr
| WrittenBy = John Robinson
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1959|03|04}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 57
| EpisodeNumber2 = 25
| Title = Hard Lines
| DirectedBy = Donald McDougall
| WrittenBy = Don Brinkley
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1959|03|11}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 58
| EpisodeNumber2 = 26
| Title = Fear
| DirectedBy = Thomas Carr
| WrittenBy = Christopher Knopf
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1959|03|18}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 59
| EpisodeNumber2 = 27
| Title = Stranger in Town
| DirectedBy = Donald McDougall
| WrittenBy = Dan Ullman
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1959|03|25}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 60
| EpisodeNumber2 = 28
| Title = The Protector
| DirectedBy = R. G. Springsteen
| WrittenBy = Fred Freiberger
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1959|04|01}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 61
| EpisodeNumber2 = 29
| Title = False Witness
| DirectedBy = Arthur D. Hilton
| WrittenBy = Don Brinkley
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1959|04|08}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 62
| EpisodeNumber2 = 30
| Title = The Trick
| DirectedBy = R. G. Springsteen
| WrittenBy = David Lang
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1959|04|15}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 63
| EpisodeNumber2 = 31
| Title = The Eyes of Jerry Kelso
| DirectedBy = R. G. Springsteen
| WrittenBy = John Robinson
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1959|04|22}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 64
| EpisodeNumber2 = 32
| Title = Gift Horse
| DirectedBy = Thomas Carr
| WrittenBy = Christopher Knopf
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1959|04|29}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 65
| EpisodeNumber2 = 33
| Title = The Vote
| DirectedBy = Donald McDougall
| WrittenBy = Fred Freiberger
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1959|05|06}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 66
| EpisodeNumber2 = 34
| Title = The Unwanted
| DirectedBy = Donald McDougall
| WrittenBy = Fred Freiberger
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1959|05|13}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 67
| EpisodeNumber2 = 35
| Title = Toss Up
| DirectedBy = Donald McDougall
| WrittenBy = Fred Freiberger
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1959|05|20}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 68
| EpisodeNumber2 = 36
| Title = Inquest
| DirectedBy =
| WrittenBy =
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1959|09|02}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 69
| EpisodeNumber2 = 37
| Title = Back to Crawford
| DirectedBy = R. G. Springsteen
| WrittenBy = Robert Culp
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1959|09|09}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 70
| EpisodeNumber2 = 38
| Title = Blind Alley
| DirectedBy = Donald McDougall
| WrittenBy = S. L. Maita
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1959|09|16}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 71
| EpisodeNumber2 = 39
| Title = Quiet Night in Porter
| DirectedBy = Donald McDougall
| WrittenBy = Donn Mullally
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1959|09|23}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = CDAD00
}}
}}
Background and production
=Development=
All Trackdown episodes were produced by Vincent Fennelly. John Robinson wrote 14 segments, including the pilot. Richard Donner was one of the directors. Sam Peckinpah wrote one episode, "The Town", about a cowardly community afraid to resist the clutches of an outlaw gang, but he did not direct any Trackdown episodes.
Robert Culp wrote one episode, titled "Back to Crawford", which features his then-wife, Nancy Asch-Culp. This episode was directly related to the first regular series episode, "The Marple Brothers", as Nancy portrayed a former childhood friend of Hoby's, Merrilee Quintana, with whom Hoby was once in love, who was out to kill his sister Norah as revenge for his killing her young husband in the line of duty, and who was one of the evil Marple Brothers he encountered in Episode 1. Gilman's sister was played by actress Peggy Webber, reprising her role from the series pilot.
In an interview, Robert Culp stated that Trackdown was conceived by its creators as "the Western Dragnet".{{cite web|title=Robert Culp|url=http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/robert-culp|access-date=5 March 2015|work=Archive of American Television}}{{cite web|title=Trackdown|url=http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/shows/trackdown|access-date=5 March 2015|work=Archive of American Television}} The pilot of the series was written by John Robinson, who, according to Culp in that same interview, was partly responsible for the creation of Dragnet.
The series narrator was character actor Ed Prentiss.
=Guest stars=
{{Div col|colwidth=12em}}
- Nick Adams
- Chris Alcaide
- Fred Aldrich
- John Anderson
- Robert Armstrong
- Phyllis Avery
- Trevor Bardette
- Claudia Barrett
- James Best
- Paul Birch
- Whit Bissell
- George Brenlin
- Paul Brinegar
- Walter Brooke
- Edgar Buchanan
- King Calder
- Ahna Capri
- Sidney Clute
- James Coburn
- Russ Conway
- Walter Coy
- Johnny Crawford
- Dennis Cross
- Richard Devon
- James Drury
- Don Durant
- Scott Forbes
- Robert Foulk
- Beverly Garland
- Dabbs Greer
- Richard Hale
- Rodolfo Hoyos Jr.
- Richard Jaeckel
- Vivi Janiss
- Robert Karnes
- DeForest Kelley
- Jess Kirkpatrick
- Michael Landon
- Nolan Leary
- Forrest Lewis
- Strother Martin
- Carole Mathews
- Ken Mayer
- Steve McQueen
- Joseph Mell
- Rita Moreno
- Neyle Morrow
- Vic Morrow
- James Murdock
- James Nolan
- Warren Oates
- Susan Oliver
- James Parnell
- Joseph V. Perry
- Richard Reeves
- Paul Richards
- Pernell Roberts
- Gloria Saunders
- Karen Sharpe
- Harold J. Stone
- Ray Teal
- William Talman
- Russell Thorson
- Lee Van Cleef
- Stuart Whitman
- Jean Willes
- Chill Wills
{{Div col end}}
Release
=Syndication=
From 2016 to 2020, episodes of Trackdown aired Saturday mornings on MeTV.{{cite web|url=http://www.metv.com/schedule|title=Schedule}}
Cultural references
The episode "The End of the World" received considerable media attention after Donald Trump was elected president of the United States in 2016, nearly 60 years after the episode first aired. In the episode, a rabble-rousing doomsayer named Walter Trump (played by Lawrence Dobkin) comes to town. He scares the townsfolk with talk of an impending disaster and claims to be the only person who can save them – by building a wall. He also threatens to sue Hoby when accused of dishonesty. By the end of the episode, he is arrested as a conman and fraud. The coincidental similarity to Donald Trump's name and proposed border wall was noted.{{cite web |url=http://www.snopes.com/trackdown-trump-character-wall/ |title=Did a 1950s TV Episode Feature a Character Named Trump Who Offered to Build a Protective Wall? |last=Evon |first=Dan |date=13 January 2017 |work=Snopes.com |access-date=15 May 2017}}
A Vanity Fair author wrote, "Of all the books and movies that presaged the rise of our reality-TV President... none are so eerily on the nose as this once-obscure, 1958 episode of Trackdown in which a demagogue named Trump attempts to convince a town that only he can save its citizens... by building a wall."{{cite news |last1=Nguyen |first1=Tina |title=This Television Show Predicted Donald Trump... in 1958 |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/02/tv-show-predicts-donald-trump |access-date=9 January 2019 |work=Vanity Fair |date=9 Feb 2017 |language=en}} The Wrap asked, "Want to talk about a weird coincidence?.... Some may call this episode titled 'The End of the World' the ultimate illustration of life imitating art, considering the episode aired May 9, 1958... it is pretty amusing, especially when the TV character threatens, 'Be careful, son. I can sue you.'"{{cite news |last1=Rossi |first1=Rosemary |title=1950s TV Show Had Villain Named Trump Who Promised to Save World by Building a Wall |url=https://www.thewrap.com/conman-named-trump-trackdown-series-conman/ |access-date=9 January 2019 |work=The Wrap |date=9 January 2017}} The San Francisco Chronicle stated, "The character's speech is so similar to the President-elect's, it almost seems as if Donald Trump borrowed some catchphrases from Walter Trump."{{cite news |last1=Moffitt |first1=Mike |title=Did '50s TV show feature a con artist named Trump promising to build a wall? |url=https://www.sfgate.com/tv/article/Did-50s-TV-show-feature-a-con-artist-named-Trump-10848356.php |access-date=9 January 2019 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=10 January 2017}}
Critical response
A review in the trade publication Variety described Trackdown as "a moderately good western half-hour telefilm with a moderately good star performer".{{cite magazine |date=October 9, 1957 |page=29 |title=Trackdown |magazine=Variety |url=https://archive.org/details/variety208-1957-10/page/n108/mode/1up?view=theater |accessdate=February 17, 2024 }} The review complimented characterizations but said the plot "was as loaded with holes as the villains were".
References
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External links
{{Portal|Television}}
- {{IMDb title|id=0050071|title=Trackdown}}
Category:1950s Western (genre) television series
Category:1957 American television series debuts
Category:1959 American television series endings
Category:Television series set in the 1870s
Category:Black-and-white American television shows
Category:CBS original programming
Category:American English-language television shows
Category:Fictional characters of the Texas Ranger Division
Category:Television series about the Texas Ranger Division
Category:Television series by CBS Studios