Rare TV Westerns: Johnny Moccasin / Frontier / Tumbleweed / The Adventures of Rick O'Shay

JOHNNY MOCCASIN 'MOCCASIN TREAD SOFTLY' (1956): A child is raised by a tribe of Indians after his parents are killed in a wagon train massacre. Now an adult dubbed "Johnny Moccasin", he is given a final test to prove he has no allegiance to his birthright -- infiltrate a village of white settlers and show no mercy. This color pilot stars Jody McCrea, the son of Western legend Joel McCrea, as Johnny, and has a cliffhanger so compelling it's a shame it was never picked up as a series. Johnny Moccasin also features a cast of recognizable faces including Sara Shane, Raymond Bailey, Frank DeKova, John Larch, Claude Akins and Iron Eyes Cody (who also served as technical advisor.) Director Laslo Benedek made classics such as Death of a Salesman (1951) and The Wild One (1953), among many others.

FRONTIER "THE ASSASSIN" (1956): Frontier ran for one season on NBC, the second Western anthology in television history, following Death Valley Days. Walter Coy narrated the series, which was based on actual events. In "The Assasin", a pre-Rifleman Chuck Connors gives a bravura performance as Thorpe Henderson, a remorseless killer who specializes in murdering cattle rustlers.

TUMBLEWEED 'THE BARON OF PURGATORY' (1959): As a series, Tumbleweed would have documented the weekly adventures of wandering troubleshooter 'Tumbleweed' Jones, portrayed by obscure bit player Richard Tretter. In 'The Baron of Purgatory', the only episode that was ultimately produced, a concerned mother pleads with Tumbleweed to save her son from Joseph Pedrowsky, a self-styled humanitarian who is in reality assembling a cult. Pedrowsky is played by Glen Gordon, the star of The Adventures of Dr. Fu Manchu TV series (1956).

THE ADVENTURES OF RICK O'SHAY 'STAGECOACH TO DANGER' (1951): With painted backgrounds and wooden sets, it's easy to see why the low-budget The Adventures of Rick O'Shay never become a series. In "Stagecoach to Danger", the titular Texas Ranger is on the trail of Daggett, a scarred killer who has kidnapped the governor's daughter as revenge for sending him to jail years ago. Daggett is played by Lewis Wilson, the first actor to ever play Batman in the eponymous 1943 movie serial.

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