Sergeant Frank Preston of the Royal Canadian Mounties and his wonder dog Yukon King set out on thrilling adventures every week in this fondly-remembered 50s TV series.
Sergeant Preston of the Yukon started as a popular kids' radio show originating out of WXYZ radio in Detroit. It was the creation of Fran Striker and George W. Trendle, the same men who originated
The Lone Ranger and
The Green Hornet. Frank Preston originally joined the Mounties to track down his father's killer, and stayed on to foil fur thieves, claim jumpers, and murderers with his faithful Alaskan Malamute, King. The show was something of an early multimedia sensation, spawning books, comics, and other ancillary merchandise, so it was inevitable that Sergeant Preston would make the jump to television. On TV, Preston was portrayed by actor Richard Simmons, who had previously played a Mountie in Republic's
King of the Royal Mounted (1940). The show was narrated by Vic Perrin, famous as "The Control Voice" on
The Outer Limits (1963-1965). Shot in color, the television version proved just as popular as the radio program, lasting three seasons on CBS. Like on radio, Sergeant Preston had unique tie-ins courtesy of its sponsor, Quaker Oats. In 1955, as part of a promotion for the show, Quaker cereal boxes actually contained an authentic deed entitling children to an inch of land in the Yukon!
SKAGWAY SECRET: Sergeant Preston uncovers a gold smuggling ring in Skagway, a notorious nest of crooks and convicts. This episode guest-stars cowboy actor Tom Keene, using the name "Richard Powers" he went by during the later part of his career.
BLIND JUSTICE: An abandoned blind dog helps Sergeant Preston catch a pair of killers.
SCOURGE OF THE WILDERNESS: An embittered Indian tribe will stop at nothing to drive off lumberjacks who have set up camp on their sacred land.
LIMPING KING: Yukon King feigns injury so Preston can get close to a veterinarian who has turned into a rifle-wielding maniac.
