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Judge Roy Bean
Genre	Western
Written by	Buckley Angell Orville H. Hampton Russell Hayden Milton Raison John Ward
Directed by	Derwin Abrahams Reg Browne Nate Watt
Starring	Edgar Buchanan Jack Buetel Jackie Loughery Tristram Coffin Lash La Rue X Brands Glenn Strange
Composer(s)	Harry Bluestone Emil Cadkin
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	39
Production
Executive producer(s)	Peter Piech
Producer(s)	Fred Franks Russell Hayden
Editor(s)	Thor L. Brooks Reg Browne
Cinematography	Jockey Arthur Feindel John Mathew Nickolaus, Jr. Lester White
Running time	30 mins. (approx)
Broadcast
Original channel	Syndication
Audio format	Monaural
Original run	September 1, 1955 – August 1, 1956

Judge Roy Bean is a syndicated American Western series starring Edgar Buchanan as the legendary Kentucky-born Judge Roy Bean, a justice of the peace known as "The law west of the Pecos".

Synopsis

The 39-episode program is set in Langtry in Val Verde County in southwest Texas, where Bean held court in his combination general store and saloon. The 2000 census population of Langtry was fewer than 150 persons, but the unincorporated community is the site of one of the twelve Texas State Tourist Bureau welcoming centers. Jack Buetel, appeared in the series as 41-year-old Jeff Taggert, Bean's right-hand man. Jackie Loughery portrays Letty Bean, the judge's 26-year-old niece, and Russell Hayden stars as Steve, a Texas Ranger. Bean was later the focus of the 1972 Paul Newman film The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean.^[1]

Recurring cast members

Tristram Coffin portrayed different characters in six episodes of Judge Roy Bean, including the series premiere, "The Judge of Pecos Valley", in which a train robber is loose in the area, and Bean sets out to capture him. Coffin appears in the third segment, "The Horse Thief", in which a rancher is jailed for stealing a horse, and Bean must keep a mob from getting out of control. Other episodes featuring Coffin are "The Refugee", "Border Raiders", "The Cross Draw Kid", and "The Wedding of Old Sam" in his role of Sam Haskins.^[2] Character actor X Brands appeared in various roles fifteen times on Judge Roy Bean.^[3] Myron Healey appeared four times: as Reno in "Checkmate", as Winters in "The Eyes of Texas", as Hurley in "The Katcina Doll", and as Gorman in "The Travelers".^[4]

Selected episodes

In "Sunburnt Gold", Bean pursues a gang that steals gold coins, melts them down and turns them into nuggets so that they cannot be identified. In "The Runaway", a boy flees home because he thinks his father is cowardly for not resisting a recalcitrant boss. In "Slightly Prodigal", a woman arrives in Langtry in search of her son, who has turned into an outlaw. In "Black Jack", the judge seeks to return an escaped train robber to prison. In "Judge Declares a Holiday", Bean confronts a con man who arranges horse races but flees with the bet money before the event can be held. In "Citizen Romeo", Bean learns about a plan to smuggle guns and ammunition to Indians, and he encounters an organ grinder with a monkey as he tries to halt the smuggling.

Sammee Tong appeared in the title role of the episode "Ah Sid, Cowboy", with Glenn Strange as Fallon. Strange appeared a total of six times on Judge Roy Bean, including the roles of Sampson in "The Hidden Truth", Mason in "The Judge's Dilemma", Tom Holman in "Border Raiders", King Lonagan in "The Cross Draw Kid", and Nolan in "The Referee". Lash La Rue, the cowboy with the bullwhip, appeared seven times on Judge Roy Bean: as John Wesley Hardin in "Gunman's Bargain", as Storts in "The Katcina Doll", as Matt Logan in "Outlaw's Son", as Duke Castle in "The Reformer", as Todd Malone in "Bad Medicine", as Harbon in "The Defense Rests", and as Bass in "Lone Star Killer", the series finale. Other episodes include: "Letty Leaves Home", "Four Ladies from Laredo" (Gloria Winters of Sky King), "Luck O' the Irish", "The Hypnotist" and "Terror Rides the Trail".

Production notes

Unlike most syndicated westerns of the 1950s, which were black-and-white, Judge Roy Bean was filmed in color by the Barrett Company in Pioneertown, California. The program was not extended for a second season. Six years later, Buchanan became particularly known for his role as the laid-back Uncle Joe Carson on the CBS sitcom, Petticoat Junction with Bea Benaderet. Series producer Russell Hayden thereafter released his second syndicated western, 26 Men.

References

External links

• Judge Roy Bean at the Internet Movie Database
• Judge Roy Bean at TV.com