Death Valley Days
Death Valley Days was a radio broadcast beginning in 1945 and first appeared on television in 1952. It was unique in entertainment television in that each episode was based on a true event or personage of the American west. As an anthology series it had no set cast. Each episode was opened by a narrator, who sometimes appeared in a role in the ensuing story. In 1964 Ronald Reagan served as the opening narrator or host, and over the course of his association with the program he appeared in 21 episodes as a character, including an episode which aired in September 1965, his final role as an actor.
Because the stories were based on real events or people, but broadcast in half hour programs, there was considerable editing of history. Some episodes were just loosely connected to reality while others were accurate to the final detail. There was a broad range of diverse stories. One week the show might feature someone such as James Kelly, a San Francisco kidnapper who once “Shanghaied” 100 men in a single evening. The next episode could be about an event like the record breaking run of the Scott Special, a passenger train chartered for the purpose of setting a new speed record between Los Angeles and Chicago.
Stories on Death Valley Days covered the time period of the 1820s through the early twentieth century. Robert Louis Stevenson was portrayed in one episode (by Lloyd Bochner) during a trip to Colorado seeking a better climate for his health. The real Stevenson made such a trip in 1888. L. Frank Baum, the creator of The Wizard of Oz, was portrayed in an episode of the show’s final season in 1970. Robert Blake played Billy the Kid seeking revenge for the murder of his employer and friend John Tunstall, an event which really occurred, but Blake at 33 was considerably older than Billy the Kid had been at the time.
In addition to the depiction of the events of the story, the producers took great pains to dress the sets and the characters in the proper manner for the time portrayed. Manners also changed greatly over the ninety years of the settlement of the west, and these were reflected in the stories as well. Baylor Thomas, who attempted to develop a system of sails to propel Conestoga wagons across the prairie – creating true prairie schooners – was a noted eccentric and he was so portrayed and regarded by his fellow characters when he was played by George Gobel on an episode of the series in 1963. Often the acting was over the top, so to speak, to reflect the personalities of the characters portrayed.
Many other western heroes and heroines appeared on Death Valley Days, with episodes featuring Belle Starr, Calamity Jane, Butch Cassidy, Lew Wallace (who wrote Ben Hur), Brigham Young, Geronimo, James J. Corbett (who boxed a 61 round no-decision against Black Prince Jackson in San Francisco), and Horace Greeley. Death Valley Days was faithful to American history in its portrayals, usually remaining focused on the human characters which shaped it and their individual motivations, successes, and failures. sometimes corny to the point of seeming camp, it remains popular in reruns.