# The Tall Man (TV series)

The Tall Man is a half-hour American Western television series about Sheriff Pat Garrett and gunfighter Billy the Kid that aired on NBC from September 10, 1960, to September 1, 1962, filmed by Revue Productions.
Created and produced by Samuel Peeples, the series is set in New Mexico in the late 1870s and also depicts other figures of the period, such as John Tunstall and Lew Wallace.
Sponsors included Beech-Nut Life Savers.

## Synopsis

The Tall Man stars 6'3" Barry Sullivan as Sheriff Pat Garrett, and Clu Gulager as Billy the Kid.
In the premiere episode, "Garrett and the Kid" (September 10, 1960), Garrett arrives in Lincoln, depicted in the series as a gold-mining boomtown, as the new deputy sheriff, only to learn that a crooked saloon owner, Paul Mason (Robert Middleton), dominates the community, including the marshal, Dave Leggert (Denver Pyle). When he sees his power threatened, Mason tries to hire Billy to kill Garrett, unaware that the two were then on friendly terms. Vaughn Taylor is cast in this episode as Judge Riley, and King Donovan appears as a Mason henchman.
Marianna Hill was cast in several episodes as one of Billy's girlfriends, Rita. In one episode, Robert Lansing played the frontier dentist, gambler, and gunfighter John H. "Doc" Holliday in the episode "Rovin' Gambler."

## Cast

* Barry Sullivan as Sheriff Pat Garrett
* Clu Gulager as Billy the Kid.
Andy Clyde was cast in five episodes as Pa McBeam; Judy Nugent plays McBean's daughter, June. Different actresses were cast as the other daughter, May. Olive Sturgess played the part of May in "McBean Rides Again" (Nº 13), "The Reluctant Bridegroom" (Nº 23), and "Millionaire McBean" (Nº 31). Andy Clyde also appeared at the time in the role of the neighboring farmer George MacMichael on ABC's The Real McCoys, starring Walter Brennan.

### Other guest stars

In addition to the aforementioned, other actors appearing on The Tall Man in individual episodes include:

## Critical response

Jack Gould, in a review in The New York Times, called the program "a characteristic item of uninventive tripe". He described Sullivan's portrayal of Garrett as "an official who exudes sternness, physique, and no-think" and, comparing Gulager's Billy the Kid to Edd Byrnes's character on 77 Sunset Strip, as "made to resemble a Kookie of the sagebrush".

## Episode list
### Season 1: 1960–61

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 1 | 1 | "Garrett and the Kid" | Herschel Daugherty | Samuel A. Peeples | September 10, 1960 (1960-09-10) |
| 2 | 2 | "Forty-Dollar Boots" | Richard Irving | Samuel A. Peeples | September 17, 1960 (1960-09-17) |
| 3 | 3 | "Bad Company" | Richard Irving | Samuel A. Peeples | September 24, 1960 (1960-09-24) |
| 4 | 4 | "The Shawl" | Herschel Daugherty | Frank Price | October 1, 1960 (1960-10-01) |
| 5 | 5 | "The Lonely Star" | Henry S. Kesler | Samuel A. Peeples | October 8, 1960 (1960-10-08) |
| 6 | 6 | "A Bounty for Billy" | Franklin Adreon | Story by : D. C. Fontana Teleplay by : Martin Berkeley | October 15, 1960 (1960-10-15) |
| 7 | 7 | "The Parson" | Henry S. Kesler | D.C. Fontana Frank Price | October 29, 1960 (1960-10-29) |
| 8 | 8 | "Night Train to Tularosa" | Franklin Adreon | Barry Shipman | November 5, 1960 (1960-11-05) |
| 9 | 9 | "Larceny and the Ladies" | Herschel Daugherty | Frank Price | November 12, 1960 (1960-11-12) |
| 10 | 10 | "Counterfeit Law" | Franklin Adreon | Samuel A. Peeples | November 19, 1960 (1960-11-19) |
| 11 | 11 | "And the Beast" | Frank Arrigo | Frank Price | November 26, 1960 (1960-11-26) |
| 12 | 12 | "Bitter Ashes" | Richard Irving | Samual A. Peeples | December 3, 1960 (1960-12-03) |
| 13 | 13 | "McBean Rides Again" | Frank Arrigo | Frank Price | December 10, 1960 (1960-12-10) |
| 14 | 14 | "Tiger Eye" | Franklin Adreon | D.C. Fontana | December 17, 1960 (1960-12-17) |
| 15 | 15 | "Billy's Baby" | Franklin Adreon | Frank Price | December 24, 1960 (1960-12-24) |
| 16 | 16 | "One of One Thousand" | Franklin Adreon | Borden Chase | December 31, 1960 (1960-12-31) |
| 17 | 17 | "First Blood" | Franklin Adreon | Samual A. Peeples | January 7, 1961 (1961-01-07) |
| 18 | 18 | "A Gun is for Killing" | Franlin Adreon | Samual A. Peeples | January 14, 1961 (1961-01-14) |
| 19 | 19 | "The Grudge Fight" | Richard Irving | Cyril Hume | January 21, 1961 (1961-01-21) |
| 20 | 20 | "The Best Policy" | Franklin Adreon | Frank Price | January 28, 1961 (1961-01-28) |
| 21 | 21 | "The Reversed Blade" | Franklin Adreon | Peter Barry | February 4, 1961 (1961-02-04) |
| Murray Matheson portrays Billy's employer, John Tundall, though the name of the historical person is John Tunstall. Tundall grows indignant when the con-man Ben Webster (John Archer), who stole his wife and $10,000 eight years earlier, arrives in Lincoln. Jeanne Cooper plays Tundall's former wife, now Mrs. Elmira Webster. John Tunstall died at twenty-four, but Matheson was forty-nine when he assumed the role as Billy's employer. ||||||
| 22 | 22 | "Dark Moment" | William Witney | Samuel A. Peeples | February 11, 1961 (1961-02-11) |
| 23 | 23 | "The Reluctant Bridegroom" | Lesley Selander | Frank Price | February 18, 1961 (1961-02-18) |
| Ellen Corby is featured as Hannah Blossom, a potential mail order bride, for Pa McBeam. Hannah is lured to Lincoln through a fraudulent letter written by the McBeam daughters. ||||||
| 24 | 24 | "Maria's Little Lamb" | Frank Arrigo | Barry Shipman | February 25, 1961 (1961-02-25) |
| 25 | 25 | "Big Sam's Boy" | Leslay Selander | Tom Seller | March 4, 1961 (1961-03-04) |
| 26 | 26 | "The Last Resource" | Richard Bartlett | Frank Price | March 11, 1961 (1961-03-11) |
| 27 | 27 | "Rovin' Gambler" | William Witney | Samual A. Peeples | March 18, 1961 (1961-03-18) |
| 28 | 28 | "Hard Justice" | William Witney | Samuel A. Peeples | March 25, 1961 (1961-03-25) |
| 29 | 29 | "The Legend and the Gun" | R.G. Springsteen | Samual A. Peeples | April 1, 1961 (1961-04-01) |
| 30 | 30 | "A Kind of Courage" | R.G. Springsteen | Tom Seller | April 8, 1961 (1961-04-08) |
| 31 | 31 | "Millionaire McBean" | William Witney | Frank Price | April 15, 1961 (1961-04-15) |
| 32 | 32 | "A Scheme of Hearts" | R.G. Springsteen | Tom Seller | April 22, 1961 (1961-04-22) |
| 33 | 33 | "The Cloudbusters" | R.G. Springsteen | D. C. Fontana | April 29, 1961 (1961-04-29) |
| Frank de Kova plays Mike Gray Eagle, who sells water to Lincoln residents at inflated prices during a drought, during which the only flowing stream is on the Apache reservation. ||||||
| 34 | 34 | "Ransom of a Town" | Franklin Adreon | Story by : Mark Weingart Teleplay by : Barry Shipman | May 6, 1961 (1961-05-06) |
| 35 | 35 | "Ladies of the Town" | Richard Barlett | Samual A. Peeples | May 20, 1961 (1961-05-20) |
| 36 | 36 | "Death or Taxes" | Frank Arrigo | Barry Shipman | May 27, 1961 (1961-05-27) |
| Garrett rides into a railroad company town that abuses its workers, runs illegal gambling halls, and refuses to pay its taxes. Character actor Will Wright plays Mayor Hackett in this episode, which features James Seay as Holman. ||||||
| 37 | 37 | "The Great Western" | Frank Arrigo | Melton S. Gelman | June 3, 1961 (1961-06-03) |
| Frank Ferguson plays Wallace in a story about Big Mamacita (Connie Gilchrist), the owner of a rowdy cantina outside Lincoln and her grandson, who is a Wallace aide. ||||||

### Season 2: 1961–62

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 38 | 1 | "Full Payment" | Lesley Selander | David Lang | September 9, 1961 (1961-09-09) |
| 39 | 2 | "The Liberty Belle" | Tay Garnett | Les Crutchfield | September 16, 1961 (1961-09-16) |
| 40 | 3 | "Where is Sylvia?" | Sidney Landfield | Robert E. Thompson Frank Price | September 23, 1961 (1961-09-23) |
| 41 | 4 | "The Female Artillery" | Lesley Selander | Frank Price | September 30, 1961 (1961-09-30) |
| 42 | 5 | "Shadow of the Past" | Tay Garnett | Richard Fielder | October 7, 1961 (1961-10-07) |
| Charles Aidman is cast as Ben Wiley, the father of Billy's newest girlfriend, Sue Wiley (Barbara Parkins). Sheriff Garrett recognizes Wiley as an informant who stopped Garrett from escaping from a Confederate prison during the American Civil War. Nancy Davis Reagan appears in this episode as Ben's wife, Sarah. ||||||
| 43 | 6 | "An Item for Auction" | Sidney Landfield | Arthur Browne Jr. | October 14, 1961 (1961-10-14) |
| 44 | 7 | "The Judas Palm" | Sidney Lanfield | David Lang | October 21, 1961 (1961-10-21) |
| 45 | 8 | "The Woman" | Ted Post | Arthur Browne, Jr. | October 28, 1961 (1961-10-28) |
| 46 | 9 | "Trial by Hanging" | Sidney Lanfield | Arthur Browne, Jr. | November 4, 1961 (1961-11-04) |
| 47 | 10 | "The Leopard's Spots" | Richard Donner | Tom Seller | November 11, 1961 (1961-11-11) |
| 48 | 11 | "Petticoat Crusade" | Richard Donner | Frank Price | November 18, 1961 (1961-11-18) |
| 49 | 12 | "Time of Foreshadowing" | R.G. Springsteen | Robert E. Thompson | November 25, 1961 (1961-11-25) |
| 50 | 13 | "Fool's Play" | Lesley Selander | David Lang | December 2, 1961 (1961-12-02) |
| 51 | 14 | "The Legend of Billy" | Tay Garnett | Shimon Wincelberg | December 9, 1961 (1961-12-09) |
| 52 | 15 | "A Tombstone for Billy" | Sidney Landfield | Thomas Thompson | December 16, 1961 (1961-12-16) |
| 53 | 16 | "Sidekick" | Ted Post | Les Crutchfield | December 23, 1961 (1961-12-23) |
| 54 | 17 | "Apache Daughter" | Tay Garnett | Richard Fielder | December 30, 1961 (1961-12-30) |
| J. Pat O'Malley portrays Sam Bartlett, whose daughter, Sally (Sherry Jackson), is released from Apache captivity after nine years. However, Sally wants to return to her husband, Talano, (Anthony Hall, aka Sal Ponti) a Chiricahua warrior. ||||||
| 55 | 18 | "Substitute Sheriff" | Lesley Selander | Frank Price | January 6, 1962 (1962-01-06) |
| The McBeam daughters enlist their father as an acting sheriff in a scheme to thwart the seizure of their property for right-of-way by the railroad. Bob Hastings appears in this episode as J. S. Chase. ||||||
| 56 | 19 | "The Girl from Paradise" | Edward Montagne | Richard Fielder | January 13, 1962 (1962-01-13) |
| Billy is framed for murder by his old nemesis, Rafe Tollinger (Kelly Thordsen), the sheriff of a neighboring county. He is sent to the gallows along with Anne Drake (Pippa Scott), a pretty young woman who is also framed for murder. The two are handcuffed together but manage to escape and then must flee from an approaching posse. ||||||
| 57 | 20 | "St. Louis Woman" | Sidney Lanfield | Arthur Browne, Jr. | January 20, 1962 (1962-01-20) |
| Jan Clayton, formerly of CBS's Lassie, portrays Janet Harper, a widow engaged to marry Tom Davis (Russ Conway), a longtime friend of Sheriff Garrett. While Tom is away from Lincoln on a cattle drive, Janet begins to show a romantic interest in Garrett. Roger Mobley appears in this episode as David Harper, Janet's young son. ||||||
| 58 | 21 | "The Hunt" | Lesley Selander | Paul King | January 27, 1962 (1962-01-27) |
| A wealthy young man, Edward Van Doren (Richard Ney) hires Billy to guide him into the wilderness to kill a mountain lion. However, Van Doren's real target is Billy himself. This episode presents details about the Colt Model 1877 .41 caliber, the gun used by Billy the Kid. ||||||
| 59 | 22 | "The Impatient Brides" | Edward Montagne | Frank Price | February 3, 1962 (1962-02-03) |
| 60 | 23 | "Rio Doloroso" | Sydney Pollack | Joe Stone Paul King | February 10, 1962 (1962-02-10) |
| 61 | 24 | "A Day to Kill" | Frank McDonald | Paul King | February 17, 1962 (1962-02-17) |
| 62 | 25 | "Property of the Crown" | Frank McDonald | Tom Seller | February 24, 1962 (1962-02-24) |
| 63 | 26 | "Night of the Hawk" | Tay Garnett | Richard Fielder | March 3, 1962 (1962-03-03) |
| 64 | 27 | "Three for All" | Tay Garnett | Arthur Browne, Jr. | March 10, 1962 (1962-03-10) |
| Irene Tedrow portrays the fiery Maw Killgore, who breaks her sons out of the Lincoln jail, where they are being held for having vandalized a saloon. The Killgores then place Garrett in his own cell while they go on a crime spree. George Kennedy plays Hyram Killgore. ||||||
| 65 | 28 | "Quarantine" | Sidney Lanfield | Samuel A. Peeples | March 17, 1962 (1962-03-17) |
| 66 | 29 | "The Four Queens" | Sidney Lanfield | Tom Seller | March 24, 1962 (1962-03-24) |
| 67 | 30 | "The Long Way Home" | Tay Garnett | D.D. Beauchamp | March 31, 1962 (1962-03-31) |
| 68 | 31 | "A Time to Run" | Tay Garnett | Paul King | April 7, 1962 (1962-04-07) |
| 69 | 32 | "Trial by Fury" | Edward Montagne | Paul King | April 14, 1962 (1962-04-14) |
| Billy receives a letter from a prospector, Johnny Red (Fuzzy Knight), informing him of the potential discovery of a lost Spanish mine near San Miguel, a ghost town, in southern New Mexico. James Griffith is cast in this episode as James Cutter and Robert Emhardt as Judge Oliver Cromwell. ||||||
| 70 | 33 | "The Frame" | Edward Montagne | Margaret Armen | April 21, 1962 (1962-04-21) |
| Harry Townes is cast as Henry Stewart, diagnosed with a fatal illness and jealous of his wife's former association with Sheriff Garrett. While mentally unbalanced from his illness, Stewart plots his own suicide and plans to frame his wife, Isobel (Lori March), for murder. ||||||
| 71 | 34 | "The Runaway Groom" | Edward Montagne | Frank Price | April 28, 1962 (1962-04-28) |
| The Tugwell Brothers seek the husband of their sister, Sally (Roberta Shore), who deserted his wife right after the marriage a year earlier. They believe Billy the Kid is the missing husband and father of Sally's baby, rather than Charlie Fox (Gary Vinson). ||||||
| 72 | 35 | "The Black Robe" | R.G. Springsteen | Cyril Hume | May 5, 1962 (1962-05-05) |
| Robert Burton plays Governor Wallace. After the fall of Emperor Maximilian, a French foreign agent is supplying arms to the Mescalero Apaches in a murky plot to reoccupy Mexico. Chief Yowlachie is cast as "The Great Chief"; Slim Pickens as Starr, and Martin Landau as Father Gueschim, a Roman Catholic priest. ||||||
| 73 | 36 | "The Woman in Black" | Edward Montagne | Richard Fielder | May 12, 1962 (1962-05-12) |
| 74 | 37 | "Doctor on Horseback" | Edward Montagne | Frank Price | May 19, 1962 (1962-05-19) |
| Dr. Wade Parsons (Ed Nelson), who has assumed the practice of a beloved doctor who retired, must attempt to save the life of a young pregnant woman after she attempts suicide when her husband deserts her. ||||||
| 75 | 38 | "Phoebe" | Sydney Pollack | David Lang | May 26, 1962 (1962-05-26) |
| George Macready portrays Cyrus Canfield, a vengeful father searching for his runaway teenaged daughter, played by Floy Dean. When Canfield sees Billy with a necklace owned by Phoebe, he suspects that the young gunfighter may have killed his daughter. Billy, however, explains that Phoebe gave him the necklace as a gift after he rescued her in a rockslide. ||||||

## Release

On October 30, 2007, Timeless Media Group released fifteen episodes of the series on a Region 1 three-DVD set in the United States. On December 6, 2011, Timeless Media Group released The Tall Man- The Complete TV Series on DVD in Region 1.