# Colt .45 (TV series)

Colt .45 (also known as The Colt Cousins) is an American Western television series, originally starring Wayde Preston, which aired on ABC between October 1957 and September 1960.
The half-hour program is loosely based on the 1950 Warner Bros. film of the same name, starring Randolph Scott. Colt .45 was part of an array of Westerns that William T. Orr produced for Warner Bros. and ABC in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

## Overview

Roy Huggins developed the series with Wayde Preston in the part of undercover government agent Christopher Colt, who takes the cover of a traveling Old West pistol salesman, hence the title of the series. Colt .45 also featured fictionalizations of actual historical characters, including Edwin Booth (brother of John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln), Sam Bass, Billy the Kid, Lew Wallace, Judge Roy Bean, Buffalo Bill Cody, Ned Buntline, and Calamity Jane.
During this period, Colt .45 was one of several ABC/WB Western productions, along with Cheyenne, Sugarfoot, Lawman, Maverick, and Bronco. Various series leads occasionally did crossover episodes on some of the other WB programs. One of the most imaginative was the "Hadley's Hunters" episode of Maverick, in which Bart Maverick (Jack Kelly) comes upon Christopher Colt's sales satchel, abandoned in a room and covered with dust, as the series had been cancelled the previous season.
In 1958, series star Wayde Preston left the series because he claimed he was made to do stunts that required a stunt man. Preston was also reportedly unhappy with the show's low budget, which caused other problems. Because of Preston's departure, producers were forced to air repeats of the series along with a few new episodes to complete the 1958–1959 season.
In 1959, Donald May assumed the lead role as Sam Colt, Jr., the cousin of Christopher Colt. After leaving the series, Warner Bros. prevented Preston from obtaining other acting jobs. He eventually returned briefly to the series, but was demoted to a co-starring role with May. Due to the casting changes, the series was eventually marketed in the United Kingdom as The Colt Cousins.

## Series overview

| Season | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released | Originally released |
| Season | Episodes | Episodes | First released | Last released |
| 1 | 26 | 26 | October 18, 1957 (1957-10-18) | April 11, 1958 (1958-04-11) |
| 2 | 13 | 13 | April 5, 1959 (1959-04-05) | June 28, 1959 (1959-06-28) |
| 3 | 28 | 28 | October 4, 1959 (1959-10-04) | June 21, 1960 (1960-06-21) |

## Episodes
### Season 1: 1957–1958

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 1 | 1 | "Judgment Day" "The Peacemaker" | Douglas Heyes | S : Roy Huggins; T : Marion Hargrove | October 18, 1957 (1957-10-18) |
| 2 | 2 | "A Time to Die" | Douglas Heyes | Leo Gordon | October 25, 1957 (1957-10-25) |
| 3 | 3 | "The Three Thousand Dollar Bullet" | Franklin Adreon | Eric Freiwald, Robert Schaefer | November 1, 1957 (1957-11-01) |
| 4 | 4 | "Gallows at Granite Gap" | Franklin Adreon | S : Joseph Chadwick; T : William F. Leicester | November 8, 1957 (1957-11-08) |
| 5 | 5 | "Small Man" | Edward Bernds | Frederick Brady | November 15, 1957 (1957-11-15) |
| 6 | 6 | "Final Payment" | Franklin Adreon | Wells Root | November 22, 1957 (1957-11-22) |
| 7 | 7 | "One Good Turn" | Edward Bernds | John McGreevey | November 29, 1957 (1957-11-29) |
| 8 | 8 | "Last Chance" | Edward Bernds | S : Harold Shumate; T : Gil Doud | December 6, 1957 (1957-12-06) |
| 9 | 9 | "Young Gun" | Walter Grauman | T : Daniel B. Ullman; S/T : William Driskill, Joel Rapp | December 13, 1957 (1957-12-13) |
| 10 | 10 | "Rebellion" | Walter Grauman | S : Anthony Coldeway; T : James Gunn | December 20, 1957 (1957-12-20) |
| 11 | 11 | "The Gypsies" | Alan Crosland Jr. | S : Wesley Haynes; T : Frederick Brady | December 27, 1957 (1957-12-27) |
| 12 | 12 | "Sign in the Sand" | Alan Crosland Jr. | Frederick Brady | January 3, 1958 (1958-01-03) |
| 13 | 13 | "The Mirage" | Montgomery Pittman | Montgomery Pittman | January 10, 1958 (1958-01-10) |
| 14 | 14 | "Blood Money" | Abner Biberman | David Lang | January 17, 1958 (1958-01-17) |
| 15 | 15 | "Dead Reckoning" | Abner Biberman | Jack Harvey | January 24, 1958 (1958-01-24) |
| 16 | 16 | "Decoy" | Leslie H. Martinson | S : Albert Aley, William MacLeod Raine; T : James Edmiston | January 31, 1958 (1958-01-31) |
| 17 | 17 | "Rare Specimen" | Leslie H. Martinson | Gene Levitt, Eugene Manlove Rhodes | February 7, 1958 (1958-02-07) |
| 18 | 18 | "Mantrap" | Unknown | Montgomery Pittman | February 14, 1958 (1958-02-14) |
| 19 | 19 | "Ghost Town" | Lee Sholem | S : Nelson Nye; T : James Gunn | February 21, 1958 (1958-02-21) |
| 20 | 20 | "The Golden Gun" | Richard L. Bare | Frederick Brady | February 28, 1958 (1958-02-28) |
| 21 | 21 | "Circle of Fear" | Leslie H. Martinson | S : Ben Markson; T : Howard Browne | March 7, 1958 (1958-03-07) |
| 22 | 22 | "Split Second" | Leslie H. Martinson | S : Orville H. Hampton; T : William F. Leicester | March 14, 1958 (1958-03-14) |
| 23 | 23 | "Point of Honor" "Woman on the Stagecoach" | William J. Hole Jr. | Steve Fisher | March 21, 1958 (1958-03-21) |
| 24 | 24 | "The Deserters" | Leslie H. Martinson | S : Norman Daniels; T : Tony Barrett, Frederick Brady | March 28, 1958 (1958-03-28) |
| 25 | 25 | "The Manbuster" | Oliver Drake | S : Richard Wormser; T : Oliver Drake | April 4, 1958 (1958-04-04) |
| 26 | 26 | "Long Odds" | Franklin Adreon | S : Joseph Hoffman; T : David Lang | April 11, 1958 (1958-04-11) |

### Season 2: 1959

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 27 | 1 | "The Escape" | Lee Sholem | T : Irwin Winehouse, A. Sanford Wolfe | April 5, 1959 (1959-04-05) |
| 28 | 2 | "Dead Aim" | Lee Sholem | S : Sid Harris; T : Wells Root | April 12, 1959 (1959-04-12) |
| 29 | 3 | "The Magic Box" | George Waggner | Irwin Winehouse, A. Sanford Wolfe | April 19, 1959 (1959-04-19) |
| 30 | 4 | "The Confession" | Harold Daniels | Dwight V. Babcock | April 26, 1959 (1959-04-26) |
| 31 | 5 | "The Man Who Loved Lincoln" | Arthur Ripley | S : James Barnett, Jack Emanuel; T : Leonard Lee | May 3, 1959 (1959-05-03) |
| 32 | 6 | "The Sanctuary" | Jodie Copelan | S : Jack Emanuel; T : Frank Gruber, Dean Riesner | May 10, 1959 (1959-05-10) |
| 33 | 7 | "The Saga of Sam Bass" | William J. Hole Jr. | T : Irwin Winehouse, A. Sanford Wolfe | May 17, 1959 (1959-05-17) |
| 34 | 8 | "Amnesty" | William J. Hole Jr. | S : James Barnett, Jack Emanuel; T : Irwin Winehouse, A. Sanford Wolfe | May 24, 1959 (1959-05-24) |
| 35 | 9 | "The Pirate" | Montgomery Pittman | S : Day Keene; T : Finlay McDermid | May 31, 1959 (1959-05-31) |
| 36 | 10 | "Law West of the Pecos" | Alan Crosland Jr. | John Tucker Battle | June 7, 1959 (1959-06-07) |
| 37 | 11 | "Don't Tell Joe" | Unknown | S : Peter Dixon; T : Maurice Zimm | June 14, 1959 (1959-06-14) |
| 38 | 12 | "Return to El Paso" | Lee Sholem | T : Irwin Winehouse, A. Sanford Wolfe | June 21, 1959 (1959-06-21) |
| 39 | 13 | "Night of Decision" | Leslie H. Martinson | Irwin Winehouse, A. Sanford Wolfe | June 28, 1959 (1959-06-28) |

### Season 3: 1959–1960

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 40 | 1 | "Queen of Dixie" | Herbert L. Strock | Irwin Winehouse, A. Sanford Wolfe | October 4, 1959 (1959-10-04) |
| 41 | 2 | "The Reckoning" | Unknown | Carl Onspaugh | October 11, 1959 (1959-10-11) |
| 42 | 3 | "The Devil's Godson" | Herbert L. Strock | S : James Barnett, Jack Emanuel; T : Malcolm Stuart Boylan | October 18, 1959 (1959-10-18) |
| 43 | 4 | "The Rival Gun" | Unknown | S : Mack David; T : Malcolm Stuart Boylan | October 25, 1959 (1959-10-25) |
| 44 | 5 | "The Hothead" | Paul Guilfoyle | S : Mack David; T : Milton Raison, Dean Riesner | November 1, 1959 (1959-11-01) |
| 45 | 6 | "A Legend of Buffalo Bill" | Emory Horger | S : James Barnett, Jack Emanuel; T : William Driskill | November 8, 1959 (1959-11-08) |
| 46 | 7 | "Yellow Terror" | Herbert L. Strock | Irwin Winehouse, A. Sanford Wolfe | November 15, 1959 (1959-11-15) |
| 47 | 8 | "Tar and Feathers" | Emory Horger | Irwin Winehouse, A. Sanford Wolfe | November 22, 1959 (1959-11-22) |
| 48 | 9 | "Alias Mr. Howard" | Herbert L. Strock | T : A. Sanford Wolfe | December 6, 1959 (1959-12-06) |
| 49 | 10 | "Calamity" | Paul Guilfoyle | Dwight Newton | December 13, 1959 (1959-12-13) |
| 50 | 11 | "Under False Pretenses" | Roy Del Ruth | S : Elmer Kelton; T : Dwight Newton | January 10, 1960 (1960-01-10) |
| 51 | 12 | "Impasse" | Paul Landres | Lee Loeb, Rudy Makoul | January 31, 1960 (1960-01-31) |
| 52 | 13 | "Arizona Anderson" | George Waggner | Mack David, Lee Loeb | February 14, 1960 (1960-02-14) |
| 53 | 14 | "The Cause" | H. Bruce Humberstone | Irwin Winehouse, A. Sanford Wolfe | February 28, 1960 (1960-02-28) |
| 54 | 15 | "Phantom Trail" | Lew Landers | S : James Barnett, Mack David; T : Nat Tanchuck | March 13, 1960 (1960-03-13) |
| 55 | 16 | "Breakthrough" | Unknown | Kenneth Gamet | March 27, 1960 (1960-03-27) |
| 56 | 17 | "Chain of Command" | Lew Landers | S : Roy Huggins; T : Howard Browne, Dean Riesner | April 5, 1960 (1960-04-05) |
| 57 | 18 | "Alibi" | Lew Landers | S : Edmund Morris; T : W. Hermanos | April 12, 1960 (1960-04-12) |
| 58 | 19 | "Absent Without Leave" | Unknown | S : Hugh Benson; T : William F. Leicester | April 19, 1960 (1960-04-19) |
| 59 | 20 | "Strange Encounter" | Herbert L. Strock | S : Irving Rubine; T : W. Hermanos, William F. Leicester | April 26, 1960 (1960-04-26) |
| 60 | 21 | "Trial by Rope" | Herbert L. Strock | W. Hermanos, William F. Leicester | May 3, 1960 (1960-05-03) |
| 61 | 22 | "The Gandy Dancers" | Unknown | T : David Lang, Edmund Morris | May 10, 1960 (1960-05-10) |
| 62 | 23 | "Martial Law" | William J. Hole Jr. | T : W. Hermanos, Clair Huffaker | May 17, 1960 (1960-05-17) |
| 63 | 24 | "Attack" | William J. Hole Jr. | T : W. Hermanos, Dean Riesner | May 24, 1960 (1960-05-24) |
| 64 | 25 | "Bounty List" | Lee Sholem | T : W. Hermanos, Finlay McDermid | May 31, 1960 (1960-05-31) |
| 65 | 26 | "Appointment in Agoura" | Lee Sholem | T : W. Hermanos, Edmund Morris; S/T : William F. Leicester | June 7, 1960 (1960-06-07) |
| 66 | 27 | "Showdown at Goldtown" | Lee Sholem | S : Kenneth Perkins; T : W. Hermanos, William F. Leicester | June 14, 1960 (1960-06-14) |
| 67 | 28 | "The Trespasser" | Lee Sholem | T : Clair Huffaker | June 21, 1960 (1960-06-21) |

## Reception and cancellation

Upon its debut in October 1957, Colt .45 was a respectable ratings draw for ABC. It helped ABC win its timeslot against NBC and CBS.
By season two, however, behind the scenes problems caused a dip in viewership. After series star Wayde Preston left the series due to his dissatisfaction with working conditions, producers were forced to repeat episodes to fill out the second season. There were also problems with the show's sponsorship which changed repeatedly. According to author Alvin H. Marill, the choice to cast Donald May in the lead role after Preston's departure was not explained in the storyline. Wayde Preston eventually returned to the series but by then, ratings had dropped off and ABC canceled the series in 1960. The final episode aired on 27 September 1960.

## Production notes
### Theme song

The Colt .45 opening theme music was composed by Hal Hopper with lyrics by Douglas Heyes.

### Merchandising

The TV show was adapted into a comic strip by Dan Spiegle, distributed by Dell Comics.

## Release notes

In January 2024, the Warner Archive announced that the complete series would be released in a Blu-ray set on March 12, 2024. It was released on March 12, 2024.