The Range Rider
The Range Rider is an American Western television series that was first broadcast in syndication from 1951 to 1953. A single lost episode surfaced and was broadcast in 1959. "The Range Rider" was also broadcast on British television during the 1960s, and in Melbourne, Australia, during the 1950s. Synopsis. Jock Mahoney, later star of CBS's "Yancy Derringer", played the title character in 79 black-and-white half-hour episodes, along with partner Dick West, played by Dick Jones, later star of the syndicated series "Buffalo Bill, Jr." The character had no name other than Range Rider . His reputation for fairness, fighting ability, and accuracy with his guns was known far and wide, even by Indians. Mahoney towered over Jones, conveying the idea that Dick West was a youth rather than a full-grown adult. Stanley Andrews, the first host of the syndicated anthology series, "Death Valley Days", appeared in 17 episodes of "The Range Rider" in different roles, including "Pack Rat" and "Marked for Death" in 1951 and "Marshal from Madero" in 1953. Gregg Barton similarly guest-starred in 16 episodes. Harry Lauter, later a co-star with Willard Parker on CBS's "Tales of the  Texas Rangers", appeared 11 times, including the episodes "Ten Thousand Reward" and "Dim Trails" (both in 1951), "Ambush in Coyote Canyon" (1952), and "Convict at Large" and "Marshal from Madero" (both in 1953). William Fawcett, prior to NBC's "Fury", guest-starred in 9 episodes, including in "Diablo Posse", as Matt Ryan in "Last of the Pony Express", "Dim Trails" (all 1951), and "Shotgun Stage" (1952). The show was a production of Gene Autry's Flying A Productions, and Autry himself was the executive producer. The theme tune was "Home on the Range", though in later episodes, this was played  at a fast tempo without the song. The two main characters were the only consistent ones. Five or six names of other actors were given at the end of each episode, but not the parts they played. DVD release. In 2006, Timeless Media Group released a licensed two-DVD (Region 1), 10-episode best-of collection. Subsequently, a second licensed set was released, this time consisting of 20 episodes on six DVDs. Between 2005 and 2007, Alpha Home Entertainment released five unlicensed best-of DVDs (region 0), with four episodes on each. Though the series is not actually in the  public domain, various episodes also appear in numerous unlicensed budget TV Western DVD collections. Cultural references. In "The A-Team" episode "When you Comin' Back, Range Rider?" (season two, episodes five and six), Murdock is seen watching an episode of "The Range Rider" in his room at the psychiatric hospital. He adopts the persona of the Range Rider as the team pursues wild mustang rustlers, and is frequently seen wearing a mask of the Range Rider he cut from a cereal box.