Tales of the Texas Rangers

1

Seasons & Episodes

8.3| 0h30m| en| More Info
Released: 01 January 0001 Ended
Producted By:
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

Tales of the Texas Rangers is a western old-time radio drama, which aired on NBC from July 8, 1950 to September 14, 1952, and thereafter a 52-episode CBS television series broadcast on Saturday mornings from 1955 to 1958. Film star Joel McCrea voiced the radio version as the fictitious Texas Ranger Jayce Pearson, who uses the latest scientific techniques to identify criminals. His faithful horse, Charcoal, helps Pearson to track down the culprits. The radio shows, some of which are available on the Internet, are reenactments of actual Texas Ranger cases. The television version was produced and also directed for several episodes by Stacy Keach, Sr. It was sponsored for part of its run by Wheaties cereal. Captain Manuel T. "Lone Wolf" Gonzaullas, who was said to have killed thirty-one men during his 30-year career as a Texas Ranger, was the consultant for the television series, filmed by Screen Gems. On radio, Joel McCrea's Pearson often worked by request with a local sheriff's office or police department, but in the television version, Willard Parker assumed the role of Jace Pearson and had a regular partner, Ranger Clay Morgan, who had been an occasional character on the radio show. Morgan was portrayed in the television version by Harry Lauter. William Boyett appeared five times on the television series, including the role of Wade Crowell in the 1955 premiere episode, "Ransom Flight."

... View More
Stream Online

The movie is currently not available onine

Cast

Director

Producted By

AD
AD

Watch Free for 30 Days

All Prime Video Movies and TV Shows. Cancel anytime. Watch Now

Trailers & Images

  • Top Credited Cast
  • |
  • Crew

Reviews

GurlyIamBeach Instant Favorite.
InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.
Roy Hart If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.
Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.
sluzhe The technical adviser for the show was not Capt. Clint Peoples, but Capt. Lone Wolf Gonzales. It was based on real cases of the Texas Rangers as its predecessor Radio show. It's theme song had two choruses, the first was: He's the stalwart man of Texas, Jayce Pearson is his name. His partner Clay is right beside him, each day has proved their fame. All Texas Rangers sworn to duty, Their work is never through. They'll fight and fight for right and justice to enforce the law for you.The second played at the ending was: These are tales of Texas Rangers, a band of study men. Always on the side of justice, They'll fight and fight again. All Texas Rangers sworn to duty Courageous, brave and True. Ever marching ever ready to enforce the law for you.The uniforms they wore in both the "early days" and the "Modern day" episodes were never worn by actual Texas Rangers. In fact there was never any such uniform for the Rangers. My grandfather was one of the modern day and my great-great grandfather was a Captain of the Texas Troupe which was early day rangers. The badges worn on the series bore no resemblance to any ranger badge ever used. When the show was on it was a Gold DPS gold shield that was worn by rangers, the now famous circle star or wheel star came well after the show was out of production and barely at the end of my Grandfather's career.It was embellished with a whole lot more shooting and chases than ever actually took place in cases, but it did introduce the fact that the Rangers were one of the first modern policing agencies to utilize forensic evidence to solve cases.
John T. Ryan This is one series that was definitely "must see TV" in our house, although it did not appear on NBC. We see that, as remembered, it was over the "Tiffany Network", CBS that we first viewed TALES OF THE Texas RANGERS (Screen Gems Television, 1955-59).The series boasted of the commanding presence of Jace Pearson (Willard Parker) and Clay Morgan (Harry Lauter). (No, Schultz; it's not Sir Harry Lauder, the Scottish Born British Music Hall Comedian!) The pair were inseparable as they traversed time and space in patrolling the vast Texas terrain, rendering it peaceful for the law-abiding. "Time" and "Space", what does that mean?The special feature of TALES OF THE Texas RANGERS was that it featured stories on the wanted, the cold-blooded killers and any and all manner of wrong doers in any era in the History of the Lone Star State. That is, these two main characters would be depicted one week going after "Black Bart" or some such desperado of the Old West; only the very next week driving their truck with horse trailer in tow, working on some present day pattern of Bank Robberies. That was the series' gimmick, and a good one at that. We never questioned it; just accepted it as a unique dramatic device. The series was aimed at juveniles; hence it was slotted on Saturday Mornings, somewhere between THE MIGHTY MOUSE PLAYHOUSE and a local RECORD HOP-type Teenagers' Show. We all knew it was something special to be displacing any animated antics.There are certain details of the show that were most memorable to us and our impressionable little kids minds, that they persist, right up to the present moment.* Take for example, the theme song used at the opening and closing. The words (most of 'em, anyway!), the tune and the manner in which it was delivered seem as vivid now as ever, even though we're talking over 50 years now!It would start with a quiet street in a "typical Western town." Ranger Jace Pearson (Mr. Willard Parker) looking very serious, was seen in close-up. The sounding of one single trumpet resonates the chords of the first line of the theme song all around the town. The music begins to pick up intensity, volume and speed as one by one, then in twos more and more Texas Rangers join in with Jace and Clay Morgan (Mr. Harry Lauter) in a highly energetic and even symbolic march down this main street. The theme song/march, while being done to the tune as "The Eyes of Texas" and/or "I've been working on the Railroad, had a set of original lyrics designed for the show. In part they wenta soma thinga lika thisa:"Here's A Stalwart Man of Texas, Jace Pearson is his name' His Partner Clay is right beside him, Blank,blank blank, blank, blank, blank!…..(And it finishes up something lika,) "They'll fight for Right, for Right and Justice, To Enforce the Law for You!" It is only in recent years that we found out that there had been a TALES OF THE Texas RANGERS Radio Show on the NBC Radio Network from 1950-52. It starred Mr. Joel McCrae as lone-wolf type Jace Pearson, having no partner on the Radio version.Like so many television shows of its day, TALES OF Texas RANGERS provided a clue to the young folks about right living, fair play,cultivating a law abiding attitude and behaviour pattern. All this was done in a suggestive, soft sell manner. Even the last line of its Theme/Signature song planted a small seed that could reap big results. Remember: "They'll fight for Right, for Right and Justice, to Enforce the Law for You!"'Nuff said!
LRachiele1 If anyone has the following episodes I would like to hear from you. Double Edge, Buckaroo from Powder River, Last Days of Boot Hill, Bandits of El Dorado, Panhandle, Key Witness, Quarter Horse, Whirlwind Raiders, Both Barrels Blazing, Traitor's Gold, Warpath, Midway Kewpie, Fifth Plague, Ambush. I have the remaining stories. Willard Parker was a good actor who played on Broadway and various B westerns in the fifties. I suspect his obvious resemblance to Randolph Scott hurt him. The show had three excellent supporting players. Moonlighting from his role as the Old Ranger on Death Valley Days, Stanley Andrews was in the Shooting of Sam Bass, The Hobo, Shorty Sees the Light, and The Black Eyes of Texas. Morris Ankram played Colonel Bryson in Trail Herd. Ken Christy was Windy Norton in Singing on the Trail.
John (opsbooks) Harry Lauter used to turn up in so many shows during the 1950s and 1960s that my dad and I used to keep track of them so we could catch repeats. Yes, Harry was that good; an actor who came across as someone who could carry off any character with aplomb.This series had probably the best theme outside of 'The Adventures of Superman'. Though I've not seen 'Texas Rangers' for decades, I can replay that theme, words and picture, in my mind without any trouble at all. A series I'd love to find one day on DVD.

Similar Movies to Tales of the Texas Rangers