Finding Aid for the Collection of Scripts for Death Valley Days, 1960-1969

Processed by UCLA Library Special Collections staff; machine-readable finding aid created by Julie Graham and Caroline Cubé.
UCLA Library Special Collections
Room A1713, Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575
Email: spec-coll@library.ucla.edu
URL: http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/special/scweb/
© 2008
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.


Descriptive Summary

Title: Collection of Scripts for Death Valley Days,
Date (inclusive): 1960-1969
Collection number: 250
Extent: 6 boxes (3 linear ft.)
Abstract: Death Valley Days was one of a few western anthology series as well as the longest-running series on television (1952-1970 and 1975). The collection consists of scripts for 130-plus episodes, spanning 1960-1969.
Language: Finding aid is written in English.
Repository: University of California, Los Angeles. Library Special Collections.
Los Angeles, California 90095-1575
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library, UCLA Library Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.

Administrative Information

Restrictions on Access

COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Library, UCLA Library Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.

Restrictions on Use and Reproduction

Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library, UCLA Library Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Collection of Scripts for Death Valley Days (PASC Collection number 250). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.

Biography

Death Valley Days was one of a few western anthology series as well as the longest-running series on television (1952-1970 and 1975). It started on radio in the 1930s and was created by Ruth Woodman, a New York advertising script writer, as a way to promote the products of sponsor 20 Mule Team Borax. Woodman wrote scripts for the program from its inception and into the transition to television. The only regular character on the series was the host, named The Old Ranger, who introduced each episode.
In the 1950s, when the show made the transition to television, Stanley Andrews took the role of the Old Ranger, a position he held through the early 1960s. Other hosts that followed over the years included Ronald Reagan and Robert Taylor, who both also acted in some of the episodes, Dale Robertson, and country singer Merle Haggard. Many of the nearly 600 episodes were filmed on location in Death Valley, CA and were based on factual western events and western legends. The story lines were often human-interest tales that ranged from serious drama to comedy. There were a number of well-known actors and actresses who appeared on program, among them Angie Dickinson, James Coburn, Clint Eastwood, Fess Parker, June Lockhart, Tom Skerritt and James Caan.
Re-runs of the program have appeared under other titles, featuring various hosts, including Call of the West (hosted by John Payne), Frontier Adventure (hosted by Dale Robertson), The Pioneers (hosted by Will Rogers, Jr.), Trails West (hosted by Ray Milland), and Western Star Theatre (hosted by Rory Calhoun).

Scope and Content

The collection consists of scripts for the television series, Death Valley Days. Included are scripts for 130-plus episodes from the series, spanning 1960-1969. Among the scripts are writings by Stephen Lord, Harold E. Noble, Willard Davis, Jr., and Herb Purdum among many others. Additionally there are story synopses for several of the episodes in the collection and list of color episodes.

Organization and Arrangement

The scripts are arranged alphabetically by script title.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects

Death Valley Days (Television program)
Television production and direction -- Archival resources.

Genres and Forms of Material

television scripts


Box 1, Folder 1

Color episode list no date

Box 1, Folder 2

Story synopsis (folder 1 of 2) 688-773 no date

Box 1, Folder 3

Story synopsis (folder 2 of 2) 774-684 no date

Box 3, Folder 23

$25,000 Wager (The) 7/9/1964

Additional Note

Written by: Lewis, Jerry D.
Box 3, Folder 10

After the O.K. Corral 10/4/1963

Additional Note

Written by: Nibley, Sloan
Box 5, Folder 3

Along Came Mariana 10/18/1966

Additional Note

Written by: Lewis, Jerry D.
Box 6, Folder 21

Amos and the Black Bull 8/22/1969

Additional Note

Written by: Reeves, Art
Box 5, Folder 17

Angel of Tombstone (The) 10/8/1968

Additional Note

Written by: Davis, Charles
Box 3, Folder 18

Big John and the Rainmaker 7/9/1964

Additional Note

Written by: Miller, Herman
Box 6, Folder 23

Biggest Little Post Office in the World 9/4/1969

Additional Note

Written by: De Foe, Jim
Box 4, Folder 5

Birthright 11/13/1964

Additional Note

Written by: Lord, Stephen
Box 6, Folder 15

Biscuits and Billy The Kid 6/16/1969

Additional Note

Written by: Canning, William P.
Box 3, Folder 5

Book of Spanish Grammar (A) 7/31/1963

Additional Note

Written by: Saltzman, Sid
Box 5, Folder 6

Bread on the Desert 6/2/1967

Additional Note

Written by: Andrews, Robert Hardy
Box 5, Folder 12

Britta Goes Home 8/30/1967

Additional Note

Written by: Wallengren, Orma
Box 4, Folder 16

Brute Angel 5/25/1966

Additional Note

Written by: Whitaker, Scott
Box 4, Folder 10

Captain Dick Mine (The) 7/15/1965

Additional Note

Written by: Garfinkle, Louis
Box 6, Folder 22

Contract (The) 8/20/1969

Additional Note

Written by: Canning, William P.
Box 5, Folder 8

Count Me In--Count Me Out! 6/16/1967

Additional Note

Written by: McClun, Rick
Box 1, Folder 18

Dangerous Crossing 9/20/1960

Additional Note

Written by: Johnson, Ryerson
Box 2, Folder 13

Davy's Friend 8/14/1962

Additional Note

Written by: Gerlach, Virgil
Box 5, Folder 1

Day All Marriages Were Cancelled (The) 7/15/1966

Additional Note

Written by: Higgins, Kenneth
Box 1, Folder 14

Deadline at Austin 8/11/1960

Additional Note

Written by: Buffum, Ray
Box 3, Folder 17

Death in the Desert 1/15/1965

Additional Note

Written by: Miller, Herman
Box 2, Folder 16

Death Valley Days TV Series 5/23/1963

Additional Note

Written by: Wolf, A. Sanford
Box 4, Folder 8

Devil's Gate 7/7/1965

Additional Note

Written by: Noble, Harold E.
Box 2, Folder 17

Diamond Field Jack 6/10/1963

Additional Note

Written by: Noble, Harold E.
Box 4, Folder 20

Doc Holiday's Gold Bars 8/15/1966

Additional Note

Written by: Barrington, Lowell
Box 6, Folder 8

Drop Out 9/24/1968

Additional Note

Written by: Sandborgh, Bert A.
Box 4, Folder 15

Dry Water Sailors 9/8/1965

Additional Note

Written by: Bellum, Robert Leslie
Box 1, Folder 7

Eagle in the Rocks 3/7/1960

Additional Note

Written by: Brodney, Oscar
Box 6, Folder 24

Early Candle Lighten 8/21/1969

Additional Note

Written by: Taylor, Mary Terri
Box 1, Folder 8

Emma is Coming 3/21/1960

Additional Note

Written by: Rhodes, Jacqueline
Box 1, Folder 13

Extra Guns 8/1/1960

Additional Note

Written by: Alexander, John
Box 4, Folder 13

Fastest Nun in the West (The) 7/23/1965

Additional Note

Written by: Lewis, Jerry D.
Box 4, Folder 3

Fighting Sky Pilot (The) 11/24/1964

Additional Note

Written by: Ballard, Todhunter
Box 1, Folder 10

Forbidden Wedding 1/19/1960

Additional Note

Written by: Woodman, Ruth C.
Box 2, Folder 7

Fort Bowie..Urgent 1/19/962

Additional Note

Written by: Butler, John K.
Box 3, Folder 16

From the Earth (A) Heritage 7/9/1964

Additional Note

Written by: Lord, Stephen
Box 6, Folder 6

Full House (A) 9/5/1968

Additional Note

Written by: Whitcomb, Dennis
Box 1, Folder 17

Gamble With Death 8/31/1960

Additional Note

Written by: Schuyler, Dorothy
Box 2, Folder 1

General Without a Cause 11/16/1960

Additional Note

Written by: Samuels, Robert S.
Box 5, Folder 22

Gift (A) 7/22/1968

Additional Note

Written by: Peters, Berta
Box 6, Folder 20

Gift From Father Tapis (A) 8/5/1969

Additional Note

Written by: Canning, William P.
Box 1, Folder 15

Girl Named Virginia (A) 8/18/1960

Additional Note

Written by: Brown, Karl
Box 2, Folder 10

Grass Man (The) 7/11/1962

Additional Note

Written by: Hall, F. Paul
Box 3, Folder 3

Graydon's Charge 7/5/1963

Additional Note

Written by: Alexander, John
Box 6, Folder 12

Great Pinto Bean Gold Hunt (The) 5/29/1969

Additional Note

Written by: Davis Jr., Willard S.
Box 4, Folder 12

Great Turkey War (The) 7/23/1965

Additional Note

Written by: Andrews, Robert Hardy
Box 2, Folder 14

Grotto of Death 9/10/1962

Additional Note

Written by: Lord, Stephen
Box 4, Folder 17

Gypsy (The) 6/13/1966

Additional Note

Written by: Whitcomb, Dennis
Box 4, Folder 22

Halo for a Badman 9/22/1966

Additional Note

Written by: Noble, Harold E.
Box 3, Folder 4

Hastings Cut-Off (The) 7/24/1963

Additional Note

Written by: Lord, Stephen
Box 6, Folder 5

Here Stands Bailey 8/21/1968

Additional Note

Written by: Purdum, Herb
Box 6, Folder 3

How to Bead a Badman 9/26/1968

Additional Note

Written by: Davis Jr., Willard S.
Box 5, Folder 5

Indiana Girl (The) 5/29/1967

Additional Note

Written by: Patch, Jerry
Box 6, Folder 1

Jimmy Dayton's Bonanza 9/3/1968

Additional Note

Written by: Davis, Charles
Box 4, Folder 6

Kate Melville and the Law 2/3/1965

Additional Note

Written by: Noble, Harold E.
Box 6, Folder 7

Key for the Fort (A) 8/30/1968

Additional Note

Written by: Davis Jr., Willard S.
Box 3, Folder 2

Kingdom for a Horse 7/15/1963

Additional Note

Written by: Cramer, Zetta C.
Box 4, Folder 9

Lady of the Plains 7/12/1965

Additional Note

Written by: Lord, Stephen
Box 1, Folder 16

Lady Was an M.D. (The) 8/26/1960

Additional Note

Written by: Enochs, Kenneth
Box 6, Folder 2

Lady With a Past 8/19/1968

Additional Note

Written by: Udell, Ann
Box 3, Folder 13

Last Stagecoach Robbery (The) 11/8/1963

Additional Note

Written by: Lord, Stephen
Box 5, Folder 9

Let My People Go 5/29/1967

Additional Note

Written by: Whitcomb, Dennis
Box 3, Folder 7

Little Cayuse 9/3/1963

Additional Note

Written by: Rose, Lillian
Box 5, Folder 11

Lone Grave (The) 7/13/1967

Additional Note

Written by: Wallengren, Orma
Box 5, Folder 21

Long Night at Fort Lonely 8/19/1968

Additional Note

Written by: Wallengren, Orma
Box 2, Folder 9

Loss of Faith 6/21/1962

Additional Note

Written by: Shipman, Barry
Box 5, Folder 19

Lucia Darling and the Ostrich 7/10/1968

Additional Note

Written by: Noble, Harold E.
Box 3, Folder 19

Lucky Cow (The) 7/28/1964

Additional Note

Written by: Brown, Crandall
Box 4, Folder 4

Magic Locket 11/18/1964

Additional Note

Written by: Lee, Joanna
Box 4, Folder 19

Man Called Abraham (A) 3/24/1967

Additional Note

Written by: Rayburn, Del
Box 1, Folder 6

Man on the Road (The) 2/4/1960

Additional Note

Written by: Hoffman, Herman
Box 5, Folder 2

Man Who Didn't Want Gold (The) 8/2/1966

Additional Note

Written by: Lesser, Gene
Box 2, Folder 18

Man Who Died Twice (The) 6/20/1963

Additional Note

Written by: Hampton, Orville H.
Box 4, Folder 18

Man Who Wouldn't Die (The) 8/17/1966

Additional Note

Written by: Whitaker, Scott
Box 2, Folder 5

Matter of Honor 10/13/1961

Additional Note

Written by: Rose, Lillian
Box 3, Folder 1

Measure of a Man 5/27/1963

Additional Note

Written by: Nibley, Sloan
Box 6, Folder 16

Mezcla Man (The) 7/3/1969

Additional Note

Written by: Purdum, Herb
Box 2, Folder 4

Miracle at Whiskey Gulch 10/11/1961

Additional Note

Written by: Alexander, John
Box 4, Folder 14

Mrs. Romney and the Outlaws 7/27/1965

Additional Note

Written by: Carnes, Del
Box 5, Folder 13

Mule..Like the Army's Mule (A) 6/5/1968

Additional Note

Written by: Lesser, Gene
Box 5, Folder 15

Oldest Law (The) 7/17/1968

Additional Note

Written by: Niendorff, John Starr
Box 3, Folder 11

Other White Man (The) 7/23/1964

Additional Note

Written by: Andrews, Tobert Hardy
Box 3, Folder 21

Paid in Full 7/13/1964

Additional Note

Written by: Lewis, Jerry D.
Box 1, Folder 12

Pamela's Oxen 6/28/1960

Scope and Content

Writer: Robert Sabaroff. Executive Producer: Gene Autry.
Box 3, Folder 12

Paper Dynasty (The) 10/31/1963

Additional Note

Written by: Palmer, P.K.
Box 1, Folder 5

Pete Kitchen's Wedding Night 11/5/1959

Additional Note

Written by: Gerlach, Virgil C.
Box 3, Folder 24

Peter the Hunter 9/8/1964

Additional Note

Written by: Miller, Herman
Box 2, Folder 11

Phantom Procession 7/30/1962

Additional Note

Written by: Shipman, Barry
Box 6, Folder 17

Pioneer Pluck 7/22/1969

Additional Note

Written by: Davis Jr., Willard S.
Box 2, Folder 3

Preacher With a Past 9/12/1961

Additional Note

Written by: Wallace, Charles
Box 3, Folder 9

Quiet and the Fury 9/20/1963

Additional Note

Written by: Lord, Stephen
Box 4, Folder 2

Race at Cherry Creek (The) 9/28/1964

Additional Note

Written by: Carnes, Del
Box 2, Folder 19

Red Ghost of Eagle Creek (The) 5/23/1963

Additional Note

Written by: Crabtree, Paul
Box 2, Folder 20

Red Ghost of Eagle Creek (The) 5/23/1963

Additional Note

Written by: Crabtree, Paul
Box 5, Folder 14

Restless Man (The) 7/8/1968

Additional Note

Written by: White, Phyllis
Box 4, Folder 11

Rider (The) 7/19/1965

Additional Note

Written by: Higgins, Kenneth
Box 5, Folder 7

Saga of Sadie Orchard (The) 6/5/1967

Additional Note

Written by: Andrews, Robert Hardy
Box 6, Folder 18

Saint of Travelers (A) 8/5/1969

Additional Note

Written by: Rooks, Virginia
Box 4, Folder 21

Samaritans--Mountain Style 6/15/1966

Additional Note

Written by: Purdum, Herb
Box 3, Folder 14

See the Elephant and Hear the Owl 1/8/1964

Additional Note

Written by: Andrews, Robert Hardy
Box 5, Folder 10

Shanghai Kelly's Birthday Party 7/5/1967

Additional Note

Written by: Whitcomb, Dennis
Box 5, Folder 16

Shortcut Through Tombstone (A) 8/16/1968

Additional Note

Written by: Noble, Harold E.
Box 5, Folder 4

Silver Tombstone 7/22/1966

Additional Note

Written by: Lord, Stephen
Box 6, Folder 14

Simple Question of Justice (A) 7/1/1969

Additional Note

Written by: Davis Jr., Willard S.
Box 6, Folder 25

Solid Gold Pie (The) 9/3/1969

Additional Note

Written by: Purdum, Herb
Box 6, Folder 4

Solomon's Glory 8/12/1968

Additional Note

Written by: Davis Jr., Willard S.
Box 6, Folder 10

Son of Thunder 5/28/1969

Additional Note

Written by: Lord, Stephen
Box 1, Folder 11

Splinter Station 6/23/1960

Additional Note

Written by: Cram, Mildred
Box 1, Folder 19

Stolen City (The) 10/14/1960

Additional Note

Written by: Joseph, Robert
Box 3, Folder 15

Streets of El Paso (The) 1/13/1964

Additional Note

Written by: White, Phyllis
Box 2, Folder 12

Stubborn Mule Hill 6/8/1962

Additional Note

Written by: Butler, John K.
Box 2, Folder 8

Suzie 6/8/1962

Additional Note

Written by: Maples, Terence
Box 6, Folder 19

Talk to Me, Charley 7/16/1969

Additional Note

Written by: Purdum, Herb
Box 6, Folder 9

Taming of Trudy Bell (The) 5/23/1969

Additional Note

Written by: Wallengren, Orma
Box 5, Folder 20

Ten Days Millionaires 7/17/1968

Additional Note

Written by: Purdum, Herb
Box 2, Folder 21

Thar She Blows! 5/22/1963

Additional Note

Written by: Lord, Stephen
Box 3, Folder 20

There Was Another Dalton Brother 8/14/1964

Additional Note

Written by: White, Phyllis
Box 3, Folder 6

Three Minutes to Eternity 6/20/1963

Additional Note

Written by: Lord, Stephen
Box 4, Folder 7

Traveling Trees (The) 7/2/1965

Additional Note

Written by: Saltzman, Sid
Box 3, Folder 22

Trouble with Taxes (The) 9/8/1964

Additional Note

Written by: Niendorff, John Starr
Box 5, Folder 23

Understanding (The) 7/19/1968

Additional Note

Written by: Hazzard, Lance
Box 2, Folder 6

Unshakable Man (The) 9/22/1961

Additional Note

Written by: Woodfield, William Read
Box 1, Folder 9

Valley of Danger no date

Additional Note

Written by: Cooke, Virginia M.
Box 6, Folder 11

Visitor (The) 6/5/1969

Additional Note

Written by: Hazzard, Lance
Box 2, Folder 2

Watch (The) 5/9/1961

Additional Note

Written by: Rosenburg, Jay
Box 1, Folder 4

Wedding Dress (A) 9/11/1959

Additional Note

Written by: Brown, Karl
Box 4, Folder 1

Wild West's Biggest Train Holdup 9/28/1964

Additional Note

Written by: Andrews, Robert Hardy
Box 2, Folder 15

With Honesty and Integrity 12/4/1962

Additional Note

Written by: Alexander, John
Box 6, Folder 13

Wizard of Aberdeen (The) 7/24/1969

Additional Note

Written by: Lord, Stephen
Box 3, Folder 8

Wooing of Perilous Pauline (The) 1964

Scope and Content

Writer, Robert Sabaroff. Executive Producer, Gene Autry.
Box 5, Folder 18

World's Greatest Swimming Horse 7/5/1968

Additional Note

Written by: Enochs, Kenneth A.