CTVA
The Classic TV Archive - TV Western series
The Oregon
Trail
Episode Guide
compiled
by
The Classic TV Archive
with contributions by:
references:
Library of Congress (telnet://locis.loc.gov)
Internet Movie Database (http://us.imdb.com)
UCLA Film and Television Archive
Rod Taylor web site
----------------
THE OREGON TRAIL
----------------
Universal City Studios, Inc.
for
NBC (Wednesdays 9:00pm EST)
Produced by Carl Vitale, Michael Gleason, Richard Collins
US Western series 1976 2hr pilot + 1977 13 episodes x 60 min color
Starring:
Rod Taylor
as Evan Thorpe
with
Darleen Carr as Margaret Devlin
Charles Napier as Luther Sprague
Andrew Stevens as Andrew Thorpe
Tony Becker as William Thorpe
Gina Marie Smika as Rachel Thorpe
Premise:
Set in the 1840's "The Oregon Trail" follows the journey of a group
of pioneers traveling by Wagon Train from Illinois to Oregon to begin
new lives.
theme "Oregon Bound",
by Danny Darst, Rod Taylor, Charles Napier
############# The Oregon Trail ###############
############## pilot tv movie ################
##############################################
[00] THE OREGON TRAIL (2hr pilot tv movie)
10Jan76 original airdate
Produced and written by Michael Gleason
directed by Boris Sagal
director of photography Jack Wolf
starring
Rod Taylor .............. Evan Thorpe
Blair Brown
David Huddleston
Douglas V. Fowley
Andrew Stevens .......... Andrew Thorpe
Tony Becker ............. William Thorpe
Gina Marie Smika ........ Rachel Thorpe
guest stars
J.D. Cannon
G.D. Spradlin
Linda Purl
############# The Oregon Trail ###############
############# season fall 1977 ###############
##############################################
NBC Wednesdays 9:00pm Eastern
[01] The Oregon Trail: HARD RIDE HOME (1/2)
prod. no. 49008
21Sep77 NBC original airdate
written by Michael Gleason, Eugene Price
directed by Burt Brinckerhoff and Herb Wallerstein.
music score: Dick DeBenedictis;
director of photography: Joe Jackman
film editor: Larry Strong.
(continued on episode #2 "The Last Game")
[02] The Oregon Trail: THE LAST GAME (2/2)
prod. no. 49009
21Sep77 NBC original airdate
written by Eugene Price
directed by Herb Wallerstein
director of photography: Joe Jackman
music score: Dick DeBenedictis
film editor: Gene Foster
Guest Cast:
Hoke Howell ................... Vaughn
John Vernon ................... Charles Shrigley
Carole Tru Foster
A. Wilford Brimley
(continued from episode #1 "Hard Ride Home")
[03] The Oregon Trail: WATER HOLE
prod. no. 49004
28Sep77 NBC original airdate
teleplay by Nicholas J. Corea
story by Parker Browning
directed by Virgil Vogel
music score: Dick DeBenedictis
director of photography: Joe Jackman
film editor: Jerrold Ludwig
Guest Cast:
Kim Hunter .................... Liz Webster
Lonny Chapman ................. Coe Webster
Jean Rasey .................... Elie Webster
William Phipps
[04] The Oregon Trail: THE TRAPPER'S RENDEZVOUS
prod. no. 49001
12Oct77 NBC original airdate
teleplay by Nicholas J. Corea
story by William Kelley, Robert Boxberger, Nicholas J. Corea
directed by Hollingsworth Morse
music score: Bruce Broughton, Dick DeBenedictis
director of photography: Joe Jackman
film editor: Larry Strong.
Guest Cast:
Claude Akins .................. Lemus Harker
Ted Gehring ................... Tobias
[05] The Oregon Trail: THE ARMY DESERTER (a.k.a. "The Army Defector")
prod. no. 49003
19Oct77 NBC original airdate
teleplay by Eugene Price
story by Stanley Roberts, Eugene Price
directed by Herb Wallerstein
music score: Bruce Broughton
director of photography Joe Jackman
film editor: Gene Foster
Guest Cast:
Kevin McCarthy ................ Levering
Clu Gulager ................... Harris
Nicholas Hammond
[06] The Oregon Trail: HANNAH'S GIRLS
prod. no. 49007
26Oct77 NBC original airdate
written by Nicholas J. Corea
directed by Don Richardson
music score: Dick DeBenedictis
director of photography: Joe Jackman
film editor: Jerrold Ludwig.
Guest Cast:
Stella Stevens ................ Hannah Morgan
Denise Galik .................. Libby Owens
Billy Green Bush .............. Niles Sharpe
Mills Watson .................. Dixie Long
Maxine Olmsted ................ Mrs. Stewart
Suzanne Hunt .................. Kate Bowles
Roy Gaintner .................. Stewart
Lucille Meredith .............. Mrs. Thatcher
Hannah Morgan (Stella Stevens) is the leader of a group of mail-order
brides (who actually are a group of "showgirls") who join the wagon
train. Romance percolates, but mutual respect arises instead as
Hannah helps nurse Evan's daughter back from a bout of cholera.
---------------------------------
Cancelled by NBC after 6 episodes -
the remaining episodes were UNAIRED on NBC
although most aired on BBC in the UK
---------------------------------
[07] The Oregon Trail: RETURN FROM DEATH
(a.k.a. "The Man Who Wouldn't Die")
prod. no. 49006
Unaired on NBC Network (copyright date 06Dec77)
teleplay by Robert Pirosh
story by John W. Bloch
directed by Richard Benedict
music score: Bruce Broughton
director of photography: Joe Jackman
film editor: Larry Strong.
guest stars
James Wainwright
Beth Brickell
Jack Hogan
Evan Thorpe serves as defense attorney for a mysterious man suspected
of killing a member of the wagon train. Frontier justice was never
so just.
Note:
Episodes #6 and #7 were combined on a video release titled
"Death on the Oregon Trail."
[08] The Oregon Trail: THE SCARLET RIBBON
prod. no. 49017
Unaired on NBC Network (copyright date 13Dec77)
(BBC UK airdate 20Dec77)
teleplay by Nicholas Corea
story by E. Jack Neuman
directed by Bill Bixby
music score: Bruce Broughton
director of photography: Joe Jackman
film editors: Jerrold Ludwig, Larry Strong.
Guest Stars:
Donna Mills
Bill Bixby
William Shatner
Richard Jaeckel
A bullet-ridden wagon reveals that gun-runners are supplying
rifles to the Redskins and Evan is detemined to run them
to earth whatever the risk.
[09] The Oregon Trail: THE GOLD DUST QUEEN
prod. no. 49010
Unaired on NBC Network (copyright date 3Jan78)
written by Richard Collins
directed by William Wiard
music score: Dick DeBenedictis
director of photography: Joe Jackman
film editor: John F. Schreyer
guest star
Susan Howard
[10] The Oregon Trail: RETURN OF THE BABY
prod. no. 49019
Unaired on NBC Network (copyright date 10Jan78)
teleplay by S. S. Schweitzer
story by Lester William Berke and S. S. Schweitzer
directed by Alan J. Levi
music score: Dick DeBenedictis
director of photography: Joe Jackman
film editor: Jack W. Schoengarth.
[11] The Oregon Trail: EVAN'S VENDETTA
prod. no. 49021
Unaired on NBC Network (copyright date 17Jan78)
teleplay by Nicholas Corea and John Austin
based on a novel by Burt & Budd Arthur
directed by Paul Stanley
music score: Don Costa
director of photography: Joe Jackman
film editor: Duane Reese
Guest Cast:
William Smith
[12] The Oregon Trail: SUFFER LITTLE CHILDREN
prod. no. 49018
Unaired on NBC Network (copyright date 24Jan78)
teleplay by Robert Hamilton
story by Norman Jolley, Richard H. Bartlett & Robert Hamilton
directed by John C. Champion.
music score: Dick DeBenedictis
director of photography: Joe Jackman
film editor: Larry Strong.
[13] The Oregon Trail: WAGON RACE (a.k.a."The Race")
prod. no. 49002
Unaired on NBC Network (copyright date 31Jan78)
written by Elizabeth V. Wilson
directed by Lewis Allen
music score: Dick DeBenedictis
director of photography: Joe Jackman
film editor: Jerrold Ludwig.
guest stars
Mariette Hartley ........ Susan
Robert Fuller
Robert Pine
Jean Rasey
############# The Oregon Trail ###############
################# the end ##################
##############################################
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