Walter Coy narrated the short-lived western television series, Frontier, 1955-1956.

Frontier is an American western television anthology series that aired on NBC from September 1955 to September 1956.[1] The series de-emphasizes gunplay and focuses on the hazards of the settlement of the American West. It was the second anthology western series in television history.[2]

Frontier ran sporadically in its last five months. Walter Darwin Coy (1909-1974) narrated the series and starred in occasional episodes, which are dramatizations based on actual events. The program was produced by Worthington Miner (1900-1982).[2]

Walter Coy begins each Frontier episode with the line: "This is the way it happened ... movin' west," and he closed with the refrain: "It happened that way ... movin' west." Frontier is similar in scope to its predecessor and longer-lasting syndicated series Death Valley Days, which went through a series of hosts, including Stanley Andrews (1891-1969) (known on the program as The Old Ranger), Ronald W. Reagan, Robert Taylor (1911-1969), and Dale Robertson (1923-2013).[3]

Frontier ran only a single season but was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. Jack Kelly, who in 1957 launched the role of Bart Maverick in the ABC/Warner Brothers western series, Maverick, appeared three times on Frontier in the episodes entitled "The Hunted", "The Return of Jubal Dolan" (with Robert Vaughn), and "The Hostage."

## Guest stars[edit]

* Raymond Bailey
* James Best
* Richard Boone
* Robert Bray
* John Bromfield
* Sally Brophy
* George Chandler
* Phyllis Coates
* Chuck Connors
* Mike Connors
* Richard Crenna
* Jack Elam
* Beverly Garland
* Dabbs Greer
* Alan Hale, Jr.
* Tommy Kirk
* Strother Martin
* Denver Pyle
* Stuart Randall
* Gloria Saunders
* Gloria Talbott
* Carol Thurston

## Production notes[edit]

The series was produced by California National Productions, which also released three syndicated western series, Boots and Saddles, Union Pacific (1958–59) and Pony Express (1959–60).[4]

Frontier aired at 7:30 p.m. Eastern on Sundays following the sitcom It's a Great Life. Its principal competition was on CBS: the alternating comedy programs, The Jack Benny Show and Private Secretary with Ann Sothern. Frontier was replaced on NBC in the 1956–57 season by Circus Boy.[5]

## References[edit]

1. ↑ Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present, Ballantine Books, p. 441.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Alex McNeil, Total Television (New York: Penguin Books, 1996), 4th ed., p. 307.
3. ↑ Frontier (1955-1956). Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved on August 27, 2020.
4. ↑ Boots and Saddles. Classic TV Archives. Retrieved on August 27, 2020.
5. ↑ McNeil, Total Television, appendix.