Stoney Burke (TV series)

Stoney Burke is an American contemporary Western television series broadcast on ABC with new episodes from October 1, 1962 to May 20, 1963 and summer repeats until August 12, 1963. Jack Lord starred in the title role. Burke is a professional rodeo cowboy who specializes in saddle bronc riding and competes for the Golden Buckle, presented annually to the rodeo world champion in each rodeo event.

Overview During his quest for the Golden Buckle, Stoney becomes entangled in the lives of numerous people and is accompanied on the rodeo circuit by friends Ves Painter (Warren Oates), Cody Bristol (Robert Dowdell), and E. J. Stocker (Bruce Dern).

Lord said that he wanted Stoney Burke to move beyond rodeos "into good thematically solid stories." He added, "What we're trying to do is say something to gently lift the moral tone of society. We have a responsibility to ennoble and enlighten as well as entertain."

Production Leslie Stevens was the producer. Daystar Productions partnered with United Artists to produce the series. Dominic Frontiere scored the episodes. “The Stoney Burke Theme” was recorded by Maureen Bayand (released by United Artists) and by Nelson Riddle (released by Capitol).

Stoney Burke was broadcast on Mondays from 9 to 10 p. m. Eastern Time. Its competition on CBS were two top-rated sitcoms, The Danny Thomas Show and The Andy Griffith Show, while NBC aired second half of the hour-long newspaper drama Saints and Sinners and nighttime version of the daytime half-hour game show The Price Is Right. In February 1963, NBC replaced Saints and Sinners with the second hour of NBC Monday Night at the Movies and The Price Is Right with the half-hour celebrity panel series The Art Linkletter Show.

By May 1963, plans were underway for syndication of the show. A representative of Economee Television Programs (a subsidiary of United Artists Television) said that stations in 14 major markets had bought the series. Those markets included Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Indianapolis, and Los Angeles.

Reception On Thursday, September 20, 1962, 11 days before the premiere of Stoney Burke, NBC debuted its own drama about rodeo performers, Wide Country. Both series were contemporary Westerns that debuted at the end of the time when Western programs—a fixture of late 1950s and early 1960s television—had been a number one draw on the medium. By the mid-1960s, market saturation had begun to take its toll; while established series such as Bonanza and Gunsmoke continued to thrive, new shows with less than robust ratings struggled to survive. Both rodeo series were cancelled after one season.

William W. Savage, in his book The Cowboy Hero: His Image in American History & Culture, commented, ". . . while the rodeo format afforded the sorts of dramatic possibilities (weekly changes of locale and population, for example) that had ensured the success of dozens of western programs, it seems clear that rodeo performers paled in comparison to the 'genuine' television cowboy heroes . . .".

Guest stars Dick Clark of American Bandstand was cast as Sgt. Andy Kincaid in the 1963 episode "Kincaid" (one of several backdoor pilots), which also featured real-life rodeo cowboy Casey Tibbs playing himself. James Coburn was cast as Jamison in the 1963 episode "The Test"; J. Pat O'Malley, Richard Eyer, and Ivan Dixon were also featured in this episode.

Episodes Note: Other than occasional exceptions, character names do not appear in on-screen credits and are derived from contemporary sources, TV listings and personal viewing.

DVD release On April 16, 2013, Timeless Media Group released Stoney Burke - The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1.Stoney Burke - Box Art Arrives for 'The Complete Series' Starring Jack Lord The six disc set includes all 32 episodes of the series.

Stoney Burke (TV series)

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