Pistols 'n' Petticoats is an American Western sitcom starring Ann Sheridan that ran on CBS during the 1966–1967 television season. It was produced by Kayro/Universal Television for CBS Productions and ran from September 17, 1966, to March 11, 1967. The series was created by George Tibbles, who wrote the show's theme song. This was one of two sitcoms that ran on CBS with the "Petticoat" name in its title at the time, the other being Petticoat Junction, which was produced by Filmways and has no connection to this program. It was the worst rated show in the Nielsen ratings for the 1966–1967 TV season.
Premise Pistols 'n' Petticoats chronicled the lives of the gunslinging Hanks family, which consisted of Grandpa (Andrew), his wife Grandma (Effie), widowed daughter Henrietta, granddaughter (and Henrietta's daughter) Lucy, and their pet wolf Bowser. The "Petticoats" referred to the Hanks ladies, even though Lucy (who was raised in the city) would spend more time being at odds with the rest of the clan rather than helping protect their land.
The Hanks lived in the fictional town of Wretched, Colorado, in the year 1870, where at that time, the sprawling Old West was being occupied by outlaws. It was up to the Hanks family to clean up the town, which made them more popular with the citizens than with the town sheriff, Harold Sikes, who did not like having the spotlight shine on the Hanks. The Hanks also had adversaries with rival Buss Courtney and members of a nearby Indian tribe, led by Chief Eagle Shadow, and his assistants, Grey Hawk and Little Bear.
Cast Ann Sheridan as Henrietta Hanks Ruth McDevitt as Grandma Effie Hanks Carole Wells as Lucy Hanks Douglas Fowley as Grandpa Andrew Hanks Gary Vinson as Sheriff Harold Sikes Robert Lowery as Buss Courtney Lon Chaney Jr. as Chief Eagle Shadow Marc Cavell as Grey Hawk Alex Henteloff as Little Bear Jay Silverheels as Great Bear Eleanor Audley as Mrs. Teaseley
Guest stars
Judy Canova as Sadie in "Faint Heart Never Won Grandpa" and "The Golden Fleece" Lon Chaney Jr. as Chief Lone Eagle in "The Gun Runners" (aka "Cards, Anyone?") Royal Dano as Virgil in "Petrified Wretched" Leo Gordon as Cyrus Breech in "The Gun Runners" (aka "Cards, Anyone?") Read Morgan as Moose Dreyfus in "The Triangle" Simon Scott as Sloan in "The Gun Runners" (aka "Cards, Anyone?") Lurene Tuttle as Adelaide Coulter in "Grandma's Date" Fred Willard as Ben in "Quit Shootin' Folks, It's Grandma"
Production notes
The series would be Ann Sheridan's last role, as she died of cancer on January 21, 1967, nearly two months before CBS cancelled the series. Of the 26 shows that were produced, Sheridan only appeared in 21 episodes. Universal Pictures used several episodes as "archive footage" for the 1967 feature film The Far Out West.
In the pilot episode Chris Noel was cast as Sheridan's daughter, but test audiences found her portrayal unsympathetic; she was replaced by Carole Wells.p.178 Lisanti, Tom Fantasy Femmes of Sixties Cinema: Interviews with 20 Actresses from Biker, Beach and Elvis Movies McFarland, 2001
Both Universal Home Video and Echo Bridge Home Video hold the DVD rights to the series.
Pistols 'n' Petticoats was filmed in color, which, by the fall of 1966, became the standard in all prime-time network programming.
Episodes
References
External links
Pistols 'n' Petticoats at TV Shows on DVD Pistols 'n' Petticoats at TV Party