Encyclopedia
The Restless Gun
American Western television series (1957-1959)
The Restless Gun is an American Western television series that appeared on NBC between 1957 and 1959, with John Payne in the role of Vint Bonner, a wandering cowboy in the era after the American Civil War. A skilled gunfighter, Bonner is an idealist who prefers to resolve conflicts peacefully whenever possible. He is gregarious, intelligent, and public-spirited.
The half-hour black-and-white program aired for 78 episodes, including the pilot episode in which John Payne character's name is Britt Ponsett. The series was based on The Six Shooter, an old-time radio series that starred James Stewart and aired from 1953 to 1954. In the radio series, the main character's name was Britt Ponsett.
The Restless Gun theme song (officially titled "I Ride With the Wind") begins: "I ride with the wind, my eyes on the sun, and my hand on my restless gun..."
01Episodes
Season 1: 1957-58
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | "Pilot ('Red Lawson's Revenge')" | Robert Florey | N.B. Stone Jr. | March 29, 1957 (1957-03-29) |
| 1 | 1 | "Duel at Lockwood" | Justus Addiss | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : David Dortort | September 23, 1957 (1957-09-23) |
| 2 | 2 | "Trail to Sunset" | Justus Addiss | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Herbert Little Jr. & David Victor | September 30, 1957 (1957-09-30) |
| 3 | 3 | "Revenge at Harness Creek" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Jack Jacobs & Malvin Wald | October 7, 1957 (1957-10-07) |
| 4 | 4 | "Rink" | James Neilson | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : David Dortort | October 14, 1957 (1957-10-14) |
| 5 | 5 | "Jenny" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Marion Hargrove | October 21, 1957 (1957-10-21) |
| 6 | 6 | "The Shooting of Jett King" | Justus Addiss | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : John Payne | October 28, 1957 (1957-10-28) |
| 7 | 7 | "Jody" | Allen H. Miner | Story by : H.A. De Russo Teleplay by : Gene L. Coon | November 4, 1957 (1957-11-04) |
| 8 | 8 | "General Gilford's Widow" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Halsey Malone | November 11, 1957 (1957-11-11) |
| 9 | 9 | "The New Sheriff" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Dean Riesner | November 18, 1957 (1957-11-18) |
| 10 | 10 | "Man and Boy" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : David Victor | November 25, 1957 (1957-11-25) |
| 11 | 11 | "Cheyenne Express" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Christopher Knopf | December 2, 1957 (1957-12-02) |
| 12 | 12 | "Thicker Than Water" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Kenneth Gamet | December 9, 1957 (1957-12-09) |
| 13 | 13 | "Silver Threads" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Marion Hargrove | December 16, 1957 (1957-12-16) |
| 14 | 14 | "The Child" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : John Payne Teleplay by : Herbert Little Jr. & David Victor | December 23, 1957 (1957-12-23) |
| 15 | 15 | "The Gold Buckle" | Justus Addiss | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Dan Mainwaring | December 30, 1957 (1957-12-30) |
| 16 | 16 | "The Coward" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Christopher Knopf | January 6, 1958 (1958-01-06) |
| 17 | 17 | "Friend in Need" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : William Tunberg | January 13, 1958 (1958-01-13) |
| 18 | 18 | "Strange Family in Town" | Earl Bellamy | Lawrence Goldman | January 20, 1958 (1958-01-20) |
| 19 | 19 | "Hang and Be Damned" | Earl Bellamy | Story by : Talmadge Powell Teleplay by : David Dortort | January 27, 1958 (1958-01-27) |
| 20 | 20 | "Quiet City" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Alvin Sapinsley | February 3, 1958 (1958-02-03) |
| 21 | 21 | "Hornitas Town" | Edward Ludwig | Jack Natteford & Luci Ward | February 10, 1958 (1958-02-10) |
| 22 | 22 | "Imposter for a Day" | Earl Bellamy | Jack Laird & Wilton Schiller | February 17, 1958 (1958-02-17) |
| 23 | 23 | "A Pressing Engagement" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Mary C McCall Jr. | February 24, 1958 (1958-02-24) |
| 24 | 24 | "Woman from Sacramento" | Edward Ludwig | Halsey Malone | March 3, 1958 (1958-03-03) |
| 25 | 25 | "Sheriff Billy" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Herbert Little Jr. & David Victor | March 10, 1958 (1958-03-10) |
| 26 | 26 | "The Hand Is Quicker" | Earl Bellamy | Arthur Weiss | March 17, 1958 (1958-03-17) |
| 27 | 27 | "The Suffragette" | Edward Ludwig | Charles B. Smith | March 24, 1958 (1958-03-24) |
| 28 | 28 | "The Whip" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Oliver Crawford | March 31, 1958 (1958-03-31) |
| 29 | 29 | "The Crisis at Easter Creek" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Jess Carneol & Kay Lenard | April 7, 1958 (1958-04-07) |
| 30 | 30 | "Aunt Emma" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Al Martin | April 14, 1958 (1958-04-14) |
| 31 | 31 | "The Outlander" | Edward Ludwig | Herbert Little Jr. & David Victor | April 21, 1958 (1958-04-21) |
| 32 | 32 | "The Battle of Tower Rock" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Howard J. Green | April 28, 1958 (1958-04-28) |
| 33 | 33 | "The Torn Flag" | Edward Ludwig | Alvin Sapinsley | May 5, 1958 (1958-05-05) |
| 34 | 34 | "Hiram Grover's Strike" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : David Dortort | May 12, 1958 (1958-05-12) |
| 35 | 35 | "The Gold Star" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : John Payne Teleplay by : Alvin Sapinsley | May 19, 1958 (1958-05-19) |
| 36 | 36 | "More Than Kin" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : David Dortort | May 26, 1958 (1958-05-26) |
| 37 | 37 | "The Manhunters" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Richard J. Harper Teleplay by : Herbert Little Jr. & David Victor | June 2, 1958 (1958-06-02) |
| 38 | 38 | "The Peddler" | Edward Ludwig | John Tucker Battle | June 9, 1958 (1958-06-09) |
| 39 | 39 | "Gratitude" | Edward Ludwig | Arnold Belgard | June 16, 1958 (1958-06-16) |
Season 2: 1958-59
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 1 | "Jebediah Bonner" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Will Cook Teleplay by : John Payne | September 22, 1958 (1958-09-22) |
| 41 | 2 | "Day of the Dragon" | Justus Addiss | John Tucker Battle | September 29, 1958 (1958-09-29) |
| 42 | 3 | "Mercyday" | Edward Ludwig | Charles B. Smith | October 6, 1958 (1958-10-06) |
| 43 | 4 | "Thunder Alley" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Hal G. Evarts Teleplay by : Hal G. Evarts | October 13, 1958 (1958-10-13) |
| 44 | 5 | "The Nowhere Kid" | Edward Ludwig | Mary C. McCall Jr. | October 20, 1958 (1958-10-20) |
| 45 | 6 | "Bonner's Squaw" | Edward Ludwig | Joel Kane & Lee Karson | November 3, 1958 (1958-11-03) |
| 46 | 7 | "Tomboy" | Edward Ludwig | Marion Hargrove | November 10, 1958 (1958-11-10) |
| 47 | 8 | "Remember the Dead" | Justus Addiss | Hendrik Vollaerts | November 17, 1958 (1958-11-17) |
| 48 | 9 | "No Way to Kill" | Edward Ludwig | John Falvo | November 24, 1958 (1958-11-24) |
| 49 | 10 | "Take Me Home" | Edward Ludwig | Newt Arnold & David Cross | December 1, 1958 (1958-12-01) |
| 50 | 11 | "Multiply One Boy" | Edward Ludwig | Lee Berg & Lawrence Menkin | December 8, 1958 (1958-12-08) |
| 51 | 12 | "Peligroso" | Justus Addiss | Thomas Thompson | December 15, 1958 (1958-12-15) |
| 52 | 13 | "A Bell for Santo Domingo" | Edward Ludwig | Richard Newman | December 22, 1958 (1958-12-22) |
| 53 | 14 | "The Way Back" | Edward Ludwig | Robert Leslie Bellem & Frank Bonham | December 29, 1958 (1958-12-29) |
| 54 | 15 | "The Painted Beauty" | Justus Addiss | Halsey Melone | January 5, 1959 (1959-01-05) |
| 55 | 16 | "Shadow of a Gunfighter" | Edward Ludwig | Herman J. Groves | January 12, 1959 (1959-01-12) |
| 56 | 17 | "The Lady and the Gun" | Edward Ludwig | Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : David Dortort | January 19, 1959 (1959-01-19) |
| 57 | 18 | "Blood of Courage" | Edward Ludwig | Ronald Bishop | February 2, 1959 (1959-02-02) |
| 58 | 19 | "Better Than a Cannon" | Edward Ludwig | John Tucker Battle | February 9, 1959 (1959-02-09) |
| 59 | 20 | "The Dead Ringer" | Edward Ludwig | John Tucker Battle | February 16, 1959 (1959-02-16) |
| 60 | 21 | "The Last Grey Man" | Justus Addiss | Richard Newman | February 23, 1959 (1959-02-23) |
| 61 | 22 | "Melany" | Justus Addiss | Herman J. Groves | March 2, 1959 (1959-03-02) |
| 62 | 23 | "Ricochet" | Justus Addiss | Fanya Lawrence & Ted Thomas | March 9, 1959 (1959-03-09) |
| 63 | 24 | "Dead Man's Hand" | Justus Addiss | Harry Kronman | March 16, 1959 (1959-03-16) |
| 64 | 25 | "The Sweet Sisters" | Sam Strangis | Joel Kane & Lee Karson | March 23, 1959 (1959-03-23) |
| 65 | 26 | "Incident at Bluefield" | Edward Ludwig | Herman J. Groves | March 30, 1959 (1959-03-30) |
| 66 | 27 | "The Pawn" | Edward Ludwig | Charles B. Smith | April 6, 1959 (1959-04-06) |
| 67 | 28 | "Four Lives" | Edward Ludwig | Thomas Thompson | April 13, 1959 (1959-04-13) |
| 68 | 29 | "One on the House" | Edward Ludwig | Norman Daniels | April 20, 1959 (1959-04-20) |
| 69 | 30 | "Code for a Killer" | Sam Strangis | Hal Fimberg & Frank Waldman | April 27, 1959 (1959-04-27) |
| 70 | 31 | "Mme. Brimstone" | Sam Strangis | Adele Buffington | May 4, 1959 (1959-05-04) |
| 71 | 32 | "Lady by Law" | Sam Strangis | Norman Daniels | May 11, 1959 (1959-05-11) |
| 72 | 33 | "Ride with the Devil" | Sam Strangis | Nat Tanchuck | May 18, 1959 (1959-05-18) |
| 73 | 34 | "A Trial for Jenny May" | Sam Strangis | John Tucker Battle | May 25, 1959 (1959-05-25) |
| 74 | 35 | "The Cavis Boy" | Sam Strangis | Ronald Bishop & Wells Root | June 1, 1959 (1959-06-01) |
| 75 | 36 | "The Englishman" | Sam Strangis | Story by : Lester Wm. Berke & Robert J. Black Jr. Teleplay by : Lester Wm. Berke, Robert J. Black Jr., & Richard Newman | June 8, 1959 (1959-06-08) |
| 76 | 37 | "A Very Special Investigator" | Edward Ludwig | Arnold Belgard | June 15, 1959 (1959-06-15) |
| 77 | 38 | "The Hill of Death" | Sam Strangis | Joe Stone | June 22, 1959 (1959-06-22) |
02Selected guest stars
- Fred Aldrich
- Claude Akins
- Robert Anderson
- Jimmy Baird
- Trevor Bardette
- Baynes Barron
- Jeanne Bates
- Bea Benaderet
- Robert Blake
- Dan Blocker
- Leslie Bradley
- Henry Brandon
- Edgar Buchanan
- Robert Burton
- Anthony Caruso
- Peggie Castle
- Andy Clyde
- James Coburn
- Iron Eyes Cody
- Johnny Crawford
- Richard H. Cutting
- Rick Dalton
- Royal Dano
- George Dolenz
- Jack Elam
- John Ericson
- Paul Fix
- James Gleason
- John Goddard
- Don Grady
- Tom Greenway
- Dabbs Greer
- Robert Griffin
- Herman Hack
- Alan Hale Jr.
- Chick Hannan
- Carol Henry
- Michael Hinn
- Bern Hoffman
- Clark Howat
- Ann Jillian
- I. Stanford Jolley
- Don Kennedy
- Ethan Laidlaw
- Charles Lane
- Rusty Lane
- Ruta Lee
- Michael Lipton
- Herbert Lytton
- Ted Mapes
- Rod McGaughy
- Joyce Meadows
- Ewing Mitchell
- Read Morgan
- Vic Morrow
- J. Carrol Naish
- James Nolan
- Hal Jon Norman
- Gregg Palmer
- Hank Patterson
- William Phipps
- Joe Ploski
- Denver Pyle
- Mike Ragan
- Anthony Ray
- Roy Roberts
- Irene Ryan
- Frank J. Scannell
- George Selk
- Fred Sherman
- Olan Soule
- Onslow Stevens
- Boyd Stockman
- Glenn Strange
- Brick Sullivan
- Guy Teague
- Robert Tetrick
- Regis Toomey
- Rip Torn
- Jack Tornek
- Lurene Tuttle
- Charles Wagenheim
- James Westmoreland
- Guinn Williams
03Home media
On March 1, 2010, Timeless Media Group released a three-disc best-of set featuring 24 episodes from the series.
On April 23, 2013, Timeless Media released Restless Gun: The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1. The 9-disc set features all 78 episodes of the series.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “The Restless Gun”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- RestlessGun title.jpg by The poster art copyright is believed to belong to the publisher of the TV series, or the graphic artist., Fair use
- John Payne dual role Restless Gun 1959.jpg by NBC Television, Public domain
- Restless Gun John Payne 1957.JPG by NBC Television, Public domain
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