''Broken Arrow'' is a Western series which ran on ABC-TV in

prime time Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...

from 1956 through 1958 on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. Eastern time. Repeat episodes were shown by ABC on Sunday afternoons during the 1959-60 TV season and in an early evening timeslot Sunday evenings from April to September 1960.

Synopsis

The cowboys and Indians got together to battle injustice in this Western, which starred John Lupton as Indian agent Tom Jeffords and Michael Ansara as

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño a ...

Chief Cochise. Jeffords was originally an army officer given the assignment of getting the

U.S. Mail The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

safely through Apache territory in

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. Adopting the novel approach of making friends with the Indians instead of shooting at them, Jeffords soon became

blood brother Blood brother can refer to two or more men not related by birth who have sworn loyalty to each other. This is in modern times usually done in a ceremony, known as a blood oath, where each person makes a small cut, usually on a finger, hand or ...

to Cochise. Together they fought both renegades from the Chiricahua Reservation and dishonest "white eyes" who preyed upon the Indians. The show was based on the 1947 novel ''Blood Brother'', by

Elliott Arnold Elliott Arnold (September 13, 1912 – May 13, 1980) was an American newspaper feature writer, novelist, and screenwriter. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he became a feature writer with the ''New York World-Telegram'' and authored dozens of novels ...

, which had been made into a film in 1950, starring

James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality ...

as Tom Jeffords and Jeff Chandler playing as Cochise.

Episodes

Season 1 (1956–57)

Season 2 (1957–58)

References

Sources

*Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, '' The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows''

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Broken Arrow 1950s Western (genre) television series 1956 American television series debuts 1958 American television series endings American Broadcasting Company original programming Black-and-white American television shows Television shows based on American novels Television series by 20th Century Fox Television Television shows set in Arizona Television shows set in Tucson, Arizona Television shows about Native Americans