''The Adventures of Kit Carson'' is an American

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

that aired from 1951 to 1955. The show ran for four seasons and consisted of 104 episodes over four years. The original air date was Saturday, August 11, 1951. It concluded on January 22, 1955. While airing, the show was shown in over 130 markets and was sold to the Coca-Cola Bottling Company by MCA-TV. After airing, MCA-TV acquired

syndication Syndication may refer to: * Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system * Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips * Web syndication, ...

rights to the show. In New York, the show aired on Tuesday evenings on WNBT (TV) and ran for thirty-minutes. The show starred Bill Williams in the title role as frontier scout

Christopher "Kit" Carson Christopher Houston Carson (December 24, 1809 – May 23, 1868) was an American frontiersman. He was a fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent, and U.S. Army officer. He became a frontier legend in his own lifetime by biographies and n ...

, and

Don Diamond Donald Alan Diamond (June 4, 1921 – June 19, 2011) was an American radio, film, and television actor who portrayed "Crazy Cat", the sidekick and heir apparent to Chief Wild Eagle on the popular 1960s television sitcom, ''F Troop'' (1965–19 ...

co-starred as El Toro, Carson's Mexican companion. Though the show may have been inspired by the historic Kit Carson, it is not historically accurate. The show was primarily targeted to children. In

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest c ...

, there was a horse drawing competition to promote the show. The winner received a real

Shetland pony The Shetland pony is a Scottish breed of pony originating in the Shetland Isles in the north of Scotland. It may stand up to at the withers. It has a heavy coat and short legs, is strong for its size, and is used for riding, driving, and p ...

. During the shows airtime, it received fair reviews from a variety of publications. Many critiques critiqued the direction of the show but generally liked the acting of Bill Williams and Don Diamond. However, for a children's show, it was well liked.

Premise

The show is set in the

Wild West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

in the late 19th century. Frontiersman, Kit Carson, and his Mexican friend, El Toro, explore the vast expanse the

American frontier The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

. They capture outlaws and right wrongs.

Cast

* Bill Williams as

Kit Carson Christopher Houston Carson (December 24, 1809 – May 23, 1868) was an American frontiersman. He was a fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent, and U.S. Army officer. He became a frontier legend in his own lifetime by biographies and ...

(105 Episodes) *

as El Toro (105 Episodes) * John Cason as Carl Rigby, Deputy, Drayson's Henchman, Henchman Ben, Henchman Carson, Henchman Trig, Lead Henchman, Marshal Trent, Morgan, Porter, Stage Driver, Trigger Dawson, Wagon driver Morris (12 Episodes) *

Peter Mamakos Peter Mamakos (December 14, 1918 – April 27, 2008) was an American film and television actor. Early life Mamakos was of Greek descent. Mamakos' father owned Pilgrim restaurants in New England. Mamakos was sent to California to scout lo ...

as El Broho, Benito Morales aka El Morosco, Henchman Spence, Hernandez, Marco Mesconti, Padre Diego, Ricardo (11 Episodes) *

Boyd Stockman Ira D. Boyd Stockman (February 12, 1916 – March 10, 1998) was an American actor and stuntman. He was best known for his appearances in the American western television series '' The Adventures of Kit Carson'', and for playing the role of Spud O ...

as Henchman, Henchman Joe, Henchman Pete, Last Stage Driver, Murdock (9 Episodes) * Carol Henry as Henchman, Deputy, Garth, Hadley Man, Hank, Ned, Outlaw (7 Episodes) * Tristam Coffin as Col. Culver, Maj. John Phelps, Malee, Mark Stacey, Padre, Taggart, The Baron (9 Episodes) * Richard Avonden as Don Felope, Barker, Captured Henchman, Henchman Wolf (9 Episodes) * Terry Frost as Commandant, Henchman, Langley, Sheriff (9 Episodes)

Seasons

Episodes

Production

Crew

* Directors: John English,

Lew Landers Lew Landers (born Louis Friedlander, January 2, 1901 – December 16, 1962) was an American independent film and television director. Biography Born as Louis Friedlander in New York City, Lew Landers began his movie career as an actor. In 1914, ...

Paul Landres Paul Landres (1912–2001) was an American film and television editor and director. He directed episodes of '' The Lone Ranger'', ''Maverick'' and '' Flipper'', among many other TV series. He directed the vampire film ''The Return of Dracula ...

, Philip Ford, Charles S. Gould,

Derwin Abrahams Derwin Abrahams (1903–1974) was an American film director. He directed four serials in the 1940s for Columbia Pictures, including ''Hop Harrigan'', ''Chick Carter, Detective'', ''Tex Granger'', and ''Son of the Guardsman'', followed by ''The Gr ...

, Will Sheldon,

Norman Lloyd Norman Nathan Lloyd (' Perlmutter; November 8, 1914 – May 11, 2021) was an American actor, producer, director, and centenarian with a career in entertainment spanning nearly a century. He worked in every major facet of the industry, including ...

* Producers:

Leon Fromkess Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places Europe * León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León * Province of León, Spain * Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again fro ...

, Richard Irving * Cinematography: Clark Ramsey, Joe Novack, John Macburnie * Editors: Richard G. Wray, Dwight Caldwell, Edward A. Biery

Production Companies

Revue Productions Universal Television LLC (abbreviated as UTV) is an American television production company that is a subsidiary of Universal Studio Group, a division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It serves as the network television production arm of NBC; a prede ...

* MCA - TV

Technical Aspects

* Run Time: 30 minutes * Sound Mix: Mono * Color: Black and White * Aspect Ratio: 1.33 : 1

Early Promotion

KETV - Omaha

* KETV held a pony drawing contest for children to promote ''The Adventures of Kit Carson.'' The promotion was targeted at children to determine who could draw the best horse. The winner of the competition received a real Shetland pony.

Reviews and Reception

During ''The Adventures of Kit Carson's'' original air time, the show was generally well-received. The show saw several good reviews in trade press publications at the time.

Variety

* ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' said that the show "fit like a glove into the groove for which it's patterned; and should keep the juves (and Coca-Cola) happy." ''Variety'' also said that Bill Williams and Don Diamond were "just okay."

S.S. Picturegoer

* Called the show "energetic and likeable" but also critiqued the direction of the show. Additionally, they stated the plot was "well-constructed" and applauded the acting of Bill Williams and Don Diamond.

Streaming

Amazon Prime Video

Limited episodes of ''The Adventures of Kit Carson'' are available to watch on

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service of Amazon offered as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Prime subscription. The service pr ...

. * 40 episodes included with Amazon Prime subscription.

Roku Channel

* 49 Episodes of ''The Adventures of Kit Carson'' are available to watch for free on the Roku Channel. The available episodes are from the first and second season.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Adventures of Kit Carson 1951 American television series debuts 1955 American television series endings 1950s Western (genre) television series Cultural depictions of Kit Carson NBC original programming Television series set in the 19th century