Pistols 'n' Petticoats
1966 American TV series or program
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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.
| Pistols 'n' Petticoats | |
|---|---|
The town drunk raises a stir with the Hanks family. | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | George Tibbles |
| Written by | |
| Directed by | |
| Starring | |
| Theme music composer |
|
| Opening theme | "Pistols 'n' Petticoats" |
| Composers | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Joe Connelly |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | September 17, 1966 – March 11, 1967 |
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.[2]
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
| No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | "Pilot" | Earl Bellamy | John McGreevey | UNAIRED |
| 1 | "A Crooked Line" | Unknown | Unknown | September 17, 1966 |
| 2 | "No Sale" | Ezra Stone | Unknown | September 24, 1966 |
| 3 | "Bitter Blossom O'Brien" | Sidney Lanfield | Lois Hire | October 1, 1966 |
| 4 | "Sir Richard of Wretched" | Joseph Pevney | George Tibbles | October 8, 1966 |
| 5 | "The Hank and the Indian War" | Unknown | Unknown | October 15, 1966 |
| 6 | "The Triangle" | Harry Harris | Paul West | October 22, 1966 |
| 7 | "A Wagonload of Wives" | Joe Connelly | Story by : Del Moore Teleplay by : George Tibbles | October 29, 1966 |
| 8 | "The Ross Guttley Story" | Alan Rafkin | George Tibbles | November 5, 1966 |
| 9 | "The Gun Runners (aka Cards, Anyone?)" | Lawrence Dobkin | Bud Freeman | November 12, 1966 |
| 10 | "Lookout Point" | Alan Rafkin | Unknown | November 19, 1966 |
| 11 | "Quit Shootin' Folks, It's Grandma" | Earl Bellamy | Unknown | November 26, 1966 |
| 12 | "Shootout at the O'Day Corral" | Leslie Goodwins | George F. Slavin & Stanley Adams | December 3, 1966 |
| 13 | "Grandma's Date" | Unknown | Unknown | December 10, 1966 |
| 14 | "Here Comes Trouble" | Alan Rafkin | Unknown | December 17, 1966 |
| 15 | "Willie the Kid" | Ezra Stone | Lois Hire | December 24, 1966 |
| 16 | "Wretched Beautiful" | Alan Rafkin | Unknown | December 31, 1966 |
| 17 | "Faint Heart Never Won Grandpa" | Unknown | Unknown | January 7, 1967 |
| 18 | "The Stranger" | Unknown | Unknown | January 14, 1967 |
| 19 | "Beware the Hangman" | Unknown | Unknown | January 21, 1967 |
| 20 | "A Man for Hank" | David Alexander | Paul West | January 28, 1967 |
| 21 | "Petrified Wretched" | Ezra Stone | George Tibbles | February 4, 1967 |
| 22 | "The Golden Fleece" | Ezra Stone | Lois Hire | February 11, 1967 |
| 23 | "Peace Offering" | Unknown | Unknown | February 18, 1967 |
| 24 | "The Taming of Sorry Water" | Ezra Stone | Unknown | February 25, 1967 |
| 25 | "Colonel Comes to Town" | David Alexander | Unknown | March 4, 1967 |
| 26 | "Harold's Double" | Joe Connolly | Suzanne Summers and Brad Thomas | March 11, 1967 |
