Temple Houston
Genre	western legal drama comedy
Directed by	Leslie H. Martinson William Conrad Robert Totten Irving J. Moore Alvin Ganzer Robert D. Webb
Starring	Jeffrey Hunter Jack Elam James Best Frank Ferguson Chubby Johnson Mary Wickes
Opening theme	"The Yellow Rose of Texas" as arranged by Frank Comstock and Ned Washington
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	26
Production
Executive producer(s)	William T. Orr Jack Webb Jeffrey Hunter
Producer(s)	Richard M. Bluel Joseph Dackow Lawrence Dobkin Jimmy Lydon
Editor(s)	Byron Chudnow
Location	California
Broadcast
Original channel	NBC
Picture format	1.33 : 1 monochrome
Audio format	monaural
First shown in	Thursdays at 7:30pm[1]
Original run	19 September 1963 – 2 April 1964
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Temple Houston was a 1963–64 NBC television series which has been called "the first attempt . . . to produce an hour-long Western series with the main character being an attorney in the formal sense."^[2] It was the only show Jack Webb sold to a network during his ten months as the head of production at Warner Bros. Television.^[3] It was also the first Warner Bros. Television show to be distributed by a network other than ABC, and the lone series in which actor Jeffrey Hunter played a regular part.^[4] // Era Overview At the end of the Civil War, the United States was still bitterly divided. ... For the fish called lawyer, see Burbot. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A legal drama is a work of dramatic fiction about law, crime, punishment or the legal profession. ... The word comedy has a classical meaning (comical theatre) and a popular one (the use of humor with an intent to provoke laughter in general). ... Leslie H. Martinson( January 16, 1915 - ) was director of moderately successful if not best known theater and television movies, including Batman, Gary Colemans Kid with the Broken Halo, PT-109, and Rescue From Gilligans Island. ... Conrad in Cannon William Conrad (September 27, 1920 – February 11, 1994), born William Cann, was an American actor and narrator in radio, film and television noted for his gifted use of a marvelous baritone voice, as well as for his sizable girth. ... Jeffrey Hunter Jeffrey Hunter (November 25, 1926 - May 27, 1969) was a film and television actor. ... Jack Elam (November 13, 1920 — October 20, 2003) was an American film actor. ... James Best James Best (born July 26, 1926, in Powderly, Kentucky) is an American character actor best known for his role as bumbling Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane in the television series The Dukes of Hazzard. ... Frank Ferguson (born December 25, 1899 in Ferndale, California; died September 12, 1978 in Los Angeles, California) was an American character actor with hundreds of appearances in both film and television. ... Chubby Johnson (August 13, 1903 - October 31, 1974) was an American movie and television supporting character actor with a genial demeanor and warm country-accented voice perfect for westerns. ... Mary Wickes guest-starring in the television series Zorro (1957-1959) as Dolores Bastinado Mary Wickes, born Mary Isabelle Wickenhauser, (June 13, 1910 - October 22, 1995) was an American film and television actress. ... The Yellow Rose of Texas is a traditional folk song of the Southern United States, which became popular in 1955 in a recording by Mitch Miller. ... Ned Washington (15 August 1901 - 20 December 1976) was an American lyric writer. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Not to be confused with William Orr. ... John Randolph Jack Webb (April 2, 1920 – December 23, 1982) was an American actor, television producer, director, and writer who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet. ... Lawrence Dobkin (16 September 1919–28 October 2002) was an American television director, character actor, and television screenwriter. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_California. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... A photograph of a sign in grayscale The same photograph in black and white Monochrome comes from the two Greek words mono (μωνο, meaning one), and chroma (χρωμα, meaning surface or the color of the skin). A monochromatic object has a single color. ... Label for 1. ... is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also Nintendo emulator: 1964 (emulator). ... This was the television schedule on all three networks for the fall season beginning in September 1963. ... The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... An attorney is someone who represents someone else in the transaction of business: For attorney-at-law, see lawyer, solicitor, barrister or civil law notary. ... John Randolph Jack Webb (April 2, 1920 – December 23, 1982) was an American actor, television producer, director, and writer who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet. ... A television network is a distribution network for television content whereby a central operation provides programming for many television stations. ... Warner Bros. ... The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... Jeffrey Hunter Jeffrey Hunter (November 25, 1926 - May 27, 1969) was a film and television actor. ...

Premise

Due to interference from NBC upon the production team's concept for the series, it is somewhat difficult to speak of a single premise for Temple Houston.^[5] In its broadest sense, however, it is a show based loosely on the career of the real-life circuit-riding lawyer Temple Houston (1860–1905), son of the more famous Sam Houston. Aside from that general statement, though, there is little which binds all the episodes together under a common framework. The series variously cast the characters and situations in both an overtly humorous and a deadly serious light. Writer Francis M. Nevin asserts of the first episode: "Clearly, the concept here is Perry Mason out West", going so far as to note that Houston's court opponent "apes Hamilton Burger by accusing Houston of 'prolonging this trial with a lot of dramatic nonsense'".^[2] Later episodes turned Houston into more of a detective than a lawyer. Over the course of the series, the bulk of narrative saw Houston actually gathering evidence, rather than trying cases. In the end, the series largely eschewed criminal law in favor of overtly humorous plots, such as in the episode, "The Law and Big Annie", which saw Houston using his legal expertise to help his friend figure out what to do after he had inherited an elephant.^[2] Look up Premise in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Circuit courts previously were United States federal courts established in each federal judicial district. ... Temple Lea Houston, born August 12, 1860, was the last-born child of Texas Revolutionary Samuel Houston. ... Samuel Houston (March 2, 1793–July 26, 1863) was a 19th century American statesman, politician and soldier. ... Perry Mason is a fictional defense attorney who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner. ... Hamilton Burger was the Los Angeles district attorney who was the nemesis of Perry Mason in the long-running series of novels, films, and radio and television programs featuring the fictional defense attorney created by Erle Stanley Gardner. ...

Inasmuch as it was also a bigoraphical series, producers tried to avoid storylines that would embarrass those children of Temple Houston who were still alive when the series went on the air.^[6] A biographical film or biopic is a film about a particular person or group of people, based on events that actually happened. ...

Cast

Jeffrey Hunter as Temple Houston
Jack Elam as George Taggart
Frank Ferguson as Judge Gurney
Chubby Johnson as Concho
Mary Wickes as Ida Goff
Jeffrey Hunter Jeffrey Hunter (November 25, 1926 - May 27, 1969) was a film and television actor. ... Jack Elam (November 13, 1920 — October 20, 2003) was an American film actor. ... Frank Ferguson (born December 25, 1899 in Ferndale, California; died September 12, 1978 in Los Angeles, California) was an American character actor with hundreds of appearances in both film and television. ... Chubby Johnson (August 13, 1903 - October 31, 1974) was an American movie and television supporting character actor with a genial demeanor and warm country-accented voice perfect for westerns. ... Mary Wickes guest-starring in the television series Zorro (1957-1959) as Dolores Bastinado Mary Wickes, born Mary Isabelle Wickenhauser, (June 13, 1910 - October 22, 1995) was an American film and television actress. ...

Some notable guest stars on the show were: Collin Wilcox, Susan Kohner, Everett Sloane, Robert Lansing, Kathie Browne, Robert Conrad, Anne Francis, Richard Jaeckel, Connie Stevens and Paula Raymond. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Susan Kohner (born November 11, 1936 in Los Angeles, California) is an American actress. ... Sloane in The Enforcer (1951 movie) Manhattan-born Everett Sloane (October 1, 1909 - August 6, 1965) was a television and movie actor. ... Robert Lansing (R) as Gary Seven and Teri Garr Robert Lansing (b. ... Robert Conrad Robert Conrad (born either Conrad Robert Falk or Konrad Robert Falkowski on March 1 in Chicago, although the year is still subject to question), is an American film and TV actor and director. ... Anne Francis Anne Francis (born September 16, 1930, in Ossining, New York) is an American actress, famous for her role in the science fiction film classic Forbidden Planet (1956) and as private detective Honey West in the television series Honey West (1965-1966). ... Richard Jaeckel Richard Hanley Jaeckel (October 10, 1926 - June 14, 1997) was an American actor. ... Connie Stevens Connie Stevens (born August 8, 1938) is an American actress and singer. ... Actress Paula Raymond in City That Never Sleeps Paula Raymond (November 23, 1924 -December 31, 2003) was a model who entered films as a stock actress. ...

Production

Pilot

The earliest known conceptual documents for Temple Houston date back to 1957.^[5] It took about six years for a pilot to be filmed. That pilot, The Man From Galveston, was filmed in March 1963, but was never broadcast on television. Instead, the 57-minute film was released theatrically in December 1963. A part of the reason for this method of release was because the series used a radically different cast; some were unavailable at the start of series production in August.^[7] Actor Jeffrey Hunter was the only cast member to star in both pilot and series, although his character was re-dubbed Timothy Higgins in the pilot when it was released as a theatrical film. The year 1957 in television involved some significant events. ... A television pilot is a test episode of an intended television series. ... December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) is a hit single by The Four Seasons, written by Bob Gaudio and Judy Parker and produced by Gaudio, and included on the groups 1975 album Who Loves You. ... In filmmaking, dubbing refers to the recording of voices for a movie. ...

Series

When a Robert Taylor vehicle collapsed in the summer of 1963, NBC suddenly had a vacant slot on its fall 1963 schedule. It therefore quickly moved Temple Houston forward.^[5] Houston had only about three weeks from greenlight to its first date of filming. At the time it was greenlit, writing—much less pre-production—had barely begun. In this chaotic three weeks period, the series underwent a dramatic concept overhaul. Hunter described the situation in a 1965 interview: There are many people known as Bob Taylor or Robert Taylor, including: Robert Taylor (developer) (born 1972-present), Owner of FlashExtensions. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Autumn colours at Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire, England. ... To greenlight a project, in the context of the movie business, is to formally approve production finance, thereby allowing the project to move forward from the development phase to pre-production and, barring disasters, principal photography. ...

In the first place, we had no time to prepare for it. I was notified on July 17 to be ready to start August 7 for an October air date. When we reached the screen we did not have a single segment ready. It was done so fast the writers never got a chance to know what it was all about. We all wanted to follow the line indicated by the pilot film, which we thought would make a charming series. NBC, however, favored making it serious.^[8]

The series proper was somewhat complicated in another way. Including Warner Brothers, the project had four different production companies attached to it.^[9] One such company was owned by star Jeffrey Hunter, who had demanded to produce it in exchange for a long-term commitment to Warner Brothers.^[5]

By December 1963, the series was rated 31st of the 32 new shows that season.^[5] NBC then ordered a switch back to more humorous stories. The aim, according to Hunter, was to make something "on the order of Maverick",^[8] but the change merely allowed the series to continue to the end of the season. When TV viewers or entertainment professionals in the United States mention ratings they are often referring to Nielsen Ratings, a system developed by Nielsen Media Research to determine the audience size and composition of television programming. ... Maverick is a comedy-western television series created by Roy Huggins that ran from September 22, 1957 to July 8, 1962 on ABC and featured James Garner, Roger Moore, and Jack Kelly as poker-playing travelling gamblers. ...

Cancellation

Temple Houston was pulled after one season of 26 episodes. Jeffrey Hunter later indicated that he thought the series' failure was due to an inability to establish a consistent tone for the project. He also noted the unusual title: "The big joke around town was, the series was about a synagogue in Texas.^[2] A synagogue (from ancient Greek: , transliterated synagogÄ“, assembly; Hebrew: beit knesset, house of assembly; Yiddish: , shul; Ladino: , esnoga) is a Jewish house of worship. ... Official language(s) No official language See languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Largest metro area Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 261,797 sq mi (678,051 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ...

After cancellation

Because the show produced so few episodes, it has had little presence on the domestic syndication market. However, it appears to have enjoyed limited international syndication. The series was shown in Japan in 1963,^[10] and on Australian regional television station GTS-4 in 1974.^[11] In Britain the program aired during 1964,^[12] inspiring one of the few pieces of memorabilia from the show—a 1965 British annual.^[13] In the television industry (as in radio), syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast programs to multiple stations, without going through a broadcast network. ... In the television industry (as in radio), syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast programs to multiple stations, without going through a broadcast network. ... Regional television is a term given to local television services in areas outside of the five main Australian cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth). ... Central GTS/BKN is an Australian television network, based in the Spencer Gulf area of South Australia. ... The year 1974 in television involved some significant events. ... A souvenir stall in London, England A souvenir (from the French for memory) is an object that is treasured for the memories associated with it. ... An annual publication, more often called simply an annual, is a book or a magazine, comic book or comic strip published yearly. ...

External links

• Temple Houston at the Internet Movie Database
• The Man from Galveston at the Internet Movie Database
• Temple Houston: The Story Behind a Forgotten Western.
• Temple Houston at the Classic TV Archive

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ...

References