Trackdown

1957
Trackdown

Seasons & Episodes

  • 2
  • 1

EP1 Killer Take All Sep 05, 1958

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EP2 Outlaw's Wife Sep 12, 1958

The town's women want Hoby to make an outlaw's wife (who just returned to Porter) leave town.

EP3 Chinese Cowboy Sep 19, 1958

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EP4 The Set-Up Sep 26, 1958

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EP5 A Stone for Benny French Oct 03, 1958

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EP6 Trapped Oct 10, 1958

Hoby is held prisoner in a shack during a blizzard by the wife of husband and wife outlaws to care for her sick husband.

EP7 Matter of Justice Oct 17, 1958

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EP8 Tenner Smith Oct 24, 1958

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EP9 The Avenger Oct 31, 1958

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EP10 The Schoolteacher Nov 07, 1958

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EP11 Deadly Decoy Nov 14, 1958

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EP12 Sunday's Child Nov 21, 1958

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EP13 Day of Vengeance Nov 28, 1958

A young man seeks the person who killed his brother. The truth is not what he expected.

EP14 Three-Legged Fox Dec 05, 1958

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EP15 The Kid Dec 12, 1958

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EP16 Guilt Dec 19, 1958

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EP17 Every Man a Witness Dec 26, 1958

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EP18 McCallin's Daughter Jan 02, 1959

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EP19 Bad Judgment Jan 28, 1959

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EP20 Terror Feb 04, 1959

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EP21 The Feud Feb 11, 1959

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EP22 The Samaritan Feb 18, 1959

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EP23 The Gang Feb 25, 1959

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EP24 The Threat Mar 04, 1959

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EP25 Hard Lines Mar 11, 1959

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EP26 Fear Mar 18, 1959

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EP27 Stranger in Town Mar 25, 1959

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EP28 The Protector Apr 01, 1959

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EP29 False Witness Apr 08, 1959

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EP30 The Trick Apr 15, 1959

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EP31 The Eyes of Jerry Kelso Apr 22, 1959

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EP32 The Gift Horse Apr 29, 1959

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EP33 The Vote May 06, 1959

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EP34 The Unwanted May 13, 1959

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EP35 Toss-Up May 20, 1959

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EP36 Inquest Sep 02, 1959

Hoby is helping Sheriff Lee look into a murder. But the widow, the doctor and even the sheriff have motives with none helpful in finding the killer.

EP37 Back to Crawford Sep 09, 1959

Hoby returns home to Crawford to help his sister Nora after she sends him a telegram that somebody has been threatening her and because he gets a telegram from town drunk Fred Sales to come home quick because his sister is going to die.

EP38 Blind Alley Sep 16, 1959

Rufus Cole shoots Mike Hardesty off his horse on the trail. Hoby who had been trailing Rufus for six weeks comes along to save Mike but he has lost his sight.

EP39 Quiet Night in Porter Sep 23, 1959

Chad Winter, the owner of the general store, finds an old woman in his store after closing then two men walk in and shoot him. Hoby has to find out who killed him.
7.9| 0h30m| en| More Info
Released: 04 October 1957 Ended
Producted By: CBS
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

Trackdown is an American Western television series starring Robert Culp that aired on CBS between 1957 and 1959. More than seventy episodes of this series were produced by Dick Powell's Four Star Television and filmed at the Desilu-Culver Studio. The series was itself a spin-off of Powell's anthology series, Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater.

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Reviews

classicsoncall As a kid in the Fifties, I used to catch as many TV Westerns as I could with my Dad, as long as they didn't go past my bedtime. I've seen episodes of most, but the two I remember watching regularly are virtually unknown today. One was 'Johnny Ringo' starring Don Durant, and the other was 'Trackdown', the story of Texas Ranger Hoby Gilman, portrayed by Robert Culp. Culp was every bit as cool as another TV Western star, Steve McQueen, and if you've seen him in action, you know he worked the part. With his upturned jacket collar and the strutting walk, Culp exuded a unique confidence in his role, standing up to bad guys and delivering justice to the Old West. Ranger Gilman even smoked, rather unusual now as I think of other popular TV characters of the era. I could be wrong, but I don't think I've ever seen guys like Josh Randall, Marshal Matt Dillon, or Rebel Nick Adams light one up. Now that I mention it, I'll have to be attentive when I catch some of those shows.Since I bring up Steve McQueen's name, it's worth mentioning that 'Trackdown' first introduced the character of bounty hunter Josh Randall in a first season episode appropriately titled 'The Bounty Hunter', airing on March 7th, 1958. McQueen was brought back ten episodes later as a completely different character, actually two characters, when he portrayed a pair of brothers, one good and one an outlaw. Interestingly, the character of Hoby Gilman was first introduced by Culp in an episode of 'Zane Grey Theater' from May 3rd, 1957.It wasn't unusual for guest actors to show up in a series back then more than once, almost always in different roles. Nick Adams, Richard Devon, Warren Oates and DeForrest Kelley each made three appearances in 'Trackdown'. Michael Landon, Johnnie Crawford and Don Durant both had two along with McQueen. Other favorites of mine who appeared a single time include Vic Morrow, Pernell Roberts, Elisha Cook Jr., James Best, Strother Martin and Keye Luke.Watching the series in episode order over the past few months (there were seventy), the only one I remember seeing fifty years ago was one called "The Schoolteacher". That's probably why it's one of my favorites, in which Richard Cornthwaite portrays a non-violent, milquetoast sort of character who's bullied by Harold J. Stone. The teacher trains himself to shoot accurately under the watchful eye of Gilman, who emphasizes that shooting straight and hitting a target is more valuable than being quick on the draw. When the inevitable showdown eventually occurs, the teacher first displays his shooting prowess to his adversary, causing the town bully to back down. It was a neat way to show the audience that violence doesn't always have to be the answer if you use your head.As a Texas Ranger, Hoby Gilman was called on to fight trouble in various towns, but a good portion of the stories took place in Porter, Texas. There were a handful of regulars supporting Culp, most notably Ellen Corby as Henrietta Porter, the publisher of the town newspaper 'The Enterprise'. Norman Leavitt was Gilman's deputy Ralph, and later shows brought in Peter Leeds as Tenner Smith, owner of the Buckhorn Saloon, and Addison Richards as Doc Calhoun. All had significant roles in various stories, demonstrating their loyalty to the town's peace officer.Produced by Four Star Films and airing on the CBS network, the show lasted only two seasons, but back then, over thirty episodes per season was pretty standard. The thirty minute episodes began on October 4th, 1957, and ran until September 23rd, 1959. That last episode by the way, guest starred DeForest Kelley and Don Durant as a pair of brothers protecting their mother who was going senile. A week later, Don Durant debuted my other favorite TV Western on October 1st with the initial episode of 'Johnny Ringo'. I'll eventually get to reviewing that one as well.
rcbrammer Trackdown, Wanted Dead or Alive, Gunsmoke, and Have Gun, Will Travel were my favorite television westerns during the 1950s. I have the DVDs of the last three but can no record of Trackdown being available? Hoby Gillman is as an important part of my memory as Josh Randall, Matt Dillon, and Paladin. I remember being glued in front of the television set on Saturday night with my family all around, turning the rabbit ears in JUST the right direction to get the least amount of "snow". A bowl full of popcorn and a bottle of Dr.Pepper by my side, I rode the range with all of my idols. Through the miracle of cable and a DVD player I can experience this feeling once again and it's wonderful! Trackdown was on for three seasons, as I recall. Does anyone know if it's available?
Allen J. Duffis (sataft-2) This show's character was a major departure for standard western characterizations of the late 1950's. And the individual solely responsible for that swing in characterization was the series star, Robert Culp.Culp played the show's lead character, Texas Ranger Hobey Gillman, as a hip, cool dude; somewhat reminiscent of the then running top rated detective series, Peter Gunn.Culp gave the character a cool walk 'hip-diddy' walk, and spoke his lines as though he'd taken his responses off the top of his head and, basically, without any thought whatsoever before doing so. He was even cool when someone had the drop on him, or when he outdrew the bad guy. He was just plain 'cool'.Robert Culp sharpened this image during his tenure in his first television starring role and vehicle. He then deftly transferred it, intact, to the character Kelly Robinson in the 1965 TV espionage hit, "I Spy." In that top rated series in which he starred with acting newcomer Bill Cosby, to this day, many fans of the show felt that it was Culp's acting demeanor that gave the show it's real appeal. Unfortunately, Cosby's being the first Black in a television series in a lead role, stole the show from him. Cosby became the viewer draw.Culp was initially hired to be the 'lead' star in the series, but in the last three years of its run, Cosby was the everyone talked about even though, clearly, he was not the veteran or polished actor Cosby was.In the final two years, Cosby was even paid more for his participation than Culp was, which did not come out until some ten or more years after the series ended.Regardless, the series was a good one for its time, even though now quite dated to a younger generation who know little of and care less about the 'Cold War' period of history.
bux An obvious vehicle for Culp, "Trackdown" was on the cutting edge of the 'adult' western. Culp's character, Hoby Gilman comes off as a hip Texas Ranger-kind of a cross between Sunset Strips Kooky, and Dragnet's Joe Friday! By today's standards, routine, at the time it was must viewing.