''Judge Roy Bean'' was a syndicated western television series based very loosely on the life of a Texas

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

Edgar Buchanan William Edgar Buchanan II (March 20, 1903 – April 4, 1979) was an American actor with a long career in both film and television. He is most familiar today as Uncle Joe Carson from the ''Petticoat Junction'', ''Green Acres'', and ''The ...

played

Roy Bean Phantly Roy Bean Jr. (c. 1825 – March 16, 1903) was an American saloon-keeper and Justice of the Peace in Val Verde County, Texas, who called himself "The Only Law West of the Pecos". According to legend, he held court in his saloon along th ...

, known as "the only law west of the Pecos." The series was originally broadcast during the 1955 television season. The series was set in

Langtry, Texas Langtry is an unincorporated community in Val Verde County, Texas, United States. The community is notable as the place where Judge Roy Bean, the "Law West of the Pecos", had his saloon and practiced law. History Langtry was originally establishe ...

, and starred Buchanan as Judge Roy Bean,

Jackie Loughery Jacqueline V. "Jackie" Loughery (sometimes credited as Evelyn Avery, is a retired American actress and former beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned "Miss Rockaway Point" in 1949 before becoming crowned Miss New York USA 1952 and later, was ...

as his niece Letty Bean, and

Jack Buetel Jack Buetel (September 5, 1915 – June 27, 1989) was an American film and television actor. Life Born John Alexander Beutel in Dallas, Texas, he moved to Los Angeles, California in the late 1930s with the intention of establishing a film caree ...

as Jeff Taggert, Bean's deputy.

Russell Hayden Russell "Lucky" Hayden (born Hayden Michael "Pate" Lucid; June 12, 1912 – June 9, 1981) was an American film and television actor. He is best known for his portrayal as Lucky Jenkins in Paramount's popular Hopalong Cassidy film series. Ear ...

had a recurring role as Steve, a Texas Ranger. Hayden was also the series’ producer. Guest stars included

Tris Coffin Tristram Chockley Coffin (August 13, 1909 – March 26, 1990) was a film and television actor from the latter 1930s through the 1970s, usually in westerns or other B-movie action-adventure productions. Early years Coffin's mother was actre ...

Myron Healey Myron Daniel Healey (June 8, 1923 – December 21, 2005) was an American actor. He began his career in Hollywood, California during the early 1940s and eventually made hundreds of appearances in movies and on television during a career sp ...

X Brands X Brands (July 24, 1927 – May 8, 2000), sometimes credited as "Jay X. Brands", was an American actor of German ancestry known for his roles on various television series and in some films between 1956 and the late 1970s. His best-known recurring ...

, Glenn Strange and

Lash LaRue Alfred "Lash" LaRue (June 15, 1917 – May 21, 1996) was a popular western motion picture star of the 1940s and 1950s. Biography Early life and education Born Alfred LaRue in Gretna, Louisiana in 1917, he was reared in various towns th ...

.Rowan, Terry, ''Character-Based Film Series, Part 3'', page 125, Lulu Books, 2016 The self-appointedSummers, Neil and Crowley, Roger M., ''The Official TV Western Round-Up Book'', page 85, The Old West Shop Publishing, 2002 Judge Bean held court in his combination general store and saloon and often assigned Jeff Taggert to investigate crimes. Bean was an admirer of actress

Lillie Langtry Emilie Charlotte, Lady de Bathe (née Le Breton, formerly Langtry; 13 October 1853 – 12 February 1929), known as Lillie (or Lily) Langtry and nicknamed "The Jersey Lily", was a British socialite, stage actress and producer. Born on the isl ...

, and claimed that the town of Langtry was named in her honor, though the

Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...

had given the town the name of one of their dignitaries. There were 39 half-hour episodes, shot in color in

Pioneertown, California Pioneertown, California, is an unincorporated community of the Morongo Basin region of San Bernardino's High Desert. The historical town was originally incorporated in 1946 and fell into the hands of San Bernardino County in the late 1960s. The w ...

. In the mid-1950s most television stations only broadcast black-and-white programing, and during the series' original run only five stations aired ''Judge Roy Bean'' episodes in color. The remaining stations showed the syndicated series in black-and-white.Sneak Preview, ''Billboard'', March 31, 1956, page 9

Episodes

Reception

Joseph Landau of the Louisville, Kentucky ''The Courier-Journal'' stated that "the only similarity between Judge Roy Bean of television and the real Roy Bean is the TV boys got the name right."Joseph Landau, Judge Roy Bean’s Name Is About The Only Fact The TV Writers Retain, ''The Courier-Journal'' (Louisville, KY), May 13, 1956, page 74
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References

{{reflist First-run syndicated television programs in the United States 1950s Western (genre) television series