''Texas John Slaughter'' (formally titled: ''Tales of Texas John Slaughter'') is a

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 ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

which aired seventeen episodes between October 31, 1958 and April 23, 1961, as part of ''

The Wonderful World of Disney The Walt Disney Company has produced an anthology television series since 1954 under several titles and formats. The program's current title, ''The Wonderful World of Disney'', was used from 1969 to 1979 and again from 1991 to the present. The pr ...

'', starring Tom Tryon in the title role. The character was based upon an actual historical figure,

Texas Ranger Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by bo ...

John Horton Slaughter John Horton Slaughter (October 2, 1841 – February 16, 1922), also known as Texas John Slaughter, was an American lawman, cowboy, poker player and rancher in the Southwestern United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After ...

. Tryon memorably wore an enormous white cowboy hat with the brim pinned up in the front as part of his wardrobe for the series. Narration is provided by

Paul Frees Solomon Hersh "Paul" Frees (June 22, 1920November 2, 1986) was an American actor, comedian, impressionist, and vaudevillian. He is known for his work on Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Walter Lantz, Rankin/Bass, and Walt Disney theatrical cartoons during ...

. The beginning

theme song Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at ...

for the series includes the line "Texas John Slaughter made 'em do what they oughta, and if they didn't, they died."

Episodes

Background

Guest stars

Release

The series was originally broadcast as segments of

. The series appeared in re-runs on the

Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Comp ...

's classic program block "Disney Drive-In" which was later known as "Vault Disney".

Merchandising

The TV show was also adapted into a comic book by

Dan Spiegle Dan Spiegle (December 10, 1920 – January 28, 2017) was an American comics artist and cartoonist best known for comics based on movie and television characters across a variety of companies, including Dell Comics, DC Comics, and Marvel Com ...

, distributed by

Dell Comics Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1974. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark" ...

References

External links

* *{{Inducks character, Texas+John+Slaughter, Texas John Slaughter 1950s Western (genre) television series 1960s Western (genre) television series Television series by Disney 1958 American television series debuts 1961 American television series endings 1950s American drama television series 1960s American drama television series Black-and-white American television shows Television shows set in Texas Television shows adapted into comics Television series about the Texas Ranger Division