| Sugarfoot | |
|---|---|
 Will Hutchins as Tom "Sugarfoot" Brewster, 1958. | |
| Also known as | Tenderfoot (British name) |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Michael Fessier |
| Written by | Montgomery Pittman (four episodes) |
| Directed by |
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| Starring | |
| Theme music composer | |
| Composers | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 69 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | William T. Orr |
| Producers |
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| Production location | California |
| Editors |
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| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 50 mins. |
| Production company | Warner Bros. Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | September 17, 1957 (1957-09-17) – April 17, 1961 (1961-04-17) |
| Related | |
Sugarfoot is an AmericanWestern television series that aired for 69 episodes onABC from 1957–1961 on Tuesday nights on a "shared" slot basis – rotating withCheyenne (first season);Cheyenne andBronco (both second and fourth seasons); andBronco (third season). TheWarner Bros. production starsWill Hutchins as Tom Brewster, an Easterner who comes to theOklahoma Territory to become alawyer. Brewster was a correspondence-school student whose apparent lack ofcowboy skills earned him the nickname "Sugarfoot", a designation even below that of atenderfoot.Sugarfoot was the first comedy western TV series, debuting five days beforeMaverick.
Hutchins was the only regular on the show. In four episodes, Hutchins also plays the dual role of Abram Thomas, "the Canary Kid", leader of an outlaw gang who is a dead ringer for Brewster. In each of these episodes, Brewster is joined in the fight against the Canary Kid's plans by Christopher Colt—i.e.,Wayde Preston crossing over from his role in the simultaneously produced WB seriesColt .45. Towards the end of the run,Jack Elam was cast in two of the final five episodes as Brewster's occasional sidekick Toothy Thompson, but the series was cancelled shortly thereafter.
Sugarfoot had no relation to the 1951Randolph Scott Western filmSugarfoot aside from the studio owning the title (and the theme music), but its pilot episode was a remake of a 1954 Western film calledThe Boy from Oklahoma starringWill Rogers Jr. as Tom Brewster. The pilot episode, "Brannigan's Boots", not only recycled the plot fromThe Boy from Oklahoma but also featuredSheb Wooley andSlim Pickens reprising their roles from the film.
As played by Rogers in the film, Brewster carried no gun, disliked firearms in general, and vanquished villains with his roping skills (à laWill Rogers) if friendly persuasion failed. Perhaps for practical reasons, the pilot altered the character slightly and made Brewster more like the typical Western hero—reluctant to use guns (or any other kind of violence), but able and willing to do so if necessary. That remained his stance throughout the series, and the title song mentions that Sugarfoot carries a rifle and a law book.
Whenever he enters a saloon, Sugarfoot refuses liquor and orderssarsaparilla "with a dash of cherry". (Sarsaparilla is a drink similar toroot beer, neither of which is alcoholic.)
Sugarfoot was one of the earliest products of the alliance between ABC and the fledglingWarner Bros. Television Department, chaired byWilliam T. Orr. During the same period, other similar programs appeared, includingMaverick,Cheyenne,Bronco,Lawman, andColt .45. Hutchins appeared as Sugarfoot in crossover episodes ofCheyenne andMaverick, and in an installment ofBronco called "The Yankee Tornado" withPeter Breck as a youngTheodore Roosevelt.Jack Kelly appeared asBart Maverick in theSugarfoot episode "A Price on His Head".James Garner made an appearance asBret Maverick at the end of the episode "Misfire".
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Brannigan's Boots" | Leslie H. Martinson | Teleplay by : Devery Freeman Based on a screenplay by : Frank Davis &Winston Miller Original magazine story by : Michael Fessier | September 17, 1957 (1957-09-17) | |
| 2 | 2 | "Reluctant Hero" | Leslie H. Martinson | Story by : S. Omar Barker Teleplay by :Dean Riesner | October 1, 1957 (1957-10-01) | |
Cade dies in the fire, and Sugarfoot is shot in the attack. Linda takes it upon herself to nurse Sugarfoot back to health.I. Stanford Jolley plays the mysterious "The Nighthawk". | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "The Strange Land" | Leslie H. Martinson | Story by :Louis L'Amour Teleplay by :Russell S. Hughes | October 15, 1957 (1957-10-15) | |
| 4 | 4 | "Bunch Quitter" | Leslie H. Martinson | Story by : Dee Linford Teleplay by :Wells Root | October 29, 1957 (1957-10-29) | |
| 5 | 5 | "Trail's End" | Leslie H. Martinson | Story by :Norman A. Fox Teleplay by : James O'Hanlon &Michael Fessier | November 12, 1957 (1957-11-12) | |
Sugarfoot comes upon a former childhood sweetheart, Kathy Larsen (Venetia Stevenson), who is managing a dance hall.Chris Alcaide plays the corrupt Clay Horton, who forces Kathy to marry him so that she cannot testify in court in regard to Horton's crimes.Barbara Stuart portrays Muriel, Kathy's business partner.Gordon Jones plays Sugarfoot's lively friend, Wasco Wolters, who has an interest in Muriel. This episode reveals that Tom Brewster spent his childhood inVermont before coming to the Oklahoma Territory. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Quicksilver" | Franklin Adreon | Story by : James Gunn Teleplay by : Kay Lenard & Jess Carneol | November 26, 1957 (1957-11-26) | |
Sugarfoot investigates the robbery of a silver mine which prevents the owner from meeting his payroll. The episode featuresLane Bradford as the cutthroat Ellis;John Litel as Hank Tatum, the owner of the mine, andFay Spain as Tatum's daughter, Susie, the girlfriend and eventual wife of the local sheriff.Frank Wilcox plays George Beaumont, an unscrupulous businessman who had been rejected years earlier by Hank Tatum's late wife. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Misfire" | Franklin Adreon | Story by :Alan Le May Teleplay by : James O'Hanlon | December 10, 1957 (1957-12-10) | |
Brewster is a pawn in a woman's scheme to get rid of two men who are standing in the way of her potential ownership of a rich mine.James Garner makes a brief, uncredited appearance asBret Maverick at episode's conclusion. Also featuringConnie Stevens. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "The Stallion Trail" | Edward Bernds | Story by :Crane Wilbur Teleplay by : Dean Riesner | December 24, 1957 (1957-12-24) | |
| 9 | 9 | "Small War at Custer Junction" | Franklin Adreon | Story by : Jess Carneol & Kay Lenard Teleplay by : James O'Hanlon and Jess Carneol & Kay Lenard | January 7, 1958 (1958-01-07) | |
| 10 | 10 | "Bullet Proof" | Franklin Adreon | Fredric M. Frank | January 21, 1958 (1958-01-21) | |
Sugarfoot tricks a gang into believing that he knows the location of the loot from their last bank robbery.Gregory Walcott plays Peaches' presumed fiance, Duke McKlintock, andDon "Red" Barry is cast as Tanner.Joi Lansing guest stars as the unsavory but attractive "Peaches", who claims to be a belle fromGeorgia. | ||||||
| 11 | 11 | "Deadlock" | Franklin Adreon | James O'Hanlon | February 4, 1958 (1958-02-04) | |
| 12 | 12 | "Man Wanted" | Franklin Adreon | Sig Herzig | February 18, 1958 (1958-02-18) | |
| 13 | 13 | "The Dead Hills" | Franklin Adreon | Story by : Louis L'Amour Teleplay by :Earl Baldwin Adaptation :Paul Gangelin | March 4, 1958 (1958-03-04) | |
| 14 | 14 | "A Wreath for Charity Lloyd" | Franklin Adreon | Jackson Gillis | March 18, 1958 (1958-03-18) | |
| 15 | 15 | "Hideout" | Montgomery Pittman | Story by : Maurita Pittman Teleplay by : Russell S. Hughes | April 1, 1958 (1958-04-01) | |
| 16 | 16 | "Guns for Big Bear" | Franklin Adreon | Story by : Elliot West Teleplay by : Sig Herzig | April 15, 1958 (1958-04-15) | |
| 17 | 17 | "Price on His Head" | Richard L. Bare | Story by : Pamela Herbert & Leo Guild Teleplay by :Henry Kuttner &C.L. Moore | April 29, 1958 (1958-04-29) | |
Tom is on a stagecoach that's robbed, and the driver is killed. But when the thieves don't find what they're looking for on board, they hold the other four passengers hostage and send Tom into town to get the money they are sure has been taken from the coach. With an appearance byJack Kelly as Bart Maverick. | ||||||
| 18 | 18 | "Short Range" | Montgomery Pittman | Story by : James Barnett & Steve Goodman Teleplay by : Montgomery Pittman | May 13, 1958 (1958-05-13) | |
| 19 | 19 | "The Bullet and the Cross" | Lee Sholem | Peter R. Brooke | May 27, 1958 (1958-05-27) | |
| 20 | 20 | "Mule Team" | Franklin Adreon | Story by :Kenneth Perkins Teleplay by : Sig Herzig | June 10, 1958 (1958-06-10) | |
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 1 | "Ring of Sand" | Leslie H. Martinson | Raphael Hayes | September 16, 1958 (1958-09-16) | |
| 22 | 2 | "Brink of Fear" | Leslie H. Martinson | Harold Medford | September 30, 1958 (1958-09-30) | |
| 23 | 3 | "The Wizard" | Joseph Lejtes | C.L. Moore | October 14, 1958 (1958-10-14) | |
| 24 | 4 | "The Ghost" | Lee Sholem | C.L. Moore (as Catherine Kuttner) | October 28, 1958 (1958-10-28) | |
| 25 | 5 | "The Canary Kid" | Montgomery Pittman | Montgomery Pittman | November 11, 1958 (1958-11-11) | |
| 26 | 6 | "The Hunted" | Joseph Lejtes | Peter R. Brooke Based on a story from :True West Magazine | November 25, 1958 (1958-11-25) | |
| 27 | 7 | "Yampa Crossing" | Joseph Lejtes | Thomas W. Blackburn | December 9, 1958 (1958-12-09) | |
| 28 | 8 | "Devil to Pay" | Lee Sholem | Fredric M. Frank | December 23, 1958 (1958-12-23) | |
| 29 | 9 | "The Desperadoes" | Joseph Lejtes | Raphael Hayes | January 6, 1959 (1959-01-06) | |
| 30 | 10 | "The Extra Hand" | Lee Sholem | Peter R. Brooke | January 20, 1959 (1959-01-20) | |
| 31 | 11 | "The Return of the Canary Kid" | Montgomery Pittman | Montgomery Pittman | February 3, 1959 (1959-02-03) | |
| 32 | 12 | "The Mysterious Stranger" | Paul Henreid | Story by : Jack Emanuel Teleplay by : Raphael Hayes | February 17, 1959 (1959-02-17) | |
| 33 | 13 | "The Giant Killer" | Joseph Lejtes | Norman Daniels & Harold Medford | March 3, 1959 (1959-03-03) | |
| 34 | 14 | "The Royal Raiders" | Leslie H. Martinson | Peter R. Brooke | March 17, 1959 (1959-03-17) | |
| 35 | 15 | "The Mountain" | Joseph Lejtes | C.L. Moore (as Catherine Kuttner) | March 31, 1959 (1959-03-31) | |
| 36 | 16 | "The Twister" | Joseph Lejtes | James Gunn & Ellis St. Joseph | April 14, 1959 (1959-04-14) | |
| 37 | 17 | "The Vultures" | Joseph Lejtes | Peter R. Brooke & James Gunn | April 28, 1959 (1959-04-28) | |
| 38 | 18 | "The Avengers" | Joseph Lejtes | Story by : Jack Emanuel & Montgomery Pittman Teleplay by : Lowell Barrington | May 12, 1959 (1959-05-12) | |
| 39 | 19 | "Small Hostage" | Anton Leader | Polly James | May 26, 1959 (1959-05-26) | |
| 40 | 20 | "Wolf" | Joseph Lejtes | Story by : Robert Moore Williams Teleplay by : Milton S. Gelman | June 9, 1959 (1959-06-09) | |
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | 1 | "The Trial of the Canary Kid" | Montgomery Pittman | Story by : Montgomery Pittman Teleplay by : C.L. Moore (as Catherine Kuttner) | September 15, 1959 (1959-09-15) | |
Though self-contained as a story, this is a sequel to the June 1959 episode ofLawman entitled "The Wayfarer". The Canary Kid is revealed to have been a witness to the events of that episode, and is expected to testify in a trial. Peter Brown appears as hisLawman character Johnny McKay. | ||||||
| 42 | 2 | "The Wild Bunch" | Leslie Goodwins | Dean Riesner | September 29, 1959 (1959-09-29) | |
| 43 | 3 | "MacBrewster the Bold" | Leslie Goodwins | Dean Riesner | October 13, 1959 (1959-10-13) | |
| 44 | 4 | "The Gitanos" | Leslie Goodwins | Edmund Morris | October 27, 1959 (1959-10-27) | |
| 45 | 5 | "The Canary Kid, Inc." | Leslie Goodwins | Samuel Roeca | November 10, 1959 (1959-11-10) | |
| 46 | 6 | "Outlaw Island" | Reginald Le Borg | Lowell Barrington | November 24, 1959 (1959-11-24) | |
| 47 | 7 | "Apollo with a Gun" | Robert Altman | Warren Douglas | December 8, 1959 (1959-12-08) | |
| 48 | 8 | "The Gaucho" | Paul Guilfoyle | Edmund Morris | December 22, 1959 (1959-12-22) | |
| 49 | 9 | "Journey to Provision" | James V. Kern | Edmund Morris | January 5, 1960 (1960-01-05) | |
| 50 | 10 | "The Highbinder" | Robert Altman | Warren Douglas | January 19, 1960 (1960-01-19) | |
| 51 | 11 | "Wolfpack" | Leslie Goodwins | Story by : Dick Nelson Teleplay by : William L. Stuart | February 2, 1960 (1960-02-02) | |
| 52 | 12 | "Fernando" | H. Bruce Humberstone | Dean Riesner | February 16, 1960 (1960-02-16) | |
| 53 | 13 | "Blackwater Swamp" | Leslie Goodwins | Story by : Jim Barnett Teleplay by : Warren Douglas | March 1, 1960 (1960-03-01) | |
| 54 | 14 | "Return to Boot Hill" | Lee Sholem | Warren Douglas | March 15, 1960 (1960-03-15) | |
| 55 | 15 | "Vinegarroon" | William J. Hole, Jr. | Warren Douglas | March 29, 1960 (1960-03-29) | |
| 56 | 16 | "The Corsican" | William J. Hole, Jr. | Ric Hardman | April 12, 1960 (1960-04-12) | |
| 57 | 17 | "Blue Bonnet Stray" | Leslie Goodwins | Warren Douglas | April 26, 1960 (1960-04-26) | |
| 58 | 18 | "The Long Dry" | Lew Landers | Story by : Jim Barnett (as Iain MacCormick) Teleplay by : Buckley Angell | May 10, 1960 (1960-05-10) | |
| 59 | 19 | "Funeral at Forty Mile" | Leslie Goodwins | Story by : Hugh Benson and Dick Nelson Teleplay by : Dick Nelson | May 24, 1960 (1960-05-24) | |
| 60 | 20 | "The Captive Locomotive" | Leslie Goodwins | Irwin Winehouse & A. Sanford Wolfe | June 7, 1960 (1960-06-07) | |
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 61 | 1 | "Shadow Catcher" | Leslie Goodwins | Warren Douglas | September 26, 1960 (1960-09-26) |
| 62 | 2 | "A Noose for Nora" | Lee Sholem | Lester Fuller &Lee Loeb | October 24, 1960 (1960-10-24) |
| 63 | 3 | "Man from Medora" | Leslie Goodwins | Warren Douglas | November 21, 1960 (1960-11-21) |
| 64 | 4 | "Welcome Enemy" | Leslie Goodwins | "W. Hermanos"[a] | December 26, 1960 (1960-12-26) |
| 65 | 5 | "Toothy Thompson" | Lee Sholem | Howard Browne & Warren Douglas | January 16, 1961 (1961-01-16) |
| 66 | 6 | "Shepherd with a Gun" | Lew Landers | Warren Douglas | February 6, 1961 (1961-02-06) |
| 67 | 7 | "Angel" | Lee Sholem | Warren Douglas | March 6, 1961 (1961-03-06) |
| 68 | 8 | "Stranger in Town" | Lew Landers | Lester Fuller | March 27, 1961 (1961-03-27) |
| 69 | 9 | "Trouble at Sand Springs" | Herbert L. Strock | Leo Gordon | April 17, 1961 (1961-04-17) |
After several episodes aired in the second season, a disappointed Hutchins complained in a letter to executive director William T. Orr that the scripts were written so that the lead character Sugarfoot was not particularly needed in many of the episodes.[1]
Wayde Preston, who played Christopher Colt on the ABC WesternColt .45, appeared four times in that same role onSugarfoot in the episodes dealing with "The Canary Kid," a role also played by Will Hutchins.
Sugarfoot finished at #24 in theNielsen ratings for the 1957-1958 season and #21 for 1958-1959.[2]
Warner Bros. has released all four seasons on MOD (manufacture on demand) DVD-R's in Region 1 via theirWarner Archive Collection.[3][4][5][6]