John Mitchum

Born: 1919-09-06

John Newman Mitchum was the September child of a Norwegian mother and an Irish/Blackfoot father whom he never knew, as he was killed in a tragic train yard accident in 1919. His two-years-older brother Robert filled the role as best as he could, while their older sister Annette studied the lively arts and eventually joined a traveling vaudeville team. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the young family moved to Rising Sun, Delaware, where farm life didn't agree with the young boys. Scarce opportunities took them to New York City, where the streets of Hell's kitchen taught the brothers to fight, a skill they developed so well they earned the moniker 'them ornery Mitchum boys'. Eventually, when the Great Depression deepened, the family was forced to separate with the intention of meeting up with sister Annette, who had married a sailor and moved to California, changing her name to Julie. The teenage boys set out with little more than clean handkerchiefs to find their way across the country by the only means they could: hitchhiking and riding the rails. Their somewhat aimless journey took them to places they had never been; where their Eastern accents were not welcome, so they quickly learned that accurately mimicking the local dialect would keep them out of trouble--some of the time! While brother Robert fairly quickly discovered his place in Hollywood legend, John sought his destiny on the high seas, professionally boxing, or conducting a choir. When the opportunity for acting came along John found his perfect niche as a character actor, mostly playing heavies since he was an imposing figure of a man. John's roles had him playing alongside a wide range of celebrities, from Humphrey Bogart in "Knock On Any Door" (1949) to Gladys Knight in "Pipe Dreams" (1976), Clint Eastwood of "Dirty Harry" (1971) to John Wayne in "Chisum" (1970), appearing in 58 films overall. It was during production of "Chisum" that John Wayne offered his voice for an anthology of John's poetry that seeks to uplift US culture, "America, Why I Love Her", a recording for which Mitchum was nominated for a Grammy in 1973. John was a consummate storyteller (as was his brother Robert), and with his fascination with US history in particular he was ever-ready to regale anyone with a thoughtful, interesting, and insightful anecdote, especially if a guitar was available. It was the wedding of music and history that brought him to create the recording "Our Land, Our Heritage" with Dan Blocker; big "Hoss" from "Bonanza", in 1964. Mitchum had some recurring roles throughout his television career; such as "Pickalong" from "Riverboat", or "Hoffenmueller" from "F-Troop", over 150 appearances in all during the span of a half-century career. The brothers Mitchum legacy has been well-preserved in his often hilarious autobiography, "Them Ornery Mitchum Boys", published in 1989. The subjects range from brother Robert escaping a Georgia chain-gang to his "poontang" interview; from John surviving an attacking whale on a three-masted schooner to his adventures riding the rails, developing a great love and respect for the people of the United States.


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The Outlaw Josey Wales

as Al
Released: 1976-06-30

After avenging his family's brutal murder, Wales is pursued by a pack of soldiers. He prefers to...

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High Plains Drifter

as Warden
Released: 1973-04-19

A gunfighting stranger comes to the small settlement of Lago. After gunning down three gunmen...

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Breakheart Pass

as Red Beard
Released: 1975-12-09

At the height of the frontier era, a train races through the Rocky Mountains on a classified...

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My Fair Lady

as Ad Lib at Church (uncredited)
Released: 1964-10-21

A snobbish phonetics professor agrees to a wager that he can take a flower girl and make her...

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Magnum Force

as Frank DiGiorgio
Released: 1973-12-13

"Dirty" Harry Callahan is a San Francisco Police Inspector on the trail of a group of rogue cops...

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as De Georgio
Released: 1971-12-23

When a madman dubbed 'Scorpio' terrorizes San Francisco, hard-nosed cop, Harry Callahan – famous...

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Chisum

as Baker
Released: 1970-07-23

Cattle baron John Chisum joins forces with Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett to fight the Lincoln...

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Paint Your Wagon

as Jacob Woodling
Released: 1969-10-15

A Michigan farmer and a prospector form a partnership in the California gold country. Their...

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The Enforcer

as Frank DiGiorgio
Released: 1976-12-16

Dirty Harry Callahan returns again, this time saddled with a rookie female partner. Together,...

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In a Lonely Place

as Bar Patron (uncredited)
Released: 1950-05-17

A screenwriter with a violent temper is a murder suspect until his lovely neighbor clears him....

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El Dorado

as Elmer - Jason's Bartender
Released: 1966-12-17

Cole Thornton, a gunfighter for hire, joins forces with an old friend, Sheriff J.P. Harrah....

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Bandolero!

as Bath House Customer
Released: 1968-06-01

Posing as a hangman, Mace Bishop arrives in town with the intention of freeing a gang of...

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Flying Leathernecks

as uncredited
Released: 1951-08-28

Major Daniel Kirby takes command of a squadron of Marine fliers just before they are about to go...

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The Way West

as Little Henry
Released: 1967-05-24

In the mid-19th century, Senator William J. Tadlock leads a group of settlers overland in a...

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Knock on Any Door

as Jury Member (uncredited)
Released: 1949-02-22

An attorney defends a hoodlum of murder, using the oppressiveness of the slums to appeal to the...

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The Lusty Men

as uncredited
Released: 1952-10-24

Retired rodeo champion Jeff McCloud agrees to mentor novice rodeo contestant Wes Merritt against...

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Telefon

as Harry Bascom
Released: 1977-12-16

Nicolai Dalchimski, a mad KGB agent steals a notebook full of names of "sleeping" undercover KGB...

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Warning Shot

as uncredited
Released: 1967-01-18

Hounded by the press for shooting a doctor, an ousted Los Angeles policeman works his own case.

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Cattle King

as Tex
Released: 1963-07-08

A rich landowner of Wyoming fights to prevent the Texas herds from trampling his rich meadows.

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The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains

as Atlanta Judge
Released: 1987-10-31

The true story of Robert Elliot Burns, the prisoner who, after being sentenced to a Georgia...

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Born to Be Bad

as Guest (Uncredited)
Released: 1950-09-28

Christabel Caine has the face of angel and the heart of a swamp rat. She'll step on anyone to...

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The Gunfight at Dodge City

as Rowdy Drunken Cowboy
Released: 1959-05-01

Fleeing to Dodge City after killing a man in self defence Masterson finds his brother Ed (Harry...

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Nightmare

as Onlooker at Stan's Suicide Attempt (Uncredited)
Released: 1956-08-20

Clarinetist Stan has a nightmare about killing a man in a mirrored room. But when he wakes up...

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The Hanged Man

as Eubie Turpin
Released: 1974-03-13

A gunfighter who survives his own hanging helps a young widow who is trying to keep a ruthless...

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Hitler

as Hermann Goering
Released: 1962-03-21

Richard Basehart stars as one of the most influential and one of the most reviled men in history...

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Five Steps to Danger

as Bud--Deputy Sheriff
Released: 1956-11-05

Can a couple keep important secrets from Communist spies?

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Bigfoot

as Elmer Briggs
Released: 1970-10-21

Bigfoot kidnaps some women and some bikers decide to go on a rescue mission to save them.

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The Bonnie Parker Story

as John - Saloon Owner / Bartender (uncredited)
Released: 1958-05-28

In the 1930s, amoral blonde tommy-gun girl Bonnie Parker cut a swath of bodies across the...

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Operation Mad Ball

as Enlisted Man (uncredited)
Released: 1957-08-17

In this wacky military spoof, Lemmon plays a terminally bored Army private waging a war of wits...

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Submarine Command

as uncredited
Released: 1951-11-01

Submarine commander Ken White is forced to suddenly submerge, leaving his captain and another...

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Guns, Girls and Gangsters

as Armored Car Guard (uncredited)
Released: 1959-01-01

Chuck Wheeler gets out of the Pen and sets up an elaborate heist of Vegas casino money...

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Robert Mitchum: The Reluctant Star

as Self
Released: 1991-03-10

A retrospective on the career of Robert Mitchum through interviews with friends and co-workers,...

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The Tall Stranger

as uncredited
Released: 1957-11-17

A Union soldier returns to his western home at the end of the Civil War and finds himself caught...

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Chandler

as Rudy, Bartender
Released: 1971-12-01

A private eye is hired to follow a mobster's former mistress.

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The Prairie

as Asa Bush
Released: 1947-11-27

The Prairie is set at the time of the Louisiana Purchase. Hoping to find their destiny in the...

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One More Train to Rob

as Guard (uncredited)
Released: 1971-02-19

Harker Flet and compatriots Timothy X. Nolan and Katy, along with three other men, steal $40,000...

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Brainstorm

as Guitar-Playing Inmate (uncredited)
Released: 1965-05-05

Scientist Jim Grayam saves his boss' wife from suicide but then falls in love with her.

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Ride Out for Revenge

as Sergeant (uncredited)
Released: 1957-10-31

When an Indian chief is murdered in a hateful town, a sympathizing ex marshal tries to stop the...

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The Devil's Sleep

as Doctor
Released: 1949-05-18

Innocent youth trapped in a hopped-up hell.

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Up In Smoke

as Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
Released: 1957-12-22

The Bowery Boys: In order to be able to get the names of winning horses at the track, Sach...

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Shed No Tears

as Policeman (Uncredited)
Released: 1948-06-09

A man listens to his wife and fakes his own death so that she can get her hands on his insurance...

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Cole Younger, Gunfighter

as Rand City Bartender
Released: 1958-03-30

An outlaw must decide whether to stick his neck out for an innocent man.

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Crackle of Death

as uncredited
Released: 1976-03-28

The first of two Kolchak: The Night Stalker compilation TV films. It combines two episodes of...

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Johnny Rocco

as Police Detective at Stakeout (uncredited)
Released: 1958-12-21

Gangster and police look for a gangster's son who witnessed a murder.

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Death in Small Doses

as uncredited
Released: 1957-09-15

A government agent investigates the use of illegal amphetamines among long-haul truck drivers.

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Do Not Fold, Spindle, or Mutilate

as Mr. Tubbs
Released: 1971-11-09

Four elderly ladies with a lot of time on their hands get the idea to create a fictional "girl"...

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Escapes

as Mr. Olson (Coffee Break)
Released: 1986-06-10

An anthology of five tales of terror, each originally produced for video. The titles are...

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The Man Is Armed

as Officer
Released: 1956-10-19

Crime drama in which a man unknowingly helps a gang pull off a big heist. The gang discovers...

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Savage

as Motel Manager
Released: 1973-03-31

A TV reporter investigates compromising photographs of a nominee to the Supreme Court.

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Hoodwinked

as J.P. Spanner
Released: 1989-11-15

Burnt-out private dick Jacob Aloysius Spanner teams up with his brother to help an old adversary...

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Battle Flame

as Maj. Dowling
Released: 1959-07-26

The trials and tribulations of a platoon of U.S. Marines, led by 1st Lt. Frank Davis, during the...

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Bloody Trail

as Hoss
Released: 1972-01-01

A Union soldier travels through the South right after the Civil War ends, and runs up against...

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Where's Willie?

as uncredited
Released: 1978-04-12

An 8-year old boy invents a hand-held computer which can control any electronic device, and uses...

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The Pace That Thrills

as Blackie Myers
Released: 1952-03-01

Chills and spills in the fast-paced world of motorcycle racing.

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Nice Girls Don't Stay for Breakfast

as Self - Brother (archive footage)
Released: 2019-02-27

In the late 1990s, iconic photographer Bruce Weber barely managed to convince legendary actor...

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Perils of the Wilderness

as Brent
Released: 1956-01-06

In the 56th (and next-to-last serial) made by Columbia Pictures, Montana Deputy Dan Lawson,...

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Perry Mason

as Operative
First aired: 1957-09-21

The cases of master criminal defense attorney Perry Mason and his staff who handled the most...

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Perry Mason

as Operator
First aired: 1957-09-21

The cases of master criminal defense attorney Perry Mason and his staff who handled the most...

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Bonanza

as Lou Palmer
First aired: 1959-09-12

The High-Sierra adventures of Ben Cartwright and his sons as they run and defend their ranch...

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Bonanza

as Bartender #1
First aired: 1959-09-12

The High-Sierra adventures of Ben Cartwright and his sons as they run and defend their ranch...

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Bewitched

as uncredited
First aired: 1964-09-17

Samantha Stephens is a seemingly normal suburban housewife who also happens to be a genuine...

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Quincy, M.E.

as uncredited
First aired: 1976-10-03

Los Angeles County medical examiner Quincy routinely engages in police investigations.

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Batman

as Rip Snorting
First aired: 1966-01-12

Wealthy entrepreneur Bruce Wayne and his ward Dick Grayson lead a double life: they are actually...

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Batman

as Hot Dog Harrigan
First aired: 1966-01-12

Wealthy entrepreneur Bruce Wayne and his ward Dick Grayson lead a double life: they are actually...

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Dragnet

as uncredited
First aired: 1951-12-16

Follows the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his...

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Ironside

as uncredited
First aired: 1967-03-28

When an assassin's bullet confines him to a wheelchair for life ending his career as Chief of...

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Ironside

as Slim
First aired: 1967-03-28

When an assassin's bullet confines him to a wheelchair for life ending his career as Chief of...

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The Waltons

as uncredited
First aired: 1972-09-14

The Waltons live their life in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World...

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The Virginian

as Madison
First aired: 1962-09-19

The Shiloh Ranch in Wyoming Territory of the 1890s is owned in sequence by Judge Henry Garth,...

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The Virginian

as Pooch
First aired: 1962-09-19

The Shiloh Ranch in Wyoming Territory of the 1890s is owned in sequence by Judge Henry Garth,...

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The Virginian

as Sam the Bartender
First aired: 1962-09-19

The Shiloh Ranch in Wyoming Territory of the 1890s is owned in sequence by Judge Henry Garth,...

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The Virginian

as Bartender
First aired: 1962-09-19

The Shiloh Ranch in Wyoming Territory of the 1890s is owned in sequence by Judge Henry Garth,...

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The Virginian

as Bucky the Bartender
First aired: 1962-09-19

The Shiloh Ranch in Wyoming Territory of the 1890s is owned in sequence by Judge Henry Garth,...

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Little House on the Prairie

as uncredited
First aired: 1974-09-11

Little House on the Prairie is an American Western drama television series, starring Michael...

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The Twilight Zone

as Erbie
First aired: 1959-10-02

A series of unrelated stories containing drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science...

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The Twilight Zone

as Ace
First aired: 1959-10-02

A series of unrelated stories containing drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science...

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Have Gun, Will Travel

as uncredited
First aired: 1957-09-14

Have Gun – Will Travel is an American Western television series that aired on CBS from 1957...

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Have Gun, Will Travel

as McHeath
First aired: 1957-09-14

Have Gun – Will Travel is an American Western television series that aired on CBS from 1957...

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Adam-12

as Tom Horton
First aired: 1968-09-21

Adam-12 is a television police drama that followed two police officers of the Los Angeles Police...

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Maverick

as uncredited
First aired: 1957-09-22

The Maverick boys - Bret, Bart, Beau and Brent - are a clan of well-dressed dandies, gamblers...

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The Munsters

as uncredited
First aired: 1964-09-24

A family of friendly monsters that have misadventures all while never quite understanding why...

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Laramie

as uncredited
First aired: 1959-09-15

Laramie is an American Western television series that aired on NBC from 1959 to 1963. A Revue...

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Rawhide

as Luke Rose (uncredited)
First aired: 1959-01-09

The tale of trail boss Gil Favor and his trusty foreman Rowdy Yates as they drives cattle across...

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The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp

as uncredited
First aired: 1955-09-06

The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp is a television western series loosely based on the life of...

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Riverboat

as Pickalong
First aired: 1959-09-13

Riverboat is a 44-episode western television series starring Darren McGavin and Burt Reynolds...

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Thriller

as Policeman
First aired: 1960-09-13

Thriller is an American anthology television series that aired during the 1960–61 and 1961–62...

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Richard Diamond, Private Detective

as Jimmy Logan (uncredited)
First aired: 1957-07-01

Richard Diamond, Private Detective is an American detective drama which aired on radio from 1949...

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Kolchak: The Night Stalker

as Janitor
First aired: 1974-09-13

Kolchak: The Night Stalker is an American television series that aired on ABC during the...

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M Squad

as First Mate
First aired: 1957-09-20

Lt. Frank Ballinger is a no-nonsense plain clothes cop in the elite M Squad Division. The...

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Laredo

as uncredited
First aired: 1965-09-16

Laredo is an American Western television series that aired on NBC from September 16, 1965, to...

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Gunsmoke

as Joe
First aired: 1955-09-10

Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman...

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Gunsmoke

as Bob
First aired: 1955-09-10

Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman...

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Gunsmoke

as Norm
First aired: 1955-09-10

Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman...

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Gunsmoke

as Wills
First aired: 1955-09-10

Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman...

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Bronco

as uncredited
First aired: 1958-09-23

Bronco is a Western series on ABC from 1958 through 1962. It was shown by the BBC in the United...

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Screen Director's Playhouse

as Sandhogger #4
First aired: 1955-10-05

Presented by Eastman Kodak, this show was a series of original scripts directed by acclaimed...

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Trackdown

as uncredited
First aired: 1957-10-04

Trackdown is an American Western television series starring Robert Culp that aired on CBS...

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Suspicion

as uncredited
First aired: 1957-09-30

Suspicion is the title of an American television mystery drama series which aired on the NBC...

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F Troop

as uncredited
First aired: 1965-09-14

F Troop is a satirical American television sitcom that originally aired for two seasons on...

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F Troop

as Balladeer
First aired: 1965-09-14

F Troop is a satirical American television sitcom that originally aired for two seasons on...

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State Trooper

as uncredited
First aired: 1956-09-25

State Trooper is an American crime drama set in the 1950s American West, starring Rod Cameron as...

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State Trooper

as Sheriff Tom Newell
First aired: 1956-09-25

State Trooper is an American crime drama set in the 1950s American West, starring Rod Cameron as...

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Pistols 'n' Petticoats

as uncredited
First aired: 1966-09-17

Pistols 'n' Petticoats is an American Western sitcom

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Studio 57

as uncredited
First aired: 1954-09-21

Studio 57 is an American anthology series that was broadcast on the now-defunct DuMont...

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The Legend of Jesse James

as Bartender
First aired: 1965-09-13

The Legend of Jesse James is an American western series starring Christopher Jones in the tile...

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I Led Three Lives

as uncredited
First aired: 1953-01-01

I Led Three Lives is an American drama series which was syndicated by Ziv Television Programs...

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The Thin Man

as uncredited
First aired: 1957-09-20

Nick Charles was a private detective who married the wealthy Nora and decided to settle down and...

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Mr. Terrific

as Harry
First aired: 1967-01-09

Mister Terrific is an American TV sitcom that aired on CBS Television from January 9, to May 8,...

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Christy

as uncredited
First aired: 1994-04-03

Christy is an American historical fiction drama series which aired on CBS from April 1994 to...

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Panic!

as uncredited
First aired: 1957-03-05

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Sergeant Preston of the Yukon

as uncredited
First aired: 1955-09-29

Canadian Mountie Sgt. Preston patrols the wilds of the Yukon with his horse Rex and his faithful...

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The Young Rebels

as uncredited
First aired: 1970-09-20

Idealistic Revolutionary War rebels harass the Redcoats in British-held Chester, Pennsylvania,...

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