MovieChat Forums > Lawman (1958) Discussion > No 5th Season; No Location Filming

No 5th Season; No Location Filming

posted 9 years ago by attndw
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Was a fifth season of "Lawman" not possible because of: 1) diminished ratings, 2) increased production costs, 3) contract stipulations/disputes, 4) personality clashes, 5) network-studio quarrel, 6) other? On a multitude of "Lawman" subjects discussed on the message board so many posters here offer personal assumptions or theories. Honestly, most aren't helpful. You know, if one doesn't know for a fact or for sure, it's alright not to comment. So, what's the fact(s), the true Hollywood story, behind "Lawman" going to TV's Boot Hill in 1962?
I'm pleasantly immersing myself in my recently purchased Season Two DVD from Warner Archive (avoiding the Peggy Castle-less year one) and I can't get over how "claustrophobic" this entertaining, well-acted western looks, i.e. they're always filming on the backlot, "exteriors" on the stage, and utilizing stock footage. Obviously cheaper that way.
I wonder if John Russell or Peter Brown ever volunteered to their bosses in Burbank, "Hey, don't we have it in our budget to occasionally step off the lot and shoot in Griffith Park or Thousand Oaks or Vasquez Rocks?" It seemed the cheapness at Warner Bros. TV remained, as "F Troop" star Larry Storch quipped half a decade later something to the effect "The only time 'F Troop' went on location was when we rode our horses in Pasadena for the Rose Parade!" Funny, but sadly true.
On a happier note, on the DVDs the film transfers are sharp; audio's good. And the episodes' RT at 24:30 closely approximates what would be unedited, network length for that era, although about a minute shy of "The Twilight Zone" and "I Love Lucy" half hours, for instance.
Peter Brown, Deputy Johnny McKay, R.I.P.

[–] darkavenger77 9 years ago

Was a fifth season of "Lawman" not possible because of:
1) diminished ratings,
2) increased production costs,
3) contract stipulations/disputes,
4) personality clashes,
5) network-studio quarrel,
6) other?

On a multitude of "Lawman" subjects discussed on the message board so many posters here offer personal assumptions or theories. Honestly, most aren't helpful.

You're asking for a lot, as with the 2016 passing of Peter Brown there is likely no one still alive that has direct knowledge of what you're asking. This message board has little traffic, and posting in the manner you did is not likely to generate many answers. I'll have a go at it.

The show like many has a Wikipedia page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawman_%28TV_series%29

It makes mention of a "pact" between Russell and the producer:

Prior to the beginning of production, Russell and Brown and producer Jules Schermer made a pact to maintain the quality of the series so that it would not be seen as "just another western."

It could be that one or both felt it had run its course.

You also have to keep in mind the times. The show had 4 x 37-41 episode seasons for a total of 156 episodes. By today's standards of as few as 6 episodes per "season", that would be 26 seasons, or for a more normal 22 episode season about 7 seasons.

Another factor is westerns had peaked. Most other westerns with the exceptions such as Gunsmoke (1955), Bonanza (1959), and The Virginian (1962) had similar or shorter lifespans. Personal note, I've watched many Gunsmoke episodes and like Dan a lot more than Matt. Ditto Lily vs Kitty and Johnny vs Chester/Festus.

One thing about TV that has not changed is the programming for what sells. If you look at the ratings for the 1962-63 and 1963-64 years, you'll see the shift in top 10 shows was away from westerns and towards comedy/variety.

I wonder if John Russell or Peter Brown ever volunteered to their bosses in Burbank, "Hey, don't we have it in our budget to occasionally step off the lot and shoot in Griffith Park or Thousand Oaks or Vasquez Rocks?"

As one that has seen all episodes, I noted they were relatively low-budget. For example, the scripts were reused from other WB westerns, and the same sound effects used (people falling to the ground, wind howling). This is similar to westerns of the era that were all shot on a back lot.

One thing I'm thankful for is no modern remake.

Somewhat related, I began watching Highway Patrol (1955) of the similar era last year when it was on a local broadcast channel. I noted they used location filming extensively, but of course it took place in 1955-59 and they could do so. Kind of hard to use modern buildings for 1882 Laramie. It was made by another production company, though. It's fun to find actual locations and use Google maps to look at them then and now.

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