classicsoncall "The official newspaper files of the early West record many stories of famous and notorious characters of that period".Those words of railroad Detective Matt Clark opened every episode of this early TV Western series that ran from January 1954 through March 1955. Then a brief description was offered of the outlaw being featured that week with a mention of the time period the story takes place in. I just finished watching thirty six of the thirty nine episodes in the series, part of a three disc DVD collection put out by St. Clair Entertainment.Considering the era and the fact that television was in it's infancy, the series wasn't that bad. In fact it won a 1955 Emmy as the Best Western or Adventure Series up against a handful of shows I used to watch as a kid - 'Annie Oakley', 'Death Valley Days', 'The Roy Rogers Show' and 'The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok'. I never knew about this show back in the day or I might have tuned in, but except for 'Death Valley Days', I was watching all the others in reruns on Saturday mornings. Those were the days.If you're a serious history buff this show might not be up to your taste. Stories about your better known outlaws like Jesse James, Billy the Kid, and John Wesley Hardin usually kept some semblance of history in mind but there was usually a fair amount of poetic license taken in presenting the stories as well. A second season offering on a sheriff turned outlaw by the name of Jim Courtright was actually quite reliable, while another on Jack Slade was almost entirely fictional. Usually though, the episodes blended elements of fact with a story line that was intended to appeal to the TV viewer of the era who might have just gotten their very first television set.I wouldn't have known the players when I was a kid, but watching today I'm able to pick out some favorites, like Lee Van Cleef as Jesse James, Jack Elam as Black Jack Ketchum, Richard Jaeckel as Billy the Kid and Marie Windsor as Belle Starr. Tracking the outlaws each week was none other than the Ewing Family patriarch from the late Seventies hit "Dallas", Jim Davis in the role of Matt Clark, Railroad Detective. He operated with a female assistant, Mary Castle as Frankie Adams in the first season, and Kristine Miller as Margaret 'Jonesy' Jones in the second season.There were a couple episodes in the first season where a hint of a romance was introduced between Matt and Frankie, but the idea went nowhere. Jonesy would sometimes express her displeasure about getting some menial task while Matt went looking for trouble, but both actresses managed to mix it up with outlaws in a fair share of stories, as well as taking their lumps like Matt did when a bad guy got the upper hand.Others in their reviews have mentioned how Matt never aged over the course of the stories covered, ranging anywhere from the late 1850's up to the early 1900's. He always remained the same, representing the authority of the law in whatever time frame or area of the country the story in question took place in. If you're reading this and care to look further, I've individually reviewed each of the episodes I've watched, so you can get a snapshot of each with a quick click.

khathaway1 This is an interesting series that takes real life people (Jesse James, John Wesley Hardin, etc)...and dramatizes part of their real story with a continuing series character taking part in that story. Railroad Detective "Matt Clark" -- takes a role in tracking down famous outlaws from the Old West in stories that are at least partly based on the true accounts. In that sense, it's almost an anthology series, and as someone else pointed out, this odd structure poses some timeline conflicts with the real events, but it's a fun series with plenty of action to satisfy a western-hungry 1950's audience -- and it still holds up pretty well 55 years later. Clark cuts a powerful figure in his western gear as he goes up against some of history's baddest baddies. And his girl-sidekick Frankie is quite a dish. If you're a western fan, be sure to check it out if you have a chance.

398 This rather poorly named western series won an Emmy for best syndicated program and is certainly an interesting series. It was produced by Republic, the studio which did action better than anyone, and they put their best into it. Each episode was built around a real historical figure of the old west. A railroad detective named Matt Clark, similar to the later Elliot Ness with the gangsters of the 1920's and 30's, managed to become involved with almost every notorious western outlaw between the middle of the 1800's and WWI. The series' best asset was Jim Davis. Tall, rugged, ruggedly good looking, in prime shape, with an authentic western accent, and great riding skills which made him utterly convincing in the action scenes, Davis was every inch the western hero. He was teamed with two lovely and active co-stars, Mary Castle as "Frankie" during the first season, and Kristine Miller as "Jonesy" during the second. Each worked well with Davis.What separated this show from its contemporaries and much of what came later was the professionalism invested in the action scenes. Ace action directer William Witney directed 30 episodes. Franklin Adreon the rest. Both filmed the action with polish. Republic's vast store of stock footage from serials and B's was utilized to give scope. The level of individual episodes rose or fell with the quality of the guest stars brought in to the play the outlaws. Among the really good ones were Marie Windsor as Belle Starr, Lee Van Cleef as Jesse James, Fess Parker as Grat Dalton, Jean Parker as Cattle Kate, and Joe Sawyer and Slim Pickins as Butch Cassady and "The Smilin' Kid". The cream of the western up and comers, Pickins, Parker, Denver Pyle, James Best, and Richard Jaeckel, honed their craft. B veterans with decades of experience under their belts, Harry Woods, Glenn Strange, Kenneth MacDonald, Earle Hodgkins, Steve Darrell, and Chief Yowlachie, provided the old leather feel of vintage westerns.The weakness of the concept was that there are only so many famous western outlaws. By the second season the famous figures were becoming a mite obscure for all but the most dedicated history buff. Nevertheless, a few of the later shows were a match for any, due to the guest stars. Henry Brandon portrayed rustler Nate Champion, and former Republic star Don Barry was outstanding as small-time outlaw Milt Sharp.Western fans or history buffs will want to see this.

blondiesguy2004 This unassuming, fairly routine series deserves credit in the TV history books for two reasons: it was the first to win an Emmy award for best syndicated series, and it was the very first show to come from the fabled studios of Republic Pictures, known for its low-budget but high-powered shoot-em-ups in the 30's and 40's.Republic was one of the first Hollywood studios to make a leap into the small screen, which was still in its infancy. But the studios' tenure as producer of TV pulp fiction would be brief. After this show, they would later dabble with the other format that they were known for, the adventure serial, with "Commando Cody", as well as other series, but like this one, they didn't last longer than 39 episodes. Also, Republic was in its last stages as a studio; it would finish out its tenure in Hollywood as rental stages for several Revue Studio series such as "Soldiers of Fortune", the original "Dragnet", and "Kit Carson", before finally shutting its doors in 1959.Anyway, "Stories of the Century" wasn't that bad of an oater, its calling card was tales based on authentic figures in Western history, mainly outlaws like Black Bart, Johnny Ringo, John Wesley Hardin, The Dalton Bros. and the like. The late Jim Davis, best known for his role as the Ewing patriarch in "Dallas", put in an amiable job in the lead role as Matt Clark, a fictional railroad detective who has to contend with said outlaws, played by veteran and soon-to-be veteran character actors.Two amazing facts here: The incidents would take place in different time lines, some in the 1880's, some at the turn of the century, but Clark never ages. And also, Matt has the good luck to saddle himself with two lovely female detectives as sidekicks, Frankie Adams, played by Mary Castle, and her replacement, Margaret "Jonesy" Jones, by Kristine Miller. The Lone Ranger could only wish for lady companionship. You can only spend such time with Tonto for so long."Stories Of The Century" is a Studio City TV production from Republic Pictures Corp. 39 episodes were made during 1954, all 39 of which are in public domain and on DVD.