The Dakotas

The Dakotas

1963
The Dakotas
The Dakotas

The Dakotas

8.1 | TV-PG | en | Western

The Dakotas is an ABC/Warner Brothers western television series starring Larry Ward and featuring Jack Elam broadcast during 1963. The short-lived program is considered a spin-off of Clint Walker's Cheyenne. The Dakotas is perhaps most notable for the fact that it was cancelled one week after heavy viewer protest over an objectionable scene.

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Seasons & Episodes

1
EP19  A Nice Girl From Goliath
May. 13,1963
A Nice Girl From Goliath

A girl's lying testimony sends a man to be hanged.Now she has learned the man's brother is coming after her & ask's Del for protection.

EP18  Sanctuary At Crystal Springs
May. 06,1963
Sanctuary At Crystal Springs

Del & D.J. kill two Barton brothers as they take over a church & hold the pastor hostage. A third brother says he will kill the pastor if Del & D.J. don't turn themselves into him.

EP17  Feud At Snake River
Apr. 29,1963
Feud At Snake River

Two brothers are aiming to become wealthy enterprizers.But when brother Simon starts running farmers off their land he & his brother George become apposed to one another. Marshal Ragan tries to rally the rest of the farmers against Simon.

EP16  The Chooser Of The Slain
Apr. 22,1963
The Chooser Of The Slain

Del & Vance admit killing a man in self defense but no one believes them. Marshal Ragan must find the only witness to the shooting or the two deputies are to be hanged.

EP15  Terror At Heart River
Apr. 05,1963
Terror At Heart River

The railroad is coming thru Heart River. But the railroad has abandoned the workers with no money or food.As the workers come into town it is apparent the people are not going to welcome them & there is going to be real trouble

EP14  One Day In Vermillion
Apr. 08,1963
One Day In Vermillion

A Sioux chief is brought to Vermillion by Marshal Ragan for the signing of a peace treaty. But it is not peace that is coming their way!.

EP13  Reformation At Big Nose Butte
Apr. 01,1963
Reformation At Big Nose Butte

Deputy J.D.Smith once was a outlaw.His former leader is now free out of prison & wants to start the gang back up. He is summoned to go back to the old ways.

EP12  Trial At Grand Forks
Mar. 25,1963
Trial At Grand Forks

A German Countess is sentenced to death for killing her husband in a trial at Grand Forks. Marshal Ragan tries to find out why the woman would not defend herself at the trial. But he has little time before the execution.

EP11  Walk Through The Badlands
Mar. 18,1963
Walk Through The Badlands

Story of Marshal Ragan & his deputies, a group of outlaws,some calvalry men all meet together in the wilderness. Who's chasing who?

EP10  Justice At Eagle's Nest
Mar. 11,1963
Justice At Eagle's Nest

Classic case of farmers vs the cattlemen.Farmers near Eagle's Nest bring in Judge Daniel Harvey to enforce the law,their version. As it looks like war will ensue. Marshal Ragan decided to investigate the old judge.

EP9  Incident At Rapid City
Mar. 04,1963
Incident At Rapid City

It appears that lloyd Mitchell has given the calvary spoiled food & poisoned some of them. The calvary demands that deputy Del Stark turn the man over to them. But it appears to Del that the calvary men he sees are renegades or deserters.

EP8  Fargo
Feb. 25,1963
Fargo

Deputy J.D. Smith has a big problem. Local sheriff has been running his small hometown like a king.Merchants & citizens alike must submit to his ruthless demands & tribute.

EP7  Requiem At Dancer's Hill
Feb. 18,1963
Requiem At Dancer's Hill

Morgan Jackson, the town's bad boy has been killed by a posse. He was accused of murdering Lucy Christian .Hatred of the boy is led by Ross Kendrick.Dark family secrets lead to a astonishing conclusion.

EP6  Crisis At High Banjo
Feb. 11,1963
Crisis At High Banjo

Marshal Ragan's wife had been murdered several years ago. He runs across Johnny Fox who admits he was paid to do it. A conflict arises in the Marshal who wants to kill Fox & a part of him who wants to find why she was murdered.

EP5  Thunder In Pleasant Valley
Feb. 04,1963
Thunder In Pleasant Valley

A rancher's daughter has been kidnapped & held for ransom. There is a conflict between Marshal Ragan who wants to catch the kidnappers & the rancher who only wants his daughter back.

EP4  Trouble At French Creek
Jan. 28,1963
Trouble At French Creek

A woman mineowner drives her employees at work beyond their endurance. Things get so bad that the men walk out. The woman hires gunslingers to control the men. Marshal Ragan is called in to put things under control.

EP3  Mutiny At Fort Mercy
Jan. 21,1963
Mutiny At Fort Mercy

The deputies return a escapee to Fort Mercy. It is run by a brutal Captain Ridgeway. After inhumane treatment a full scale riot erupts.

EP2  Red Sky Over Bismarck
Jan. 14,1963
Red Sky Over Bismarck

Marshal Ragan becomes involved with a woman and her half breed son. The woman asks that he help as she is afraid of the local justive of the peace.

EP1  Return To Drydock
Jan. 07,1963
Return To Drydock

Deputy J.D.Smith was run out of town when he was a gunfighter. He had only one friend stand behind him & now that man has been murdered. J.D. intends to find out who & why.

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8.1 | TV-PG | en | Western | More Info
Released: 1963-01-07 | Released Producted By: , Country: United States of America Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website:
Synopsis

The Dakotas is an ABC/Warner Brothers western television series starring Larry Ward and featuring Jack Elam broadcast during 1963. The short-lived program is considered a spin-off of Clint Walker's Cheyenne. The Dakotas is perhaps most notable for the fact that it was cancelled one week after heavy viewer protest over an objectionable scene.

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The tv show is currently not available onine

Cast

Chad Everett , Larry Ward , Jack Elam

Director

William T. Orr

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Reviews

geostrategic Of all the Westerns on TV during the early 1960s "The Dakotas", produced by Warner Brothers, was by far the very top of the top shelf. The hour long western drama was hard hitting, likely a bit too early for its time, but one true TV Western fans wished was not taken off the air so quickly.I agree with the vast majority of reviewers, Western TV & motion picture veteran gunman & bad guy, Jack Elam, really made this TV western show one I really looked forward watching, after homework of course. The rest of the cast was equally fine, attempting to maintain the Dakota territorial law any way they could. The show had numerous familiar favourite guest Western stars who appeared, making for great Western TV entertainment. The show's musical score was wonderful! I shall always fondly remember "The Dakotas"!
dinky-4 Time has not been especially kind to "The Dakotas" but it may not have been all that good to begin with. The main problem may be the casting of Larry Ward, an adequate supporting player but lacking the charisma needed to "carry" a series. His presence leaves a dead spot at the heart of each episode. (Mentioning that his wife was shot dead on their honeymoon seems like a lame attempt to add depth to his character.) Jack Elam is fine in "eccentric" parts but casting him as a lawman puts unfortunate limits on him and his unique style. Michael Greene may have eventually developed into a character with personality but in the limited number of episodes which were shot, he has little to do. With better scripts, Chad Everett might have been able to lift this series above the mundane with his "star quality" but there's not much focus on him and he's usually allowed only a bit of "beefcake" footage. He's briefly seen without his shirt in "Fargo" and in "The Chooser of the Slain" but only in "Mutiny at Ft. Mercy" is his physique put on blatant display. For much of that episode he's shown tied -- bare-chested and sweaty -- to a T-shaped post. This dose of "beefcake-bondage" is only equaled by Clint Walker in a "Cheyenne" episode called "The Trap" and by George Montgomery in a "Cimarron City" episode called "Terror Town."
patmyhill Well what does one say, others have said it all! Like the other contributors I saw The Dakotas in my mid teens, thought it was the best western to date, and, of course it was the great Jack Elam that made the show! J D Smith could have been a good feature film story. Oh if only Peckinpah had used Jack Elam more (in Pat Garrett & ...) and earlier - imagine Jack partnering Warren Oates, especially in The Wild Bunch as the Gorch brothers.But to details. Now, in Oct 2007 I have realised an old ambition and got hold of all 20 episodes that were shown. Look on ebay if you want them.A little research shows there is a fair bit of misinformation around, but Wikipedia is a good start, together with this site and Classic TV Archive.21 episodes were made in all, the last, number 20, Black Gold was not transmitted in the US. The first, number 0, A Man Called Ragan was first shown in the US in 1962 as part of Cheyenne.But what about the UK? I'm sure it was on Sat night, 8 or 9pm and that the series started with number 0, possibly retitled as The Dakotas. So all the web info appears to relate to the US. I recall complaints in the UK about the violence, but was the series terminated early in the UK as well? Or was it all shown. what happened in the UK, was it bought, leased/rented/syndicated or is there a copy, maybe of the full set lying in a vault somewhere? 16mm versions of some episodes are available on US ebay, suggesting that is how Warners distributed it. So is there a Warner Bros archive? So you guys in the UK try and remember when you saw it, it might be traceable. You guys in the US, what about it? These 16mm versions came from somewhere. The thought of a full set of high quality print DVDs is tantalising.This series is probably the greatest memorial and testament to one of the west's finest character actors, so for Jack's sake...........
charley-8 _The Dakotas_ was very good. Its ratings were not good, as I recall. Another of my recollections is that it faced stiff competition in its time slot. It was also launched as the "adult western" craze was receding. Some of the scripts were thought-provoking. Jack Elam was terrific. I suspect it could be run today in Fance and be a hit with intellectuals at least, owing to its penchant for ambiguity and ambivalence. Not your standard western, n'est-ce pas!