The Tall Man is a half-hour American Western television series about Sheriff Pat Garrett and gunfighter Billy the Kid that aired on NBC from September 10, 1960, to September 1, 1962, filmed by Revue Productions.
Created and produced by Samuel Peeples, the series is set in New Mexico in the late 1870s and also depicts other figures of the period, such as John Tunstall and Lew Wallace.
Sponsors included Beech-Nut Life Savers.
Synopsis
The Tall Man stars 6'3" Barry Sullivan as Sheriff Pat Garrett, and Clu Gulager as Billy the Kid.
In the premiere episode, "Garrett and the Kid" (September 10, 1960), Garrett arrives in Lincoln, depicted in the series as a gold-mining boomtown, as the new deputy sheriff, only to learn that a crooked saloon owner, Paul Mason (Robert Middleton), dominates the community, including the marshal, Dave Leggert (Denver Pyle). When he sees his power threatened, Mason tries to hire Billy to kill Garrett, unaware that the two were then on friendly terms. Vaughn Taylor is cast in this episode as Judge Riley, and King Donovan appears as a Mason henchman.
Marianna Hill was cast in several episodes as one of Billy's girlfriends, Rita. In one episode, Robert Lansing played the frontier dentist, gambler, and gunfighter John H. "Doc" Holliday in the episode "Rovin' Gambler.""TODAY — Six Water Sport Champs Perform". Birmingham Post-Herald. March 18, 1961. p. 7. Retrieved September 2, 2025. "An alcoholic, Kate Elder (played by Faith Domergue) witnesses a murder and falsely accuses her former suitor, Doc Holliday (Robert Lansing), who is arrested by Pat Garrett (Barry Sullivan), in "Rovin' Gambler" on NBC-TV's THE TALL MAN series."
Cast
Barry Sullivan as Sheriff Pat Garrett Clu Gulager as Billy the Kid.
Andy Clyde was cast in five episodes as Pa McBeam; Judy Nugent plays McBean's daughter, June. Different actresses were cast as the other daughter, May. Olive Sturgess played the part of May in "McBean Rides Again" (Nº 13), "The Reluctant Bridegroom" (Nº 23), and "Millionaire McBean" (Nº 31). Andy Clyde also appeared at the time in the role of the neighboring farmer George MacMichael on ABC's The Real McCoys, starring Walter Brennan.
Other guest stars In addition to the aforementioned, other actors appearing on The Tall Man in individual episodes include:
Claude Akins Chris Alcaide John Anderson R.G. Armstrong Malcolm Atterbury Patricia Barry Don Beddoe Russ Bender Lyle Bettger Lane Bradford Jocelyn Brando Hank Brandt X Brands Wally Brown Edgar Buchanan Michael Burns Robert Burton Harry Carey, Jr. Alan Carney Paul Carr John Cliff James Coburn Iron Eyes Cody Jim Davis Cyril Delevanti Richard Devon Pamela Duncan Faith Domergue Jena Engstrom William Fawcett Mona Freeman Robert Griffin Herman Hack Chick Hannan Ron Harper Don C. Harvey Raymond Hatton
Michael Hinn Rex Holman Rodolfo Hoyos Jr. Clegg Hoyt Kathleen Hughes Tommy Ivo Richard Jaeckel I. Stanford Jolley Ray Kellogg Sandy Kenyon Michael Landon Nan Leslie Herbert Lytton Adele Mara Howard McNear Don Megowan Jan Merlin Mark Miller Vic Morrow Gregory Morton Leonard Nimoy Hal Jon Norman Gregg Palmer James Parnell Dennis Patrick William Phipps Ford Rainey Richard Reeves Stafford Repp Addison Richards Julie Sommars George Sowards Harold J. Stone Kelly Thordsen Regis Toomey Jack Tornek Harry von Zell Ralph Votrian Gregory Walcott Patrick Waltz Robert J. Wilke Elen Willard
Critical response Jack Gould, in a review in The New York Times, called the program "a characteristic item of uninventive tripe". He described Sullivan's portrayal of Garrett as "an official who exudes sternness, physique, and no-think" and, comparing Gulager's Billy the Kid to Edd Byrnes's character on 77 Sunset Strip, as "made to resemble a Kookie of the sagebrush".
Episode list Season 1: 1960–61
Season 2: 1961–62
Release On October 30, 2007, Timeless Media Group released fifteen episodes of the series on a Region 1 three-DVD set in the United States. On December 6, 2011, Timeless Media Group released The Tall Man: The Complete TV Series on DVD in Region 1.
References
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