Wild Bill Hickock, The Adventures of (western, starring Guy Madison)

     (Syndicated,  1951 - 1956;
      CBS Daytime, 1955 - 1958;
      ABC Daytime, 1957 - 1958)

     [Syndicated TV episodes produced by William F. Broidy;
      the last 13 episodes were produced by CBS/Screen Gems,
      which aired only on CBS during the 1957 - 1958 season.

      This was a glamorization of the life of James Butler
      Hickock, a long-haired 19th-century man from Illinois 
      known for his piercing gaze and tall stature.

      Starting at age 19 he was involved in several gunfights,
      and killed several men with his uncanny accuracy with a
      gun (for which juries acquitted him as self-defense every
      time.) His nickname "Wild Bill" was given to him during
      this period in his 20s, although his name wasn't "Bill."
      Perhaps this was done in part as a comparison to the
      young gunfighter "Billy The Kid."

      Hickock developed into a frontier scout and guide during the 
      years of Westward expansion and Indian Wars for which he
      received praise from General Custer. His fame increased
      in his later life as he took on the job of a lawman in 
      cities like Abilene, Kansas. His life become the stuff
      of legend in part due to articles in Harpers magazine.
      After Hickcock shot and killed his own good friend and 
      deputy he never was the same, and began to withdraw from
      his life lived by the gun. His ruthlessness was turned 
      into a new direction as a succesful career poker gambler,
      and into a ruthless career in entertainment touring 
      with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Shows for a brief
      time. But the life of an performer was not his style.
      A brief marraige late in life only lasted two weeks, and
      toward the end of his life he returned to the frontier
      he had loved so much.

      He was renowned as a ladies man, although his face may not
      have been the kind that Hollywood would consider handsome.

      Guy Madison was one of the most handsome TV actors of the
      1950s. Despite his "pretty boy" reputation, he grew into
      the role and did a very credible job playing the western 
      hero. And this series which may have been under-appreciated
      at the time turned out to be one of the most successful,
      longest running shows of the 1950s, lasting seven years 
      in both syndication and network TV, and many reruns for
      years afterwards.]

     [also a Mutual Network radio show aired 1951 - 1956 with
      the same lead players.]

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Theme: "Wild Bill Hickock No. 1" and "Wild Bill Hickock Pt. 2"

    [Milton Brown was probably a pseudonym of tracks composed by 
     Lee Zahler and other B-picture composers through Zahler's son 
     Gordon Zahler who created the "General Music Corporation."] 

     Composer: Milton L. Brown (not affiliated)

     1978 Publisher: Esteem Music, Inc. (BMI)

     1997 Publisher: EMI-Unart Catalog, Inc. (BMI)
                        c/o EMI Music Publishing
                        of New York, NY
                        
     2018 Publisher: EMI-Unart Catalog, Inc. (BMI)
                        c/o EMI Music Publishing
                        of Nashville, TN
     
     Copyright Date:
     Renewal   Date:

     Recordings:

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Syndicated Open Theme: "Wild Bill No. 2"

    [used for Syndicated version, and on ABC daytime;

     Library music expert Paul Mandell writes that this THEME was
     originally composed for use in theatrical serials ("the low-
     budget Mascot serials of the thirties".) Later it was part of
     a music package syndicated by his paraplegic son Gordon Zahler
     who re-cycled and re-sold film cues for use on television]

     Composer: Lee Zahler (ASCAP)

     1978 Publisher: Shoreham Music Corp. (ASCAP)

     1997 Publisher: Shoreham Music Corporation (ASCAP)
                        c/o The American Mechanical Rights Agency, Inc.
                        of Venice, FL
     Copyright Date:
     Renewal   Date:

     Recordings:

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Syndicated Close Theme: "Wild Bill Hickock"

    [Theme credit in Gelfand book; used in Syndication and
     on ABC Daytime.]

     Composers: Tex Fletcher (ASCAP),
                Richard S. Kuhn (ASCAP), and
                Leonard Whitcup (ASCAP)

     1978 Publisher: Marian Music Corp. (ASCAP)

     1997 Publisher: Marian Music Corporation (ASCAP)
                        c/o Herzog & Straus CPA's
                        of New York, NY

     Copyright Date:
     Renewal   Date:

     Recordings:
          45rpm single: "Wild Bill Hickock" (1956)
                           Sunset 2009
                           Sunset Singers

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Last Season CBS Themes: "from Wild Bill Hickock Cues"

    [for the last 13 episodes produced by CBS/Screen Gems
     airing in 1957 - 1958: Themes and Cues were taken from 
     several CBS Music Libraries, and the General Music 
     Library -- composed by a number of
     composers whose cues were used on this series.

     They include Bruce Campbell, Aime Garriguenc, Jerry Goldsmith,
     Wilbur Hatch, Bernard Herrmann, Lyn Murray, Lucien Moraweck, Fred
     Steiner, and Nathan Van Cleave. Library manuscripts now 
     stored at the UCLA Special Collection Archives.]

     Composer(s): under investigation

     Original Publisher: April Music, Inc. (ASCAP)

     1997 Publisher: EMI-April Music, Inc. (ASCAP)
                        c/o CBS, Inc.
                        of New York, NY
     Copyright Date:
     Renewal   Date:

     Recordings:

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