The Deputy

At best I could only give "The Deputy" (1959-1961) an average, 5-star rating - 'Cause I found that this TV series was pretty mediocre viewing (for the most part).

About the only time that I thought that "The Deputy" actually showed any real promise was when actor, Henry Fonda was not physically present in the story.

Yeah. I thought that Fonda (as Marshal Simon Fry) was about as drab and dreary as you could ever possibly imagine an actor to be (in a pivotal role).

In fact - I'd actually go so far as to say that Fonda's stale and tired performance pretty much ruined my enjoyment of this TV Western in a really big way. Yep. It sure did.

There's a sleigh of hand in the very title of this show. Note that the name of the show is "The Deputy". This conveniently allowed Fonda to not have to be a major player in all the episodes. Fonda appears in some episodes throughout the show but more likely than not you'll see him only at the beginning and end (usually this is explained by Fonda's Simon Fry character being "out of town")...and I've even seen a few episodes where Fonda doesn't appear at all! Really, the show's more about Allen Case than Fonda, but the Fonda name was there to draw viewers. Other than Fonda's needing money, I doubt there was any reason he'd do TV...particularly in a stock Western like this one. Don't get me wrong: the show's pleasant in a Revue Studios crank-em-out-cookie-cutter way (guess who produced the show?) and the jazz guitar that's going on in the background (sounds like Barney Kessel! cool!) is nice, but the plots are pretty clichéd and you've been there before. I wouldn't call it on the level of Wagon Train, Laramie, Gunsmoke, or The Rifleman, but it's a pleasant show. Just don't expect to see a lot of Fonda in it.

Beware. The DVD cover presented by IMDb and the DVD from Amazon.com are not from this series. Legendary Lawmen is a different series. The Deputy has not been released on DVD or VHS as of September 1, 2006. Some of the episode copyrights were renewed by Universal City Studios, Inc., which now is owned by the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), which is owned by General Electric (GE).

Also, the program music theme by Jack Marshall is under copyright so even if some episodes are in public domain, the theme music is under copyright. There were seventy-six episodes produced by Top Gun Productions.

Overall, the Deputy is a pretty good Western Show.

Fonda pops in & out at the Show's beginning & end; and the formulaic Story wraps up neatly in the show's half hour .

It's nice to see Hollywood Actors star in many of the Episodes. One episode I watched featured James Colburn.

My biggest negative critique is the jazzy anachronistic Music; more suitable for the Show Peter Gunn and the pool scenes of The Beverly Hillbillies, than a Western.

Besides that, watching a few Episodes isn't too bad a way to kill an hour.

I appeared in this series for one episode, "The Lesson" in 1960. I played Pete Jenkins. I probably went by my stage name at that time, which was Philip Grayson instead of Philip Greisman, the name I used on earlier TV shows. I am trying to find a copy of this show. Would anyone have one? I am also looking for other shows I was on. "U.S. Marshall" (Nine O'Clock Pick-up), "Panic"(Peter and the Tiger), "Checkmate" (Tight As A Drum), a catholic series that used to be shown on Sundays called "This is the Life"(episode #624, Prejudice and The Price Of Friedship), "Official Detective"(The People vs. Al Nickoloff). If anyone knows where I can get copies of any of these shows, please let me know.