The Range Rider

Though The Range Rider is far from being what I would consider a great TV Western, it is a fairly enjoyable and good-natured program, all the same.

Starring Jack Mahoney, as the heroic title character, this show also stars Dickie Jones, as "Rider's" all-American sidekick, Dick West.

Featuring plenty of hard-riding action, bare-knuckle brawling and gun-play galore (as well as some cornball humour thrown in for good measure), The Range Rider's emphasis was on rugged masculinity with story-lines (though sometimes convoluted) that were oftentimes quite plausible.

Showcasing some really excellent stunt-work, The Range Rider (which ran from 1951-1953) was filmed in b&w. Its episodes were all 30 minutes in length.

I remember seeing this series as a very young girl (born in 1956) when I lived in England. I remember very little about the series except having a girlish crush on Dick.

The only other thing I remember was an episode where Dick ends up flying over a wall into a pigsty. The Range Rider says something, Dick replies, the RR says "Indeed?" and Dick replies "No, in pig muck".

I howled with laughter and told everyone I knew over the next few days.

Even now, every time I hear anyone say "Indeed?", I have to stop myself from delivering Dick's reply.

For that wonderful memory alone, I am grateful.

I used to watch this show when it came on Sunday nights about 6 or 6:30 p.m. Ironically, this was the same time as Roy Rogers came on, and he was my hero. I don't think we either got the right channel or perhaps we didn't have a TV at the time. Anyway, the Range Rider was sponsored by Table Talk pies, those kind that your mother could put in your lunchbox. They had fruit fillings and a awful of crust. They work great in school cafeteria food fights. Anyway, Jock Mahoney would come on after the show to do the commercial and he would say something like "Have Mom pick up several flavors the next time she goes shopping, and don't forget to save the lemon for Dad." Mahoney later told the story of how he was stopped on the street one day by a guy who said how much his kids liked the show and complimented Mahoney. Jocko smiled and then the guy said, "but that part about saving the lemon pie for Dad. I actually liked the other flavors. I can't stand the lemon pie." Enjoyed Jocko doing the crouper mount (where the rider runs up to the horse and vaults into the saddle). We used to do that on the seesaw at school until somebody at the other end would step off. We would come down hard and then walk around bowlegged for a while. Oooh, man, that smarts.

This was one of my favorite westerns on early television. As I remember, it either preceded or followed "The Lone Ranger" on Saturday nights where I lived in northern Arkansas. It somewhat resembled the Red Ryder series in that The Range Rider was the hero with a youngster as a sidekick. Instead of the Native American youth "Little Beaver," played inevitably by a non-Native American, Dick Jones played Dick West. At times Dick West was more of a Batman's Robin rather than a "Little Beaver." This Gene Autry production starred famous stuntman Jock Mahoney, stepfather of Sally Fields, as the Range Rider, determined to bring justice to the American frontier. He was now billed as Jack Mahoney and being the star did few stunts.

The show could be counted on to deliver 30 minutes minus commercials of action and adventure. Because Jack Mahoney was so tall, Dick West looked diminutive (he was in reality of average height) and much younger than he really was.

The best an. Old black and white you need to watch it the range rider. I first heard about the when i was watching the A team.

And a great one to with george ba. Face man.

Once you start watching can"t stop there funny they joke around.

The range rider on the A team the best in west the range rider.