Casey Jones

I saw this when I was a kid and loved every minute of it, even remembered the theme song 50 years later! I was amazed I could find the DVD on the Innovations catalogue and bought it now. Love watching it again. Some of the stuff is non-PC these days, but otherwise it's a great adventure. I would highly recommend it to steam train buffs.

"Casey Jones" was a first-run syndicated half-hour western series that ran during the '58-'59 television season and was a folksy, gentler family western series as opposed to some of the more violent adult westerns on the air during the late '50's and early '60's. Alan Hale Jr. played the legendary railroad engineer of the Cannonball Express for the Midwest and Central Railroad. Mary Lawrence portrayed Casey's wife Alice, Bobby Clark portrayed their son Casey Jr., Dub Taylor portrayed Casey's fireman Wallie Sims and Eddie Waller portrayed conductor Red Rock.

The series featured some of the same types of plots as other westerns of the time such as train robbers, vandals, etc. but the plots also centered as much on Casey's interaction with his family, particularly his young son, giving the series a much more laid back sort of ambiance. Alan Hale Jr. would go on to bigger and better (and stupider!) series after "Casey Jones" ended its single season run but this series was a solid family entertainment without insulting the intelligence as "Gilligan's Island" would do six years later.

I remember the first time that I saw Gilligan's Island at the age of 14 and immediately flashed back to having seen Al Hale Jr. about 7 years earlier in the Casey Jones TV series. I like Hale in both, but given my propensity for railroad-related genre, I give the sentimental vote to Hale for Casey Jones and the comedy vote to Hale for Gilligan's Island. In any case, it would be great to see re-runs on cable, probably best on TV Land but certainly would be appreciated on Nickelodeon. Also would be good as part of a documentary on the wide variations of 1950's TV westerns. The other Casey Jones that I remember was the very excellent Walt Disney color cartoon (about 15-20 minutes in length) that was always paired with The Legend of Paul Bunyan and Johnny Appleseed, on the Disneyland TV show.

Casey Jones was just the best program on TV. i would like the series. does anyone know if it is available? This program was about a train driver played by Alan Hale. it was about the adventures he had while driving the cannonball express, a steam engine in America. i grew up watching this show, and it was quite good for young folk. the adventures were exciting and interesting.i would like this program to be repeated on television these days so the young people of today could understand what great programs we watched in Australia as we were growing up. all boys love trains, and some continue through their life enjoying them. i am one of these.Summary. A great show for all.

When Gilligan's Island first came out, I remember my family and I exclaiming whenever we saw Alan Hale Jr. appear on the screen, "Hey, it's Casey Jones!" I truthfully don't remember much about the series, as I was but a tyke when I watched it, other than seeing Alan Hale Jr's friendly, smiling face looking out from the train as the opening credits rolled. I remember liking the show and our family sitting around the t.v. enjoying Hale's characterization of the legendary engineer. I enjoyed the other comments and remember it as good, wholesome family entertainment.

When I was in my twenties and living in Los Angeles at the time, I took my fiancé (now, wife) to visit Alan Hale Jr's Fish and Chips Restaurant in Glendale. Hale just seemed like a very happy and likable fellow as well as a great character actor.