Mackenzie's_Raiders

<i>Mackenzie's Raiders</i>

Mackenzie's Raiders

American television series


Mackenzie's Raiders is an American Western television series starring Richard Carlson that was broadcast in syndication and produced in 19581959.[1] The series is narrated by Art Gilmore, and was produced by Ziv Television Programs.

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Synopsis

The basis for the program was Mackenzie's Raid, a book by Russell P. Reeder. It told about a 32-hour raid by Mackenzie and 550 cavalrymen to destroy a Mexican town that harbored kidnappers, rustlers, and arsonists.[2]

Set in the 1870s, Mackenzie's Raiders depicted activities of the Fourth Cavalry around the Rio Grande and the Mexican border.[3] Experiences of Union Army Col. Ranald S. Mackenzie formed the basis for episodes.[4]

Mackenzie, with orders from President Grant, operated out of Fort Clark, in Texas, "to rid the Southwest of Mexican marauders and renegade Indians, pursuing them across the Rio Grande if necessary."[5] If Mckenzie were to be caught in a foreign country, the United States would deny knowledge of his mission.[5]

Cast

  • Richard Carlson as Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzie (39 episodes)
  • Kenneth Alton as Raider (11 episodes)
  • Morris Ankrum as Raider (12 episodes)
  • Charles Boaz as Corporal Dixon (11 episodes)
  • Jim Bridges as Private Lewis (11 episodes)
  • Louis Jean Heydt as Raider (11 episodes)
  • Brett King as Raider (11 episodes)

Guest stars

Critical response

John P. Shanley, writing in The New York Times, complimented the show's "realistic settings and good photography" and added, "It was a better-than-average adventure show."[3]

Episodes

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Production notes

Prior to Mackenzie's Raiders, Carlson had previously starred in another Ziv Productions series, I Led Three Lives.[5]

The series was produced by Lou Breslow and Elliott Lewis.[6] Carlson also served as a writer and director.[7] Jim Thompson was credited with writing four episodes of the show.[5]

Location shots were filmed along the Santa Ana River in California, an area that resembles that of the Rio Grande.[8]

The series is currently being shown on the over the air channel ThisTV.

DVD release

On October 8, 2013, Timeless Media Group released Mackenzie's Raiders- The TV Series on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time.[9]


References

  1. Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (June 24, 2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House Publishing Group. p. 830. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  2. Irvin, Richard (October 28, 2022). Pioneers of "B" Television: Independent Producers, Series and Pilots of the 1950s. McFarland. pp. 113–114. ISBN 978-1-4766-8996-8. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  3. Shanley, John P. (October 16, 1958). "'Mackenzie's Raiders'". The New York Times. p. 74.
  4. Adams, Val (August 15, 1958). "Ford Will Sponsor TV Concert Series By Philharmonic". The New York Times. p. 45. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  5. Polito, Robert (October 1, 1996). Savage Art: A Biography of Jim Thompson. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. pp. 426–427. ISBN 978-0-679-73352-2. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  6. Erickson, Hal (1989). Syndicated Television: The First Forty Years, 1947-1987'. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 98. ISBN 0-7864-1198-8.
  7. Page, Don (July 12, 1959). "Raider Gets Top Brains". Los Angeles Times. p. 143. Retrieved March 27, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Ziv 'On Location' 60& of the Time". Variety. July 1, 1959. p. 31. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  • Alex McNeil, Total Television, New York: Penguin Books, 1996, 4th ed., ISBN 0-14-024916-8

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