Death Valley Days (1952–1970)

Information from IMDb

Plot Summary
Western stories and legends based, and filmed,
in and around Death Valley, CA.
One of the longest-running Western series,
originating on radio in the 1930s.
The continuing sponsor was "20 Mule Team" Borax, a product mined in Death Valley.

Series Cast
Stanley Andrews ... Old Ranger / ... (296 episodes, 1952-1964)
Robert Taylor ... Himself - Host / ... (78 episodes, 1966-1969)
Ronald Reagan ... Himself - Host / ... (52 episodes, 1964-1966)
Dale Robertson ... Himself - Host / ... (26 episodes, 1969-1970)
Don Haggerty ... Aaron / ... (21 episodes, 1961-1969)
Gregg Palmer ... Andrew Clayton / ... (18 episodes, 1956-1969)
John Pickard ... Baldy Johnson / ... (17 episodes, 1958-1969)
Roy Engel ... Sheriff / ... (15 episodes, 1959-1970)
Gregg Barton ... Abner Bell / ... (15 episodes, 1953-1970)
and many more...

Series Directed
Stuart E. McGowan ... (123 episodes, 1952-1959)
Harmon Jones ... (38 episodes, 1963-1969)
Jack Hively ... (25 episodes, 1967-1970)
and many more...

Series Produced
Robert Stabler ... producer / executive producer (168 episodes, 1959-1970)
Dorrell McGowan ... producer / executive producer (117 episodes, 1952-1959)
and many more...

Trivia
Ronald Reagan's stint as host in the mid-'60s was his final acting job
before entering state and national politics.

In 1963 past episodes were retitled and released for syndication as a series
called "Western Star Theater", hosted by Rory Calhoun.

During its run, the series was also honored with awards from the Governors of three states
(California, Nevada, and Utah), the University of Washington, and historical societies
such as the Native Daughters of the Golden West.

In 1958 past episodes were retitled and released for syndication as a series called
"Trails West", hosted by Ray Milland.

In 1970, the U.S. Borax and Chemical Corporation was given a Special Trustees Award
as part of the Western Heritage Awards ceremony for its sponsorship of this show.

In 1964 past episodes were retitled and syndicated under the title "The Pioneers",
hosted by Will Rogers Jr..

Filming Locations
Apacheland Studios - 4369 S. Kings Ranch Road, Gold Canyon, Arizona, USA
Corriganville, Ray Corrigan Ranch, Simi Valley, California, USA
Iverson Ranch - 1 Iverson Lane, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA
Kanab Movie Ranch - 5001 Angel Canyon Road, Kanab, Utah, USA
Lone Pine, California, USA
Melody Ranch - 24715 Oak Creek Avenue, Newhall, California, USA
Ruins of Half-Way Stage Station, Courthouse Wash, Moab, Utah, USA
Old Tucson - 201 S. Kinney Road, Tucson, Arizona, USA
Arches National Park, Moab, Utah, USA
California Studios - 5530 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA (interiors)
Columbia State Historic Park - 22708 Broadway, Columbia, California, USA
Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
Johnson Canyon, Kanab, Utah, USA
Kanab, Utah, USA
Apache Junction, Arizona, USA

Death Valley Days is an American radio and television anthology series
featuring true stories of the old American West, particularly the Death Valley area.
Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was broadcast on radio until 1945
and continued from 1952 to 1970 as a syndicated television series,
with reruns (updated with new narrations) continuing through August 1, 1975.
The radio and TV versions combined to make the show "one of the longest-running
western programs in broadcast history."

The series was sponsored by the Pacific Coast Borax Company (20 Mule Team Borax, Boraxo)
and hosted by Stanley Andrews, alias "the Old Ranger" (1952–1963),
Ronald Reagan (1964–1965), Rosemary DeCamp (1965), Robert Taylor (1966–1969),
and Dale Robertson (1969–1970).
With the passing of Dale Robertson in 2013, all the former Death Valley Days hosts
are now deceased.

Hosting the series was Reagan's final work as an actor;
he was cast in eight episodes of the series.

The TV series was conceived by Pacific Coast Borax Company's advertising agency
McCann-Erickson through that company's executive Dorothy McCann and
Mitchell J.Hamilburg representing Gene Autry's production company Flying A Productions.

User Review

Gunslingers, Outlaws, Writers and Prospectors!
15 September 2016 | by bugsmoran29 (United States)

Quote from BUGS

I remember watching "Death Valley Days" back in the sixties on Saturday afternoons with my father and my five brothers.

I have only recently begun watching the program as I can now receive it on the Western Encore Channel on cable. I really appreciate this show because it a western that features more than just cowboys & Indians. There are plenty of episodes that focus upon prospectors, missionaries, newspaper reporters, teachers, naturalists, telegraph operators and mail deliverer. The action takes primarily in San Francisco and the state of California but the viewer is has taken to the Dakotas, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. It is always fun to spot the actors on the show who were on their way up or down in Hollywood. I even saw a very young Clint Eastwood on an episode just recently.

Many of Duke's 'Pals' appear in the odd episode
Paul Fix, Chuck Roberson, Slim Pickens,
Angie Dickenson, Howard Keel, Noah Beery Jr...
John Agar, George Kennedy, Arthur Shields