Steve Donovan, Western Marshal

I was 15 at the time this show came began it's short televised run. At that time, the television air waves were heading toward becoming wall to wall westerns. In fact, this was he year "Gunsmoke" made its debut. This show however was not in that league.

In fact, it wasn't even in the Gene Autry/ Roy Rogers league. What it did have going for it was a veteran B western actor, Douglas Kennedy, who had never been a lead star - even in a B western. He was simply a reasonably good background character actor. And the only reason I can fathom a studio choosing him for this series role (which had some potential)was that he had to have come cheap.

Yet despite these obvious failings,in its beginning,the show drew a great deal of attention. For in the opening, Kennedy as the star character, leaps onto the screen wearing two guns, drew both guns, fired four shot toward the screen, and while doing this, he flipped the other gun into the air.

He then tosses the gun he's shooting from his left hand to the now empty right, while deftly catching the other gun in his left hand, all the while continuing to fire. When he's through firing, he twirls both guns and holsters them neatly.

Every cowboy oriented kid in the TV audience and some adults too) tuned in regularly to see this feat of gunman-ship, or gun acrobatics if you wish. It was really cool. But the producers never followed it up with a decent script for a decent show to follow this highly successful opening act. The show died in its second season - even though Steve Donavan Western Marshall comic books were already on the newsstand and doing reasonably well.

Talk about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Go figure.

Series star Douglas Kennedy was a graduate of Amherst College.

Kennedy served as a Major during WWII in the signal corps and OSS.

The strapping 6'4" Kennedy lived from 1915-1973. He would have been 27 in 1942 when he apparently joined the army. Wikipedia says he was in the army from 1940-45, but he has film credits in 1940-42.

Kennedy was a reliable contract player at Paramount and Warner Brothers.

The movie role I remember him best for was as the suspicious detective in "Dark Passage" who almost captures innocent fugitive Vincent Parry (Humphrey Bogart) even though Parry has had plastic surgery.

The 39 episodes of "Steve Donovan, Western Marshall" were on in 1955-56, when Kennedy would have been 40 and I would have been in single digits. But I have never forgotten the opening of Kennedy throwing his guns in the air and catching them in the opposite hand, so precisely described by reviewer sataft-2.

The producer of the series was Jack Chertok, who was already producing "The Lone Ranger". Chertok's other series include "Sky King", "Private Secretary" with Ann Southern, "The Lawless Years" with James Gregory, "Johnny Midnight" with Edmond O'Brien, "My Favorite Martian" with Ray Walston and Bill Bixby, and "My Living Doll" with Julie Newmar, Bob Cummings, and Jack Mullaney. Douglas Kennedy appeared in six episodes of "The Lone Ranger" and Chertok must have liked what he saw.

Kennedy was on TV a lot and I always enjoyed seeing my former hero.

Kennedy was particularly good in four episodes of "Perry Mason". He was also fine in four episodes of "Gunsmoke".

Kennedy had the recurring role of the Sheriff on "The Big Valley" (1965-69), although the potential romantic subtext between Stanwyck and him was never explored, as far as I remember. Kennedy had co-starred with Stanwyck in the film "East Side, West side" (1949).

Kennedy's last three guest roles were all on "Hawaii 5-0" in 1973. Kennedy died in Honolulu of cancer at age 57 in 1973.