Sugarfoot

Background

Sugarfoot had no relation to the 1951 Randolph Scott Western film Sugarfoot aside from the studio owning the title (and the theme music), but its pilot episode was a remake of a 1954 Western film called The Boy from Oklahoma starring Will Rogers Jr. as Tom Brewster. The pilot episode, "Brannigan's Boots", not only recycled the plot from The Boy from Oklahoma but also featured Sheb Wooley and Slim Pickens reprising their roles from the film.

As played by Rogers in the film, Brewster carried no gun, disliked firearms in general, and vanquished villains with his roping skills (à la Will Rogers) if friendly persuasion failed. Perhaps for practical reasons, the pilot altered the character slightly and made Brewster more like the typical Western hero—reluctant to use guns (or any other kind of violence), but able and willing to do so if necessary. That remained his stance throughout the series, and the title song mentions that Sugarfoot carries a rifle and a law book.

Whenever he enters a saloon, Sugarfoot refuses liquor and orders sarsaparilla "with a dash of cherry". (Sarsaparilla is a drink similar to root beer, neither of which is alcoholic.)

Sugarfoot was one of the earliest products of the alliance between ABC and the fledgling Warner Bros. Television Department, chaired by William T. Orr. During the same period, other similar programs appeared, including Maverick, Cheyenne, Bronco, Lawman, and Colt .45. Hutchins appeared as Sugarfoot in crossover episodes of Cheyenne and Maverick, and in an installment of Bronco called "The Yankee Tornado" with Peter Breck as a young Theodore Roosevelt. Jack Kelly appeared as Bart Maverick in the Sugarfoot episode "A Price on His Head". James Garner made an appearance as Bret Maverick at the end of the episode "Misfire".

Cast

Cast of "Brannigan's Boots"

• Will Hutchins as Tom "Sugarfoot" Brewster
• Merry Anders as Katie Brannigan
• Louis Jean Heydt as Paul Evans
• Dennis Hopper as Billy the Kid
• Arthur Hunnicutt as Pop Purty
• Chubby Johnson as Postmaster Wally Higgins
• Slim Pickens as Shorty
• Ainslie Pryor as Mayor Barney Turlock
• Sheb Wooley as Pete

Cast of ''The Boy from Oklahoma'' film (1954)

• Will Rogers Jr. as Sheriff Tom Brewster
• Nancy Olson as Katie Brannigan
• Lon Chaney Jr. as Crazy Charlie
• Anthony Caruso as Mayor Barney Turlock
• Wallace Ford as Postmaster Wally Higgins
• Clem Bevans as Pop Pruty, Justice of the Peace
• Merv Griffin as Steve
• Louis Jean Heydt as Paul Evans
• Sheb Wooley as Pete Martin
• Slim Pickens as Shorty
• Tyler MacDuff as Billy the Kid
• James Griffith as Joe Downey

Guest stars

• Rico Alaniz
• Chris Alcaide
• Roscoe Ates
• Rayford Barnes
• Fred Beir
• Russ Bender
• Charles Bronson
• Joe Brooks
• Ahna Capri
• Albert Carrier
• Ronnie Dapo
• Janet De Gore
• Richard Devon
• Dick Elliott
• Bill Erwin
• Dean Fredericks
• Richard Garland
• James Garner
• Sean Garrison
• Don Gordon
• Kevin Hagen
• Harry Holcombe
• Rodolfo Hoyos Jr.
• Clegg Hoyt
• Gary Hunley
• Douglas Kennedy
• Jess Kirkpatrick
• Nolan Leary
• Dayton Lummis
• Donald May
• Ken Mayer
• Rod McGaughy
• Patrick McVey
• James Millhollin
• Ewing Mitchell
• Neyle Morrow
• Gregory Morton
• Jay Novello
• Cathy O'Donnell
• Gregg Palmer
• Michael Pate
• James Philbrook
• John M. Pickard
• Slim Pickens
• Stuart Randall
• Richard Reeves
• Rudy Sooter
• Suzanne Storrs
• Brick Sullivan
• Kent Taylor
• Kelly Thordsen
• Gary Vinson
• John Vivyan
• Gregory Walcott
• Patrick Waltz
• Efrem Zimbalist Jr.

Episodes

Season 1: 1957–1958

Season 2: 1958–1959

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Season 3: 1959–1960

Season 4: 1960–1961

Background and production

After several episodes aired in the second season, a disappointed Hutchins complained in a letter to executive director William T. Orr that the scripts were written so that the lead character Sugarfoot was not particularly needed in many of the episodes.

Wayde Preston, who played Christopher Colt on the ABC Western Colt .45, appeared four times in that same role on Sugarfoot in the episodes dealing with "The Canary Kid," a role also played by Will Hutchins.

Reception

Sugarfoot finished at #24 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1957-1958 season and #21 for 1958-1959.

Release

Home media

Warner Bros. has released all four seasons on MOD (manufacture on demand) DVD-R's in Region 1 via their Warner Archive Collection.

In popular culture

• In an episode of Arrested Development titled "Spring Breakout", Sugarfoot is mentioned and the theme song is presented.
• The series debuted in 1958 in the United Kingdom but only in the Midlands area. In 1960, it was aired nationally in the UK by the BBC, at which point it was renamed Tenderfoot despite the fact that it kept the theme song which refers to the character as "Sugarfoot". After 1964, the series returned to ITV, this time not just restricted to the Midlands, where it was once again billed under its original name.

Notes

References

References

1. (November 2010). "Somewhat Forgotten Figure to Some Extent Remembered: Notes on Television Director, Script Writer, and Occasional Actor Montgomery Pittman". brightlightsfilm.com.
2. "TV Ratings". ClassicTVguide.com.
3. [http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Sugarfoot-Season-1/18698 'The Complete 1st Season' Now Available from Warner Archive] {{webarchive. link. (2013-07-18)
4. [http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Sugarfoot-Season-2/19088 'The Complete 2nd Season' Announced: Date, Cost, Autographed Box] {{webarchive. link. (2013-10-19)
5. [http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Sugarfoot-Season-3/19875 Warner Archive Announces 'The Complete 3rd Season': Date, Cost, Box] {{webarchive. link. (2014-06-09)
6. [http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Sugarfoot-Season-4/20423 The Last Stories are Upon Us, with 'The Complete 4th Season'] {{webarchive. link. (2014-10-28)
7. TV Times, midlands edition, week commencing September 14, 1958.
8. Radio Times, week commencing September 4, 1960.