The West Point Story (TV series)

The West Point Story
Complete Series DVD cover
Written by	Gene Roddenberry (9 episodes, 1956-1957) Don Brinkley (3 episodes, 1956-1957)
Directed by	Ted Post James Sheldon Leon Benson Henry S. Kesler
Starring	Donald May (Host)
Theme music composer	Philip Egner Alfred Parham
Opening theme	"West Point March"
Country of origin	USA
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	40
Production
Producer(s)	Maurice Unger
Running time	30 minutes
Production company(s)	Ziv Television Programs
Release
Original network	CBS (1956 - 1957) ABC (1957 - 1958)
Picture format	Black-and-white
Original release	October 5, 1956 – July 5, 1957

The West Point Story, also known simply as West Point, is a dramatic anthology television series shown in the United States by CBS during the 1956-57 season and by ABC during the 1957-58 season.

History

Carolyn Craig and Martin Milner in premiere episode (1956)

The West Point Story, produced with the full cooperation of the United States Department of Defense and the United States Military Academy, was said to be based on actual files documenting many of the real-life dramatic occurrences at West Point over the years. Names and dates were altered in order to protect the privacy of the real people portrayed, however. The program was hosted by a fictional cadet, Charles C. Thompson (portrayed by actor Donald May).

During its second season on ABC, The West Point Story was in competition with NBC's The Californians, set in San Francisco during the gold rush of the 1850s, and with The $64,000 Question quiz series on CBS. The West Point Story was replaced on the summer schedule in 1958 by Jack Wyatt's Confession, which continued to air during the first half of the 1958-1959 season in the 10 p.m. Tuesday evening time slot.

At the time that The West Point Story was broadcast, four other military dramas aired either through syndication or on the major networks: Harbor Command, Navy Log, The Silent Service, and Men of Annapolis.

On February 26, 2013, Timeless Media Group released all 39 available episodes of the series in a four-disc DVD format.^[1]

Guest stars

Among those who made at least one appearance in The West Point Story are Martin Milner, Carolyn Craig, Richard Jaeckel, Dick Sargent, Pat Conway, Chuck Connors, Clint Eastwood, Ron Foster, Barbara Eden, Larry Hagman (miscredited), Hayden Rorke, Larry Pennell, Ron Hagerthy, Tyler MacDuff, Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, Karen Sharpe, and Leonard Nimoy.

Writers

Gene Roddenberry wrote all or part of ten to twelve of the 39 episodes. Sources differ as to which episodes he should be credited with.

References

External links

• The Long Gray Line - series referenced in book by author and journalist Rick Atkinson.
• The West Point Story on IMDb
• The West Point Story at TV.com
• West Point Story at CVTA with episode list