Sergeant Preston of the Yukon (TV series)

Sergeant Preston of the Yukon is an American action adventure western television series, broadcast between 1955 and 1958. It was based on the radio drama Challenge of the Yukon.[1]

This article is about the television series. For the radio program, see Challenge of the Yukon.
Sergeant Preston of the Yukon
Richard Simmons as Sergeant Preston with Yukon King, 1955
GenreAction
Adventure
Western
Created byGeorge W. Trendle
Fran Striker
StarringRichard Simmons
Country of originUnited States
Original language(s)English
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes78
Production
Executive producer(s)Charles E. Skinner
Running time22–24 minute
Production company(s)Charles E. Skinner Productions
DistributorIndependent Television Corporation
Release
Original networkCBS
Original releaseSeptember 29, 1955 –
September 25, 1958

Concept

Richard Simmons starred as Sgt. Preston, and was supported by his dog Yukon King and horse Rex, now played by real animals. The dog cast as King was not a husky, however, but a large Alaskan Malamute. Charles Livingstone, who had worked on the radio version, directed several episodes. Though no plotlines seem to have been re-used from the radio show, they were generally built upon the same themes.

Mainly filmed at Ashcroft, Colorado, the series was telecast on CBS from September 29, 1955, to September 25, 1958. Trendle-Campbell-Meurer produced the first two seasons, and the show aired in the same time slot as ABC's The Lone Ranger. In its last season, the Jack Wrather Corporation purchased the rights and produced Sergeant Preston of the Yukon.

Following a custom of the period, the show took its theme music from the classical repertoire, in this case the overture to Emil von Reznicek's comic opera Donna Diana.

Comic book adaptation

Don Sherwood adapted the series into a comic book series, with scripts by Stan Stunell.[2]

Sponsorship

In 1955, the Quaker Oats company gave away land in the Klondike as part of the Klondike Big Inch Land Promotion which was tied in with the television show. Genuine deeds each to one square inch of a lot in Yukon Territory, issued by Klondike Big Inch Land Co. Inc., were inserted into Quaker's Puffed Wheat and Puffed Rice cereal boxes.[3]

DVD/Syndication

Timeless Media Group released a two-disc best-of set featuring ten episodes from the series on DVD in Region 1 on November 21, 2006.[4]

Infinity Entertainment has released all three seasons of the series on DVD in Region 1.[5][6]

In May 2016, the series resurfaced on U.S. TV, airing weekday mornings on the action/adventure/western oriented GRIT classic TV/movie network.

The series currently airs on FETV (Family Entertainment TV) and is available on both Dish & DirecTV.

Cast

Guest stars

The guest stars on Sergeant Preston included:

  • Francis De Sales appeared in five episodes, concluding as Cy Bartok in "The Diamond Collar".
  • Kelo Henderson, a future Golden Boot winner who appeared as Pete Hollis in the 1958 episode "Escape to the North".
  • Ed Hinton appeared twice in 1956 as Barry Jeffers in "Remember the Maine" and as Lefty "Red" Burke in "The Rookie".
  • I. Stanford Jolley guest starred as Sam Haley in "The Fancy Dan" (1956) and as Frisco in "Gold Rush Patrol" (1958)
  • Tyler MacDuff appeared as Bill Corey in "Lost River Roundup" in 1957
  • John M. Pickard appeared four times in 1956-1957 in different roles, including the role of Red Brody in "Old Ben's Gold".
  • Robert Shayne, on leave as Inspector Henderson from the Adventures of Superman, appeared in the 1957 episode, "The Mark of Crime."
  • William Boyett guest starred as Constable Malloy in "Gold Fever" from 1956, and appeared as Cary Braddock in "Ten Little Indians" from 1957.
  • Dan Blocker appeared in 1957 as 'Mule' Conklin in "Underground Ambush" from 1957.

References
  1. Woolery, George W. (1985). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981, Part II: Live, Film, and Tape Series. The Scarecrow Press. pp. 440–442. ISBN 0-8108-1651-2.
  2. "Don Sherwood". lambiek.net.
  3. Juliano, Frank (October 3, 2010). "Oatmeal lots gave officials indigestion". Connecticut Post. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  4. "Sergeant Preston of the Yukon: Sergeant Preston, N/a: Movies & TV". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
  5. "Sergeant Preston of the Yukon: Complete Season 1 : DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". Dvdtalk.com. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
  6. "Sergeant Preston of the Yukon: Complete Season 2 : DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". Dvdtalk.com. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
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