About this season
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 continuing through August 1, 1975. The series was sponsored by the Pacific Coast Borax Company and hosted by Stanley Andrews, Ronald Reagan, Robert Taylor, and Dale Robertson. With the passing of Dale Robertson in 2013, all the former Death Valley Days hosts are now deceased.
Episodes (26)
1. The Hangtown Fry
Aired 1 October 1962
Paul Duval is scheduled for hanging and he is desperate to ward off his execution. He concocts a very unique omelet he calls hangtown fry but refuses to divulge the recipe in hopes it will keep him alive.
2. The $275,000 Sack of Flour
Aired 1 October 1962
Ruel Gridley pays off a bet by donating a bag of flour to a fund for Civil War wounded.
3. Suzie
Aired 3 October 1962
After a clash with hostile Apaches the troops discover a lone little girl and return with her to the fort. Captain Reed and his wife Emilie take her in, name her Suzie and become attached. They then discover her grandfather Chief Nahnee wants her back.
4. Fort Bowie: Urgent
Aired 8 October 1962
Helen is about to celebrate her wedding day not knowing Frank Girard is planning on ruining it. Having just escaped from custody he heads to Fort Bowie and the only thing that can stop him is the newly invented telegraph.
5. The Hat That Wore the West
Aired 23 October 1962
John Stetson is not a well man when he heads west. He teams up with trapper Dan Wills and activity restores his health. But when an avalanche ruins a year's work, John's ability to make his own hats promises him a prosperous future.
6. The Last Shot
Aired 25 October 1962
Farmer Carlo Farelli is looking for a wife and finds one in beautiful saloon girl Della. But the local farmer doesn't want Carlo's competition when it comes to his vegetables or Della.
7. To Walk with Greatness
Aired 12 November 1962
An Indian treaty is endangered by three killer outlaws. A cavalry lieutenant, who they misled, is determined to be the one who brings them to justice.
8. The Grass Man
Aired 13 November 1962
A horticulturist heads out west to identify new plants and encounters challenges.
9. Davy's Friend
Aired 14 November 1962
Young Joel is disregarded by his traveling companions as they head to Texas right after the Alamo. He is sent off on a mission to get him out of way but ends up impressing everyone.
10. Bloodline
Aired 15 November 1962
Dr. Max Richter is frustrated when a patient dies and he believes new techniques might save them. He's up against suspicion and stubbornness when he learns of blood transfusions then a royal prince is near death and in his care.
11. The Vintage Years
Aired 19 December 1962
Daniel Quint is carrying an entire years savings for his religious community. He befriends Lorna on the stagecoach, not knowing she is setting him up to be robbed by her paramour Meadows.
12. The Private Mint of Clark, Gruber and Co.
Aired 28 December 1962
Milton Clark and Emanuel Gruber are Denver bankers during it's mining days. They trade dust for coin but running short they produce their own coinage. The US government challenges them which leads to changes in the federal mint system.
13. Loss of Faith
Aired 31 December 1962
Kitty pits Joe & Gabe against each other, as she convinces Joe to run against Gabe for sheriff of Pima County. Violence ensues.
14. Pioneer Doctor
Aired 2 January 1963
Dr. Charles Edwards arrives in a rough frontier town to set up practice. He finds out that what he learned in his Eastern school doesn't always work among his less gentile patients.
15. Stubborn Mule Hill
Aired 25 January 1963
Kit Carson, while scouting for the army, finds an old friend Edward believed killed in a massacre. Informing him his fiance has married the lieutenant vows revenge but an ambush by hostile Indians leads to a change of heart.
16. A Gun Is Not a Gentleman
Aired 8 February 1963
Senator Dave Broderick and Justice David Terry are on opposite sides politically but also class background. After feeling publicly insulted Terry challenges Broderick to a duel but the senator has never held a gun.
17. The Lion of Idaho
Aired 18 February 1963
William E. Borah, later to become a U.S. Senator from Idaho, is portrayed here as a young attorney defending a woman on a murder charge in Nampa, ID.
18. The Debt
Aired 20 February 1963
A towns people try to stop Mexican bandit Tiburcio Vasquez.
19. The Train and Lucy Tutaine
Aired 22 February 1963
When her cow is killed by a train Lucy Tutaine is outraged by the indifference to her financial loss that the widow can't afford. She decides to sue the railroad with few giving her little chance of succeeding.
20. Grotto of Death
Aired 8 March 1963
A mine operator insists on having his workers continue in unsafe conditions that are prone to cave-ins. Finally someone decides to challenge him at the risk of losing his job.
21. Diamond Jim Brady
Aired 4 April 1963
Diamond Jim Brady, one of USA's wealthiest men, is traveling through Texas on the railroad. He accepts the almost impossible wager of selling $100,000 worth of barbed wire to fence hating ranchers without ever leaving the train.
22. Phantom Procession
Aired 12 April 1963
When Corbin is riding through a mysterious valley he is thrown from his horse and knocked unconscious. When he comes to he finds himself under the care of a family who relate the ghostly occurrences of the area.
23. With Honesty and Integrity
Aired 18 April 1963
Crow Dog is arrested for a reservation murder with Barkie arguing for a murder. The judge and sheriff ensure a fair trial yet the Indian is convicted. Asking to settle his affairs, promises to return for his hanging. But his lawyer's legal point goes to the Supreme Court.
24. Coffin for a Coward
Aired 21 April 1963
Clint Rogers finds Daley with other outlaws terrorizing and killing the citizens on his return home. The town won't fight back as it's divided by union and southern sympathizers. The murder of his friend Billy has Clint deciding to take a stand.
25. Shadow of Violence
Aired 24 April 1963
Two mysterious men Bob and Jim arrive in town only to begin digging in the graveyard at night. The citizen are suspicions but the strangers remain tight lipped. The appearance of a tombstone reveals the men are famous outlaw brothers.
26. The Melancholy Gun
Aired 26 April 1963
Johnny Ringo is an expert gunslinger with a mysterious past. His arrival in town brings concern but he confides in Myra he wants a more respectable life. But too many want to build their reputation by gunning Ringo down.