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. Shanghai Kelly's Birthday Party
Aired 7 October 1967
Shanghai Kelly works a side job filling ships with shanghaied sailors. He counts on long sea voyages to insure his "clients" don't come back after him. His fiancé sets him up to retire early.
2. Chicken Bill
Aired 14 October 1967
Chicken Bill (Dub Taylor) owns a silver mine that isn't paying out. He salts his mine to get his competition to pay off his old debit and fund his future.
3. Let My People Go
Aired 21 October 1967
The Chumash Indians, enslaved by Spanish soldiers in early day California, rebel against their captors. Their leader Paconio realizes they are trapped in the mission and talks with the Padre to find a solution.
4. The Lone Grave
Aired 28 October 1967
John Hail honors his wife's dying wish and returns to make a solitary journey to place a headstone on her remote grave.
5. The Girl Who Walked the West
Aired 4 November 1967
Sacagawea leads the Lewis and Clark expedition.
6. The Informer Who Cried
Aired 11 November 1967
Jim Murphy is about to be sentenced when Texas Ranger Captain Peak offers him a deal in exchange for his freedom. He must help capture bandit Sam Bass dead or alive but fellow gang member Barnes is suspicious of his return.
7. Spring Rendezvous
Aired 18 November 1967
At a gathering of trappers Kit Carson takes on a belligerent man, who has insulted the Indians, in a series of contests.
8. Lost Sheep in Trinidad
Aired 30 December 1967
Sister Blandina comes to the aid of a wounded robbery in the rough frontier town of Trinidad when no one else will. As she works to comfort him she learns he is a friend of the notorious Billy the Kid.
9. The Saga of Sadie Orchard
Aired 13 January 1968
The Orchards get the contract to deliver silver in the isolated town of Hillsboro. After her husband is waylaid and beaten by bandits, Sadie takes over as the stage driver.
10. The Indiana Girl
Aired 20 January 1968
A tomboy changes her ways when she meets the handsome constable of a mining town.
11. Prince of the Oyster Pirates
Aired 28 January 1968
Jack agrees to buy French Frank's oyster boat but only if he spares Scratch's life. French, a violent man, vows vengeance when he loses his girl Mamie to Jack. Jack must outwit and diminish French as a hooligan.
12. The Friend
Aired 17 February 1968
An inexperienced young man hears about a planned ambush on the sheriff and vows to help.
13. The Great Diamond Mines
Aired 23 February 1968
A prospector and his partner try to con a banker.
14. Count Me In, Count Me Out
Aired 24 February 1968
Count Peter is a charming rascal in Old California who expects to marry the beautiful heiress of a wealthy Don. But first he must serve a brief stint in a jail he designed and clear up a misunderstanding that might get him killed.
15. Dress for a Desert Girl
Aired 1 March 1968
While her husband Zeb looks for gold, Cynthia lives in isolation in Death Valley. Although he has promised they will eventually leave, Cynthia begins to give up hope and her health fails. Zeb hopes a new dress will help.
16. Britta Goes Home
Aired 2 March 1968
Gustaf Olaffson eagerly awaits the arrival of his future bride Britta from Sweden. Heading to Gustaf's sod house, Britta becomes disillusioned about her future. Visiting with Dan and Mary Brown, other Dakota homesteaders, help her overcome her fears.
17. Bread on the Desert
Aired 2 March 1968
Two Americans on their way to Santa Fe are captured by Mexican troops and held prisoner until an Indian woman comes to their aid.
18. Green Is the Color of Gold
Aired 6 March 1968
Aaron brings his new bride Rosie to Death Valley where his place is isolated and rundown. Aaron continues a futile look for gold but as Rosie is about to leave him, he discovers another mineral to make them wealthy.
19. Out of the Valley of Death
Aired 7 March 1968
A wagon train takes the wrong cutoff and end up in Death Valley running short of food and water. Two of the stronger men leave to find supplies but those left behind start to give up hope of their return.
20. The Gold Mine on Main Street
Aired 15 March 1968
Jesse declares the middle of Main Street is the place to find gold and is seemingly correct after the mine is successful. But his backers in town become increasingly suspicious when their questions go unanswered.
21. A Friend Indeed
Aired 5 April 1968
Ten years after the events described in "Out of the Valley of Death", Asa Bennett is persuaded to join an expedition to find the Lost Gunsight Mine, a legendary vein of silver in the heart of Death Valley.
22. The Thirty-Caliber Town
Aired 12 April 1968
The story of how the Winchester repeating rifle helped to bring law and order to a new north Idaho town. An epilogue featuring host Robert Taylor and Lester Shadduck, the mayor of Winchester, Idaho, was shot on location in 1967.
23. The Other Side of the Mountain
Aired 13 April 1968
Wagonmaster Lassen faces an unruly mob when he tries a new route to California in the 1840s and is overheard saying he may be lost.
24. By the Book
Aired 10 May 1968
Two young ladies move to Colorado to prove their land claim, but the local land manager intends to own it himself. Two brothers are enlisted to hinder the women, but find their charms irresistible.
25. The Pieces of the Puzzle
Aired 11 May 1968
"The Baron of Arizona," James Reavis, files a claim against the government.
26. Tall Heart, Short Temper
Aired 17 May 1968
Pike has a terrible temper and his fiance Angela breaks off the engagement after too many altercations with the townspeople. He heads off with his partner to trap, vowing to stay calm to win her back but an encounter with Indians changes things.