In the series debut of 1956's "Frontier Doctor," M. D. Bill Baxter (Rex Allen) is called to the Varden ranch to tend the aftermath of a rustling shootout, but finds also an anthrax outbreak among the herd.
Somewhat shouldered aside by the big bulls of the mid century TV Western boom, thus half-hour outing puts an innovative spin on the cowboy protagonist, in this case equipping him with a medical bag. Allen was the bench relief of the Roy Rogers-Gene Autry singing cowboy boomlet, and narrated Disney nature documentaries as well. In this opener he is joined by B-movie journeywoman Jeane Willes as the saloon-owning rancherette, Clint Eastwood entourage stalwart Gregory Walcott as the foreman, and "Gunsmoke" fans will be pleased to see longtime Long Branch bartender Sam (Harry Harvey Jr.) in a slightly younger role.
Allen has a somewhat wooden acting style, but its a welcome break to have a Stetson-wearing hero get away from the man-of-few-words trope and engage in scientific explanations of what's wrong; one can easily see him as a cattle country medico.
A variation of Henrik Ibsen's "Enemy of the People" here; Willes' herd has to be destroyed, she sees it as her ticket out of the saloon world, and becomes increasingly shrewish and violent when her financial situation is on the verge if collapse. Oh well, its the middle of the Eisenhower years and the idea of a successful centered female entrepreneur will take some time to make it through the writers rooms.
"FD" was syndicated and did not have a network stable of guest stars to draw from, and of course the half-hour format is tough to develop a plot with, but the debut story is proportionate and refreshingly, Allen does not need to pull a gun to set things right. The familiar SoCal locations of Republic Studios will please Western aficionados, and this short series gets a good start on its ride.
Somewhat shouldered aside by the big bulls of the mid century TV Western boom, thus half-hour outing puts an innovative spin on the cowboy protagonist, in this case equipping him with a medical bag. Allen was the bench relief of the Roy Rogers-Gene Autry singing cowboy boomlet, and narrated Disney nature documentaries as well. In this opener he is joined by B-movie journeywoman Jeane Willes as the saloon-owning rancherette, Clint Eastwood entourage stalwart Gregory Walcott as the foreman, and "Gunsmoke" fans will be pleased to see longtime Long Branch bartender Sam (Harry Harvey Jr.) in a slightly younger role.
Allen has a somewhat wooden acting style, but its a welcome break to have a Stetson-wearing hero get away from the man-of-few-words trope and engage in scientific explanations of what's wrong; one can easily see him as a cattle country medico.
A variation of Henrik Ibsen's "Enemy of the People" here; Willes' herd has to be destroyed, she sees it as her ticket out of the saloon world, and becomes increasingly shrewish and violent when her financial situation is on the verge if collapse. Oh well, its the middle of the Eisenhower years and the idea of a successful centered female entrepreneur will take some time to make it through the writers rooms.
"FD" was syndicated and did not have a network stable of guest stars to draw from, and of course the half-hour format is tough to develop a plot with, but the debut story is proportionate and refreshingly, Allen does not need to pull a gun to set things right. The familiar SoCal locations of Republic Studios will please Western aficionados, and this short series gets a good start on its ride.