- Shotgun Slade
infobox television
show_name = Shotgun Slade
format = Western
picture_format =Black and white (1959-1961)
runtime = 30 minutes
starring =Scott Brady
country =United States
network =television syndication
first_aired =October 24 ,1959
last_aired =1961
num_seasons = 1
num_episodes = 39
imdb_id = 0052508|"Shotgun Slade" is an American western
television series starringScott Brady that aired intelevision syndication fromOctober 24 ,1959 until1961 .Since the Western
genre was beginning to lose popularity with viewing audiences, Shotgun Slade had three characteristics that made it novel among Westerns. The first was Slade's profession. Instead being a marshal, sheriff, or wandering gunfighter, Slade was a private detective, hired by individuals to track down criminals, return stolen money, and other similar duties. This was obviously influenced by the growing popularity of television private eyes such as "Peter Gunn ", "Richard Diamond, Private Detective ", "Hawaiian Eye ", and others.Another quirks was Slade's weapon of choice. Instead of packing a six-gun, Slade carried a combination shotgun that has an upper and lower barrel.The lower barrel fired a
12-gauge shotgun shell, while the top barrel fired a.32 caliber rifle bullet. The idea was that this weapon gave Slade the ability to fire at close and distant targets with the same amount of accuracy. Western television shows were known for featuring distinctive weapons, such as those on shows like "The Rifleman ", "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp ", " Bat Masterson", "", and "The Rebel", but Slade's shotgun stood out even among the weapons of those other shows.The third novelty of the series is that it featured a modern
jazz score instead of the traditional Western-themed music that was the norm for Western television shows and movies. Again, this seems an influence of the private eye genre's popularity because most private eye shows featured a jazz score.Unfortunately, all of Shotgun Slade's quirks and idiosyncrasies did not add up to a long-running series because the show only lasted two seasons.
References
*McNeil, Alex. "Total Television" (1996). New York: Penguin Books ISBN 0-140-24916-8Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, "
The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows "(1999). New York: Ballantine Books ISBN 0-345-42923-0External links
*imdb title|id=0052508|title=Shotgun Slade
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