Stoney Burke (TV series)

Stoney Burke
Jack Lord as Stoney Burke
Genre	Western
Starring	Jack Lord Warren Oates Robert Dowdell Bruce Dern
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	32
Production
Producer(s)	Leslie Stevens
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	44 mins.
Production company(s)	Daystar Productions
Distributor	United Artists Television MGM Television
Release
Original network	ABC
Picture format	Black-and-white
Audio format	Monaural
Original release	October 1, 1962 (1962-10-01) – May 20, 1963 (1963-05-20)

Stoney Burke was an American western television series broadcast on ABC from October 1, 1962 until May 20, 1963. Jack Lord starred in the title role.

Stoney Burke was a rodeo rider competing for the Golden Buckle, the award given to the world champion saddle bronc rider. During his quest for the Golden Buckle, Stoney became entangled in the lives of numerous people. He was accompanied on the rodeo circuit by his friends Ves Painter (Warren Oates), Cody Bristol (Robert Dowdell), and E. J. Stocker (Bruce Dern).

Dick Clark of American Bandstand was cast as Sgt. Andy Kincaid in the 1963 episode "Kincaid." Rodeo performer Casey Tibbs appeared as himself in this episode.James Coburn was cast as Jamison in the 1963 episode "The Test." J. Pat O'Malley, Richard Eyer, and Ivan Dixon were also featured in this episode.

The same year that Stoney Burke premiered, NBC aired its own drama about rodeo performers, The Wide Country, starring Earl Holliman and Andrew Prine. It ended after twenty-eight episodes. Both series were westerns that debuted at the end of the time when western programs--a fixture of 1950s and early 1960s television--had been a number one draw on the medium. By the mid-1960s, market saturation had begun to take its toll; while established series such as Bonanza and Gunsmoke continued to thrive, new shows with less than robust ratings struggled to survive. Both rodeo series were canceled after one season.