Shotgun Slade
A late entry in the late-1950s television Western boom that featured a lead unlike other show heroes. Slade wasn't a Marshal, Sheriff, or gunfighter for hire; he was a private detective hired to track down criminals, return stolen money, or solve mysteries surrounding the deaths of townspeople. The show had more in common with shows like "Peter Gunn" (1958) and "77 Sunset Strip" (1958) than "Gunsmoke" (1955) and "Bonanza" (1959). This show depended on strong characters and storylines rather than action.
- 1959-1961
- 2 seasons
- VCI Home Video
- Action & Adventure
A late entry in the late-1950s television Western boom that featured a lead unlike other show heroes. Slade wasn't a Marshal, Sheriff, or gunfighter for hire; he was a private detective hired to track down criminals, return stolen money, or solve mysteries surrounding the deaths of townspeople. The show had more in common with shows like "Peter Gunn" (1958) and "77 Sunset Strip" (1958) than "Gunsmoke" (1955) and "Bonanza" (1959). This show depended on strong characters and storylines rather than action.
Season 2 Episode Guide
39 Episodes 1960 - 1961
Episode 1
Skyfire
Mon, Oct 17, 1960 30 mins
After solving a cattle rustling scheme, Slade collects his pay. As he is leaving the ranch, his former client is murdered. The man's widow and his best friend blame each other. Slade must find which one is telling the truth.
Episode 2
Ghost of Yucca Flats
Mon, Oct 24, 1960 30 mins
Slade tries to find missing townspeople in a community suddenly abandoned to a mysterious ghost.
Episode 3
Secret Gold
Mon, Oct 31, 1960 30 mins
Before Sam Hutchins reveals the hiding of stolen gold he's gunned down by his former partners. It was the man's wish that the money and himself be turned into the authorities for the reward.
Episode 4
The Missing Dog
Mon, Nov 7, 1960 30 mins
Slade is hired by a sheriff to solve a bank robbery. As he is on the job, he is hired by a boy to find his missing dog. Slade soon realizes the two jobs are linked.
Episode 5
Mountain Murderess
Mon, Nov 14, 1960 30 mins
Slade is hired to track down a woman suspected in the slaying of a deputy sheriff. A band of Indians blocks Slade's efforts to bring the murder suspect in for trial.
Episode 6
Dead Man's Tale
Mon, Nov 21, 1960 30 mins
Slade is hired to investigate suspicious dealings at a local bank, so he assumes a dead man's identity to crack an embezzlement case.
Episode 7
Vengeance
Mon, Nov 28, 1960 30 mins
Slade is summoned to Silverado by the marshal who says he collected a $1,000 reward for a job he didn't do. Then Slade probes reports that the man whom he allegedly killed is still alive.
Episode 8
Rail Head at Rampart
Mon, Dec 5, 1960 30 mins
Slade suspects that a businessman is planning to swindle the railroad.
Episode 9
Woman from Wyoming
Mon, Dec 12, 1960 30 mins
Slade comes to town to meet Rebecca Howland - a woman coming from Wyoming on the train. She is an heiress to a fortune and desires protection from others who would try to take it away from her.
Episode 10
The Laughing Widow
Mon, Dec 19, 1960 30 mins
A hard-bitten town taming sheriff is devastated when he's forced by law to hang his own son for theft of a gold shipment. Slade is convinced the man is innocent and sets out to prove it even as the hour of execution draws nigh.
Episode 11
Turkey Shoot
Mon, Dec 26, 1960 30 mins
Slade takes part in the Thanksgiving Turkey Shoot, and discovers Mack Cargar, an ex-convict, intends killing him.
Episode 12
Hang Him Twice
Mon, Jan 2, 1961 30 mins
Vicki, a desperate woman, beseeches Slade to save her husband from hanging. The man stands accused of killing a bank manager, but the alleged victim has been spotted alive in Mexico.
Episode 13
Traveling Trunk
Mon, Jan 9, 1961 30 mins
The body of a man who had hired Slade turns up in a trunk along with $20000.
Episode 14
Silver Queen
Fri, Sep 8, 1961 30 mins
An ambitious young blonde contrives to marry Ahab Jensen in order to kill him for his fortune.
Episode 15
Little Sister
Fri, Sep 8, 1961 30 mins
Chelsey Blair owns the Ritz Casino in Riverpoint. When a man is found dead after winning big at the casino, Chelsey hires Slade to find the killer and clear the reputation of the casino.
Episode 16
Copper Cylinder
Fri, Sep 8, 1961 30 mins
A historian comes upon a Spanish relic and asks Slade for help to carry it to the museum.
Episode 17
Misplaced Genius
Fri, Sep 8, 1961 30 mins
An employee interrupts a burglary at a bank and is killed. When nothing is found missing, it is assumed the burglars panicked and ran. Months later when a cashier notices two bills with the same serial number, Slade is called in.
Episode 18
Mother Sixgun
Fri, Sep 8, 1961 30 mins
A bar is robbed. The Sheriff - who is a friend of Slade's - starts to investigate and then disappears. Slade arrives in town to visit his friend and is determined to find out what happened to him.
Episode 19
The Impatient Bullet
Fri, Sep 8, 1961 30 mins
Slade catches up with a man he has been trailing. The man has been leading a five man gang through a string of bank robberies. Slade gets him to jail but must now convince the man's ex-girlfriend to testify against him.
Episode 20
The Silent Man
Fri, Sep 8, 1961 30 mins
$50,000 in bank notes is stolen from the Tucson stage. Slade is hired by the insurance company to recover the notes. They have given him 30 days to get the job done. He stops at Martinsville looking for leads.
Episode 21
School Ma'am
Fri, Sep 8, 1961 30 mins
A coy and reserved schoolmarm is exposed as a former bank robber. So she gets ready to fight for her freedom.
Episode 22
Legend of a Hero
Fri, Sep 8, 1961 30 mins
Slade must clear the murder of a man who has invited him to Old Town.
Episode 23
The Mystery of Black River
Fri, Sep 8, 1961 30 mins
Detective Slade finds clues to three apparently unconnected murders and deduces that each crime had its beginning In a buffalo hunt at Black River 15 years earlier.
Episode 24
Widow of El Dorado
Fri, Sep 8, 1961 30 mins
Slade is hired to stop a wedding. When he arrives he is too late. When the bridegroom is killed, guilt is cast on the woman who hired Slade. He believes she is innocent but he must find the true murderer to clear her.
Episode 25
Valley of the Shadow
Fri, Sep 8, 1961 30 mins
Ethan Kellogg is receiving death threats to reverse his decision to close his mine. He asks Slade to find who is behind the threats. Before Slade decides whether or not to accept the job, Ethan is killed. Now, Slade wants the killer.
Episode 26
A Noose for Hurley
Fri, Sep 8, 1961 30 mins
An old man with a fading memory gives an invoice to the Widow Rankin. He says it was borrowed by her husband. She is not sure if it is legitimate and hires Slade to determine if the money is really owed.
Episode 27
A Grave at San Gallo
Fri, Sep 8, 1961 30 mins
Janet Milford is looking for her long lost husband and is offering a reward. She receives a letter from Frank Peeler saying he knows where he is. Janet hires Slade to accompany her on the trip to verify the claim.
Episode 28
Friends No More
Fri, Sep 8, 1961 30 mins
Shotgun Slade recognizes an old chum from his cavalry days. Later Slade is told the man has become a vicious killer.
Episode 29
Yankee Spy
Fri, Sep 8, 1961 30 mins
Slade is hired by the US Government to find a missing agent in southern Louisiana.
Episode 30
Skinner's Rainbow
Fri, Sep 8, 1961 30 mins
Hardluck Luke claims he has found a gold strike. He wants to sell to Ben Willard. Ben Willard wants Professor Simms to certify the claim before he buys the mine. Simms wants protection for the trip and Slade is hired for the job.
Episode 31
The Lost Herds
Fri, Sep 8, 1961 30 mins
A rancher named Roberts sends for Slade. There has been a rash of cattle rustling and his ranch is the only ranch untouched. Slade goes undercover to discover if anyone on the ranch is involved.
Episode 32
The Search for Susan
Fri, Sep 8, 1961 30 mins
Sam Emerson is one of the wealthiest people in the state. He is getting up in years and wants to find his long lost daughter. He hires Slade to track her down.
Episode 33
The Phantom Noose
Fri, Sep 8, 1961 30 mins
Judge Beck is a hanging Judge. He has hung 27 men. He hires Slade to learn about 3 men that escaped judgment. Slade is asked to stay on after the job is done. He soon learns the Judge is haunted by the 27 men he has hung.
Episode 34
Madame Vengeance
Fri, Sep 8, 1961 30 mins
Lillian Leclair is a bank president. She is grieving the loss of her husband and father at the hands of bank robbers. She doesn't know who the robber were, but wants to hire Slade to kill the bank robber and bring him to her.
Episode 35
Five Graves
Fri, Sep 8, 1961 30 mins
Slade is hired vial mail to track down five men, give them $500 and tell them there is more if they go with him to a plantation. After Slade delivers the men, he finds there is no plantation and sets out to find out what is going on.
Episode 36
The Payrollers
Fri, Sep 8, 1961 30 mins
There have been a series of payroll holdups in the area. When $60,000 in gold is stolen and a clerk is killed, Slade is called in to find the Payrollers and the gold.
Episode 37
A Gun and a Prayer
Fri, Sep 8, 1961 30 mins
An old friend contacts Slade for a special favor. Slade owes him a favor and leaves immediately and soon finds that the friend needs a different kind of help.
Episode 38
The Ranch Ghost
Fri, Sep 8, 1961 30 mins
Slade is offered $500 to marry a woman. She has inherited a ranch but there is a condition: she must be married before she turns 27. Slade turns it down and is then hired to be her body guard.
Episode 39
Something to Die For
Fri, Sep 8, 1961 30 mins
Emil Cosca operated a foundry. Everyone in town believed he kept a treasure hidden in the foundry. A man from his past shows up for the treasure. They are both killed in a shootout. Mrs. Cosca hires Slade to find out if the treasure exists.