Overlooked TV: The Adventures of Jim Bowie

In the wake of Disney's pop-culture phenomenon, "The Adventures of Davy Crockett" (which lasted a measly  five episodes), TV production companies were rushing to capture some of the magic. While most subsequent shows mined the more familiar territory of the Old West, one program featured a contemporary - and an acquaintance - of Davy, and roamed the same territory, the Southeastern U.S. and the chunk of Mexico colonists called Texas.

The Adventures of Jim Bowie premiered in 1956 and ran two full seasons, churning out an amazing 76 half-hour episodes. Aside from the setting, the show's most distinguishing feature was the music, supplied in strictly acapella fashion by Ken Darby and the King's Men. I don't remember what I thought of it then, but today it sounds strange, and even a bit creepy. Desilu Studios used the same technique on its other major western show, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp.

Scott Forbes, the guy chosen to play Bowie, was born in England and began his film career there as "Julian Dallas" before making his way to the U.S. His early roles here were as a Brit, but he managed to adopt a pseudo-Southern accent for his role in the Bowie show. After Jim Bowie, he kept busy with film and TV roles for another twenty years, and was also credited with at least ten screenplays.

The whole series is now available in a 10-disc set of DVDs, packed with plenty of action and imaginative history. Among the folk Jim encounters in his travels are Sam Houston, Andy Jackson, Jean Lafitte, John James Adubon, and even the immortal Davy Crockett. In addition to the guest stars noted on the box below, the show played host to DeForest Kelly, Glenn Strange, Denver Pyle, William Schallert, Lurene Tuttle, Edgar Buchanan, Strother Martin, Hans Conried and Chuck Connors.

Thanks to YouTube, here's the entire first episode. This version of the Bowie Knife's origin more or less follows that told in Paul H. Wellman's novel The Iron Mistress, and the Monte Barrett novel the series is supposedly based on, The Tempered Blade. The truth is, there are many theories about the knife's invention, and many possible inventors. Most likely, Bowie had several knives, and several people contributed to what eventually became known as the "Bowie" knife.

THE BIRTH OF THE BLADE Part 1


THE BIRTH OF THE BLADE Part 2


THE BIRTH OF THE BLADE Part 3

For my review of the Jim Bowie Big Little Book by Lewis B. Patten, click HERE.

For links to more of today's Overlooked Films & Such, click HERE.