The Restless Gun

The Restless Gun is an American Western television series that appeared on NBC between 1957 and 1959, with John Payne in the role of Vint Bonner, a wandering cowboy in the era after the American Civil War. A skilled gunfighter, Bonner is an idealistic person who prefers peaceful resolutions of conflict wherever possible. He is gregarious, intelligent, and public-spirited. The half-hour black-and-white program aired 78 episodes (including the Pilot episode in which the John Payne character's name is Britt Ponsett, the name of James Stewart's character in the 1953-54 old time radio series The Six Shooter, upon which The Restless Gun television series was originally based).

The Restless Gun
Title card
Genre	Western
Directed by	Christian Nyby Edward Ludwig Sam Strangis Earl Bellamy Justus Addiss
Starring	John Payne
Narrated by	John Payne
Composers	Paul Dunlap Dave Kahn Stanley Wilson
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	78
Production
Executive producer	John Payne
Producers	David Dortort Felix Jackson
Production location	American Southwest
Running time	30 minutes
Production companies	Window Glen Productions Revue Studios
Release
Original network	NBC
Picture format	Black-and-white
Audio format	Monaural
Original release	September 23, 1957 (1957-09-23) – June 22, 1959 (1959-06-22)
Chronology
Related	The Texan Cheyenne

The Restless Gun theme song (officially titled "I Ride With the Wind") begins: "I ride with the wind, my eyes on the sun, and my hand on my restless gun..." The song composer is probably Paul Dunlap, credited as the primary series composer, but could have been contributed to by either of the two other series composers, Dave Kahn and Stanley Wilson. Two versions (one a vocal) are currently posted on YouTube, but neither posting lists any composer or performance credits.^{[citation needed]}

John Payne as Vint Bonner and villain Gene Baroda: The dual role in the 1959 episode "Dead Ringer" ended with a shootout between his two characters.

John Payne portrait for The Restless Gun in 1957

Episodes

Season 1: 1957–58

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
0	0	"Pilot ('Red Lawson's Revenge')"	Robert Florey	N.B. Stone Jr.	March 29, 1957 (1957-03-29)
1	1	"Duel at Lockwood"	Justus Addiss	Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : David Dortort	September 23, 1957 (1957-09-23)
2	2	"Trail to Sunset"	Justus Addiss	Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Herbert Little Jr. & David Victor	September 30, 1957 (1957-09-30)
3	3	"Revenge at Harness Creek"	Edward Ludwig	Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Jack Jacobs & Malvin Wald	October 7, 1957 (1957-10-07)
4	4	"Rink"	James Neilson	Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : David Dortort	October 14, 1957 (1957-10-14)
5	5	"Jenny"	Edward Ludwig	Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Marion Hargrove	October 21, 1957 (1957-10-21)
6	6	"The Shooting of Jett King"	Justus Addiss	Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : John Payne	October 28, 1957 (1957-10-28)
7	7	"Jody"	Allen H. Miner	Story by : H.A. De Russo Teleplay by : Gene L. Coon	November 4, 1957 (1957-11-04)
8	8	"General Gilford's Widow"	Edward Ludwig	Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Halsey Malone	November 11, 1957 (1957-11-11)
9	9	"The New Sheriff"	Edward Ludwig	Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Dean Riesner	November 18, 1957 (1957-11-18)
10	10	"Man and Boy"	Edward Ludwig	Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : David Victor	November 25, 1957 (1957-11-25)
11	11	"Cheyenne Express"	Edward Ludwig	Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Christopher Knopf	December 2, 1957 (1957-12-02)
12	12	"Thicker Than Water"	Edward Ludwig	Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Kenneth Gamet	December 9, 1957 (1957-12-09)
13	13	"Silver Threads"	Edward Ludwig	Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Marion Hargrove	December 16, 1957 (1957-12-16)
14	14	"The Child"	Edward Ludwig	Story by : John Payne Teleplay by : Herbert Little Jr. & David Victor	December 23, 1957 (1957-12-23)
15	15	"The Gold Buckle"	Justus Addiss	Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Dan Mainwaring	December 30, 1957 (1957-12-30)
16	16	"The Coward"	Edward Ludwig	Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Christopher Knopf	January 6, 1958 (1958-01-06)
17	17	"Friend in Need"	Edward Ludwig	Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : William Tunberg	January 13, 1958 (1958-01-13)
18	18	"Strange Family in Town"	Earl Bellamy	Lawrence Goldman	January 20, 1958 (1958-01-20)
19	19	"Hang and Be Damned"	Earl Bellamy	Story by : Talmadge Powell Teleplay by : David Dortort	January 27, 1958 (1958-01-27)
20	20	"Quiet City"	Edward Ludwig	Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Alvin Sapinsley	February 3, 1958 (1958-02-03)
21	21	"Hornitas Town"	Edward Ludwig	Jack Natteford & Luci Ward	February 10, 1958 (1958-02-10)
22	22	"Imposter for a Day"	Earl Bellamy	Jack Laird & Wilton Schiller	February 17, 1958 (1958-02-17)
23	23	"A Pressing Engagement"	Edward Ludwig	Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Mary C McCall Jr.	February 24, 1958 (1958-02-24)
24	24	"Woman from Sacramento"	Edward Ludwig	Halsey Malone	March 3, 1958 (1958-03-03)
25	25	"Sheriff Billy"	Edward Ludwig	Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Herbert Little Jr. & David Victor	March 10, 1958 (1958-03-10)
26	26	"The Hand Is Quicker"	Earl Bellamy	Arthur Weiss	March 17, 1958 (1958-03-17)
27	27	"The Suffragette"	Edward Ludwig	Charles B. Smith	March 24, 1958 (1958-03-24)
28	28	"The Whip"	Edward Ludwig	Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Oliver Crawford	March 31, 1958 (1958-03-31)
29	29	"The Crisis at Easter Creek"	Edward Ludwig	Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Jess Carneol & Kay Lenard	April 7, 1958 (1958-04-07)
30	30	"Aunt Emma"	Edward Ludwig	Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Al Martin	April 14, 1958 (1958-04-14)
31	31	"The Outlander"	Edward Ludwig	Herbert Little Jr. & David Victor	April 21, 1958 (1958-04-21)
32	32	"The Battle of Tower Rock"	Edward Ludwig	Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : Howard J. Green	April 28, 1958 (1958-04-28)
33	33	"The Torn Flag"	Edward Ludwig	Alvin Sapinsley	May 5, 1958 (1958-05-05)
34	34	"Hiram Grover's Strike"	Edward Ludwig	Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : David Dortort	May 12, 1958 (1958-05-12)
35	35	"The Gold Star"	Edward Ludwig	Story by : John Payne Teleplay by : Alvin Sapinsley	May 19, 1958 (1958-05-19)
36	36	"More Than Kin"	Edward Ludwig	Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : David Dortort	May 26, 1958 (1958-05-26)
37	37	"The Manhunters"	Edward Ludwig	Story by : Richard J. Harper Teleplay by : Herbert Little Jr. & David Victor	June 2, 1958 (1958-06-02)
38	38	"The Peddler"	Edward Ludwig	John Tucker Battle	June 9, 1958 (1958-06-09)
39	39	"Gratitude"	Edward Ludwig	Arnold Belgard	June 16, 1958 (1958-06-16)

Season 2: 1958–59

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
40	1	"Jebediah Bonner"	Edward Ludwig	Story by : Will Cook Teleplay by : John Payne	September 22, 1958 (1958-09-22)
41	2	"Day of the Dragon"	Justus Addiss	John Tucker Battle	September 29, 1958 (1958-09-29)
42	3	"Mercyday"	Edward Ludwig	Charles B. Smith	October 6, 1958 (1958-10-06)
43	4	"Thunder Alley"	Edward Ludwig	Story by : Hal G. Evarts Teleplay by : Hal G. Evarts	October 13, 1958 (1958-10-13)
44	5	"The Nowhere Kid"	Edward Ludwig	Mary C. McCall Jr.	October 20, 1958 (1958-10-20)
45	6	"Bonner's Squaw"	Edward Ludwig	Joel Kane & Lee Karson	November 3, 1958 (1958-11-03)
46	7	"Tomboy"	Edward Ludwig	Marion Hargrove	November 10, 1958 (1958-11-10)
47	8	"Remember the Dead"	Justus Addiss	Hendrik Vollaerts	November 17, 1958 (1958-11-17)
48	9	"No Way to Kill"	Edward Ludwig	John Falvo	November 24, 1958 (1958-11-24)
49	10	"Take Me Home"	Edward Ludwig	Newt Arnold & David Cross	December 1, 1958 (1958-12-01)
50	11	"Multiply One Boy"	Edward Ludwig	Lee Berg & Lawrence Menkin	December 8, 1958 (1958-12-08)
51	12	"Peligroso"	Justus Addiss	Thomas Thompson	December 15, 1958 (1958-12-15)
52	13	"A Bell for Santo Domingo"	Edward Ludwig	Richard Newman	December 22, 1958 (1958-12-22)
53	14	"The Way Back"	Edward Ludwig	Robert Leslie Bellem & Frank Bonham	December 29, 1958 (1958-12-29)
54	15	"The Painted Beauty"	Justus Addiss	Halsey Melone	January 5, 1959 (1959-01-05)
55	16	"Shadow of a Gunfighter"	Edward Ludwig	Herman J. Groves	January 12, 1959 (1959-01-12)
56	17	"The Lady and the Gun"	Edward Ludwig	Story by : Frank Burt Teleplay by : David Dortort	January 19, 1959 (1959-01-19)
57	18	"Blood of Courage"	Edward Ludwig	Ronald Bishop	February 2, 1959 (1959-02-02)
58	19	"Better Than a Cannon"	Edward Ludwig	John Tucker Battle	February 9, 1959 (1959-02-09)
59	20	"The Dead Ringer"	Edward Ludwig	John Tucker Battle	February 16, 1959 (1959-02-16)
60	21	"The Last Grey Man"	Justus Addiss	Richard Newman	February 23, 1959 (1959-02-23)
61	22	"Melany"	Justus Addiss	Herman J. Groves	March 2, 1959 (1959-03-02)
62	23	"Ricochet"	Justus Addiss	Fanya Lawrence & Ted Thomas	March 9, 1959 (1959-03-09)
63	24	"Dead Man's Hand"	Justus Addiss	Harry Kronman	March 16, 1959 (1959-03-16)
64	25	"The Sweet Sisters"	Sam Strangis	Joel Kane & Lee Karson	March 23, 1959 (1959-03-23)
65	26	"Incident at Bluefield"	Edward Ludwig	Herman J. Groves	March 30, 1959 (1959-03-30)
66	27	"The Pawn"	Edward Ludwig	Charles B. Smith	April 6, 1959 (1959-04-06)
67	28	"Four Lives"	Edward Ludwig	Thomas Thompson	April 13, 1959 (1959-04-13)
68	29	"One on the House"	Edward Ludwig	Norman Daniels	April 20, 1959 (1959-04-20)
69	30	"Code for a Killer"	Sam Strangis	Hal Fimberg & Frank Waldman	April 27, 1959 (1959-04-27)
70	31	"Mme. Brimstone"	Sam Strangis	Adele Buffington	May 4, 1959 (1959-05-04)
71	32	"Lady by Law"	Sam Strangis	Norman Daniels	May 11, 1959 (1959-05-11)
72	33	"Ride with the Devil"	Sam Strangis	Nat Tanchuck	May 18, 1959 (1959-05-18)
73	34	"A Trial for Jenny May"	Sam Strangis	John Tucker Battle	May 25, 1959 (1959-05-25)
74	35	"The Cavis Boy"	Sam Strangis	Ronald Bishop & Wells Root	June 1, 1959 (1959-06-01)
75	36	"The Englishman"	Sam Strangis	Story by : Lester Wm. Berke & Robert J. Black Jr. Teleplay by : Lester Wm. Berke, Robert J. Black Jr., & Richard Newman	June 8, 1959 (1959-06-08)
76	37	"A Very Special Investigator"	Edward Ludwig	Arnold Belgard	June 15, 1959 (1959-06-15)
77	38	"The Hill of Death"	Sam Strangis	Joe Stone	June 22, 1959 (1959-06-22)

Selected guest stars

• Claude Akins
• Trevor Bardette
• Jeanne Bates
• Bea Benaderet
• Robert Blake
• Dan Blocker
• Leslie Bradley
• Henry Brandon
• Edgar Buchanan
• Anthony Caruso
• Peggie Castle
• Andy Clyde
• James Coburn
• Iron Eyes Cody
• Johnny Crawford
• Royal Dano
• George Dolenz
• Jack Elam
• John Ericson
• Paul Fix
• James Gleason
• Don Grady
• Dabbs Greer
• Alan Hale, Jr.
• Charles Lane
• Ruta Lee
• Ewing Mitchell
• J. Carrol Naish
• Hank Patterson
• William Phipps
• Denver Pyle
• Roy Roberts
• Irene Ryan
• Olan Soule
• Onslow Stevens
• Glenn Strange
• Regis Toomey
• Rip Torn
• Lurene Tuttle
• Guinn Williams

Home media

On March 1, 2010, Timeless Media Group released a three-disc best-of set featuring 24 episodes from the series.^[1]

On April 23, 2013, Timeless Media released Restless Gun: The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1.^[2] The 9-disc set features all 78 episodes of the series.

References

1. "Restless Gun". Amazon. March 2010.
2. . Archived from the original on 2012-11-28. Retrieved 2012-11-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

External links

• The Restless Gun at IMDb