DeForest Kelley Filmography: Annotated Television and Movie Credits

DeForest Kelley Filmography: Home/Main Index Full Chronology
1940s 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1970+

1958
03/07/58 Silent Service: "The Archerfish Spits Straight" - *** Cpt. Joe Enright
03/28/58 M Squad: "The Hideout" - *Sgt. Miller
04/11/58 Zane Grey Theater: "Shadow of a Dead Man" - **Logan Wheeler
05/02/58 Trackdown: "The Jailbreak" - ***Brock Childers
06/06/58 Movie: The Law and Jake Wade - **Wexler
06/16/58 Alcoa Theater: "Johnny Risk" (pilot) - role?
11/20/58 The Rough Riders: "The Nightbinders" - **Lance

Role: ***Major **Significant *Minor
Death Scenes: 3 of 4 viewed

1958 SILENT SERVICE: “The Archerfish Spits Straight”

Role: *** Capt. Joe Enright
Episode: ? Airdate: 3/7/58
Commercial Recording: None known

Series Notes: Syndicated; 30m; b/w, 1956-1958; 78 episodes
Fact-based documentary-style dramatic series about the U.S. Navy submarine service. The submarines were named for various fish. The Navy cooperated in production of this series, and loaned Dykers The Sawfish for filming.
Host: Rear Adm. (ret.) Thomas M. Dykers
Cast: ?

Episode Summary: Not viewed. From TV Guide (Oregon ed.)2/8/60:
"Skipper Joe Enright blames himself for his sub's lack of success on patrol. After 6 months on shore he returns to sea to command the USS Archerfish."

Note: this may be a sequel to "The Gar Story" (1957) which also features Kelley starring as Joe Enright

Sources: Brooks & Marsh; T-Negative #19

1958 M SQUAD: “The Hideout”

Role: * Sgt. Miller
Episode: 1.28 Airdate: 3/28/58
Commercial Recording: None known

As Sergeant Miller, M Squad: "The Hideout"

Series Notes: CBS; 30m; b/w; 1957-1960, 117 episodes
Stories of plainclothes detectives fighting organized crime in Chicago.
Regulars: Lee Marvin (Lt. Frank Ballenger); Paul Newlan (Capt. Grey)
Guest Cast:
Jack Elam; Stacy Graham; Dick Miller; Terry Burnham; William Hudson; Paul Comi; Ferris Taylor

Episode Summary:
Bank robbers Pete Castro and Luke somebody speed away from the scene to discover that their tire has been hit. They ditch the car in an open garage and take refuge in widow Carol Grayson's home, holding her hostage until they can call for a buddy to come get them with a fast car. Meanwhile, Frank and company have tracked them, set up a stake-out in a neighbor's home, and eavesdropped on the call. Frank calls, pretending to be Carol's boyfriend, and tells her he's a cop and is coming in to be there with her. He hides a gun on the clothesline outside Carol's kitchen window for later retrieval, and goes in, whereupon he, too, becomes a hostage. Carol's unsuspecting six-year-old daughter Laurie discovers the gun and says, "Guess what I found?" Frank replies, "A giraffe." Clever Laurie catches on. Later, she gets up to get some milk, hides the gun in the kitchen drawer, reports to Frank that "the giraffe is gone," insists on him putting her to bed, and tells him where the gun is. The real boyfriend then shows up, as does getaway driver JoJo, who recognizes Frank as a cop. JoJo runs for it, giving Kelley one of his few lines - "Stop! Stop, or we'll shoot!" Castro and Luke try to sneak out the back with Frank as a hostage; a fight ensues when the get to the kitchen, where Frank gets the gun and shoots Luke. Castro surrenders.
Notes
Kelley is barely visible in the dark stake-out house and has just a few utilitarian lines about equipment arriving and worrying about Frank.

For Trekkers: Paul Comi played Lt. Stiles in "Balance of Terror."

Sources: viewing; Brooks & Marsh

1958 [Dick Powell's] Zane Grey Theater:
“Shadow of a Dead Man”

Role: ** Logan Wheeler
Episode: 2.25 (56) Airdate: 4/11/58; R: 8/31/59 (Frontier Justice)
Commercial Recording: None known

As Logan Wheeler, Zane Grey Theater: Shadow of a Dead Man

Series Notes: CBS; 30m; b/w, 1956-1962, 145 episodes
Many episodes re-broadcast in summer under title Frontier Justice
Early on, these were all adaptations of Zane Grey stories; tales form other authors were used later.
Regulars: Dick Powell (Host and frequently the star)
Guest Cast:

Barry Sullivan (Raney Benson)
Whitney Blake (Jessie Wheeler)
Carl Benton Reid (Zachary Wheeler)

Richard Shannon (Mark Williams)
Fred Kohler (Sheriff Kincaid)

Episode Summary:
Logan Wheeler (Kelley) sneaks into Raney Benson's hotel room by night, takes his gun, wakes him and informs him that he's taking him in to Barando, where he is wanted for bank robbery. Logan wants the $500 reward for his father, who lost everything in the theft. He knocks Benson out and carts him off. Camping along the way, Benson explains that he participated in the bank job to try to save his own ranch, and got nothing from it, since his evil partner skedaddled with all the loot. Logan is unswayed. The heart-to-heart is interrupted when Logan reaches for a stick of firewood and is bitten on the shoulder by a rattlesnake. Logan asks Raney to cut out the poison for him; Raney demands to be set free first. Logan turns over his gun, and Raney starts to ride off, but reconsiders and helps him. He leads Logan, now very ill, to the Wheeler ranch in Barando. The father, Zachary Wheeler, recognizes Raney from the robbery. Logan survives long enough to declare that Raney helped him when he could have run away, then dies in his sister Jessie's arms. Just as they finish burying Logan, deputy Mark Williams, who is courting Jessie, rides up. Jessie introduces Raney as Logan and says they just buried the infamous Raney. Raney decides to stay and work on the Wheeler ranch for the few weeks until the remaining witness can come and identify the body, and he and Jessie fall in love. Mark grows suspicious and confronts Raney; Raney wins the ensuing fight, with Jessie's help, but still refuses to leave her. She offers to go with him. The sheriff, having sneaked in the back, overhears; he offers Raney a choice - enlist in the Confederate army, or go to prison. Raney signs up and Jessie promises to wait for him.

Sources: Viewing; Lentz (1997); T-Negative #19; Brooks & Marsh

1958 TRACKDOWN: “The Jailbreak”

Role: *** Brock Childers (Bad-ass outlaw)
Episode: 1.29 Airdate: 5/2/58
Commercial Recording: None known

As Brock Childers, Trackdown: "The Jailbreak"

Series Notes: CBS; 30m; b/w; 1957-1959, 71 episodes
Set in Porter, Texas in the 1870s; many stories were adapted from case files of the Texas Rangers.
Regulars:

Robert Culp (Ranger Hoby Gilman)
Ellen Corby (Henrietta Porter)

Norman Leavitt (Ralph)

Guest Cast:

James Griffith (Aaron Adams)
Ned Glass (Jace)

John Litel (Judge Henry)
I. Stan Jolley (Dan)

Episode Summary:
Outlaw Brock Childers Kelley), awaiting transfer to Austin where he will surely be hanged, gets the drop on Ralph. When barber Aaron Adams drops by, Brock forces him to release him and take a message to Hoby that he wants the Ranger to come and be locked up so Brock can escape. Hoby stalls, and Brock sends town drunkard Jace out, ostensibly to find Hoby, but then shoots him in the back to show Hoby he means business. Old Judge Henry attempts to go in and be a hero, but ends up another hostage, and Childers gets the Judge's handy little Derringer. Hoby finally goes in, arranging for sharpshooter Dan to kill Childers as soon as he’s visible, whatever happens. Childers trades clothing with Hoby and backs out holding the Derringer on Hoby, who is holding his own empty gun on Childers. It works, Dan shoots Hoby thinking he’s Childers, but fortunately he’s a poor shot on his first try and only wounds him. The error is soon corrected, and Dan guns Childers down..

Notes:
A fine, vicious role for Kelley - Childers is a smart and smart-ass villain, complete with black hat and lots of sneers.
Dead Again: Shot down in the street.

Sources:viewing; Lentz (1997); Brooks & Marsh

1958 THE LAW AND JAKE WADE

Role: * Wexler (Bad-ass but not-too-bright outlaw)
Released: 6/6/58
Director: John Sturges
Writer: William Bowers
From the novel by Marvin H. Albert
Producer:William Hawks
Notes: MGM; 1hr 27m; color.
Commercial Recording: MGM/UA 1992; vhs; in print

Wexler, The Law and Jake Wade: I'll kill 'im!

Cast:

Robert Taylor (Jake Wade)
Richard Widmark (Clint Hollister)
Patricia Owens (Peggy Carter)

Robert Middleton (Ortero)
Henry Silva (Rennie)
Eddie Firestone (Burke)

Plot Summary:
This movie has great scenery and lots of pretty horseflesh; otherwise, it's a pretty tedious Western with the standard good guys, bad guys and scary Indians:
Jake Wade is a former outlaw who left his life of crime and his old gang after killing a young boy during a bank robbery. He is now happily settled in as town marshal and engaged to Peggy. However, the old life follows him. He helps Clint, leader of his former comrades, break out of jail as payment for an old debt, but Clint wants more than freedom - he wants the loot from the bank heist, which Jake has hidden somewhere. Jake urges Peggy to run away with him and start a new life, but it's too late; Clint and company nab him and take Peggy along to ensure Jake's good behavior while they go retrieve the money. Off they go - through some gorgeous country! - but unfortunately the money happens to be buried in an area now controlled by the Comanches. Jake escapes once but is recaptured. The party continues past ominous warnings from the Cavalry and a burned-out wagon train, and they finally reach the destination town to find it deserted and surrounded by Indians. Wexler, Rennie and Burke try to mutiny and leave, but just as they start fighting with Clint (about nightfall), the Indians attack. Wexler, Rennie and Burke are variously butchered but Jake, Clint, Peggy and Ortero survive to morning. Ortero - who plays the not-so-bad bad guy here - tells Jake that he can't have killed that kid back during the bank robbery, because Ortero saw the kid dead before Jake ever came out of the bank. Clint still wants the money and still has a gun. So, they go out to the cemetery and Jake digs it up. However, with clever foresight, Jake had buried a gun along with the money, and he now gets the upper hand, sends Peggy and Ortero to safety, and has a gun duel with Clint while dodging in and out the windows, street and doors of the ghost town. Jake wins and goes off to find his intended.

Notes:
Kelley has scattered small scenes. When they first capture Jake, Wexler goes for him with violence in his heart, but Clint stops him. On the trail, it is Wexler who conveniently turns his back after freeing Jake, then stands around chewing tobacco while Jake escapes. His best line is in the ghost town: "If you see any Indians, don't tell me till we get some food." And finally, he gets a gory little death scene. Nobody's sorry.
Dead Again:
Oh my, yes - a Comanche takes him down with a knife, he comes up with his shooting arm all bloody and useless, tries to take one more rifle shot with his remaining arm, but while he's aiming he takes an arrow right through the heart and slides down the wall.
Bio Notes:
At a Star Trek convention, Kelley reminisced about his first encounter with Robert Taylor: well before he began acting professionally himself, he and a buddy had sneaked onto the MGM lot to watch the filming. Taylor saw them and told them to move some lights around and look like crew so they wouldn't be thrown out. While filming "Jake Wade" he mentioned the incident to Taylor, who was convinced when Kelley recalled that Barbara Stanwyck (Taylor's wife at the time) had been leading Taylor's fancy horses around in green blankets monogrammed "RT".

Sources: viewing; Internet Movie Database; video box notes
Reviews: Variety 6/4/58; NYT 6/7/58

1958 ALCOA THEATRE: “Johnny Risk" (Pilot)

Role: ?
Episode: ? Airdate: 6/16/58
Commercial Recording: None known

Series Notes: NBC; 30m; b/w; 1957-1960
Dramatic anthology. Syndicated together with Goodyear Theatre as Award Theatre.
aka Alcoa/Goodyear Theater; aka A Turn of Fate.

Unsold Pilot. Produced by Vincent M. Fennelly; directed by Don McDougall; wrtten by Fred Freiberger.
Starring Michael Landon as Johnny Risk.
Pilot episode cast: Lew Ayres, Robert Griffin, DeForest Kelley, Forrest Lewis, Bonnie Holding, Alan Hale, Jr.

Episode Summary: Not viewed. From Terrace (1986):
"The story, set in Alaska in 1896, relates the adventures of Johnny Risk, a gambling boat entrepreneur. In the pilot episode, Risk battles a corrupt new law designed to take gold mines away from aliens when a friend loses his mine."

Sources: Brooks & Marsh; Terrace (1986)

1958 THE ROUGH RIDERS: “The Nightbinders”

Role: ** Lance
Episode: 1.8 Airdate: 11/20/58; R: 8/14/61
Commercial Recording: None known

Series Notes: ABC; 30m; b/w (?); 1958-1959
The adventures of three Civil War veterans, two Union and one Confederate, headed for a new life in the west.
Regulars:
Kent Taylor (Capt. Jim Flagg); Jan Merlin (Lt. Kirby); Peter Whitney (Sgt. Buck Sinclair)

Episode Summary: Not viewed. Blurb from Lentz (1997), Television Westerns:
"While riding west the Rough Riders are stopped by hooded vigilantes. They learn that the leader of the vigilantes is using his men for purely selfish motives."

Sources: Brooks & Marsh; Lentz (1997)