McLean starred as Tate, who lost the use of his left arm during the Civil War. A widower, he tragically lost his wife , Mary, from a stray bullet in a gunfight. Afterwards, he roamed the West as a bounty hunter/fast gun trying to earn enough money to get his damaged arm surgically repaired. True to most Western heroes for hire, Tate was discrimnating as to who he worked for, and would change sides if he found himself mislead by his employers. He dressed in black leather with his left arm covered with black leather and slung with a glove on the end. A deadly gunfighter, his draw was wickedly fast, which frequently got him into trouble with other would-be gunfighters trying to test him to prove they were faster.
This short-lived series boasted many great guest stars, including Julie Adams, Chris Alcaide, James Coburn, Robert Culp, Jock Gaynor, Martin Landau, Leonard Nimoy, Warren Oates, and Robert Redford. One episode was directed by famed actress/director Ida Lupino. Character actor Robert F. Simon appeared as an unnamed sheriff in the episode "Stopover".
The fact that Tate was physically disabled made him one of the first, if not the first, physically disabled lead characters in television history, paving the way for shows such as Ironside and Longstreet. Another factor making Tate unique was the fact that this series was filmed on tape, not the usual film process that most non-live shows used.
Tate was a summer replacement series as a part of the Kraft Summer Theater, and did not catch on as a regular series. McLean was already well known as the Marlboro Man, one of the most famous advertising campaigns in advertising history, and ultimately, one of the most ironic and infamous since McLean himself died of lung cancer in 1995. In 2008, The entire 13-episode series has been released on DVD by Timeless Media Group. Most of the series is in the public domain.
Here is an episode from June 22, 1960 with guest star Robert Culp called "The Bounty Hunter".
Also appearing is Robert Redford. Can you recognize him?
I think the series could have been a success in time with all the talent appearing. What do you think?
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