Best of the West
Encyclopedia
Best of the West is an American
sitcom
that aired on ABC
from September 1981 through August 1982.
spoof featured the misadventures of Sam Best, a Civil War
veteran (played by Joel Higgins
) who becomes a marshal in Copper Creek after accidentally scaring off an incompetent gunfighter called the Calico Kid.
Sam's family was made up of his Southern belle wife, Elvira (played by Carlene Watkins) and his smart-mouthed son, Daniel (Meeno Peluce
). The cast also included Leonard Frey
as the villain Parker Tillman, Tom Ewell
as the drunken town doctor Jerome Kullens, and Tracey Walter
as Tillman's clueless, but kind-hearted henchman, Frog Rothchild, Jr.
played Joel Higgins
father-in-law in the episode "The Reunion". Previously, they played together in a series called Salvage 1
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
that aired on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
from September 1981 through August 1982.
Synopsis
The Old WestWestern (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
spoof featured the misadventures of Sam Best, a Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
veteran (played by Joel Higgins
Joel Higgins
Joel Franklin Higgins is an American actors and singer with a stage career spanning over 30 years.- Life and Career :...
) who becomes a marshal in Copper Creek after accidentally scaring off an incompetent gunfighter called the Calico Kid.
Sam's family was made up of his Southern belle wife, Elvira (played by Carlene Watkins) and his smart-mouthed son, Daniel (Meeno Peluce
Meeno Peluce
Meeno Peluce is an American photographer and former child actor.Peluce was born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, the son of Sondra N. , a personal manager and caterer, and Floyd N. Peluce, a certified public accountant...
). The cast also included Leonard Frey
Leonard Frey
- Biography :Frey was born in Brooklyn, New York. After college, where he studied art with designs on being a painter, he studied acting at New York City's prestigious Neighborhood Playhouse under famed acting coach Sanford Meisner, and pursued a career in theater instead...
as the villain Parker Tillman, Tom Ewell
Tom Ewell
Tom Ewell was an American actor.-Early life and career:Born Samuel Yewell Tompkins in Owensboro, Kentucky, where his family expected him to follow in their footsteps as lawyers or whiskey and tobacco dealers....
as the drunken town doctor Jerome Kullens, and Tracey Walter
Tracey Walter
Tracey Walter is an American character actor. He has appeared in over 100 films and television shows.-Life and career:Walter was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, the son of a truck driver....
as Tillman's clueless, but kind-hearted henchman, Frog Rothchild, Jr.
Episode list
| № | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | 1981·Sep·09 |
| 2 | "The Prisoner" | 1981·Sep·17 |
| 3 | "The Calico Kid Returns" | 1981·Oct·01 |
| 4 | "The Reunion" | 1981·Oct·08 |
| 5 | "They're Hanging Parker Tillman (Part 1)" | 1981·Oct·15 |
| 6 | "They're Hanging Parker Tillman (Part 2)" | 1981·Oct·22 |
| 7 | "The New Marshal" | 1981·Oct·29 |
| 8 | "Daniel's First Love" | 1981·Nov·05 |
| 9 | "Laney in Love" | 1981·Nov·12 |
| 10 | "The Railroad" | 1981·Nov·19 |
| 11 | "The New Jail" | 1981·Nov·26 |
| 12 | "A Man, a Woman, and a Horse" | 1981·Dec·17 |
| 13 | "Frog's First Gunfight" | 1982·Jan·07 |
| 14 | "The Calico Kid Goes to School" | 1982·Jan·14 |
| 15 | "Tillman Held for Ransom" | 1982·Jan·21 |
| 16 | "Mail Order Bride" | 1982·Jan·28 |
| 17 | "The Cave-In" | 1982·Feb·12 |
| 18 | "Daniel Fights a Bully" | 1982·Feb·19 |
| 19 | "The Pretty Prisoner" | 1982·Feb·26 |
| 20 | "Elvira's Old Beau" | 1982·Jun·07 |
| 21 | "Sam's Life Is Threatened" | 1982·Jun·14 |
| 22 | "The Funeral" | 1982·Jun·21 |
Noted Guest Stars
In its short run, the show managed to feature an array of guest stars. The list of noted actors and actresses who appeared include:- Dixie CarterDixie CarterDixie Virginia Carter was an American film, television and stage actress, best known for her role as Julia Sugarbaker in the CBS sitcom Designing Women...
in Episode #19 - "The Pretty Prisoner" - Andy GriffithAndy GriffithAndy Samuel Griffith is an American actor, director, producer, Grammy Award-winning Southern-gospel singer, and writer. He gained prominence in the starring role in director Elia Kazan's epic film A Face in the Crowd before he became better known for his television roles, playing the lead...
in Episode #4 - "The Reunion" - Al Lewis in Episodes #5 and #6 - "They're Hanging Parker Tillman, Parts 1 and 2"
- Christopher LloydChristopher LloydChristopher Allen Lloyd is an American actor. He is best known for playing Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy, Uncle Fester in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, and Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He played Reverend Jim Ignatowski in the television series Taxi and more...
in Episode #3 - "The Calico Kid Returns" and Episode #14 - "The Calico Kid Goes to School" - Richard MollRichard MollCharles Richard Moll is an American actor and voice artist,best known for playing Bull Shannon, the bailiff on the NBC sitcom Night Court from 1983 to 1992...
in Episode #2 - "The Prisoner" - Slim PickensSlim PickensLouis Burton Lindley, Jr. , better known by the stage name Slim Pickens, was an American rodeo performer and film and television actor who epitomized the profane, tough, sardonic cowboy, but who is best remembered for his comic roles, notably in Dr...
in Episode #2 - "The Prisoner" - John RandolphJohn Randolph (actor)John Randolph was an American film, television and stage actor.-Early life:Randolph was born Emanuel Hirsch Cohen in New York City, the son of Jewish immigrants Dorothy , an insurance agent, and Louis Cohen, a hat manufacturer...
in Episode #10 - "The Railroad" - Betty WhiteBetty WhiteBetty White Ludden , better known as Betty White, is an American actress, comedienne, singer, author, and former game show personality. With a career spanning seven decades since 1939, she is best known to modern audiences for her television roles as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and...
in Episode #16 - "Mail Order Bride"
Trivia
Veteran actor Andy GriffithAndy Griffith
Andy Samuel Griffith is an American actor, director, producer, Grammy Award-winning Southern-gospel singer, and writer. He gained prominence in the starring role in director Elia Kazan's epic film A Face in the Crowd before he became better known for his television roles, playing the lead...
played Joel Higgins
Joel Higgins
Joel Franklin Higgins is an American actors and singer with a stage career spanning over 30 years.- Life and Career :...
father-in-law in the episode "The Reunion". Previously, they played together in a series called Salvage 1
Salvage 1
Salvage 1 is an American science fiction series that aired for 16 episodes on ABC during 1979. The pilot film, Salvage, aired on January 20, 1979 to high ratings....
.