BAT MASTERSON – THE COMPLETE SERIES (NBC 1958-61) Gene Barry
Bat Masterson is an American Western television series which was a fictionalized account of a real-life marshal/gambler/dandy Bat Masterson (Gene Barry), who’s black derby, fancy decorative vest, black jacket, and elegant pearl-tipped cane were his trademarks.
He was a debonair charmer of women and roamed the Southwest helping to protect the innocent, especially in situations where they had been wrongly accused of crimes.
In the series, Bat wore a Derby hat and carried a gold-topped cane – as did the real William Barclay ‘Bat’ Masterson, apparently. The hat and cane had been presented to Masterson (along with a specially designed gun) by the grateful citizens of Dodge City during his tenure as sheriff there.
Preferring to use his wits and his cane to disarm opponents, rather than his gun, Masterson provided quite a contrast to the general run of violent Western heroes.
The 107 half-hour black-and-white series ran on NBC from 1958 to 1961 and was produced by ZIV Television Productions.