Hawkeye

Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans

1957 - United States

Based on John Fennimore Cooper's character, who battled the Huron Indians in the northern frontier of upstate New York during the 1750's, Hawkeye was played by John Hart, who had previously taken the reins from Clayton Moore -but only temporarily, of another Western hero, The Lone Ranger. 

Hawkeye was a trapper, fur trader and scout for the US Cavalry and was joined on his adventures by his redskin 'bloodbrother', Chingachgook, the 'Last of the Mohicans' of the title, played by Lon Chaney Jnr. Chaney's father had been a famous Hollywood actor who was known as The Man of a Thousand Faces (James Cagney portrayed him in a 1957 film of the same name), playing amongst others, The Phantom of the Opera. Junior had reluctantly followed his father's footsteps into the same movie genre, appearing in the 1941 Universal production of The Wolfman.

Published on December 20th, 2018. Written by Laurence Marcus for Television Heaven.

Read Next...

Casey Jones

Popular Western series for kids that was made along similar lines to The Lone Ranger, The Cisco Kid and other successfully syndicated US shows of the late 1950's.

Also released in 1957

Alias Smith and Jones

Set in the late 19th Century when the Wild West was no longer so wild and the 'frontier' had been pushed back almost as far as it would go, Alias Smith and Jones was one of US television's last great flirtations with the Cowboy genre...

Also tagged Us Western Series

The Deputy

Henry Fonda starred - well occasionally, in this 1950s Western series that also gave a television debut to Robert Redford.

Also tagged Tv Westerns

Educated Evans

Based on an Edgar Wallace created character this 1957/8 sitcom starred Charlie Chester as the popular Cockney racing tipster 'Educated' Evans, who ducked and dived through the back streets and public houses of London all the while trying to stay one step ahead of the law.

Also released in 1957

The Adventures of Long John Silver

Australian series filmed in colour but only available to the UK viewing public of 1957 in black and white, The Adventures of Long John Silver was based very loosely on Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel Treasure Island.

Also released in 1957

The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok

"James Butler Hickok, mister" our hero would announce to all and sundry before his sidekick would elaborate, "That's Wild Bill Hickok, mister! The bravest, strongest, fightingest U.S. Marshal in the whole West!"

Also tagged Us Western Series

Westworld

At the dawn of artificial consciousness and the evolution of sin this dark odyssey begins in a world where every human appetite can be indulged

Also tagged Us Western Series

The Black and White Minstrel Show

A firm Saturday night favourite for many years The Black and White Minstrel Show, a mixture of American deep South music previously popularised by internationally famous vaudeville stars such as the great Al Jolson.

Also released in 1957

The Adventures of Tugboat Annie

Anglo-Canadian sitcom about Annie Brennan, the fog-horn voiced captain of the Narcissus, a tugboat based in a harbour on the Pacific North West of America.

Also released in 1957