Casey Jones (TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Casey Jones |
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Opening Credits Logo
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| Genre | Western |
| Written by | Bill Barrett John K. Butler Lee Erwin Stephen Longstreet Frank L. Moss |
| Directed by | Abby Berlin George Blair Lew Landers |
| Starring | Alan Hale Bobby Clark Dub Taylor Eddy Waller Mary Lawrence |
| Opening theme | "The Ballad of Casey Jones" |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 32 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Samuel Bischoff Kenneth Gamet Harold Greene |
| Cinematography | Ray Cory Irving Lippman |
| Editor(s) | Jack Ogilvie Joseph Silver Thomas Pratt |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Briskin Productions Screen Gems |
| Distributor | Screen Gems |
| Release | |
| Original network | Syndication |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | October 8, 1957 – May 5, 1958 |
Casey Jones was an American TV show. It was a Western series about early railroads. The show aired from 1957 to 1958. It was shown across the United States. People in the United Kingdom and Australia also watched it.
Contents
All About Casey Jones
This TV series takes place in the late 1800s. It follows the exciting adventures of Casey Jones. He is a brave railroad engineer. Casey works on a steam train called the Cannonball Express. His team includes Wallie Sims, the fireman, and Redrock Smith, the conductor. They work for the Midwest and Central Railroad.
Casey lives in a made-up town called Midvale, Missouri. It's close to St. Louis. He lives with his wife, Alice, and their young son, Casey Jr. They also have a dog named Cinders.
There was a real, famous engineer named Casey Jones. He worked for the Illinois Central Railroad. However, this TV show is only loosely based on his true story. The real Casey Jones's train was also nicknamed "Cannonball."
The show's producer, Kenneth Gamet, wanted a gentler Western. It was different from other shows at the time. Those shows were often more violent. Casey Jones still had classic Western stories. These included train robbers and vandals. But the show also focused on Casey's family life. His interactions with Casey Jr. were a big part of the stories.
Meet the Cast
Main Characters
- Alan Hale Jr. played Casey Jones.
- Bobby Clark played Casey, Jr.
- Dub Taylor played Wallie Sims.
- Eddy Waller played Red Rock.
- Mary Lawrence played Alice Jones.
Other Characters
- Jim Bannon played Sheriff Tynes.
- Paul Keast played Nathaniel Carter.
Exciting Episodes
The Casey Jones TV series had 32 episodes in total. Each episode was about 30 minutes long. Here are a few examples of the adventures Casey and his crew had:
Night Mail
In this episode, Casey Jones and the Cannonball Express are in a race. They need to win a contract to carry mail. Another train tries to stop them. When bribes don't work, the other crew tries to sabotage the Cannonball.
The President’s Special
A Secret Service agent rides the Cannonball. He is going to meet the U.S. President. But Casey doesn't know that the agent is actually an impostor. This person plans to harm the President!
Prison Train
Casey has to transport gold and soldiers who are prisoners. The train is attacked by a gang. They want to steal the gold. They also plan to leave no witnesses.
Spurline to Danger
Casey and his family are delivering supplies to Fort Lawrence. They get caught in an attack by Sioux Indians. The Indians were upset by how prisoners were treated. Casey must get back to his train for more ammunition.
The Lost Train
A gang steals the Cannonball Express. They plan to use it to escape. They have a lot of stolen gold. Casey and his team must get their train back.
A Badge for Casey
A dangerous man named Mort Clio takes over a town. He wants revenge on a judge. When the sheriff is killed, Casey is asked to step up. He must become the new sheriff and stop Clio.
The Dark Rider
A sailor on the Cannonball gets sick with smallpox. Casey must get him to a hospital quickly. But passengers try to leave the train. Other people try to stop them from stopping along the way.
The Treasure of Sam Bass
After a shootout on the train, Casey Jr. finds a map. It's hidden among peanuts he was selling. The map leads to treasure. A man named Gene Deming will do anything to find it.
Where the Show Aired
Casey Jones was shown in the United Kingdom on BBC1. It first aired there in November 1967. It was shown again starting in March 1969. The BBC only showed 26 of the 32 episodes. The last time the BBC showed an episode was in August 1975.
More recently, in April 2021, the show aired on the getTV network. In the mid-1990s, it also aired in Australia on FX Australia.
