Yancy Derringer: The Complete Series

This turned out to be a really good show. I was really getting into and some of the stunts were really good.Good production value 34 episodes on 6 discs. Excellent video and sound. There is one episode where the master was lost so the video was a little worse for wear but I am glad they included it so you get the complete set.I only give it four stars because there are no special features.34 episodes on 6 disc's.Episode List:1. Return to New OrleansIn 1868, Yancy arrives home, penniless, after the war, only to discover he has a wife, Amanda Eaton, he did not know about and that his family plantation, Waverly, has been turned into a gambling den. John Colton, the City Administrator of New Orleans, helps to return the Waverly to Yancy. John Colton asks Yancy to help rebuild New Orleans as his special agent.2. Gallatin StreetYancy helps a sea captain who was cheated out of his money in a dive on notorious Gallatin Street.3. Ticket to NatchezCity Administrator John Colton entrusts Yancy with an army payroll that is to be taken to Natchez, Mississippi on Yancy's riverboat, the Sultana, but robbers have other plans.4. An Ace Called SpadeYancy is relieved to find that a newspaper story about City Administrator Colton's death is premature, but fears that Colton will be the victim of trickery in an upcoming duel.5. A Bullet for BridgetWe meet for the first time, Bridget Malone, Madame Francine's cousin from Ireland, who, while visiting New Orleans, decides that Yancy is to be her future husband. Special guest star is star Jock Mahoney's real life wife, Margaret Field, as Bridget Malone (as Maggie Mahoney).6. The Belle from BostonAfter City Administrator Colton hangs a member of an outlaw gang, the others decide to take revenge on his visiting sister.7. The Loot from RichmondA messenger is sent to New Orleans by a former general in the Civil War, but is killed before he can reveal what happened to a fortune that was taken from Richmond, Virginia.8. The Saga of Lonesome JacksonA wealthy, but lonely, man who has come to New Orleans looking for a wife asks Yancy to help him.9. Memo to a Firing SquadAn army officer with vengeance in his heart tries to stop a presidential pardon. Without the pardon, a man is scheduled to die before a firing squad. John M. Pickard, who plays Lieutenant Weems, is among the guest stars.10. Three Knaves from New HavenShop owners receive threats of violence if they refuse to sell their property to three strangers. Special guest star is star Jock Mahoney's real life wife, Margaret Field, as Bridget Malone (as Maggie Mahoney).11. Marble FingersYancy tries to find out who's responsible for recent grave robberies.12. Old DixieSpecial Christmas Episode. Villains go after Yancy's dog, Dixie, after Yancy's father dies, leaving a note that only the dog knows where the family pre-war fortune is buried. Special guest star is star Jock Mahoney's real life wife, Margaret Field, as Bridget Malon.13. Two of a KindYancy and Pahoo are framed for a series of crimes, and now face execution.14. Nightmare on Bourbon StreetA mysterious mad bomber steals explosives and threatens to blow up the entire city of New Orleans.15. The Fair FreebooterYancy must deal with a female pirate, Coco LaSalle, who has stolen his shirt he ordered from Paris. He goes after his shirt into the deadly swamps. Coltan tags along to recover a stolen necklace from representatives of the Mexican government.16. Mayhem at the MarketMerchants are in such fear for their lives that Yancy gets no cooperation in his attempt to break a new protection racket.17. The Night the Russians LandedA visiting Russian noble appears to have become a target for murder.18. A Game of ChanceYancy suspects foul play when a lottery winner dies before she can collect.19. Panic in TownA serial attacker is loose in New Orleans. He attacks women and cuts their hair. The authorities are seemingly powerless. A group of vigilantes decides to take over New Orleans.20. Hell and High WaterIt looks like New Orleans is going to be flooded. Yancy comes up with a risky scheme to save New Orleans. John Colton is taken prisoner by Lady Charity to protect her plantation property from Yancy's risky scheme. Meanwhile, Rogue Donovan tries to kill Yancy.21. The Louisiana DudeYancy wins a half interest in a silver mine. The Sultana's boiler blows up, and Yancy travels to Virginia City, Nevada hoping to get five thousand dollars needed for a new broiler. Yancy discovers that his new partner is a beautiful woman.22. LonghairWhen famed General George Armstrong Custer visits New Orleans, Yancy discovers that he is being stalked by an indian seeking revenge for a past wrong. We meet for the first time, Colorado Charlie, Indian Scout.23. Thunder on the RiverYancy decides to help a fellow riverboat owner whose fleet is being sabotaged by rivals trying to corner the market on river traffic.24. The Gun That Murdered LincolnYancy is unjustly accused of having provided the weapon used by presidential assassin John Wilkes Booth.25. Collector's ItemTo assist a woman in her crusade to provide a home for the city's orphans, Yancy comes up with a scheme that requires the aid of photography pioneer Mathew Brady.26. Fire on the FrontierYancy's indian friend, Pahoo, becomes an important element in efforts to prevent a war with the Pawnee tribes.27. Duel at the OaksYancy is sentenced to hang for killing a man in a duel.28. The Wayward WarriorTrying to stop some gun smugglers, Yancy has a run-in with a boxing champion and a re-match with a female river pirate, Coco LaSalle.29. A State of CrisisWith the city of New Orleans plagued by counterfeit money, General Hugh Morgan arrives in New Orleans with orders promoting John Colton to a post in Washington and giving Morgan command of the city. Walter Coy guest stars as Slade Donovan.30. Outlaw at LibertyYancy is at a loss to figure out what's going on when a marshal he knows charges an old wartime friend with murder.31. V as in VoodooYancy tries to combat superstition when the city is terrorized by a mysterious voodoo priestess.32. The Quiet FirecrackerYancy's good friend, Miss Mandarin, is accused of smuggling opium into the city inside firecrackers.33. Gone But Not ForgottenJoyce Jameson A friend of Yancy's comes to visit from Virginia City, with news that his silver mine is doing well, but that there is a gravestone in the cemetery with Yancy's name on it.34. Two Tickets to PromontoryOn a train trip to a celebration of the completion of the transcontinental railroad, Yancy discovers a saboteur.

Think a western, written by a woman. Back in the 50s. Only its set in New Orleans during Reconstruction. The completely different perspective really confused me when I saw it when it when if first came out. Now it's a delight to experience.

Yancy Derringer is not just old time television. The basics plot device is built around an ex Confederate Army Officer and rogue Yancy Derringer (Jock Mahoney) who takes on unofficial status as a special agent to the Reconstruction Era Federal Administrator of New Orleans. Yancy is to perform investigations of special crimes while operating outside of the law and without pay or legal restrictions. His closest friend and side kick, literally his silent partner is a Pawnee Indian, Pahoo-Ka-Ta-Wah played by the German actor X Brands. There is more here than meets the eye, or might be appreciated by the casual viewer. To start with there are the ‘historical’ references.An easy one is the episode built around an effort to scam the local lottery. Louisiana had a famous lottery scam. But almost everyone had one of those.Three Knaves from New Haven was built around a scheme to buy up French Quarter property in advance of a roadway to be built along the river. About ten years after this episode there was an effort to build the River Front Expressway which would have leveled a historic French Quarter property and blocked access to the river from the view of tourists. This effort like the one on the show also failed. Side note this episode also stars Margret Fields, mother to Sally Fields and the real wife to Jock Mahoney who plays Yancy.H**l and High Water was about the Bonne Carre’ Spillway. This is and was a place west of New Orleans that functions much as it is portrayed in the Episode.More in the way of culture than history the episode about Voodoo, YD got a lot right and especially the use of some of the local vocabulary.Keeping in mind that this is a Desilu production, its co creator and sometimes writer was Mary Loos. Something rare in 1950’s action television writing, a woman. It may be her presence that fills the series with strong women. These women range from being Secret Service agents to gun toting pirates. Rarely does a Derringer woman cringe and watch while the men folk fight, they are more like to shoot or at least knock the villain away from Yancy. For a 1950 era television show, Yancy Derringer is respectful towards its black cast, even if they are always in servant roles. Anyone who is disrespectful of Pahoo is likely to be an evil doer. Indeed the episode Fire on the Frontier takes the cast to Washington DC where the silent Pahoo signs to the Congress a reminder that the white man has not always been honest in his treatment of the red.On the technical side there are a few problems. Cast credits are wrong in several instances. At least all of one and parts of another could not be cleaned or restored to the same condition of the rest. The disc include warning that this will happen and as someone who remembers 1950’s era broadcast, our TV reception was rarely that much better. There really was a Yancy Derringer theme song but it was terrible.

I don't think this excellent TV series was ever shown in England during the heyday of the Western series (1950s to early 1960s). I had to wait until the 1980s to discover this gem on Bravo's 'Timewarp Television'. I have worn out the videos I taped and ruined my eyesight from the amateur DVD transfers I purchased. Now thank you TMG for a quality transfer. One gripe 'The Gun That Murdered Lincoln' is worse than the amateur DVD I have, apparently they couldn't trace a decent copy (at least they apologise on screen for that). I feared that that might be a recurring problem throughout, but I'm happy to say that the rest of the episodes are all of good quality, some very good. Excellent value for money.I leave the premise for the series to other reviewers, the important bit is this series really hit the ground running. From minor characters like 'Jody the pickpocket' and 'Friend Gaoler' to the major roles, all the characters gel together so well. The stories are very entertaining and well structured thanks to the talented writing partnership of Mary Loos and Richard Sale, they certainly crammed a lot into 25 minutes in those days. The bonus however is yet to come, partnered with X Brands as Pahoo, Mahoney used every opportunity to display his acrobatic skills as an ex-stuntman. From the high leaps and the scenery demolishing fights, to the trademark leaping on to a horse from a standing position, all the tricks are on display. Standout episodes, 'The Loot From Richmond' (watch out for the knife throwing skills of Mahoney and Brands) 'V As In Voodoo' (very creepy and atmospheric) 'Dixie' (Christmas tale about Yancy's long lost dog) well, they're all terrific! Much better than 'Have Gun Will Travel' (and I am a fan) sadly this wonderful series only had one season, it should have had at least another couple of series, but Mahoney had that sort of luck.Now TMG, getcha finger out and let's have the other standout Mahoney series, 'Range Rider' given the same treatment , all 78 episodes please!

Must admit I'd never heard of this series, but was intrigued by the cover shot and descriptionIt's not strictly a western, though Yancey does go out west to a mine he owns a part share in - mostly it's post-civil war New Orleans. Yancey and his sidekick Pahoo (very eloquent character though he never utters a word!) work undercover for the Administrator - cue lots of physically demanding scenes for the 2 principles.Don't let this series get away into a footnote in tv history - yes here and there the recordings are a little rocky but I've seen worse....and the sheer exuberance of the actors, together with it's offbeat charm, make it a real winnerHighly recommended

I really enjoyed this series. It was just as I remembered it when it first was on tv. It is of course a little bit on the corny side but we were all a little more naive in the late 1950s and the early 1960s. I would cetainly recommend it to those who enjoyed all the early tv westerns.

VERY INTERESTING SERIES THAT DESERVED TO GO ON LONGER THAN IT DID BUT ALAS GREED AND POLITICS CUT IT SHORT BEFORE IT'S TIME. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YANCEY AND HIS PAWNEE BROTHER WAS VERY REALISTICALLY PORTRAYED. THE SEEMINGLY EFFORTLESS WAY THEY ALWAYS WATCHED EACH OTHER; SIGNING AND TOSSING THINGS TO EACH OTHER SPOKE BOTH DRAMATIC AND INTIMATE ALL AT ONCE. SOME OF THE BEST OF MALE BONDING DEPICTED.

You can buy this set with confidence. The '50's, when television was relatively new, had many excellent series. This is one of them. The remastered programming leaves nothing to be desired. Step back in time and enjoy.