Here are twelve episodes of the adventures of an English journalist in the American West of the 1870s in this show from the golden age of radio.
Frontier Gentleman was a radio western series aimed at adults that aired on CBS radio for one season in 1958. It starred radio veteran John Dehner as J. B. Kendall, a reporter for the London Times. The series followed the adventures of the freelance journalist as he roamed the western United States in search of stories for his newspaper. Kendall often crossed paths with well-known historical figures, such as Jesse James, Calamity Jane, and Wild Bill Hickok. And to survive in those turbulent times, he became as proficient with a gun as he was with a pen.
The announcer opened each show with the following:
“Herewith, an Englishman’s account of life and death in the West. As a reporter for the London Times, he writes his colorful and unusual accounts. But as a man with a gun, he lives and becomes a part of the violent years in the new territories. Now, starring John Dehner, this is the story of J. B. Kendall, frontier gentleman.”
Frontier Gentleman was written, produced, and directed by Anthony Ellis. The supporting cast included Harry Bartell, Lawrence Dobkin, Virginia Gregg, Joseph Kearns, Jack Moyles and Vic Perrin. Music was by Wilbur Hatch and Jerry Goldsmith.
This collection includes the following episodes: “A Meeting with Sitting Bull” (9 Feb 58), “The Claim Jumpers” (9 Mar 58), “The Actress” (23 Mar 58), “Aces and Eights” (20 Apr 58), “Duel for a School Marm” (1 Jun 58), “Sheriff Belljoy’s Prisoner” (8 Jun 58), “The Well” (15 Jun 58), “A Wagon Full of Cats” (10 Aug 58), “The Fastest Gun That Never Was” (17 Aug 58), “A Horse for Kendall” (14 Sep 58), “The Preacher” (19 Oct 58), and “The Rainmaker” (26 Oct 58).
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“John Dehner is starring as the elegant and icily effective Britisher J. B. Kendall in CBS Radio’s new dramatic series, Frontier Gentleman…Dehner…plays the role of a mysterious Englishman, freelance reporter for a London newspaper and a veteran of the British Army in India. Each week he will narrate some episode of the American West in the 1870s—action-filled incidents in which Kendall’s soft speech and adept handling of hatchet, knife, or gun figure in some frontier trouble.”
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Lubbock (TX) Avalanche-Journal