Robertson Rides into the Sunset

I was sorry to read, in The Booksteve Channel blog, that veteran American actor Dale Robertson passed away yesterday at age 89. The few mentions I’ve seen of his death so far note his starring roles in two TV westerns, Tales of Wells Fargo (1957-1962) and The Iron Horse (1966-1968). But the handsome, often broad-smiling Robertson also led a much later, Stephen J. Cannell-created series, J.J. Starbuck, playing Jerome Jeremiah “J.J.” Starbuck, an oil-rich Texan who--to quote Wikipedia--wanders across the United States in a 1961 Lincoln convertible, “helping out ‘good folks’ in trouble, using his influence and contacts, and more than often doing a little detective work.”

In tribute to Robertson, I am embedding the main title sequence from J.J. Starbuck atop this post. I don’t see any episodes of that short-lived program on YouTube, but you can watch “Death by Triangulation,” a 1967 installment of The Iron Horse, beginning here. And blogger Steve Thompson offers some “rarer than rare photos” from Robertson’s early life here.