Lancer

Lancer was another lively western about a ranching family in the spirit of The High Chaparral / Bonanza mold.  It centered in the San Joaquin Valley of California in the 1870’s and concerned Murdoch Lancer, a widower, and Teresa, his young ward, trying to protect their 100,000 acres cattle and timberland empire.  Since the elderly Murdoch Lancer could not fight alone against the land pirates, he called in his two sons by different marriages, gunslinger Johnny Madrid, who had spent most of his life along the border towns of the Southwest proving his prowess with a gun, and college graduate Scott from Boston.  Murdoch offered them each one-third of the land if they would help fight off the bad guys.  Since neither of the two boys had met the other, and coming from widely different cultural backgrounds and harboring animosity toward each other, the series made for some very interesting conflicts.  Gradually, they all learned to respect each other and settle in as family.  The foreman on the ranch was Jelly Hoskins.

Lancer premiered on CBS on Tuesday, September 24, 1968, with the episode “The High Riders.”  In its rerun era, this episode would be known as “The Homecoming.”  The series actually ran for three years, although the last season was made up entirely of choice reruns from the first two seasons.  That last original episode before the third season reruns began was “Lifeline,” aired on May 19, 1970.  All 51 episodes were shot in color and were 60 minutes in length.

Lancer drew some noticeable guest stars during its run.  Among the many who turned up were J.D. Cannon, Dennis Cole, Shelley Fabares, Billy Mumy, Keenan Wynn, Pernell Roberts, Joe Don Baker, and Warren Oates.

Andrew Duggan died May 15, 1988.  

(Text and photo compliments of Sandy Sturdivant)

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