Stories of the Century
(1954-55) Produced for syndication on television by Republic Pictures. Jim Davis portrayed the role of fictitious Southwestern Railroad detective Matt Clark, who pursues real life outlaws. Davis also did narration for each episode.[1] Mary Castle co-starred in twenty-six episodes as Clarkâs attractive assistant, Frankie Adams. Castle left the program and was replaced by Kristine Miller who appeared in fourteen episodes as Margaret Jones, or "Jonesy."Billy the Kid 1/30/1954 Over a thousand head of cattle have been stolen from the railroad stockyards. Matt and Frankie discover that the leader of this gang of cattle thieves is the notorious outlaw, Billy the Kid.
The Dalton Gang 3/18/1954 The Dalton Brothers started out as lawmen, but when one of them is killed in the line of duty, the other four turn outlaw. Matt and Frankie foil the gang's attempt at robbing a stagecoach of its gold shipment, and the detectives lay a trap for the outlaws at the Coffeyville Bank, where the gold now sits.
Little Britches 6/17/1954 In order to be with her outlaw lover in Oklahoma, a girl turns outlaw.
Cattle Kate 2/28/1954 Matt poses as a crooked trail boss in an attempt to get a confession from Cattle Kate, a notorious Wyoming cattle rustler suspected of murder. Frank and Jesse James 2/7/1954 After their younger brother Archie is accidentally killed by detectives, the James Gang go on a train and bank robbing spree. Matt and Frankie work undercover in order to smoke out the criminals.
Doc Holliday 3/25/1954 Doc Holliday leads a double life both on the side of the law and outside the law. Matt attempts to put an end Doc's two fisted, two faced career.
Black Jack Ketchum 6/24/1954 Black Jack decides they will lay low at the Cullen ranch, where the widow and son of a gang member still live. The woman is afraid that her son will be shot down and killed just like her husband, as Black Jack wants to involve the boy in an effort to extort 60 thousand dollars from an oil company executive.
Belle Starr 1/23/1954 When a herd of U.S. Cavalry horses is stolen, Matt is sent to investigate. He learns that the outlaws are led by a woman with a fancy plumed hat. Black Bart 5/6/1954 A notorious gentleman outlaw always rides alone on his robbery and murder missions. Matt is sent to bring in the dangerous dandy.
The Wild Bunch of Wyoming 6/3/1954 Butch Cassidy steals 150 thousand in bank notes. When he uses some of these notes to pay a railroad freight bill, Matt and Frankie look into it. They catch up to Butch and his gang in San Antonio, but the oulaw escapes. Matt and Frankie follow him to South America.
Quantrill and His Raiders 2/21/1954 Matt is assigned to obtain information about Quantrill, the guerrilla band leader who claims to be for the Confederate Army.
Sam Bass 3/4/1954 Sam Bass, a notorious stage and railroad bandit, steals gold coins from a train that's carrying Frankie as a passenger. She overhears Sam and his gang discuss their getaway plans. Matt and Frankie round up the gang, but Sam escapes. Frankie uses her feminine wiles on one of the captured men to get information on Sam's whereabouts. The Younger Brothers 4/2/1954 Matt is trying to prove the Younger Brothers took part in a bank robbery. In order to get some information, Frankie pretends to be a country cousin from Virginia when she pays a visit to the Younger Brothers' home.
John Wesley Hardin 4/9/1954 By the time John Wesley Hardin was 25, he had killed forty men. He was a respected lawyer, but couldn't resist the outlaw's life. When he cheats an Indian tribe out of some money and kills two of their representatives, the tribe stops all cattle drives across their land. Since the railroad transports the cattle, this brings Matt and Frankie in on the case.
Bill Longley 5/20/1954 Bill Longley has been serving a sentence for robbery and murder when he escapes from prison. Since his loot is from the railroad, Matt is sent in to track him down.
Rube Burrows 2/15/1954 Rube Burrows, aka The Alabama Wolf, made his reputation as the first man to successfully rob a train singlehanded. When he steals 30 thousand dollars in a daring robbery of the Southwest Railroad, Matt and Jonesy go after him. Johnny Ringo 3/11/1954 When a company's payroll of $10,000 in silver dollars is stolen from the Southwest Railroad, Matt is sent to investigate.
Geronimo 2/14/1954 The Apache chief Geronimo leads a raid on a rail depot in search of guns and provisions, and one of his braves is captured. Matt joins Frankie on a wagon train in order to transport the prisoner back to Tuscon. Geronimo attacks the wagon train and rescues the prisoner. Matt and Frankie return to warn the Army that Geronimo is on the warpath.
The Doolin Gang 6/10/1954 Frankie poses as the widow of one of Bill Doolin's slain men. While keeping him a little confused, she works on picking up enough information to bring the gang in.
Jack Slade 3/4/1955 A man helps his criminal efforts by getting a job with the Pony Express. Working there he can get information on shipments of cash and gold. When the information leads him to a shipment of railroad gold, Matt and Jonesy are sent to investigate. Apache Kid 1/9/1955 A young Indian who has been trained as a scout for the Army betrays the men who befriended him and goes on a killing rampage.
Cherokee Bill 2/1/1955 Crawford Goldsby, aka Cherokee Bill, is expelled from Carlisle Indian College. While being returned to Oklahoma by train, he kills a deputy. Matt and Jonesy capture Bill, and he's sentenced to 48 years at hard labor. Cherokee Bill escapes and joins up with the Cook Gang.
L.H. Musgrove 3/11/1955 L.H. Musgrave steals a herd of horses from a railroad stockyard. He wants to use the herd as collateral in order to buy ranch land in Colorado. Matt tracks the stolen herd, while Jonesy investigates a murder at the railroad telegraph office. They begin to suspect that the two events are related.
Kate Bender 1/23/1955 Kate Bender lives on the Old Stage Road, where she and her brother prey on stranded travelers. When the son of the president of the railroad goes missing, Matt and Jonesy are sent to investigate. Tiburcio Vasquez 4/23/1954 After Americans caused the death of his sister, Tiburcio Vasquez takes to the vengeance trail and kills Americans at every opportunity.
Harry Tracy 5/27/1954 When his own friends can't stand his brutality and needless killings any longer, one of his own gang tips off Matt Clark as to Harry Tracy's whereabouts.
Tom Bell 1/16/1955 While trying to help a mother find her long lost doctor son, Matt and Jonesy come upon the trail of a notorious gunman.
Nate Champion 2/6/1955 Nate Champion, a notorious cattle rustler, has been run out of Colorado. He travels to Wyoming, where a rich man hires him to stock his cattle ranch. Nate begins stealing from the Great Western Cattle Co., and since this is the oufit that supplies beef to the railroad workers, Matt and Jonesy are called in to investigate. Sontag and Evans 2/8/1955 John Sontag and Chris Evans were two San Joaquin Valley farmers who waged a bloody war of vengeance against the railroads. Matt and Jonesy are sent in to stop them.
Joaquin Murietta 4/16/1954 Joaquin Murietta, a California bandit, has been robbing and killing railroad crews. Matt and Frankie set a trap for the outlaw.
Chief Crazy Horse 4/30/1954 Crazy Horse continues to thwart the Army's efforts to catch him. When his daughter becomes ill, Crazy Horse's wife brings her to see the doctor at an Army fort. Crazy Horse kills the doctor and the child dies. Matt and Indian Agent Joe Weaver suspect that Crazy Horse will try and visit the child's grave. He does, but Matt and Joe cannot catch him. Crazy Horse's wife tells Frankie that he will attack a train carrying an Army general, and Matt tries to convince the other tribes to help stop the renegade chief.
Henry Plummer 5/13/1954 Henry Plummer, a Montana lawman, is really the head of a criminal organization that controls the whole territory. Matt and Frankie work undercover to smoke out Plummer and his gang. Clay Allison 7/15/1954 Two Confederate soldiers, Clay Allison and his brother John, terrorize the Southwest trying to get revenge for the defeat of the South by the Yankees
Ben Thompson 7/8/1954 Ben Thompson was a Texan gambler and gunman. Sauve when sober, savage when drunk. He often payed his debts with lead instead of gold.
Tom Horn 7/1/1954 Tom Horn, who has made a career out of battling cattle rustlers, is hired by some ranch owners to keep the homesteaders in line. He decides to play both sides against the middle, and steal cattle for himself. Since they are old friends, Matt has a hard time believing that Tom is involved.
Jim Courtright 2/22/1955 Jim Courtright, a former marshal, now runs an extortion and protection racket in Texas. After the murder of a railroad employee, Matt and Jonesy travel to Fort Worth. Jonesy goes undercover as a bartender to gather information.