Watch Tate, the 'Lost' Western Classic, on TVS Western.Com

Tate, the 'Lost Western' Starring 'The Marlboro Man'

The year was 1960. Westerns were all the rage on television. Could there possibly be something new to portray? Legendary TV producer Alvin Cooperman thought so. He had been retained by Perry Como's Ronco production company to produce a Summer series to fill in for the 13 weeks that Como wasn't going to host the Kraft Music Hall. Cooperman came up with a title character who was disabled, perhaps the first portrayal of a disabled person in a starring role on TV. He went and got the most famous cowboy you ever saw but didn't know. David McLean was the Marlboro Man and was ubiquitous on TV thanks to the advertising largesse of the Marlboro cigarette folks. Then, Cooperman decided to make the show on the new fangled 2" Quad video tape. This was quite a bold move for 1960, as the format was in it's infancy. All hoped that this eclectic collection of circumstances would produce a hit, but the show ran it's 13 week course and was never seen again. At least until now, where you can watch it at TVS Western.Com!

Watch Action in the Afternoon on TVS Western.Com

This is a real find, and may be the only copy that still exists. Wm. Paley owned his CBS affiliate in Philadelphia, then WCAU-TV 10. Someone came up with the idea of shooting a live Western from their facilities on City Line Avenue in Bala Cynwyd, just over the Philadelphia border. While now an urban hub, in 1953 this was open land. Many stories are told of how they would be in the middle of a live show when an airplane would fly overhead or a delivery truck would meander to the back lot. It must have been a lot of fun. Of course the show is terrible, but we'd love to hear more stories about the life and times of Action in the Afternoon!