Bat Masterson
Dakota Showdown
TV Flash files “Dakota Showdown” as a desk essential hour — Bat Masterson (1958–1961) on NBC, season 3, episode 8, aired 1960-11-17, 30 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S03E08: listed hour 82 of 108 in the Bat Masterson guide, hour 8 of 34 in season 3. It aired 1960-11-17 (30 min). The listed hour before it is “High Card Loses” (S03E07). Next is “Last of the Night Raiders” (S03E09).
Essential hour: “Dakota Showdown”. Dakota Showdown: late-run place-name, the cane still the brand, the western still dressed up on purpose.
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
Bat rides to the assistance of his friend, a sheriff, but arrives after the Dakota boys gun him down. The president of the town council asks Bat to step into the office, but Bat decides the job should go to another person.
Viewer FAQ
Where does Dakota Showdown sit in the Bat Masterson guide?
S03E08 is listed hour 82 of 108 — hour 8 of 34 in season 3, season 3 episode 8.
When did Bat Masterson S03E08 air?
Dakota Showdown aired 1960-11-17 and is listed at 30 minutes.
Where should I start?
Start with Barry's derby and cane. The dandy-lawman brief is visual immediately; style is the premise, not a subplot.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Bat Masterson gave Gene Barry a derby, a gold-tipped cane, and a dandy lawman who fought with style. Urban polish in a cowboy field; fashion as a plot point and a toy-aisle winner. Watch it now as the western that dressed up — proof the genre could sell a natty hero instead of another dusty hat.
The merch is the cane. Bat Masterson (NBC, 1958–1961) gave Gene Barry a derby, a gold-tipped cane, and a dandy lawman who fought with style — **108 episodes, three seasons**, urban polish in a cowboy field, fashion as a plot point and a toy-aisle winner. Frank Pittman and Andy White. Loosely inspired by the historical Bat Masterson's colorful career. Natty hero instead of another dusty hat. The cane was not a joke; it was the brand. Rex will toast the West. The chart toasts a **dressed-up SKU** that diversified…
Filed against
- Gene Barry as Bat Masterson
Gene Barry's Bat Masterson wore a derby and a gold-tipped cane into a 1950s cowboy field — a dandy lawman who fought with style when the genre usually sold dust. Urban polish as a plot point and a toy-aisle winner. TV Flash files him as…