Wagon Train
The Jed Polke Story
TV Flash files “The Jed Polke Story” as hour 137 of 284 in the TV Flash guide — Wagon Train (1957–1965) on NBC/ABC, season 4, episode 23, aired 1961-03-01, 60 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S04E23: listed hour 137 of 284 in the Wagon Train guide, hour 23 of 38 in season 4. It aired 1961-03-01 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “The Beth Pearson Story” (S04E22). Next is “The Nancy Palmer Story” (S04E24).
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
Flint brings stranded woman Rheba Polke and her son to the train. When her husband Jed Polke returns with help, many recognize him from the Macon, Georgia Andersonville Prison (Confederate prisoner-of-war camp) where prisoners were planning an escape. Polke had turned their escape attempt in to the authorities. They have sworn to kill Polke.
Viewer FAQ
Where does The Jed Polke Story sit in the Wagon Train guide?
S04E23 is listed hour 137 of 284 — hour 23 of 38 in season 4, season 4 episode 23.
When did Wagon Train S04E23 air?
The Jed Polke Story aired 1961-03-01 and is listed at 60 minutes.
Where should I start?
Start in the Ward Bond era, when the wagon master is the monument, then sample the John McIntire handoff if you want the continuity drama.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Wagon Train is a moving town of guest stars: the prairie as anthology stagecoach, Ward Bond then John McIntire after a mid-run death. Watch it now as the late-1950s ratings giant behind Gunsmoke — migration myth as weekly guest-star theater, trail dust as a continuity problem the network actually had to solve.
The work is a convoy that is also a guest list. *Wagon Train* (NBC then ABC, 1957–1965) turns the prairie into an anthology stagecoach: 284 episodes, eight seasons, Ward Bond as Major Seth Adams until his death in 1960, John McIntire taking over as Christopher Hale, Robert Horton as Flint McCullough, Frank McGrath as Charlie Wooster. Hollywood names drop into the convoy. Semi-anthology structure. The west isn't won; it is episodically negotiated. That is the form.
Filed against
- Ward Bond as Major Seth Adams
Ward Bond’s Major Seth Adams drove Wagon Train as a moving town of guest stars — the prairie as anthology stagecoach, late-1950s ratings giant behind Gunsmoke, migration myth as weekly theater. Trail dust as a continuity problem the…
- Robert Horton as Flint McCullough
Robert Horton's Flint McCullough scouted Wagon Train as a moving town of guest stars — prairie as anthology stagecoach, Ward Bond then John McIntire after a mid-run death, late-1950s ratings giant behind Gunsmoke. TV Flash files him as…
- John McIntire as Christopher Hale
John McIntire’s Christopher Hale took Wagon Train after a moving-town anthology needed a new wagon master — 1950s catalog prairie as guest-star stagecoach, then Naked City stretching the gravel into eight million stories. TV Flash files…
- Frank McGrath as Charlie Wooster
Frank McGrath cooked the trail as Charlie Wooster on Wagon Train — prairie as anthology stagecoach, Ward Bond then John McIntire, a moving town of guest stars. Late-1950s ratings giant behind Gunsmoke. TV Flash files him as catalog wagon…