Bronco (TV Westerns)

• Starring: Ty Hardin
• Executive producer(s): William T. Orr
• First shown: Tuesdays at 7:30pm
• Original run: September 23, 1958 – April 30, 1962
• No. of seasons: 4
• No. of episodes: 68

Bronco was a Western series on ABC from 1958 through 1962. It was shown by the BBC in the United Kingdom. The program starred Ty Hardin as Bronco Layne, a former Confederate officer who wandered the Old West, meeting such famous people as Wild Bill Hickok, Billy the Kid, Jesse James, Theodore Roosevelt, Belle Starr and Cole Younger.

Bronco was born when Warner Bros. executives and actor Clint Walker clashed over Walker's contract on the series Cheyenne. Walker had walked out on his show over such stringent clauses as a requirement that he kick back half of all personal appearance fees to Warner Bros., and that he only record for Warner music labels. When the two sides came to an impasse, the network hired newcomer Ty Hardin to play the new character of Bronco Layne, but kept the title of Cheyenne.

When Walker came back to his series, Bronco Layne was spun off into his own show. Bronco at first alternated with another Western series, Sugarfoot, featuring Will Hutchins. In 1960, the two began alternating with Cheyenne under the Cheyenne title. Sugarfoot was dropped in 1961, leaving only Bronco and Cheyenne to alternate. Other Warner Bros. westerns in production around this time included Maverick with James Garner, Jack Kelly, and Roger Moore, Colt .45 with Wayde Preston, and Lawman with John Russell; series characters occasionally crossed over into each others' shows.

The theme song of the show was: "Once knew a girl who kissed him once, once knew a girl who kissed him twice, once knew a girl who kissed him twice, she's dreaming of shoes and rice. Bronco, Bronco, tearing across the Texas Plain. Bronco, Bronco, Bronco Layne." Many kids who watched the show must have wondered why a girl would dream of shoes and rice, not knowing it meant she wanted to marry him.