Cimarron City

Year: 1958 First Air: 1958-01-01

Go to this day in 1958 Open the 1958 capsule

Overview

This late 1950s Western follows a principled lawman and the people around him as a boomtown wrestles with justice, corruption, and hard choices on the frontier

Synopsis

Set in a turbulent frontier town, the series centers on Marshal Matt Rockford as he tries to keep order while powerful interests test the limits of the law. Stories mix action with moral dilemmas as citizens, gamblers, businessmen, and outlaws pull the community in competing directions. Deputy Lane Temple offers steady backup and a different perspective on enforcing justice. District attorney Dulcey Coopersmith adds legal and political pressure, especially when influence threatens to outweigh evidence. The show leans into the idea that building a “civilized” town can be as dangerous as any gunfight

Cast

George Montgomery — Marshal Matt Rockford John Smith — Deputy Lane Temple Audrey Totter — Dulcey Coopersmith Dan Blocker — Cpl. Sam Lucius

Trivia

Think about the show’s title card and where it sat in TV history. One question is about a lead actor’s later Western fame.

Q1: Which genre best describes Cimarron City’s format and tone?

Answer: A dramatic Western series

Knowing the genre helps place the series among the wave of frontier dramas that dominated late-1950s TV schedules.

Q2: Which Cimarron City regular later became widely known as Hoss Cartwright on Bonanza?

Answer: Dan Blocker

Cast connections to bigger hits show how actors moved between Westerns during the genre’s peak on television.

Q3: What was the original U.S. network that aired Cimarron City when it premiered in 1958?

Answer: NBC

Knowing the original network places the series within late-1950s programming trends and the competitive Western boom on prime-time TV.

CIMARRON CITY

Cimarron City