Death Valley Days

Death Valley Days is an American radio and television anthology series featuring true stories of the old American West, particularly the Death Valley area. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was broadcast on radio until 1945 and continued from 1952 to 1970 as a syndicated television series, with reruns (updated with new narrations) continuing through August 1, 1975. The radio and TV versions combined to make the show "one of the longest-running western programs in broadcast history."

The series was sponsored by the Pacific Coast Borax Company (20 Mule Team Borax, Boraxo) and hosted by Stanley Andrews (1952–1963), Ronald Reagan (1964–1965), Rosemary DeCamp (1965), Robert Taylor (1966–1969), and Dale Robertson (1969–1970). With the passing of Dale Robertson in 2013, all the former Death Valley Days hosts are now deceased. Hosting the series was Reagan's final work as an actor; he was cast in eight episodes of the series.

Hosts

The 452 television episodes were introduced by a host. The longest-running was "The Old Ranger" from 1952 to 1965, played by Stanley Andrews. For the first two years the series was produced by Gene Autry's Flying A Productions; then from 1954 to 1956, it was handled by McGowan Productions, also known for the Sky King series. Filmaster Productions Inc., which produced the first several seasons of Gunsmoke for CBS Television, took over production of the series after 1956. Later a Madison Productions was also involved.

Death Valley Days (radio program)

Death Valley Days was a radio Western in the United States. It was broadcast on the Blue Network/ABC, CBS, and NBC from September 30, 1930, to September 14, 1951. It "was one of radio's earliest and longest lasting programs." Beginning August 10, 1944, the program was called Death Valley Sheriff, and on June 29, 1945, it became simply The Sheriff.

Format

Death Valley Days

Radio's first Western,Death Valley Days "dramatized pioneer life in the United States." The program has been described as "the most successful of [the] early western dramas." It was said to present true stories of the old West, with "CBS [asserting] that because of its reputation for accuracy in broadcasting the dramatic history of the development of the West, Death Valley Days was recommended by teachers to their students wherever it was heard to supplement their studies at school." Radio historian John Dunning commented, "By 1940, the show's reputation for historical accuracy was well-established." That accuracy was attested to by the recognition received by the program. "Death Valley Days won awards from the Governors of California, Nevada, and Utah and historical societies including the Native Daughters of the Golden West, and from the University of Washington."

Death Valley

Death Valley is a desert valley located in Eastern California. It is the lowest, driest, and hottest area in North America.

Death Valley's Badwater Basin is the point of the lowest elevation in North America, at 282 feet (86 m) below sea level. This point is 84.6 miles (136.2 km) east-southeast of Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States with an elevation of 14,505 feet (4,421 m). Death Valley's Furnace Creek holds the record for the highest reliably recorded air temperature in the world, 134 °F (56.7 °C) on July 10, 1913. This has been contested by other weather experts.

Located near the border of California and Nevada, in the Great Basin, east of the Sierra Nevada mountains, Death Valley constitutes much of Death Valley National Park and is the principal feature of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts Biosphere Reserve. It is located mostly in Inyo County, California. It runs from north to south between the Amargosa Range on the east and the Panamint Range on the west; the Sylvania Mountains and the Owlshead Mountains form its northern and southern boundaries, respectively. It has an area of about 3,000 sq mi (7,800 km²). The highest point in Death Valley itself is Telescope Peak in the Panamint Range, which has an elevation of 11,043 feet (3,366 m).

Death Valley '69

"Death Valley '69" is a song by American alternative rock band Sonic Youth and featuring Lydia Lunch. The song was written and sung by Thurston Moore and fellow New York musician Lunch, and recorded by Martin Bisi in 1984. A demo version of the song was released in December 1984 on Iridescence Records. A re-recorded version was released in EP format with different artwork in June 1985; this version was featured on the band's second studio album, Bad Moon Rising.

Music video

The video for "Death Valley 69" was filmed in 1985 and was the first music video by Sonic Youth, directed by Judith Barry and Richard Kern. The video features the majority of the band in various states of bloody dismemberment interlaced with live footage of the band. The video is the only one to feature both recently departed drummer Bob Bert and new member Steve Shelley.

Cover versions

The Flaming Lips' Finally the Punk Rockers Are Taking Acid includes a live cover of the song.

Track listing

Death Valley (TV series)

Death Valley is a horror black comedy mockumentary television series broadcast on MTV. The series premiered on August 29, 2011. The series follows the Undead Task Force (UTF), a newly formed division of the LAPD, as they are filmed by a camera news crew documentary-style, as they capture the monsters that roam the streets of San Fernando Valley in California. In March, 2012, the show's creator announced that Death Valley had not been picked up for a second season.

Series overview

A year prior to the opening of the series, vampires, werewolves and zombies mysteriously descended upon the streets of California's San Fernando Valley. The newly formed Undead Task Force (UTF), a division of the Los Angeles Police Department, is created to combat the emergence of monsters in the San Fernando Valley. A camera crew is embedded within the task force to document the zombie, vampire and werewolf encounters. The series has been cancelled by MTV.

Cast