Series star Douglas Kennedy was a graduate of Amherst College.
Kennedy served as a Major during WWII in the signal corps and OSS.
The strapping 6'4" Kennedy lived from 1915-1973. He would have been 27 in 1942 when he apparently joined the army. Wikipedia says he was in the army from 1940-45, but he has film credits in 1940-42.
Kennedy was a reliable contract player at Paramount and Warner Brothers.
The movie role I remember him best for was as the suspicious detective in "Dark Passage" who almost captures innocent fugitive Vincent Parry (Humphrey Bogart) even though Parry has had plastic surgery.
The 39 episodes of "Steve Donovan, Western Marshall" were on in 1955-56, when Kennedy would have been 40 and I would have been in single digits. But I have never forgotten the opening of Kennedy throwing his guns in the air and catching them in the opposite hand, so precisely described by reviewer sataft-2.
The producer of the series was Jack Chertok, who was already producing "The Lone Ranger". Chertok's other series include "Sky King", "Private Secretary" with Ann Southern, "The Lawless Years" with James Gregory, "Johnny Midnight" with Edmond O'Brien, "My Favorite Martian" with Ray Walston and Bill Bixby, and "My Living Doll" with Julie Newmar, Bob Cummings, and Jack Mullaney. Douglas Kennedy appeared in six episodes of "The Lone Ranger" and Chertok must have liked what he saw.
Kennedy was on TV a lot and I always enjoyed seeing my former hero.
Kennedy was particularly good in four episodes of "Perry Mason". He was also fine in four episodes of "Gunsmoke".
Kennedy had the recurring role of the Sheriff on "The Big Valley" (1965-69), although the potential romantic subtext between Stanwyck and him was never explored, as far as I remember. Kennedy had co-starred with Stanwyck in the film "East Side, West side" (1949).
Kennedy's last three guest roles were all on "Hawaii 5-0" in 1973. Kennedy died in Honolulu of cancer at age 57 in 1973.
