The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp is an American western television series based loosely on the career of frontier marshal Wyatt Earp. The series ran for six seasons beginning in 1955 and ending in 1961. It starred actor Hugh O'Brian as Earp. He was chosen for the role because of his resemblance to the Marshal. The series was produced by Desilu Productions.
The series was loosely based on Stuart N. Lake's 1931 biography of the famous "Frontier Marshal" whose trademark was a pair of Buntline Special pistols with extra-long barrels. There is a lot of controversy surrounding the real Wyatt Earp and whether the Lake biography is credible today, but I will leave that to the historians.
The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp begins the first season with Wyatt Earp reluctantly becoming the Marshal of Ellsworth, Kansas when the current marshal is killed by gunmen. After capture, the gunmen are released by a corrupt judge. It becomes the goal of Earp and the Mayor to relieve the Judge of his duties and restore order to the town.
This is effectively the theme of the show where someone is attempting to disrupt order in the town and Marshal Earp uses his wit to solve the problem when he can or with his guns when he can't. It is interesting in that throughout the series, it seems that lessons are being taught about right and wrong. The early part of the series features a young Bat Masterson. There are also other famous real-life figures that appear in the series such as John Wesley Hardin and the Thompson brothers.
Another interesting thing about the six-year run of the series is that it is not just based in one town. As in real life, Earp moves on and takes new jobs (such as in Wichita) and at the end of this season, he ends up in Dodge City, Kansas. It is all of these things that make The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp an impressive series for the mid-1950s and early television.
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