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Death Valley Days (western adventure)
(First-run Syndication
episodes produced 1952 - 1975)
[Alternate rerun and syndication titles:
"The Pioneers" (1960), hosted by Will Rogers, Jr.;
"Trails West" (1962), hosted by Ray Milland;
"Western Star Theatre"(1963), hosted by Rory Calhoun;
"Frontier Adventure" (1968), hosted by Dale Robertson;
"Call Of The West" (1969), hosted by John Payne;
Originated as a New York radio series in 1930; its original
long-running sponsor was The Borax Company (now known as Rio
Tinto Borax) makers of 20 Mule Team Borax laundry detergent
and Boraxo hand soap; The main ingredient -- borate -- came out
of a Death Valley pit mine near the town of Boron, California
after the discovery of the substance there in 1879;
In the late 1800s mule teams were used to carry borate from the
desert, hence the phrase "20 Mule Team"; today most of the
Borax company's products are used as agricultural and chemical
additives used in everything from water softeners to laundry
starch to permanent wave hair style kits;
Hosts of the First Run "Death Valley Days" series included:
(1952 - 1963) Character actor Stanley Andrews as "The Old Ranger";
(1963 - 1965) Ronald Reagan;
(1965 - 1968) Robert Taylor and Rosemary DeCamp;
(1968 - 1970) Dale Robertson;
(1975) Merle Haggard]
Opening Bugle Call: "Death Valley
Days"
[a triadic bugle introduction used as a signature on the
radio series as well]
Composer: Josef Bonime (ASCAP)
1978 Publisher: [listed without publisher in the 1978 ASCAP
Index of Performed Compositions]
1999 Publisher: [listed without publisher in the 1999 ASCAP
ACE Repertoire database]
Copyright Date:
Renewal Date:
Recordings:
Theme 1 (1952 - 1961): "Twenty Mule Train"
Composers: Herb Taylor (ASCAP), and
Milton W. ("Milt") Raskin (ASCAP)
1978 Publisher: John Paul Music (ASCAP)
1999 Publisher: John Paul Music (ASCAP),
of Los Angeles, CA
Copyright Date:
Renewal Date:
Recordings:
78 rpm in the "Mutel" (Music For Television) library,
and 78 rpm reference disks in the Capitol "Q" Series library.
Q- 99:3 Theme No. 216 OPENING (Western-Full)
Q- 99:4 Theme No. 216 CLOSING (Western-Full)
Q-101:2 Theme No. 216 LONG Version (Western)
Theme 2: "Death Valley Days (M and ET)"
[because Herschel Gilbert owns the publishing company John
Paul Music, he may have contracted the above THEME by Herb
Taylor and Milt Raskin as a "work for hire" originally]
Composer: Herschel Burke Gilbert (ASCAP)
1978 Publisher: John Paul Music (ASCAP)
1999 Publisher: John Paul Music (ASCAP),
of Los Angeles, CA
Copyright Date:
Renewal Date:
Recordings:
Theme 3 [synd. title theme, 1962] :
"Trails West (Signature)"
[It's possible that this THEME was the same music as the
"Western Star Theatre (M & E)" below, under a different
syndication title]
Composers: Marlin H. Skiles (ASCAP)
1978 Publisher: International Mus. Assn. (ASCAP)
of San Diego, CA
2001 Publisher: International Music Associates (ASCAP),
of Washougal, WA
Copyright Date:
Renewal Date:
Recordings:
Theme 4 [synd. title theme, 1963] :
"Western Star Theatre (M & E)"
[its possible that this THEME was the same music as the
"Trails West (Signature)" above under a different
syndication title]
Composers: Marlin H. Skiles (ASCAP)
1978 Publisher: International Mus. Assn. (ASCAP)
of San Diego, CA
2001 Publisher: International Music Associates (ASCAP),
of Washougal, WA
Copyright Date:
Renewal Date:
Recordings:
Theme 5 [synd. title theme, 1969] : "Call
Of The West (Sig) (M & E)"
[its possible that this THEME was the same music as the
"Trails West (Signature)" above under a different
syndication title]
Composers: Marlin H. Skiles (ASCAP)
1978 Publisher: International Mus. Assn. (ASCAP)
of San Diego, CA
2001 Publisher: International Music Associates (ASCAP),
of Washougal, WA
Copyright Date:
Renewal Date:
Recordings:
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