Riders in the Sky
GenreWestern children's comedy
Based onCharacters created by Riders in the Sky
Written byGeorge McGrath
Directed byGary Halvorson
StarringRiders in the Sky (band)
Narrated byGeorge McGrath
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
ProducersChris Plourde, George McGrath, Alan Sacks
Production locationCBS Studio Center
EditorRobert S. Douglas
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseSeptember 14 (1991-09-14) –
December 7, 1991 (1991-12-07)

Riders in the Sky is an American live-action/animated children's television series starring western/comedy band Riders in the Sky. It aired on CBS in 1991.

Cast

Puppeteers

Production

Development

Riders in the Sky was originally pitched as a sitcom in which the Riders moved from a frontier town in the American west to Hollywood, California, with most of the humor of the series coming from the trio being "fish out of water". The idea was unappealing to television executives due to the premise sounding too similar to that of The Beverly Hillbillies, and the show was passed on. Later, producer Alan Sacks developed the idea of a children's show starring the Riders and pitched it to CBS executives, who after seeing the Riders perform, were immediately interested.

Writing and filming

CBS assigned George McGrath to write the series, although Sacks would later say, "that was a big mistake, we should have had the Riders writing."[1] The series began taping on July 17 and wrapped up on September 14, 1991, the same day it premiered.

Crew

  • Puppets by the Puppet Studio[2]
  • Producers - Chris Plourde, George McGrath, Alan Sacks
  • Costume Designers – Jacqueline Saint Anne, Roberta Samet
  • Camera Operator – Keeth Lawrence
  • Animatronic Puppeteer – Kirk Skodis
  • Sound Mixer- Laura King
  • Sound Effects Editor – Chris Trent
  • Videotape – Scott Tuchman

Tie-in album

A few weeks before the series premiered, Riders in the Sky released Harmony Ranch, their second children's album and their first on the Columbia Records label. The album features characters from the show on the cover and takes its name from the Riders' home in the series.

Episodes

  1. Saddle Pals (September 14, 1991)
  2. Harmony Ranch (September 21, 1991)
  3. Horsenapped (September 28, 1991)
  4. Save the Buffalo (October 5, 1991)
  5. Cook Out (October 12, 1991)
  6. Sourdough's Surprise (October 19, 1991)
  7. Muley's Revenge (October 26, 1991)
  8. Trail Weevils (November 2, 1991)
  9. Fool's Gold (November 9, 1991)
  10. Bad Brothers (November 16, 1991)
  11. Curse of the Mine (November 23, 1991)
  12. The Contraption (November 30, 1991)
  13. Mail Order Brides (December 7, 1991)

Home video releases

The series has never been officially released on any home media, either physical or digital, due to rights issues. This was revealed while answering a question for the "Youth Wants To Know" article on the Riders in the Sky website, with "Ranger Doug" Green stating that "far too many people have a little piece of that series to make a video viable".[3]

Awards

  • Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design – Won

References

  1. ↑ It's the Cowboy Way!: The Amazing True Adventures of Riders in the Sky. University Press of Kentucky. January 1, 2003. ISBN 081312882X.
  2. ↑ The Puppet Studio
  3. ↑ "Youth Wants To Know". February 17, 2005. Archived from the original on February 17, 2005. Retrieved March 27, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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