Dirty Sally

Dirty Sally was a humorous western television series about a hard-drinking cantankerous old woman and a young former outlaw traveling to the California gold fields in a wagon pulled by a mule named Worthless. The series consisted of 14 half-hour episodes that aired on CBS Fridays, 8:00 to 8:30 p.m., from January 11, 1974 to July 19, 1974. Jeanette Nolan played Sally Fergus and Dack Rambo played Cyrus Pike in this Gunsmoke spin-off.[1] Guest stars included John McIntire, Tim McIntire, Jackie Coogan, and Kathleen Cody. [2] Nolan was nominated for an Emmy Award for her role in the series.

Dirty Sally
GenreWestern
Created byJack Miller
StarringJeanette Nolan
Dack Rambo
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes14
Production
ProducersJohn Mantley
Leonard Katzman
Running time30-minute episodes
Release
Original networkCBS
Picture formatColor
Audio formatMonaural
Original releaseJanuary 11 (1974-01-11) –
April 19, 1974 (1974-04-19)

During the 16th season of Gunsmoke a two-part episode entitled "Pike" was broadcast on March 1 and March 8, 1971. Dirty Sally, an old woman who collected bottles and other discarded items to sell, found outlaw Cyrus Pike, who had been shot. Sally nursed Pike back to health and tried to protect him from the men who wanted him dead. After "Pike" was aired, the Gunsmoke office received more mail about the episode then any other segment in the series' history.[3] The character of Dirty Sally was brought back during the next season of Gunsmoke in an episode entitled "One for the Road" and a decision was made to spin the character off into a new series.

Dirty Sally was produced by the CBS Television Network at the CBS Studio Center in Hollywood. John Mantley was the executive producer, Leonard Katzman the producer, and Jack Miller was creator and story consultant. All three were on the production team for Gunsmoke. [4]

During the show's short run, Pike was anxious to reach California, but their journey was often delayed by Sally becoming involved with the problems of people they met along the way.[1]

Episodes
No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1"Right of Way"TBATBA11 January 1974 (1974-01-11)
Sally protects a pig farmer (John McIntire) from a land-grabbing railroad baron.
2"The Orphans"TBATBA18 January 1974 (1974-01-18)
Worthless the mule is stolen by a six-year old boy. Sally and Pike learn the boy and his four siblings have been abandoned and are homeless.
3"The Old Soldier"TBATBA25 January 1974 (1974-01-25)
Thoughts of marriage enter Sally's head when she meets an old friend who's turned to alcohol after he was forced to retire from the cavalry and who feels life has no meaning.
4"Convict"TBATBA1 February 1974 (1974-02-01)
An escaped convict strikes a deal with Sally and Pike – he'll let them turn him in for a reward if they'll help him visit his wife who's about to give birth.
5"Horse of a Different Color"TBATBA8 February 1974 (1974-02-08)
Denver Pyle plays a foxy old horse trader Pike is trying to outfox.
6"Too Long to Wait"TBATBA15 February 1974 (1974-02-15)
A blind old woman is waiting for the return of her long-overdue grandson. Sally and Pike suspect he'll never come back.
7"All That Glitters"TBATBA22 February 1974 (1974-02-22)
A beautiful card sharp pretends to be a damsel in distress to take advantage of gullible Pike.
8"Much Ado About Nothing"TBATBA8 March 1974 (1974-03-08)
Pike prepares for his acting debut in a melodrama and grows so conceited Sally wonders how she'll put up with him.
9"Wimmen’s Rights"TBACalvin Clements, Sr.15 March 1974 (1974-03-15)
Sally starts a fight for women's rights after being ejected from a men-only saloon.
10"I Never Saw the Pacific"TBATBA22 March 1974 (1974-03-22)
A critically ill preacher thinks he's dying and asks Sally to tell his congregation he was never ordained. Trouble starts when the preacher recovers.
11"My Fair Laddie"TBATBA29 March 1974 (1974-03-29)
Sally raises the ire of a moonshiner when she converts his tomboy daughter into a beautiful lady.
12"The Hanging of Cyrus Pike"TBACalvin Clements, Sr.5 April 1974 (1974-04-05)
Pike is framed as a horse thief and sentenced to be hanged. Jackie Coogan plays the sheriff.
13"Get the Wampum"Don HaldaneGeorge Salverson19 April 1974 (1974-04-19)
Sally pretends she's the mother of Billy the Kid to teach a lesson to a gang of crooked poker players.
14"I Don’t, I Don’t"TBAEarl Barret1974 (1974)

References
  1. Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946 – Present (Seventh Edition), Ballantine Books, 1999, page 262.
  2. Summers, Neil, The Official TV Western Book, Volume 3, page 89, The Old West Shop Publishing, 1991
  3. Amory, Cleveland, Dirty Sally Review, TV Guide, March 2, 1974, page 35.
  4. O'Connor, John J., TV: 'Dirty Sally' New Series by 'Gunsmoke' Team, The New York Times, January 11, 1974, page 63
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