Wanted: Dead or Alive - Season 02  (1959)

Theatrical Release Information:
Wanted: Dead or Alive - Season 02

Steve McQueen returns as laconic bounty hunter Josh Randall as Wanted: Dead or Alive moseys into its second season. As in season one, the best episodes are graced by the presence of some of Hollywood's best supporting actors. Kasey Rogers, later to play the wife of Larry Tate (David White) on Bewitched, is seen as a frontier bride in "The Matchmaker." Future spaghetti Western stalwart Lee Van Cleef plays a condemned man whom Josh must safely escort to his hanging in "The Hostage." "The Empty Cell" features Lon Chaney Jr. as a highly suspicious lawman, while Star Trek's Deforest Kelley shows up in the same episode as a wily crook. Star-in-the-making Dyan Cannon pays her acting dues as the moll of a bank robber in "Vanishing Act." And Martin Landau, six years removed from Mission: Impossible and 34 years away from his Academy Award, is seen as an Indian elephant trainer in "The Monster." Beginning with the episode "Jason," Wright King becomes a semi-regular in the role of deputy sheriff Jason Nichols, who frequently teams up with Josh Randall to track down wanted men. By the time the season ends, King will be a full-fledged regular. Westerns reigned supreme on television during the 1959-1960 season, with four sagebrushers ranking in the Top Ten Nielsen ratings. Number nine of the ten was Wanted: Dead or Alive, up from 16th place during the previous year. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide