The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp is a television western series loosely based on the life of frontier marshal Wyatt Earp. The half-hour black-and-white program aired for 229 episodes on ABC from 1955 to 1961 and featured Hugh O'Brian in the title role.
Ellsworth, Kansas 1873. Young Wyatt arrives in town fresh from a buffalo hunt looking to clean up and find his friend Sheriff Whitney who has sent for him. Despite it's peaceful appearance, Ellsworth is an ornery little town in need of cleaning up. When his frind is shot, Wyatt feels he must take a stand.
Earp jails Ben Thompson in the hope that his mentally unstable brother Bill will attempt a jailbreak, but the Marshal underestimates the misguided and naive ruthlessness of young Abbie Crandall, who is also determined to help Ben escape.
An immature rancher's son forced to sell a herd at at a low price tries to make up the difference in a poker game while drunk and loses. Earp refuses to help since no law was broken so the son takes matters into his own hands.
Earp has been using sanitary laws to close crooked saloons as Ben Thompson comes to Wichita to open one. Ben feels a debt of gratitude toward Earp but it causes problems as the rest of the saloon operators have men gunning for Earp.
Earp closes a show because the men attending are being ripped off by the girls in it. The owner wants to get even with Earp. He decides to attack the stars of a competing play hoping to trap Earp on his own terms but Earp has other plans.
Big winners at the Keno House are being killed and robbed on the way back to the their camps. Earp is unsure if it is crooked casino owners or someone else doing it. A volunteer comes forward to solve it but Earp is then faced with a mob.
When a man is murdered in Wichita, Earp wants the Newton gang for it but Allen Pinkerton is interfering and more interested in recovering some stolen money. Due to Earp's actions, the Judge at Pinkerton's request takes Earp's badge.
Hugh O'Brian
Wyatt Earp
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