Fort Laramie

Welcome to Fort Laramie, an outstanding radio program that centered on a lonely cavalry outpost on the edge of the Western front in the 1870s. The CBS series starred Raymond Burr as Captain Lee Quince, captain of cavalry.

Sadly, Fort Laramie only ran for one year, 1956.  The show simply came along too late and television was already beginning to become the death nail for radio drama.  

Fort Laramie was produced and directed by Norman Macdonnell, one of the promising young talents at CBS.  MacDonnel simultaneously was in charge of the Gunsmoke radio drama, as was his writer John Meston.

Fort Laramie depicted what life must have been like on a cavalry post during the late 19th Century. The fort had 400 soldiers, along with many wives. The command was charged with supervising 4,000 Sioux Indians on a nearby reservation.

Major Ned Daggart, played by Jack Moyles, was in command. The major and the captain, it might be noted, did not always see eye-to-eye on matters.

Other regular supporting cast members included Vic Perrin as Sgt. Gorse, Harry Bartell as Lieutenant Seiberts, Howard McNear as Pliny the fort sutler, and Sam Edwards as Private Harrison.

Guest stars included the cream of Hollywood radio stars, including John Dehner, John McIntire, Virginia Gregg, James Nusser, Parley Baer and Barney Phillips. Scripts were written by John Meston, Kathleen Hite, Les Crutchfield and John Dunkel.

Come along and give a listen to this extremely entertaining radio western that featured tremendous production values and our recordings have crystal clear sound quality.