Death Valley Days - Definition and Overview

Death Valley Days was a long-running American radio and television anthology about true stories of the old American West, particularly the Death Valley area. It was created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman and ran on radio until 1945. It ran from 1952 to 1975 as a syndicated television show. The 558 television stories, which had different actors, were introduced by a host. The longest-running was "The Old Ranger" from 1952-1965, played by Stanley Andrews. The hosts following were former United States President Ronald Reagan (before he was elected governor of California), Robert Taylor, Dale Robertson and Merle Haggard. During his time as host, Reagan also frequently appeared in the program as an actor. It has been rerun under other names and with other hosts, since the hosting segment at the beginning and the end can be easily reshot with another performer with no effect on the story.