State Trooper is an American crime drama set in the American West of the 1950s, starring Rod Cameron as Lt. Rod Blake, an officer and chief investigator of the Nevada Department of Public Safety. The series aired 104 episodes in syndication from 1956 to 1959.

Overview

State Trooper takes place in Las Vegas, Reno, and Carson City, Nevada, but was filmed by Revue Studios at Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth in Los Angeles County in California. Its fictional stories focus upon miners, ranchers, dude ranches, released convicts, and murder mysteries, often with surprise endings. The series pilot entitled "Killer on a Horseback" starring Rod Cameron aired in February 1956 on an episode of the NBC anthology series Star Stage. Blake carried a "Detective Special" revolver.

Cast

The series starred Rod Cameron as Lieutenant Rod Blake. Robert Armstrong appeared in 24 episodes as Sheriff Andy Anderson, who developed a good working relationship with Cameron's character, Blake. Don Haggerty played Sheriff Elder in nine episodes in the 1956-1957 season. Paul Stader appeared five times in the 1958-1959 season as Deputy Sheriff Jim Wallace. Tom Greenway appeared in four episodes as Sheriff Bronson: "Stay Lost, Little Girl", "Dangerous Honeymoon", "Full Circle", and "Death on Wheels".

Guest stars

Episodes

Production

Originally conceived to compete with Highway Patrol, the show pilot was an episode of the anthology series Star Stage, released in February 1956 and titled "Killer on Horseback". State Trooper was filmed on location in Virginia City, Nevada to give it an authentic feel. Las Vegas was also used for location filming.

Release

Broadcast

After the pilot release on Star Stage, the series failed to make the network schedule for 1956 and State Trooper was released as a syndicated show being sold directly to local stations.

Home media

Timeless Media Group released the complete first season on DVD in Region 1 on December 14, 2010. The complete second and third seasons were released together in a six-disc set on December 13, 2011. On September 23, 2014, Timeless Media Group released State Trooper - The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1. The 11-disc set contains all 104 episodes of the series.