- HADLEY’S HUNTERS
Original Airdate: September 25, 1960
Synopsis. Bart rides into Hadley, a town named after its sheriff, a shrewd politician (played by Edgar Buchanan) who has carefully crafted a reputation for apprehending notorious criminals. Hadley’s legend, however, is a fraud: The sheriff has his deputies pull the jobs themselves, then pins the crimes on innocent victims whom Hadley later arrests. When Bart stumbles onto a bogus stagecoach robbery (which springs a “criminal” named Cherokee Dan Evans), the crooked sheriff gives Maverick five days to capture Evans—or else Bart will hang.
In the annals of Maverick, “Hadley’s Hunters” is known as the episode that features cameo appearances by Warner Bros. stars Will Hutchins (Sugarfoot), John Russell (Lawman), Clint Walker (Cheyenne), Peter Brown (Lawman), Ty Hardin (Bronco), and Edd Byrnes (77 Sunset Strip). But it also features future Maverick star Robert Colbert as Dan Evans, one of Hadley’s victims. Colbert, of course, joined the cast of Maverick as Brent Maverick later in the 1960-1961 season.
