Riverboat

Capitalizing on Darren McGavin's irresistible charm and his success on the smallscreen Revue Studios cast him in their new series Riverboat which premieredin 1959. Since McGavin was also starring in Mike Hammer at the same time hebecame the first actor to simultaneously star in two television series.Co-starring the young and inexperienced Burt Reynolds the series captureda devout audience but suffered from numerous production problems includingwhat later became a well-publicized feud between McGavin and Reynolds. Aftercompleting thirty-one episodes its first season Riverboat was renewed (with the costarring role going to Noah Beery Jr.) but lasted only thirteen more episodes.Now fifty years later though never released on video or DVD by UniversalStudios Riverboat maintains a devoted fan base.S.L. Kotar and J.E. Gessler are webmasters of Darren and Kathie Browne'sauthorized web site (www.darrenmcgavin.com) and wrote the highest-ratedepisode in Gunsmoke's twenty-year history.