The Gabby Hayes Show

Synopsis of Saturday Morning Show

Gabby Hayes, the loveable sidekick from several Western films, found a new role in 1950 as the loveable host of a children’s television show.

The Gabby Hayes Show featured short films that had been made specifically for the show's young and inquisitive audience. The initial film, for example, was a reenactment of the Lewis and Clark expedition, which appealed to the children's taste for adventure, and taught them history as well. Each episode began with Hayes and two guest children discussing the film they were about to see. Hayes also hosted visits from celebrity guests, including his former boss Roy Rogers and Rogers' wife, Dale Evans.

Later in production, the show was re-titled The Quaker Oats Show Starring Gabby Hayes, and Aunt Jemima products could be spotted all over the set.

Hayes often made crossover appearances on Howdy Doody, which aired directly after Hayes' show. But visits to that popular series weren’t enough to save Hayes when he found himself replaced by the younger, clean-shaven Pinky Lee, who, according to executives, would attract the ladies in a way Hayes hadn't.

Not quite ready to ride off into the sunset, however, Hayes was given a new home on ABC, where the show was extended to a half-hour. This series featured Hayes, with a log cabin set behind him, saying “This is your old pal Gabby Hayes, coming at ya with a rip-roarin’ Western.” He would then show some of the films that he had co-starred in. This new format would last for only two months.

Release History

10/1/50 - 7/24/56 NBC
5/12/56 - 7/14/56 ABC

TV Sub Categories

live-action
action/adventure

TV Studio

NBC, ABC

Television Cast

Gabby Hayes  Himself

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