Hartford Courant from Hartford, Connecticut • 106

'How I Fixed Two of the '26 Men' 1 i our ant Scribe Fearlessly Faces Deadly Gun Slingers I 1' 1 1 he was smiling. He had Just gunned down my friend, Viggo Andersen, the Sunday editor, in a trigger duel. Now, I could tell, he was spoiling to get me in his sights. He moved slowly toward me and put a gun in my hand, butt first. I caught it neatly a trick I had learned in the Navy years ago.

Kelo seemed unimpressed. He spoke softly, confidently. "Point it at me," he said. "When you see me go for my gun, start shooting!" I eyed him narrowly, but I never did see him go for his gun. I was too busy trying to cook my .45.

When I finally pulled the trigger, the deadly click of his gun had been recent history for several seconds. "Get that corpse out of here!" said the publicity man. indicating me with a jerk of his head. I eyed him narrowly, too. "Oh, bury me not on the lone prairie," I said, "because I am not dead yet!" Wheeling suddenly to my desk, I downed the rest of my coffee and wheeled back again.

"That was lousy I hissed, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. I looked Kelo squarely in the eye. "Let's try it again!" "All right," he said quietly. That Kelo was a cool one. "This time," he said, "I'll keep my hands up.

Cock your gun and point it at me. When you see me make a move shoot!" Drawing myself down to my full height, I waited, my finger tense upon the trigger. The other men the Sunday editor, Tris Coffin, the education editor, the photographer and the publicity man moved back out of range. The room was ominously silent. That's when Kelo made his move.

His hand darted like lightning to his low-slung holster and a click rent the air! A split second later I made my move. Click! By KOBERT E. STANSFIELD I can still remember the day I drew against the fastest gun-slinger in Western television (it was last Wednesday). That's when I looked into the muzzle of a .45 held by a man who can draw and shoot in .12 of a second. It was just about high noon when the strangers came to town.

That's lunehtime in these parts and we don't take kindly to strangers busting into lunch-hours. There were three of them. They had just ridden in from the neighboring territory on the trail of some television writers they suspected of rustling copy into the composing room. They said they were Trla Oof-fin, the captain of the Arizona Rangers in the filmed "26 Men" series (7 p.m., Sundays Ch 3); Kelo Henderson, the gun-slinging second lead on the program, and a publicity man from the sponsor's agency. Tris Coffin is a six-foot, greying western actor seen in countless western and eastern TV shows and movies.

He wore a small mustache, a sombrero and a pedigreed three-quarter coat He is the outfit's crack speedster rifleman and he smiled disarm-ingly. I eyed him narrowly. Kelo Henderson was a rugged six-foot two feller in dungarees, wide brimmed Stetson and boots. He was packing two .45 and a custom made double gun-belt in his traveling case. Later he unpacked them.

He twirled his guns, tossed them backward over his shoulder, put them through the famous "border switch" a couple of times and dropped them back into his holsters. I eyed him narrowly. When I first met him face-to- JUST A SUGGESTION. Two visitors from Western television, actors Tris Coffin (left) and Kelo Henderson (right) of the "26 Men" series, visited The Courant composing room a few days ago and suggested to veteran compositor Moses Cohan that it might be nice to mention "26 Men" (Sundays, 7 p.m. Ch.

3) in TV Week. Cohan, an easy man to get along with, was happy to oblige. Those things at the sides of his head are (Cou- rant Photo Claude Offenbach). 4 -J'- iff i a his cousin. His wife is the former Vera Duke, once a nationally-known model.

Coffin has played in such films as "Lady in the Dark," "Back from Eternity" and "The Man In the Grey Flannel Suit." In television he has appeared in "Wyatt Earp," "Lone Ranger," "Cisco Kid," "Kit Carson" and "Wild Bill Hickok," among many others. Kelo Henderson, like Coffin, is a true son of the West. He was born on a dairy farm in Pueblo, and has been riding all his life. When producer Russell Haydon tapped him for a role in "26 Men," he was foreman of a horse and cattle ranch in the California Sierras. Henderson ascribes his phenomenal marksmanship and gun manipulation to the tutelage of his father.

Years of practice brought him to the point where he can draw in .12 of a second a feat that put him in con TECHNICIANS ARE NEEDED Mm to 60! Train now pifflon; or for a business of i.iii in. 1 1 1 A i- stant demand for exhibitions. It eventually led him to the role of Ranger Travis in the Arizona series. Although he had had no previous acting experience, he says of his new career, "I took to it naturally," and he loves it He is the father of two boys and has taught the older one, who is 9, a good many of his gun tricks. "The boy can draw in .35 of a second," he says proudly.

Television's "Wyatt Earp," he contends, drew in .38 of a second. Coffin and Henderson have filmed 26 epis(des, 12 of which have already been released. These, as well as the 26 more to be started at the end of the month, are made on actual location in Arizona. The company shoots two episodes a week, which is par for the' course on this type of half hour western. The series is currently being shown over 158 stations.

and SERVICEMEN EVERYWHERE for a highly-skilled, well-paid your own. "LEARN-BY-DOING." nmiin- Vje VjL hi MauuMu alilTnl ii Kelo eyed me narrowly. Although my click might have torn a nasty hole in the floor, he had out-clicked me again and he knew it. So haul me off to Boot Hill, pardner. I'm heading for that big copy desk in the sky.

I don't say the Ranger didn't want to risk his life against me a third time. All I say is that not long after this episode, the whole three of them strangers got out of town real quick. Last I heard they were heading for Albany, N.Y., and hoping 10 make Phoenix, by Jan. 27. That's when they start "shooting" 26 more films for "26 Men." The "26 Men" stories, fast-growing in popularity in this area, are based on actual fact.

In 1901, N. Oakes Murphy, the Arizona territorial governor (Arizona was admitted to the Union in 1912) and the territorial legislature created the Arizona Rangers to curb rising lawlessness. Rangers were outfitted at their own expense and were paid $50 a month. Their number was not to exceed 26. (Four of the real Rangers are still alive and often help to authenticate the series' TV scripts).

Before their dissolution in 1909 (political maneuvering was blamed), the Rangers had three captains. The second one, who served for five years from 1902, was Capt. Thomas Harbo Ityn-ning. This is the character portrayed on television by Tris Coffin. Coffin, who is reputed to operate a repeating rifle faster than a machine gun, is a native Westerner (Utah) who came east, studied at the Leland Powers School of acting in Boston, later taught there, then went into radio, movies and television.

His mother was Elizabeth Christie, a well known San Francisco actress. The late poet, Robert P. Tristram Coffin was Oriental Hugs And Broadloom Carpet FOR THK VKRT BFST TV QUALITY AM) SKRVK'H SEE OMARTIAN BROS, in cm Roi 1-1231 HAD 10 eiECTROMCS TELEVISION DAY COURSE: Electronics Technician fK'nfl of rtondord Wronk dtnut, Tivuloii ond radio rtlvi color TV. frequency modulation circuit. EVENING COURSE: Electronics Technician-Aide two ovoningt wk can toacH you wvicmo; with dnwoom theory, laboratory protfic.

"l.orn-by -Doing." I is hi "7 b. ENROLL NOW I Pay on aty trms; limited onrollnWl, I'M ploc-wont sonic; approved for veterans, laboratory work in conjunction with yowr clamoom itudy. Com In, phone, or writ tor free NEW CLASSES start MARCH 17th fcAE wLJ- Li mimiM mum 'ill' RANGERS IN ACTION. Here are Kelo Henderson (left) and Tris Coffin, the leads in the "26 Men" series about the Arizona Rangers of 1902-07, as they appear in one of their popular episodes. Coffin, a cousin the late poet, Robert P.

Tristram Coffin, plays the Ranger captain and Henderson is Ranger Travis. TH Courertt TV Week. Jan. 2. I9SI INOIMi we have moved to our new location opposite the railroad sta tion and interstate litis terminal.

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