The Six Shooter

The Six Shooter brought James Stewart to the NBC microphone on September 20, 1953, in a memorable series of folksy Western adventures. Stewart was never better on the air than in this drama, starring as Britt Ponset, a frontier drifter, created by Frank Burt. The introduction to each show set it up nicely: “The man in the saddle is angular and long-legged: his skin is sun dyed brown. The gun in his holster is gray steel and rainbow mother-of-pearl. People call them both The Six Shooter.” Ponset was a wanderer, an easy-going gentleman and — when he had to be — a gunfighter. Episodes ranged from straight western drama to whimsical comedy. A trademark of the show was Stewart’s use of whispered narration during tense scenes that created a heightened sense of drama and relief when the situation was resolved. James Stewart played the role to perfection, we can’t picture anyone else playing “The Six Shooter”!