You’ve seen him. The guy in the black derby hat with the gold-headed cane. He didn't look like your typical dusty, sweat-stained cowpoke. Honestly, he looked more like he was headed to a high-stakes gala at a Broadway theater than a shootout in a Kansas saloon.
If you grew up with a TV in the late fifties, you know exactly who I’m talking about. But for everyone else asking who played Bat Masterson in the TV series, the answer is the impeccably dapper Gene Barry.
Barry wasn't just another actor in a saddle. He brought a specific kind of urbanity to the Wild West that hadn't really been seen before. The show ran on NBC from 1958 to 1961, and while it only lasted three seasons, it left a massive dent in pop culture.
The Man Behind the Derby
Gene Barry almost didn't take the job. Seriously. At the time, he was trying to make it as a serious film actor. He’d already starred in the 1953 sci-fi classic The War of the Worlds, and he was worried that doing a TV Western would be a step backward. He told producers he wasn't interested in playing "just another cowboy."
Then he saw the wardrobe.
When Barry realized Bat Masterson wasn't going to be wearing buckskin and spurs, his mind changed. The real-life Bartholomew "Bat" Masterson was a bit of a dandy himself. He was a buffalo hunter, a scout, and a lawman, but he eventually became a sports writer in New York City. The TV version leaned heavily into that "gentleman" persona.
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Barry walked into the wardrobe department, saw the brocaded vest, the custom-tailored suit, and that iconic cane. He reportedly looked in the mirror and said, "That's Bat! That's me!"
Why the Cane?
In the show, the cane was a weapon. Masterson used it to crack skulls and disarm outlaws without always having to reach for his Colt .45. It even had a hidden sword in some episodes, though that was more of a TV gimmick than a historical fact.
The real story of the cane is a bit grittier. The actual Bat Masterson was shot in the pelvis during a gunfight in Sweetwater, Texas, back in 1876. He used a cane for support while he recovered, and it eventually just became part of his look. Gene Barry turned that necessity into a trademark of cool.
Not the Only Bat in Town
While Gene Barry is the name everyone remembers, he wasn't actually the only person to play the character during that era. This is where things get kinda confusing for trivia buffs.
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- Mason Alan Dinehart: He played a recurring version of Bat Masterson over on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (starring Hugh O'Brian) between 1955 and 1959.
- The Conflict: For a while, there were actually two different actors playing the same historical figure on two different networks at the same time.
- The Difference: Dinehart’s Bat was more of a sidekick to Wyatt Earp. Gene Barry’s Bat was the undisputed star of his own show.
Barry's portrayal was so dominant that even decades later, he was the one people called. He actually reprised the role in the 1990s—first in an episode of Guns of Paradise and then in the TV movie The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw. Seeing him back in the derby at age 70 was a huge moment for fans of the original series.
A Show That Broke the Mold
Most Westerns of the 1950s followed a very strict "Good Guy vs. Bad Guy" formula. Bat Masterson was different because the protagonist was a "sporting man." He was a gambler. He was a ladies' man.
Basically, he was the James Bond of the prairie.
The show was produced by Ziv Television Productions and was loosely—and I mean loosely—based on a biography by Richard O'Connor. They wanted accuracy, but they also wanted style. This led to a show that felt more like an adventure series than a traditional shoot-em-up.
The Supporting Players
Gene Barry was the only regular cast member. Every week, he’d roll into a new town, meet a new set of people, and solve a problem. This meant the guest star list was actually a "who's who" of future Hollywood legends.
You had Allison Hayes appearing in several episodes as Ellie Winters. You had character actors like Allen Jaffe and Ken Drake showing up repeatedly as different villains or townspeople. Because the show was so popular, it became a training ground for actors who would go on to lead their own series in the 60s and 70s.
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The Legacy of Gene Barry
Barry passed away in 2009 at the age of 90. He had a long, incredible career that included Burke’s Law and The Name of the Game, but he always knew Bat Masterson was his calling card.
He once remarked that every role he did after that show was basically "a guy who looked good in clothes." He embraced the typecasting because he knew he’d created something iconic.
If you want to dive deeper into the world of classic Westerns, your best bet is to check out the DVD collections released by TGG Direct, which cover all three seasons. Just be warned: the theme song—sung by Bill Lee—will get stuck in your head for days. "Day-dee-da-da... Bat Masterson!"
Actionable Insights for Fans:
- Streaming: Look for the show on specialized classic TV networks like MeTV or Grit, which often run marathons.
- Comparison: Watch an episode of The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp alongside an episode of Bat Masterson to see how differently Mason Alan Dinehart and Gene Barry handled the same character.
- Reading: If you want the real history, pick up a copy of Bat Masterson: The Life of a Frontier Legend by Robert K. DeArment. It's the gold standard for separating Barry's charm from the real man's grit.