JOHNNY RINGO TV CAST - AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED PHOTOGRAPH CO-SIGNED BY: DON DURANT, KAREN SHARPE - HFSID 300366

JOHNNY RINGO TV CAST: DON DURANT and KAREN SHARPE
Durant, signing as himself and as Ringo, stands beside Sharpe, astride a horse.
Photograph Signed: "Don Durant/'Johnny Ringo'", "Karen Sharpe". B/w, 8x10. The real-life Johnny Ringo (1850-1882) was an outlaw, suspected in the murder of Wyatt Earp's brother Morgan, and possibly killed by an Earp ally in what was ruled a suicide. CBS turned Ringo into a reformed gunslinger turned sheriff in the series Johnny Ringo (1959-1960). The show drew good ratings against strong time slot competition from The Real McCoys, but was dropped because CBS's sponsors wanted more sitcoms and fewer Westerns. DON DURANT (1932-2005) starred in the title role. He appeared in many guest spots before (State Trooper, Maverick) and after (Perry Mason, Twilight Zone) his stint as Ringo. (He had auditioned for the part of Bart Maverick, but ended up in one episode of that show as a singing bad guy.) Durant was legitimately a singer, performing with Ray Anthony's orchestra and as an opening show at the Sands and Sahara in Las Vegas. He also tutored actors in riding and shooting. He retired from performance in the mid-1960s, becoming a millionaire with canny investments. KAREN SHARPE (b. 1934) played Ringo's girlfriend on the show. She had earned a Golden Globe as Best New Female Star for her performance in The High and the Mighty (1954), and had a major role in Robert Mitchum's film Laramie the next year. Like Durant, she made many TV guest spots. She was married to director Stanley Kramer from 1964 until his death in 2001. Ink note (unknown hand) on verso. Otherwise, fine condition.