Two Classic Series Hog Tied to Encore Westerns in 2006

Two Classic Series Hog Tied to Encore Westerns in 2006

Entire Run of 'Cimarron Strip' and 'The Rifleman' Join Westerns' Lineup

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Jan. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Stuart Whitman and Chuck Connors set the bad men straight on Encore Westerns in 2006. The channel will present the entire run of "Cimarron Strip" and "The Rifleman" beginning July and December, respectively. Both shows will each feature hosted segments, with Stuart Whitman handling "Cimarron Strip," while Johnny Crawford ("Mark McCain") talks about "The Rifleman." Each will reminisce about their show, talk about the actors they worked with, and about their life and experiences in Hollywood at that time.

"Cimarron Strip" began its one season run (23 episodes) in 1967 on CBS. Stuart Whitman starred as the tough, yet fair, "Marshal Jim Crown," who enforced the law in the strip of land lying between Kansas and Indian Territory. The land was filled with its share of killers, gamblers and bank robbers, and though Crown worked alone, he often depended on the local townsfolk for help. Unusual for its time, the series was shown in a 90-minute format (70 minutes without commercials for Encore Westerns). "Cimarron Strip" featured notable actors like Robert Duvall, Richard Farnsworth, John Saxon, Pat Hingle, Telly Savalas, Warren Oates, David Carradine, Richard Boone, Roy Barcroft, Joseph Cotton, Suzanne Pleshette, Harry Dean Stanton, Leslie Nielsen, Jack Elam, Broderick Crawford, Richard Anderson and Beau Bridges.

Who can forget Chuck Connors walking that dusty street cocking his Winchester rifle? "The Rifleman" ran from 1958-1963 on ABC. Connors played "Lucas McCain," a gruff but tender widower, who helps the lone sheriff (Paul Fix) maintain order in North Fork, New Mexico, while raising his young son played by Johnny Crawford. The series featured many legendary directors such as Sam Peckinpah, Richard Donner, Ida Lupino, and Budd Boetticher, as well as actors such as Dennis Hopper, R.G. Armstrong, James Drury, Dan Blocker (Hoss Cartwright), Robert Vaughn, Vic Morrow, James Coburn, John Carradine, Robert Culp, Agnes Moorehead, Martin Landau, Sammy Davis Jr., Lon Chaney Jr, and Lee Van Cleef. Encore Westerns will feature all 168 half-hour episodes.

"You can't be a Westerns fan and not love these two series," says Nancy Silverstone, vice president program acquisitions for SEG. "'Cimarron Strip' and 'The Rifleman' epitomize everything this channel is about -- bringing the West back into your living room seven days a week -- 365 days a year."

Encore Westerns takes you back to the American frontier. All Western all the time.

Starz Entertainment Group LLC (SEG) is the largest provider of premium movie services in the United States. SEG offers 13 digital movie channels including the flagship Starz(R) and Encore(R) channels with approximately 14 million and 25 million subscribers respectively. Starz Entertainment Group airs more than 750 movies per month across its pay TV channels and is a forerunner in offering its subscribers advanced services such as Starz HDTV, Starz On Demand(R) and Vongo(SM). Starz Entertainment Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation, www.starz.com.

Contacts: Steve Belgard Jonathan Taylor
Starz Entertainment Group The Lippin Group
(720) 852-5843 (323) 969-1990
steve.belgard@starz.comjtaylor@lippingroup.com

Source: Encore Westerns

CONTACT: Steve Belgard of Starz Entertainment Group, +1-720-852-5843,
steve.belgard@starz.com; or Jonathan Taylor of The Lippin Group,
+1-323-969-1990, jtaylor@lippingroup.com, both for Encore Westerns

Web site: http://www.starz.com/

NOTE TO EDITORS: Photos available upon request.

-------
Profile: intent