Riding with Buffalo Bill

Riding with Buffalo Bill unfolds over fifteen cliffhanger chapters, presenting a highly fictionalized version of Bill Cody. Marshall Reed stars as Bill Cody, billed as The Riding' Terror, who arrives to rally drought-stricken ranchers against a local crime lord and his henchmen. Rick Vallin's Reb Morgan and his sister Ruth, played by Shirley Whitney, provide a family anchor, while Joanne Rio turns up as Maria Perez in mid-to-late chapters and Jack Ingram appears as the menacing Henchman Ace. The serial strings together mounted chases, staged shootouts and a lot of recycled action footage to keep episodes moving, prioritizing brisk action and straightforward heroism over historical detail. The episodes emphasize brisk action, repeated cliffhangers and tidy resolutions to satisfy weekly viewers.

Columbia Pictures released the fifteen-chapter serial in 1954, directed by serial filmmaker Spencer Gordon Bennet, from a George H. Plympton screenplay. Marshall Reed was promoted to the title role, and assistant director Leonard Katzman later became a notable television producer.

Like many B serials, it didn't generate widely reported grosses, so reliable box office figures aren't available. The serial format focused on weekly matinees and studio package returns rather than single big-screen receipts, making financial records sparse for historians today.

Riding with Buffalo Bill hasn't become a mainstream classic, but it interests serial collectors and Western completists. It's often cited for its reliance on stock footage and chapter cliffhangers, and for giving Marshall Reed exposure and an early credit to Leonard Katzman, whose later credits included Gunsmoke and Dallas respectively.

Contemporary reviews were limited and modern appraisals treat it as routine B-western serial fare, useful for its stunt work and brisk pacing. The story leans on themes of frontier justice, communal resistance to corruption and the archetype of a lone heroic rider who helps organize the ranchers against criminal power.