I always thought Melody Patterson would be the last survivor of the show, as a woman and as the youngest. Pity. Wish she could have made it to some 50th anniversary celebration of the show's premiere, which would have been this fall season.
So I guess the only surviving cast members at this point are Ken Berry, Larry Storch and James Hampton.
Even as a kid, I liked Wrangler Jane; I was about 10 years old when "F Troop" premiered.
Going on 50 years later (!), I admit that when watching "F Troop" my heart always goes pit-a-pat when I hear that "Buttons and Bows" theme that accompanies Melody's entrances.
Wrangler Jane is a remarkably strong supporting character: an independent, accomplished woman with an active libido, but self-respecting. In the Western tradition, maybe, like Miss Kitty from "Gunsmoke".
Anyway, Wrangler isn't meant to be a "femme fatale" or even a "bad girl". Melody found just the right approach; her Wrangler Jane was lively and funny, and Wrangler's unabashedly red-blooded romantic spirit was most charming of all.
RIP, Melody.
I just learned about it and you're right, it is surprising. Mid 60's is not old anymore.
shareMelody did a marvellous job with the character of Wrangler. Everybody I know loved her. She and O'Rourke so often played the straight roles and were perfect foils to the mayhem going on around them in "F-Troop". I always loved Wrangler's sledgehammer wit- "What are you doing tonight, Jane?" " Oh nothing, just sitting around in my Wedding Dress , waiting for that knucklehead in the Captain's uniform to show up!" Her riding always impressed me - as the story goes that she did a crash weekend course for the series. She was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful actresses of the 60s.F-troop will forever be her legacy, RIP Melody.
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