It was on 20th September 1953, that Jimmy Stewart debuted as the easy-going frontier drifter, Britt Ponset, in the radio western "The Six Shooter" on NBC.

Jimmy Stewart was one of the most beloved actors in show business, and was born on May 20, 1908 in Indiana, Pennsylvania to parents who owned a hardware store. He had been expected to take over the business, but his dream was to have a career in aviation.

After graduating from Princeton University in 1932, he was convinced that he should continue his acting career, and in 1952, he starred in a Hollywood Star Playhouse episode called The Six Shooter - which led to him becoming the star of the NBC series.

The Six Shooter was a series of radio dramas based on the Texas cowboy who wandered through the western territories, leaving behind a trail of still-remembered legends, and was created and written by Frank Burt.

Some of the episodes were typical western drama, and some were actually quite comical. But whatever the scene, Jimmy Stewart was the perfect choice for the title character.

His distinctive voice made him a radio natural, and carried the show to popularity even though at that time, radio was somewhat past its peak with the onset of television. He could easily deliver any emotion with his voice - especially during the sometimes tense and precarious moments of a scene - and it has been said that he was never better on the air than in The Six Shooter.

It's such a shame that there was only one season of The Six Shooter, but all 40 episodes are available to listen to on RUSC.