RIP Melody Patterson - a true Western rose.

Melody Patterson, a well known name to western fans, has died at the age of 66. The California-born actress was best known for her portrayal of the spirited Wrangler Jane in the 1965-67 ABC sitcom F Troop . Her passing was announced by her F Troop co-star Larry Storch, who posted Friday on his Facebook site: “It’s with a heavy heart that we can let you know our beloved Wrangler Jane, Melody Patterson passed away today. Our hearts are sad today. RIP Sweet Melody. We love you.”


F Troop was set at Fort Courage — a fictional United States Army outpost in the Old West—from just at the end of the American Civil War in 1865 to at least 1867. There is a town of the same name adjacent to the fort. Fort Courage was named for fictitious General Sam Courage (portrayed by Cliff Arquette), who has been in the Army for forty years The fort itself is in the stockade style stereo typically found in most American westerns.

Much of the humor of the series derives from the scheming of Captain Parmenter's somewhat crooked but amiable non-commissioned officers, Sergeant Morgan O'Rourke (Forrest Tucker) and Corporal Randolph Agarn (Larry Storch). They, in league with the local (fictitious) American Indian tribe, the Hekawis—led by Chief Wild Eagle (Frank de Kova), are forever seeking to expand and conceal their shady business deals covertly and collectively referred to as "O'Rourke Enterprises". Initially, rations and pay were drawn for 30 men at Fort Courage, even though only 17 are actually accounted for (the other 13, according to O'Rourke, are Indian scouts who only come to the fort at night and leave before dawn). The pay of the fictitious scouts is apparently used to help finance the dealings of O'Rourke Enterprises. Although O'Rourke and Agarn try to take full advantage of Captain Parmenter's innocence and naïveté, they are also very fond of and fiercely protective of him, and woe be to anyone attempting to harm him.

Following her time in F Troop Melody appeared in many other TV series and more recently wrote a regular column for Wildest Westerns Magazine. Her first  marriage was  to JamesMacArthur famed for playing Danno in the original Hawaii Five-O.

Patterson died in a nursing home on August 20, 2015, at age 66. Multiple organ failure was the reported cause.

 RIP sweet lady - below we have embedded a full episode of F Troop