A Look Back at the Famed Life and Tragic Death of TV's 'F Troop' Star Melody Patterson

Photo byClassic TV Preservation Society

Actress Melody Patterson, who died at only 66 in 2015, found fame as eagle-eye shootist Wrangler Jane on ABC TV's 1965-67 military-geared sitcom F Troop, which also starred Ken Berry, Larry Storch and Forrest Tucker.

Patterson, a native of Inglewood, CA., had succombed to multiple organ failure at Point Lookout Nursing & Rehab in Hollister, Mo. According to Home Town Daily News, she had not been in the best of health after breaking her back a few years before.

A Closer Look

F Troop was set in an Army fort on the Western frontier after the Civil War, ran on ABC for just two seasons, from September 1965 to April 1967, but was a big hit in syndication for decades after that.

In early 1965, before her success on F Troop, Melody Patterson had an uncredited role as a dancer in the movie adaptation of Bye Bye Birdie. She attended the Hollywood Professional School in the ninth grade, went on to Downey High School and then shoot the F Troop pilot while on Christmas vacation.

In effect, Patterson auditioned to play Wrangler Jane when she was only 15, though she told producers she three years older. By the time producers became aware she was not of legal working age, the series was already on the air and faring well in the ratings.

The character of Jane operated the trading post in town, and had a crush on Ken Berry's inept Captain Wilton Parmenter, but was reticent about letting him know her true feelings.

In real life, from 1970 to 1975, Patterson was married three times. First, to Hawaii Five-O star James MacArthur, the adopted son of acclaimed actress Helen Hayes. Patterson had performed with MacArthur in the 1968 feature film The Angry Breed, and in three guest-star appearances on Hawaii Five-O. Her subsequent husbands were Robert Seaton (1976-1998) and Vern Miller (1998 to 2015),

Following the demise of F Troop, Patterson performed a show on Armed Forces Radio for troops in Vietnam and was featured in the 1969 movie, The Cycle Savages (1969), which also starred Bruce Dern (playing a bike gang leader of the pack).

Posters for the film, which executive produced by radio icon Casey Kasem, said: “Hot steel between their legs … the wildest bunch on wheels.”

Conclusion

Along with beloved TV stars of other classic sitcoms (i.e. Elizabeth Macrea of Gomer Pyle, USMC), Melody Patterson amassed a significant following of fans who will forever cherish her performances.