Tales of the Texas Rangers was a western radio drama that strayed from its genre by focusing on modern crimes that took place in Texas between 1928-1948 rather than being set in the 1800s like most Westerns of the time. Modeled after the successful Dragnet program, this police drama employed sophisticated scientific techniques to track down and apprehend criminals. Based on the real-life Texas Ranger Division, which was initially formed in 1823 by Stephen Austin and now consists of 150 commissioned officers, the show aimed to provide realistic and accurate portrayals of the Rangers' work.

The series ran on the NBC radio network from July 8, 1950, until September 14, 1952, with 95 episodes and one audition episode. It was produced and directed by Stacy Keach Sr., who enlisted real-life Texas Ranger Captain Manuel "Lone Wolf" Gonzaullas as an advisor. Actor Joel McCrea starred as Texas Ranger Jace Pearson in the radio show, which later moved to television from 1955-1958 with Willard Parker taking over the role. The TV version of the show was not limited to a contemporary timeframe and could jump from the 1840s to the 1950s from week to week. Additionally, 22 comic books about the Texas Rangers were published from 1952 until 1959, depicting either McCrea or Parker on the cover.

Sources: archive.org, wikipedia.org, otrcat.com