Cade's County starred well-known Hollywood actor Glenn Ford as Sam Cade, the sheriff of the fictional Madrid County, a vast and sparsely populated desert area that was apparently located well inland in the American Southwest. The state in which it was located was never mentioned; it could have been California, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico or Arizona. Cade made occasional references to going to "Capital City" for hearings and meetings. There is a town named Madrid, New Mexico, however, it is pronounced "MAD-rid", and is not a county seat. Cade's character was complex and interesting, though never fully developed. He came from a socially prominent and well-to-do family in the county, had served in the U.S. Navy as a fighter pilot — there was one reference to the Korean War — and had been an FBI agent, after which he returned to Madrid County to become sheriff. There were no references to a wife or close family in the series. His chief deputy was J. J. Jackson, portrayed by the character actorEdgar Buchanan. While Cade had traveled the world, and had modern law enforcement training, Jackson had apparently spent most of his life and career in Madrid County. Writers avoided the stereotypical combination of "resistant-to-change veteran" and "newly hatched expert" – Jackson was a capable and competent right-hand man, Cade firmly in control but trusted by his people, who called him "Sam". Together they fought to maintain law and order against violent miners, cattle thieves and other lawbreakers who, for the most part, would have seemed at home in Westerns set in any era. Cade usually drove a jeep, as many of the roads in his jurisdiction were apparently little more than tracks across the sand. Several of the characters, including some of Cade's deputies, were Native Americans. Another deputy was played by Ford's son, Pete. After summer hiatus, Cade's County was replaced in the 1972–1973 fall TV season by the hugely successful TV seriesM*A*S*H. Several episodes of Cade's County were released together in 1991 on VHS format under the title Sam Cade — Marshal of Madrid. A two-part episode, Slay Ride, was released as a television feature film, occasionally broadcast by independent television stations. The musical theme for the show was composed by Henry Mancini. The title music appeared in an expanded version in the albumBig Screen, Little Screen.
