Luke Slaughter of Tombstone began broadcasting on February 23, 1958, with Buffington playing the title character. He portrayed a Civil War cavalryman, who after the war becomes a cattleman in Arizona. The nationally heard program began five minutes after the hour, following a short CBS News break. It was one of three western series broadcast by CBS on Sunday afternoons. The program ran twenty-five minutes per episode, including commercials. The first episode had Slaughter drive a herd of cattle from Texas to Tombstone, while the second had him dealing with renegade lawmen who were after the proceeds from the cattle sale.
