 Also seen occasionally was Andrew, the Varner family's butler/chauffeur; Sheriff Harve Anders, the local sheriff for the county in which Frenchman's Bend is located; Judge Armistid, the community's judge; and Dr. Aaron Clark, the Varner family's physician.Created by Dean Riesner, "The Long Hot Summer" was based on the novel "The Hamlet" by William Faulkner, the short story "Barn Burning", and the 1958 film of the same name.The show retained the movie's theme song, "The Long, Hot Summer," written by Sammy Cahn and Alex North, and Jimmie
Rodgers sang it for the series just as he did for the film.