Tumbling Tumbleweeds: My Favorite TV Western Shows
By Jay de Leon
As a very young kid in the Philippines, I went through a “Westerns” reading phase. I remember reading the Lone Ranger series, the Zane Grey books, the Max Brand pocketbooks and some Louie L’Amour books. I even subscribed to a Western magazine. At one time, I made a personal scrap book of pictures of Western guns—revolvers, rifles and Gatling guns.
While I was recently writing some articles about martial arts movies and actors, I kept running into articles about TV shows, including westerns. This stirred a feeling of nostalgia for me about the TV western shows I used to watch. So I thought I would write about a few of them.
Now mind you, this is purely subjective, and I am not claiming that these were the best TV western shows ever. Just like love songs, they are simply evocative of a time when I turned to them for comfort, entertainment and sheer enjoyment.
WILD WILD WEST (1965-1969)
Starring Robert Conrad and Ross Martin
Robert Conrad (right) and Ross Martin in “The
Wild Wild West.” |
Riding on the post-James Bond spy craze, The Wild Wild West featured the adventures of James West (Robert Conrad) and Artemus Gordon (Ross Martin), Secret Service agents working for President Ulysses S. Grant. True to the James Bond formula, the plots were creative, the gadgetry was entertaining, the villains were unforgettable and the martial arts was the icing on the cake.
Villains included the diminutive Dr. Miguelito Loveless (Michael Dunn), and the giant actor Richard Kiel. No other TV series since or even the recent movie of the same name with actor Will Smith has captured that rare mix of old-time movie serials and modern-day stylings.
LARAMIE (1959-1963)
Starring Robert Fuller and John Smith
Robert Fuller (right) and John Smith
in “Laramie.” |
In Laramie, Robert Fuller plays a drifter who helps John Smith run his ranch. I remember staying up late to watch this show. This was probably my Western fix at that time, as I liked both characters and the action in the show. This was the show that brought Robert Fuller to public attention, and he went on from this series to Wagon Train, and on to other series.
THE LONE RANGER (1949-1957)
Starring Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheel
Clayton Moore as “The Lone Ranger”with his famous horse, “Silver” forever immortalized in
his cry “Hiyo, Silver, away.” |
This TV series was the first Western I ever watched as a child. It was in black and white. I remember I was enthralled by the series, because I had also read the series of Lone Ranger books. I also remember watching feature length films and reading comic books based on the TV series.
The Lone Ranger is a treasure trove of background stories and trivia questions. For example, Jay Silverheel portrays an Indian (Tonto) in the series, and was a real Indian himself, but which tribe? Answer : Tonto was a Comanche, and Jay Silverheel was Mohawk. Here is a trivia question for you : What is the connection between The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet?
HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL (1957-1963)
Starring Richard Boone
Richard Boone as “Paladin”
in “Have Gun, Will Travel.” |
Paladin was a hired gun who lived in San Francisco. The title of the show is what his calling card advertises. With each episode, he would get a wire requesting his services, and off he would go on another adventure. Predictably, there would be the requisite action and shoot-outs.
Richard Boone as “Paladin”
in “Have Gun, Will Travel.” |
But I remember liking this show for two reasons. One was the fact that Paladin was sort of a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. When he was home in San Francisco, which was the Hotel Carlton, he was an intellectual and a bon vivant, a connoisseur of the arts, fine food, clothes, cigars, brandy, gambling and women. Once he got that wire, he changed to his killer persona and his all-black killer attire, with a silver chess-knight on his holster.
The other reason was the occasional psychological twists in its plots (like an O. Henry short story). For example, it might turn out that Paladin’s client was the bad guy, and in the end Paladin would have to slap leather with him in the interest of truth and justice, for after all, he was a Paladin, a principled gun for hire.
WANTED : DEAD OR ALIVE (1958-1961)
Starring Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen as “Josh Randall” in “Wanted: Dead or Alive” with his famous gun. |
I watched this show for two reasons—Steve McQueen and his gun. Steve McQueen is one of my all time cinematic tough guys. In the series, he plays Josh Randall, a bounty hunter, and packs a gun that is really a sawed off shotgun called a Mares Laig.
Steve McQueen went on to become a huge Hollywood star with movies like Bullitt, The Great Escape, The Getaway, and The Thomas Crowne Affair.
THE REBEL (1959-1961)
Starring Nick Adams |
Nick Adams in “The Rebel” |
The Rebel was the story of a young ex-Confederate soldier, Johnny Yuma (Adams), an angry young man roaming the West at the end of the Civil War in search of inner peace. He still wore parts of his uniform, kept a journal, and packed a sawed-off, double-barreled shotgun.
This Western series is considered by some to be a cult classic, and is also remembered for its trademark theme song which was sung by Johnny Cash and is known as one of the best theme songs ever written for television. Nick Adams committed suicide under mysterious circumstances on February 7, 1968.
MAVERICK (1957-1962)
Starring James Garner, Jack Kelly and Roger Moore
James Garner (right and Jack Kelly
Star as brothers Bret and Bart
Maverick in “Maverick.” |
I remember that this show aired on Sunday evening, and it was somewhat of a family practice to watch it. It was lighthearted fare, with some lovable rogues in it. James Garner and Jack Kelly starred as the brothers Maverick who were card sharks more likely to avoid gunfights than be in the middle of one.
The combination of traditional Western adventure and humor generated by these two lovable rogues made the show a hit. In 1994, a movie version of Maverick was made with original star James Garner, Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster.
THE RIFLEMAN (1958-1963)
Starring Chuck Connors and Johnny Crawford
Chuck Connors (right) and
Johnny Crawford in “The Rifleman.” |
Chuck Connors played widower Lucas McCain who never wore wear a sidearm but instead carried a trick rifle, a modified Winchester with an enlarged trigger guard. And when he cocked his rifle by twirling it, you knew he meant business. His skill as The Rifleman served him well, as he was often asked by the town marshall, Micah Torrence, to help maintain justice.
Part of the appeal of this series was its familial atmosphere, since many of the plots revolved around Lucas McCain trying to raise his young son Mark, played by Johnny Crawford, into manhood. Kevin Joseph “Chuck” Connors stood at 6’5” and was a former professional athlete, a basketball player with the Boston Celtics and a baseball player with the Brooklyn Dodgers. After this series, he went on to a long and successful career in television and the movies. This series also launched Johnny Crawford’s long acting career, as well as several other careers including a professional rodeo circuit rider and a record singer and band leader.
THE HIGH CHAPARRAL (1967-1971)
Starring Linda Cristal, Cameron Mitchell, Leif Erickson, Henry Darrow and Mark Slade
The crew of “The High Chaparral”
The High Chaparral was actually the name of the ranch owned and operated by the Cannon family in the Arizona Territory during the 1870’s. The family consisted of patriarch Big John Cannon (Erickson), younger brother Buck (Mitchell), son Billy (Slade), wife Victoria Montoya (Cristal) and Victoria’s brother Manolito (Darrow).
It was a grittier and more emotionally involving version of life at the ranch than say, Bonanza. Several of the crew members of this show were stars in their own rights. Linda Cristal actually won Best Actress in a TV series. Cameron Mitchell and Leif Erickson were veteran film actors, while Henry Darrow guest starred in numerous TV series. During its time, The High Chaparral was the top-rated show imported in Europe.
THE BIG VALLEY (1965-1969)
Starring Barbara Stanwyck, Linda Evans, Richard Long, Peter Breck, Lee Majors.
The cast of “The Big Valley.”
Set in the 1870’s, The Big Valley is the story of Stockton’s richest and most powerful family in California’s gorgeous San Joaquin Valley, the Barkley’s. The Barkley’s consisted of the family matriarch and widow Victoria Barkley (Stanwyck), her two sons Jarrod (Long) and Nick (Breck), daughter Audra (Evans) and step-son Heath (Majors).
The family members share the usual familial joys and tribulations, as well as band together to fight the usual assortment of varmints of the west including squatters, bank robbers, kidnappers, and horse thieves.
LONESOME DOVE (Mini-series, 1989)
Starring Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Anjelica Huston, Robert Urich, Danny Glover, Rick Schroder
Robert Duvall (left) and Tommy Lee Jones
in “Lonesome Dove” miniseries. |
Lonesome Dove was an eight-hour miniseries based on Larry McMurty’s Pulitzer prize-winning novel about the American West, Texas history and cowboy adventure. Set in the 1800’s, it is a sweeping tale about two former Texas Rangers (Duvall and Jones) recruited by another former Texas Ranger (Urich) to drive a herd of stolen cattle and horses thousands of miles north of Texas to the “promised land.”
Angelica Huston provides the emotional entanglement between the two men. This series had superior story-telling, superb acting and beautiful cinematography—a true Western yarn.
I realize there were bigger, longer running and more popular TV Western shows, like Gunsmoke and Bonanza. Some of them I only saw in reruns, and by that time, my appetite for Westerns had probably waned a little bit. Part of it is probably due to taste, either the individual actors or even the story lines. Either way, Westerns will always be part of the cinematic landscape, and my TVLand memories.
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