Small Screen Sagebrush: the TV Western thread

Wagon Train
s8 e10
"The Richard Bloodgood Story"
Directed by Joseph Pevney
Written by Leonard Praskins

A mysterious blind man, along with his Indian servant, joins the train and slowly makes it known that he intends to kill trail scout Cooper Smith

A classic but uncharacteristically noirish WT episode, emphasizing eerie paranoia and even featuring some expressionistic flashbacks. Highlighted by moody photography -- the shot where shadows cover the blind Bloodgood's eyes is especially well done.

Two excellent guest stars in Guy Stockwell and William Smith. This may be Robert Fuller's best episode. He wasn't a very strong actor, but this script gives him the opportunity to exercise his greatest talent -- brooding.

Robert Fuller as scout Cooper Smith in Wagon Train



Guy Stockwell as the mysterious Richard Bloodgood

 

Have Gun Will Travel
"The Great Mojave Chase"
s1 e3
Directed by Andrew McLaglen
Written by Gene Roddenberry

Paladin enters a desert race to free a town from a water-monopolizing land baron, and plans to win by riding a rather exotic animal.

Early classic episode, showing what would be a series-long interest in eccentric storylines, as well as introducing a new writing talent in Roddenberry -- he would establish his name in the industry via his work on HGWT. The central idea would later be used by Ride The High Country and Hawps - was this its first time out?

Lawrence Dobkin scores as the heavy, although Claude Akins is kind of wasted as his henchman.

 

I caught part of an episode of The Virginian yesterday with Barbara Eden in it filmed in 64. She was the high point of the show.

 

A curious photo, as the stars worked for different studios in programs on different networks.

Warners meets Ziv -- an early example of inter-studio ecumenism.

 

Have Gun Will Travel
"The Hanging Cross"
s1 e15
Directed by Andrew McLaglen
Written by Gene Roddenberry

On Christmas Eve Paladin works to reunite a cruel rancher and his son who had been captured by Indians, and at the same time avoid an Indian war.

The kindest, gentlest Paladin of all. Roddenberry's script makes Paladin his mouthpiece for Peace on Earth sentiments, which would seem wildly out of place in any other episode. Edward Binns is the rancher, Johnny Crawford his son, Abraham Sofaer the Indian chief.

 

Picture Show (A thread for interesting photos from the world of movies and TV)*

 

Just noticed this thread. Diane Brewster's outwardly sweet and charming, yet conniving and untrustworthy Samantha Crawford (Cheyenne, then Maverick) is my favorite guest character in a TV western. Hell, SC might be my favorite TV-western character, period.

 

Four of us (or whatever the count is).

Funny thing, I saw these on re-runs, as I wasn't even born until '73. I only recall Pete Duel in the show. Maybe I had only seen the first season. I don't know; I was maybe 6 years old when I was watching this. At any rate, it had an impact on me.

 

Zane Grey Theater
"Until the Man Dies"
s1 e17
Directed by John English
Written by Harold Shumate and Aaron Spelling

John Payne ... Clint Belmet
Carolyn Jones ... Ella Clanton
Stuart Whitman ... Dave Jordan

Clint Belmet stops a lynching. He wants to prove that Nevada is a place of law and order and worthy of statehood. But is it worth the cost?

Solid cast and a well done script w/a not bad twist ending. Payne may have done this episode as a run-through for his soon-to-follow series Restless Gun.

 

Zane Grey Theater
"A Threat of Violence"
s2 e28
Directed by Robert Gordon
Written by John McGreevey

Cesar Romero ... Carlos Gandara
Lyle Bettger ... Sheriff Griff Evans
Chris Alcaide ... Henry C. 'Clay' Culhane

Lawyer Clay Culhane doesn't get the job with the mining company that he was first promised, after they learn he was once a famous gunfighter. But he soon finds a new client, a Mexican rancher friend who is accused of killing the man who he believes stole his land from him.

Pilot for the series Black Saddle, with the lead played not by Peter Breck but beefy Chris Alcaide. Alcaide was one of the busiest TV heavies of the era -- he seemed to guest on The Rifleman every other week -- and he makes the most of a rare sympathetic role. Too bad he never got a chance at a series.

Two fine guest stars in Romero and Bettger (though the latter is kind of wasted here) as well as a classic twist ending worthy of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Chris Alcaide





Chris Alcaide - The Rifleman

Chris Alcaide

In 1948, Alcaide married Georgia Sarkisian, briefly becoming the step-father of her young daughter Cher, before their 1949 divorce.​

 

Nichols' last episode. This offbeat western w/James Garner (his favorite TV series, FWIW) failed to get big ratings. The producers decided it was b/c the lead character was too laid back, so they took a drastic & unprecedented step to revamp the show (1972)

Spoiler

 

Maverick - "Hadley's Hunters" (1960)

Classic scene w/cameos from

Spoiler

Warners TV stars: John Russell & Peter Brown (Lawman); Will Hutchins (Sugarfoot); Clint Walker (Cheyenne,); Ty Hardin (Bronco); Edd "Kookie" Byrnes (77 Sunset Strip).

 

I had a video production class in college in the late '80s, and we used this episode of Gunsmoke for an editing project. We had a 3/4" U-Matic tape with all kinds of footage, which we had to assemble into one scene.

 

When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion

A TV Western Reunion of all the TV Western Stars from the 50s, 60s, & 70s hosted by Glenn Ford in a Western Saloon Set.​

 

Zane Grey Theater
"Sundown at Bitter Creek"
s2 e19
Directed by Robert Florey
Written by Aaron Spelling

A gunslinger is condemned to wander the West and die every day in a gunfight at sundown.

Flying Dutchman-inspired story, a very rare example of a TV western w/supernatural overtones, and pre-Twilight Zone to boot.

Also notable for its cast: Dick Powell, sad-eyed Cathy O'Donnell, a pre-Rebel Nick Adams, Jeanne Cooper (a fixture in TV oaters), young Peter Breck, and in a rare TV acting role, Tex Ritter as The Balladeer.

 

Zane Grey Theater
"The Loner"
S3 E22
Written by Aaron Spelling

Johnny Ringo: I never killed a man for money. Never.

Cason Thomas: Sorry, Johnny. You hear stories.

Johnny Ringo: You ever face a man, Case, knowing you were the last person he was ever going to see before he died? Not his wife, not his kids, but you... A man ought to be surrounded with love when he dies.

Cason Thomas: What started it, son?

Johnny Ringo: I don't know, it just grew. First time you felt like a big man, everybody congratulating you... Then you try it again, just to see how good you really are. One day you find you're like a turkey in a shoot. Everybody wants to try their luck. You can't stop it. You wanna, but you can't. You run, they catch you. You hide, they find you. Sometimes you think it'd be better to lose. Be a little slower and get it over with. You think so, but you just can't slow down that hand. It's not even a part of you. It's learned its job too well.

 

Gunsmoke
"Bloody Hands"
s2 e21
Directed by Andrew Mclaglen
Written by John Meston

Matt is forced to kill three men in the line of duty. Appalled by what he has done, he takes off his badge and leaves Dodge. But outlaws are coming to town...

Most of the half-hour Gunsmoke scripts were taken from the radio series, and this classic is no exception. The highlight is the speech writer Meston gives Chester in the final scene, pleading with Matt to put his badge back on, because he's the only man who can do the job.

Spoiler

The episode actually ends before we see the situation with the outlaws resolved, a very unusual climax for a TV show of the era, or really any era. TV does not like loose ends.

Mclaglen's direction has some nice noirish shots in the jail scenes, but it's that closing speech you remember, one of the high points of the series.

Chester Goode: I been thinkin' lately a whole lot about all this and there's just somethin' that you been forgettin'!

Marshal Matt Dillon: That so.

Chester Goode: Yeah, that's so. It's men like Stanger and Brand, 'cause they got to be stopped! That's all. They gotta be! I'd do it if I could, but I can't. I just ain't good enough. Most men ain't, but you are. It's kinda too bad for ya that ya are, but that's the way it is and there ain't a thing in the world you can do about it.

Chester pleads with Matt to put his badge -- and his guns -- back on

 

The Virginian
"Holocaust "
s8 e17
Directed by Jeannot Szwarc
Written by Robert Van Scoyk

When the bottom falls out of the cattle market, a buyer for an Eastern combine sets in motion a series of events that lead to the burning of Shiloh.

An often noirishly dark script and fine guest cast highlight one of my favorite Virginian episodes. Features a great villain in Tony Franciosa as the Eastern cattle buyer. Franciosa's casting is curious -- he was a star of The Name of the Game at the time. My guess is he had missed a NotG episode and owed Universal a commitment, which the studio used here. The next season Franciosa would leave NotG after three episodes. Whether he was fired or quit remains unclear

In the house dance epilogue, Jean Peloquin (a he -- he plays a ranch hand) sings a country song called "I'm in Heaven Before My Time". He released at least one record:

Jean Peloquin - Hand Me Down Heart

 

I'm surprised no-one's mentioned High Chaparral. Maybe it wasn't big in the US. In Sweden it was very popular and I remember being glued to the TV every Saturday evening. The only character I do remember now was Manolito and (I think) his sister who was married to the ranch owner.

 

Preferred Fuller to Horton. Though Robert Horton was a pretty big ( tv) star.

 

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood ( 2019)is using Lancer as a inspiration source.

 

That was my last favourite TV western, and it was in Color.

 

It was overshadowed by producer David Dortort's other western, a little thing called Bonanza.