Here are more top TV Westerns from ‘50s & ‘60s

In slots 7-9 on the list of “top 10” Western television series originating during the 1950s and 1960s, are: “Cheyenne,” “The Rifleman” and “The Big Valley.”

“‘Cheyenne’ (1955-63) told the story of Cheyenne Bodie, a kind-hearted cowboy wandering the Old West in the years following the American Civil War,” wrote TV critic Meagan Drillinger.

 

Joe Leydon of Cowboys & Indians magazine, said: “‘Cheyenne’ showcased Clint Walker in an irresistibly appealing portrayal of the title character, a broad-shouldered, good-humored cowboy who was raised by Cheyenne Indians (after losing his parents) and dedicated himself to doing good” in search of “frontier justice.”

 

Bodie was “an imposing but gentle cowboy,” wrote John Witiw of Movieweb.com. “Effectively a nomadic drifter, Cheyenne gets by, taking on various odd jobs and going on different adventures.” Cheyenne’s various occupations included: Army scout, deputy U.S. marshal, county sheriff, prospector, cattleman, hunter and city constable.

 

Clint Walker was born in Hartford, Ill. He dropped out of high school and joined the U.S. Merchant Marine at the age of 17. He worked an assortment of jobs as a factory hand, carnival roustabout, golf caddy, hotel doorman and security officer, before becoming an actor.

His first film role was in Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments” (1956) where Walker played the part of a Sardinian Captain of the Guard, positioned by the throne next to the Pharaoh (Yul Brynner).

 

“The Rifleman” (1958-63) revolved around the “trials and tribulations” faced by widowed rancher Lucas McCain (Chuck Connors), while raising his son Mark (Johnny Crawford) near the fictional North Fork in the New Mexico Territory during the 1880s, reported Meagan Drillinger.

Joe Leydon said: “Unfortunately, bad people just kept making their way to North Fork. And, even more unfortunately, Marshal Micah Torrance (Paul Fix) simply wasn’t up to the task of dealing with the undesirables on his own.”

“So, it frequently fell to Lucas to provide law enforcement back-up. The show endeavored to extol traditional family values while offering up heaping helpings of Wild West action,” Leydon said.

John Witiw commented: “‘The Rifleman’ was one of the first American prime-time series to revolve around a single parent. Though Lucas was no stranger to violence (thanks to his trademark souped-up Winchester rapid-fire rifle), a big theme of the series was ‘second chances,’ with Lucas often giving hard-on-their-luck souls jobs at his ranch.”

Chuck Connors, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., accepted an athletic scholarship to attend Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J., to play varsity baseball and basketball. He left college after two years, when he signed a professional baseball contract in 1940.

He was playing in the minor leagues when he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942, during World War II. He served as a tank-warfare instructor at Fort Campbell, Ky., and later at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y.

After the war, Connors returned to professional sports. He is one of only 13 athletes in history to have played in both the National Basketball Association (Boston Celtics) and Major League Baseball (Brooklyn Dodgers and Chicago Cubs).

Connors made his Hollywood debut in 1955, and his performance in Walt Disney’s “Old Yeller” (1957) is what led to his selection over about 40 other actors to be cast in “The Rifleman.”

Chuck Connors and Dorothy McGuire

Johnny Crawford, who was born in Los Angeles, was a child actor. At age 9, he was selected as one of Disney’s original Mouseketeers to form the Mickey Mouse Club. He appeared in several early Western films and TV shows. At age 12, he was chosen to play Mark on “The Rifleman.” We watched him grow up over the course of 168 episodes.

 

Later, Crawford had modest success as a rock’n’roll artist in the 1960s. In 1992, he formed the Johnny Crawford Orchestra, a vintage dance band.

“The Big Valley” (1965-69) was set between 1884-88 and became a “popular television series that blended good drama with plenty of action,” wrote Joe Leydon. “Barbara Stanwyck had a knack for working well in a frontier setting, and she found her best Western role not in movie theaters but on television.”

 

“Striking the perfect balance of stately dignity and feisty resourcefulness, Stanwyck starred to perfection in ‘The Big Valley’ as Victoria Barkley, owner of a massive ranch in the San Joaquin Valley near Stockton, Calif.”

 

John Witiw commented: “As Victoria was the main character of the series, ‘The Big Valley’ was one of the first Western series with a strong female lead.”

 She was surrounded by sons Jarrod (Richard Long), a local attorney, and Nick (Peter Breck), who managed the ranch, and daughter Audra (Linda Evans). 

Joining them was Heath (Lee Majors), the ranch foreman, who was an illegitimate son of Victoria’s late husband, adding to the intrigue of the family dynamics.

Barbara Stanwyck was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., orphaned at age 4, and partially raised in foster homes. She chose to pursue a career in show business rather than attend high school. She made her stage debut in the chorus line with the Ziegfeld Follies as a teenager.

 

From there she performed on Broadway and transitioned into films. Barbara Stanwyck appeared in 86 movies in 38 years before turning to television.

 

She was 58 when she debuted in “The Big Valley.”

Original members of “The Big Valley” cast who are still living, Linda Evans and Lee Majors, enjoyed success in other TV roles after “The Big Valley” faded away.

Evans, now 83, was born in Hartford, Conn., and raised in Los Angeles. Entertainment writer Jeremy Smith said Evans’ greatest “television triumph” occurred in 1981 with “Dynasty,” where she “torched the screen as the fiery Krystle Carrington.”

 

Majors, now 86, was born in Wyandotte, Mich. He was orphaned as a toddler and adopted by an aunt and uncle who raised him in Middlesboro, Ky. Jeremy Smith said Majors “found his ideal role in 1973 as NASA astronaut Col. Steve Austin in ‘The Six Million Dollar Man.’” 

(Majors’ wife at the time, model and actress Farrah Fawcett, made guest appearances in four episodes.)

Time to reveal 2 more great TV Westerns

Continuing the quest to pick the top television Westerns from the 1950s and 1960s, an esteemed panel of critics chose “The Wild Wild West” to round out the “top five” – following those previously mentioned: “Have Gun – Will Travel,” “Wagon Train,” “Rawhide” and “Bonanza.”

 “‘The Wild Wild West’ (1965-69) got wonderfully weird with the Western genre,” commented freelance journalist Meagan Drillinger.

 

“The show has federal government agents James West (Robert Conrad) and Artemus Gordon (Ross Martin) tasked by U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant to protect the Southwest” during his years in the White House (1869-77).

 

“West and Gordon travel around the region in a specially designed, private train car loaded with ‘steampunk-esque’ gadgets to help them on their assignments,” Drillinger said. “The duo takes on numerous ‘proto-supervillains,’ with West usually bringing the bare-knuckled action and Gordon as a master of disguise.”

“The most striking thing about ‘The Wild Wild West’ is how much unabashed fun the whole thing is,” often blending elements of science fiction into a Western thriller, Drillinger said.

John Witiw of Movieweb.com said: “Before the Secret Service, there was James West and Artemus Gordon, a gunslinger and inventor, to keep the peace and thwart evil in the rough-and-tumble American West. The series was pitched as ‘James Bond on horseback.’”

Robert Conrad, who was born in Chicago, dropped out of high school at age 15 to work full-time. He loaded trucks for major freight companies and also drove a milk delivery truck. Conrad studied theater arts at Northwestern University, intent on pursuing an acting career.

Conrad’s first role, as such, was to pose outside a Chicago theater where the film “Giant” (1956) was showing, because he bore a resemblance to its lead actor James Dean.

Ross Martin was born in a section of Poland that is now within Ukraine. His European family immigrated to New York City when he was an infant and settled in The Bronx. Martin spoke Polish, Yiddish and some Russian before learning English…and later added French, Spanish and Italian.

Martin graduated from City College of New York and also earned a law degree. He chose a career in acting, however, and broke into the entertainment business as a comedian.

Selected for the sixth slot among “top Westerns” that began airing in the 1950s and 1960s is “Gunsmoke” (1955-75), which was set in the frontier town of Dodge City, Kan., right after the Civil War.

 

“‘Gunsmoke was the longest-running Western in the history of American television (20 seasons and 635 episodes) and one of the longest-running TV dramas of any sort,” wrote Joe Leydon of Cowboys & Indians magazine.

 

“Gunsmoke immediately transformed James Arness into a home-screen superstar for his portrayal of Matt Dillon, the straight-shooting U.S. marshal, but Arness wasn’t the only attraction,” Leydon noted.

 

“He was backed by a colorful array of supporting players – most notably Milburn Stone as the crusty Galen ‘Doc’ Adams, Amanda Blake as saloon owner Miss Kitty Russell, Dennis Weaver and Ken Curtis as deputies Chester B. Goode and Festus Haggen, respectively.” 

“And, for three seasons, Burt Reynolds was the town blacksmith Quint Asper.”

 

Most episodes involve disruptions caused by those arriving from outside Dodge City. Since Dillon’s authority extends beyond the town limits, some episodes focus on his travels, while other plots revolve around mishaps occurring while Dillon is gone. (Both deputies are shown to be loyal, but often inept or indecisive at handling problems when Dillon is not around.)

James Arness was born in Minneapolis and was attending Beloit (Wis.) College when he was drafted into the U.S. Army during World War II. He was severely wounded in his right leg during the Battle of Anzio in 1944, about 35 miles south of Rome, Italy.

Arness was medically evacuated back to the United States. His injuries required several surgeries. He was awarded the Purple Heart and several other military honors and medals.

Following his honorable discharge in 1945, Arness was hired as a radio announcer at WLOL in Minneapolis. He later hitchhiked to Hollywood and made his movie debut in 1947 as Loretta Young’s brother in “The Farmer’s Daughter.”

Milburn Stone of Burrton, Kan., declined a congressional appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy in 1922 to pursue an acting career. He ventured into vaudeville, performing song-and-dance routines. He appeared in several Broadway productions before being cast in Hollywood films in the 1930s.

Amanda Blake, a native of Buffalo, N.Y., was a telephone operator before attending Pomona College in Claremont, Calif., and Brenau Academy in Gainesville, Ga. These experiences were steppingstones to an acting career in Hollywood. 

In the late 1940s, Blake was signed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as the studio saw her as “its next Greer Garson.”

When searching for ‘best Western TV series’…think music!

What was the best television Western series from the 1950s and 1960s? It’s a toss-up among the critics, as a panel of four experts selected four different shows.

Their “top TV Westerns picks” – “Have Gun, Will Travel,” “Wagon Train,” “Rawhide” and “Bonanza” – have one thing in common – a music hall of fame-worthy theme song.

Hence, we defer to Lauren Feldman of Fort Collins, Colo., who is a senior content manager at Equine Network, LLC, to reveal the TV Westerns with the “greatest all-time theme songs.” She ranks them in chronological order.

 

“Have Gun – Will Travel” (1957-63).

The show was set in the 1870s and featured a man named “Paladin,” who maintained a “dual identity.”

 

Sam Stone of TVLine.com said that Paladin, as a resident of the San Francisco Hotel Carlton, “was a smooth-talking, spiffily dressed dandy who enjoyed the game of chess, playing the piano, sampling fine wines and frequenting the opera.”

 

“But when anyone requested the services advertised on his chess knight-adorned calling card – “Have Gun – Will Travel” – he would don his black-on-black cowboy attire, strap on his gunbelt and boldly ride out to some Wild West locale to do derring-do as bodyguard, courier and/or private detective,” Stone said.

 

Actor Richard Boone starred as Paladin. A native of Los Angeles, Boone attended Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., for a time, but dropped out prior to graduation.

He worked as an oil rigger, bartender, painter and writer, before joining the U.S. Navy in 1941. Boone served aboard three ships in the Pacific during World War II, seeing combat as an aviation ordnance man, aircrewman and tail gunner on Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bombers.

“The Ballad of Paladin” was written by Johnny Western, Richard Boone and Sam Rolfe. Western (shown below) sang the vocals.

 

Here’s how it begins:

 Have gun will travel, reads the card of a man,

A knight without armor in a savage land.

 

His fast gun for hire heeds the calling wind,

A soldier of fortune is a man called Paladin.

 

Paladin, Paladin, where do you roam?

Paladin, Paladin, far, far from home.

 

“Wagon Train” (1957-65).

Author James Rosin said that following the Civil War in the late 1860s “westbound wagon trains were a big part of the frontier picture, and they were big again in early television. The show “Wagon Train” lasted eight years thanks to a strong regular cast and prominent guest stars.”

Actor Ward Bond served as first wagon master, Major Seth Adams. 

Bond was born in Benkelman, Neb., and graduated from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Bond was a varsity football standout as a lineman on USC’s first national championship team in 1928.

Bond became fast friends with another player on the team, John Wayne. They would appear in 24 motion pictures together.

 

Ward Bond died in 1960 at age 57, having suffered a massive heart attack. John Wayne delivered the eulogy at his funeral. The cast and crew of “Wagon Train” faced a “heartbreaking turning point,” according to one historian.

“Ward Bond had become a mentor and father figure to many. For nearly four seasons, Bond had anchored the show with his gruff but deeply moral leadership style. How could ‘Wagon Train’ continue without him?”

 

“Robert Horton, who played Flint McCullough (the rugged and reliable trail scout), later recalled: ‘Ward was more than just the lead. He was the heartbeat of the show. When he was gone, it felt like we lost our compass.’”

 

“Behind the scenes, producers scrambled. Scripts had to be rewritten, schedules adjusted. Eventually, veteran actor John McIntire was cast as the new wagon master, Christopher Hale.

“McIntire was a very different presence – more reserved, more philosophical. But with time, audiences warmed to him. The show didn’t just survive. It evolved.”

 

Rosin said: “Wagon Train was all about storytelling, and the stories hold up well, both as entertainment and as what cast member Denny Miller called ‘a Conestoga classroom…about our country’s western expansion.’”

Joe Leydon, entertainment editor at Cowboys & Indians magazine, based in Dallas, Texas, said “Wagon Train” deserves top billing because of its parade of guest stars who appeared in 228 episodes that aired over the eight seasons (including such notables as Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck, Ernest Borgnine, Lee Marvin, Charles Laughton and future President Ronald Reagan).

 

The show’s theme song was revised several times. The first season’s song “Wagon Train,” written by Henri Rene and Bob Russell, was purely instrumental. It was performed by Stanley Wilson And His Orchestra.

In the second season, a more modern theme song was introduced, “(Roll Along) Wagon Train.” It was written by Sammy Fain and Jack Brooks and sung by Johnny O’Neill (shown below).

 

Roll along

Wagon Train.

 

Rollin’ over prairie where there ain’t no grass,

Rollin’ over mountain where there ain’t no pass.

Sittin’ on a board

Eyein’ the weather

Prayin’ to the Lord

We stay together

Side by side on the Wagon Train.

 

The third and final version of the theme song, “Wagon’s Ho!” was composed by Jerome Moross (shown below) and again performed by Stanley Wilson And His Orchestra.

 

“Rawhide” (1959-66).

“The premise of ‘Rawhide’ followed the adventures of drovers along the rough and challenging cattle drives of the late 1860s,” wrote freelance journalist Meagan Drillinger. 

“It was in ‘Rawhide’ that an American icon was born; the Western gave Clint Eastwood his big break.”

Joe Leydon said: “Clint Eastwood earned his spurs as the crew’s ramrod Rowdy Yates.” In early episodes, Yates was reckless and impetuous. He was a handful for trail boss Gil Favor (Eric Fleming), who was challenged to keep Yates in line, often managing his hot-headed nature with stern guidance.

 

Eric Fleming of Santa Paula, Calif., experienced a “hard knock life” as a youth, before serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II as a member of the Seabees.

After the war, he was employed by Paramount Studios, working as a construction worker, grip and carpenter. Fleming took acting classes at the studio in the evenings that prepared him for “Rawhide.”

Clint Eastwood, who was born in San Francisco, was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean War in 1951. He did duty as a swimming instructor at Fort Ord on Monterrey Bay in California. Honorably discharged in 1953, Eastwood used the GI Bill to study drama at L.A. City College.

“The crack of a bullwhip starts off ‘Rawhide’s’ iconic theme song, written by Ned Washington and Dimitri Tiomkin,” said Lauren Feldman. Then, the legendary Frankie Laine takes over with his iconic vocals. 

Here are the abridged lyrics:

Rollin’ rollin’ rollin’

Rawhide!

 

Though the streams are swollen

Keep them doggies rollin,’ Rawhide!

 

Move ‘em on, head ‘em up

Head ‘em up, move ‘em on…

Move ‘em on, head ‘em up, Rawhide!

 

Cut ‘em out, ride ‘em in

Ride ‘em in, cut ‘em out

Cut ‘em out, ride ‘em in, Rawhide!

 

Keep movin’…movin’…movin’

Though they’re disapprovin’

Keep them doggies movin,’ Rawhide”

 

Don’t try to understand ‘em

Just rope ‘em, throw and brand ‘em.

 

Rawhide! Rawhide!

 

“Bonanza” (1959-73).

Sam Stone said: “‘Bonanza’ follows the Cartwright family, primarily its patriarch Ben (Lorne Greene), around their large ranch named the Ponderosa on Lake Tahoe near Virginia City, Nev. 

Widowed three times, Ben has an adult son from each of his three marriages joining him at the Ponderosa.”

 

“Running for 14 seasons, ‘Bonanza’ is second only to ‘Gunsmoke’ as the longest-running television Western. True to its premise, the series thrived on the strength of its ensemble cast and the natural rapport among them.”

“Bonanza” was the first TV Western shot and broadcast in color, and this is a primary reason why for millions of families, the show was “must-see TV during its 431-episode run,” commented Joe Leydon.

“Female actresses didn’t stay around long,” he noted. “Bonanza remained pretty much a bachelor party from start to finish.” 

The Cartwright sons were Adam (Pernell Roberts), Hoss (Dan Blocker) and Little Joe (Michael Landon).

Here are abbreviated early biographies of the key cast members:

Lorne Greene was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and graduated from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. While there, he acquired a knack for broadcasting. He became the principal newsreader for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s news organization and was deemed “The Voice of Canada.” He was flying officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II.

 

Pernell Roberts of Waycross, Ga., attended Georgia Tech in Atlanta prior to enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1946. He was selected to join the Marine Corps Band as a tuba/sousaphone player. He later attended the University of Maryland in College Park, where he was exposed to acting in classical theater. He got his start acting in summer stock.

 

Dan Blocker, a native of De Kalb, Texas, graduated from Sul Ross State Teacher’s College in Alpine, Texas, with a degree in speech and drama. He was drafted by the U.S. Army in 1951 and received multiple medals, including a Purple Heart for wounds in combat in Korea, where he served as an infantry sergeant.

 

Blocker returned to his alma mater after the war to earn a master’s degree in dramatic arts. He was doing post-graduate work to pursue a Ph.D. at UCLA before his acting career took off.

The fellow we called Michael Landon was born in Queens, N.Y., and had a difficult and awkward childhood. He was an excellent high school athlete and earned a scholarship to attend USC in Los Angeles as a member of the track and field team, specializing in the javelin throw.

 

After an injury to his left throwing arm sidelined his athletic dreams, Landon worked as a gas station attendant near the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank.

It was here that he was noticed by a regular customer, Bob Raison, a local talent agent. Raison advised the young man (Eugene Maurice Orowitz) “to change his Jewish-sounding name to improve his career prospects.” 

The Los Angeles telephone book led to the lad’s selection of his new name, “Michael Landon.”

The theme song “Bonanza,” was an instrumental written for the TV series by Jay Livingston and Raymond Evans (shown below) and arranged by Billy May. It was performed by the David Rose Orchestra.

 

The theme features sweeping strings, a driving beat and a distinct galloping tempo with a prominent guitar part played by Tommy Tedesco.

 

Lauren Feldman said: “Who can forget the rollicking theme song and the famous opening sequence: a map of the Bonanza going up in flames and the horseback Cartwrights galloping toward the camera?”