| TV
westerns were immensely popular as the Sixties began, Gunsmoke was number
one in 1960 and Bonanza on NBC dominated the ratings for almost the entire
decade. Westerns
grew in popularity until the genre started to go bust in the latter
part of the decade.
Here
is a small sampling of fall season previews from popular horse operas
of the Sixties. Most of these productions made it to a second season,
some didn't.
::fall
season promos & themes::
 Lawman
1958-1962
/ ABC This is a 1960 season
promotion for a western series reminiscent of the mega-hit show
'The Rifleman' that was also airing on the network. Leading actor
John Russell even resembled Chuck Connors.
The series followed the adventures
of Marshall Dan Tropp, stoic Sheriff of the wild west town of
Laramie. Peter Brown costarred as his young, unbridled Deputy,
Johnny McKay. 'Lawman;' was seen on Sunday nights. |
The Big Valley
1965-1969
/ ABC
Originally known as 'The Saga
of the Big Valley', the title was changed just before the premiere.
The Big Valley starred film legend
Barbara Stanwyck as the wealthy widowed matriarch of the Barkley
clan, living in the Sacramento Valley following the Civil War.
The all-star cast featured Richard
Long ('Nanny and the Professor'), Peter Breck ('The Secret Empire'),
Lee Majors ('6 Million Dollar Man'), and Linda Evans ('Dynasty').
More talk than action, but one of the best
theme songs of all time. |
| Frontier
Circus
1961-62
/ CBS
Follows the trail of the T & T Circus on it's journey through
the brushlands to entertain the early settlers.
Western
film comic Chill Wills starred in this hour-long series with John
Derek (Bo's future husband) as the owners of the traveling band.
|
| The
Guns of
Will Sonnett
1967-1969 / ABC
 Last
TV series for Walter Brennan ('Real McCoys'). This Aaron Spelling
western followed grandfather Will Sonnett (Brennan) and his grandson
Jeff (Dack Rambo) in search of the boy's pa - known as a no-good
gunslinger named Jim Sonnett (rarely seen Jason Evers) because
of a crime he didn't commit.
Grandfather and Grandson traveled
from place to place, encountering hostile townspeople that had
been wronged by the guy they were searching for.
The reunion finally did take place
in the last episode of the second season, with all three Sonnetts
joining forces to become lawmen for a third season that never
came. |
| The
Monroes
1966-67 / ABC
 The story of orphaned
kids heading to Wyoming, where their parents had staked out a
patch of land (the parents died in the first episode). Along the
way they befriend an Indian who joins them and serves as protector
and run up against an evil land baron who tries to trick them
out of their father's land.
Starring Michael
Anderson Jr., Barbara Hershey, Tammy Locke, Keith and Kevin Schultz,
Ron Soble and Ben Johnson, this one-hour drama lasted one season.
 "I thought Michael Anderson Jr. was
the coolest brother in the world for protecting his orphaned siblings
from the evils of the Wild West." - (Janis Krautheim)
Here
is the theme song |
|  The
Wild, Wild West
1965-69 / CBS
'The Wild Wild
West' (there was only one 'Wild' in the title when the show was
first announced) starred Robert Conrad as Agent James West, Ross
Martin as Artemus Gordon and (occasionally) guest-starred Victor
Buono as Count Manzeppi and Michael Dunn as the diminutive, evil
Dr. Miguelito Loveless.
Despite relatively high ratings
(winning its Friday night spot the entire time it was on the air),
the series as canceled because of complaints about too much violence
on TV. It was that, or cancel the Viet Nam war - and the war had
already been renewed.
|
| 
The
Rebel
1959-1961 / ABC
Nick Adams starred as Johnny Yuma,
former Confederate soldier who went from town to town seeking
acceptance and finding a hostile reception to his peacekeeping
attempts.
Seen in this promo is the great
Strother Martin, a familiar face in John Wayne movies that turned
up frequently on other TV westerns.
This cool 1960 spot attempts to
reposition this half-hour western series as relevant to "today's
youth". We're talking the Beatnick Generation - whatever happened
to them? |
|  Cheyenne
1955-63 / ABC
Long-running half hour Warner
Brothers series. Starred Clint Walker, who walked out on the show
in 1958. When the show did just as well without him, Walker returned
in 1959.
Alternated with 'Bronco' and 'Sugarfoot'.
|
|  Shane
Sept.
1966 to Dec. 1966
Based on the landmark movie, the
TV series starred David Carradine. This one season half-hour show
preceded Carradine's more successful western show Kung Fu. |
Travels
Of
Jamie McPheeters
1963-1964  Did you know that Kurt Russell
was a child star? He played the title role in this hour-long Sunday
night western adventure (based on children's books) about a boy
(Russell), his rascally father (Dan O'Herlihy) and the wagon train
they traveled the frontier with.
The very young Osmond Brothers
(later to become teen idols) were seen as the little Kissel Brothers.
|
|
TV
on DVD
Hard-to-find
Classic TV
Shows on DVD!
| 
Maverick
1957-1963 / ABC
James Garner started out as the
only Maverick on Maverick, but when production fell behind
on the popular series, Jack Kelly was introduced as brother Bart
and separate production teams went to work to meet demand.
James Garner left the western
after season three and Kelly was occasionally joined by brothers
Beau (Roger Moore) and Brent (Robert Colbert). |
| A
Man Called Shenandoah
1965-66 / ABC
 Robert
Horton starred in this half-hour western as a man roaming the
west - but who is he? A murderer? A lawman? All he knows is -
he has amnesia.
Other shows about men roaming
the west aimlessly: The Loner (Rod Serling show), Branded, The
Rebel, and so many others. |
 Death
Valley Days
1952-1970 / syndicated
Popular
half hour western anthology recreating mostly true stories about
the pioneer days. A low budget production that began on radio
in 1930, the show ran so long because it had a built in sponsor,
no reoccurring characters and there was little else on to watch.
Stanley
Andrews hosted from 1952-1966, Ronald Reagan from 1965-66 and
Robert Taylor from 1966-68. Sponsored by 20 Mule Team US Borax.
|
| Wanted,
Dead
or Alive
1958-1961 / CBS
Steve McQueen starred as Josh
Randall, bounty hunter, roaming the west in search of outlaws
he can trade for cash. Josh rode alone through three season, except
for a period in 1960 when he was joined by Jason Nichols, portrayed
by Wright King.
This was a spin-off of the show
Trackdown. |
| Mutual
Of
Omaha's Wild Kingdom
1963-1988 / NBC, Syndication
 Not
a Western, but a nature show that featured a lot of western US
locations - popular on Sunday afternoons with the old folks.
|
|
 
 
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