WHAT WAS THE BEST EARLY WESTERN TV SHOW

[gregg75]

I'd vote for "Gunsmoke" with "Cheyenne" in second. Here is what Wikipedia says about them and "Bonanza." Add your comments and thoughts please.

GUNSMOKE- CBS 1955 to 1975 (635 episodes). The show began on radio in 1952. It was the #1 show on TV from 1957 to 1961. The show moved from 30 minutes to an hour in 1967. CBS chairman William Paley cancelled "Gilligan's Island" so that Marshall Dillon could keep on riding. The longest running western on TV.

CHEYENNE- ABC 1955 to 1965 (108 episodes). The first hour long western and drama program with recurring characters to last more than one season. Clint Walker starred. The program was produced by Warner Brothers. As much as I liked the show, their sets were not as good as Gunsmoke. I think the show was at a disadvantage since it was on "also ran" ABC. Only 10 shows a season, how did that happen???? Clint Walker has a website and is alive today.

BONANZA- NBC 1959 to 1973 (430 episodes). The #1 show from 1964 to 1967. The 2nd longest running western on TV. This show seemed to be the "Knotts Landing" of westerns, as rich and powerful was a very romantic version of the old west. Some of their sets were not very impressive either (considering they were on NBC). They did a lot of outdoor filming.

As some stations ran 2 or 3 networks, and westerns were very popular, did any stations show all 3 programs?

What was the worst western? I'd vote "Gene Autry" for that one.

Other popular ones were "Hopalong Cassidy" "Lone Ranger" "Rifleman"
"Wantedead Or Alive" "Have Gun Will Travel" "Virginian" "Wagon Train"
"Big Valley" "Maverick" "High Chaparral" and "Sugarfoot."

Again, what are your views and insights???????

 

[landtuna]

I grew up in the 50's so Westerns were always a big part of my TV viewing (from 1954-on). Some of my favorites were:

Cisco Kid, Gene Autry and his other Flying 'A' show Range Rider, Hopalong Cassidy, Maverick and Lone Ranger (I had started listening to LR on radio so TV version was a cinch). I liked Wanted Dead or Alive and Have Gun Will Travel as well.

I never cared much for Roy Rogers or the various western soap operas such as Big Valley, Bonanza (which had the cheesiest sets ever on a major TV production) or Wagon Train. And Ken Curtis' 'Chester' ruined Gunsmoke for me. Couldn't stand listening to his character.

 

[gregg75]

I have a country uncle that was much like Chester, so he fit right in for me.

WTVM 9 in Columbus, Georgia was ABC/NBC, but I think "Bonanza" was the only
NBC show they aired. I guess secondary, meant even if you only showed one program,
it was OK back then. I doubt NBC was very happy about that though.

 

[landtuna]

Just caught this a few minutes ago -

William Boyd's (Hopalong Cassidy) widow died at age 97.

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-grace-bradley-boyd-20100924,0,2019037.story

 

[Prais]

I'm 61 and my wife and I dislike most current network tv shows, so we watch a couple of hours of "The Westerns Channel" (from Encore) every night.

We REALLY enjoy Gunsmoke: great acting and great writing. We also enjoy Cheyenne, and Have Gun Will Travel (but HGWT has lost much appeal since I watched it 40 some years ago.

We particularly LIKE Gene Autrys old tv shows.

 

[LKellerIII]

Correction in regard to Gunsmoke. It became a one hour show in 1961, not 1967. The first color episodes were 1966. The show was slated for cancellation in 67, but was saved, reportedly in part because the wife of a CBS executive was a fan, and lobbied to save it.

 

[Gregg]

My dad (who is 90) is a big fan of Westerns and is happy that Bonanza and Gunsmoke continue to run on cable TV. He probably knows them all by memory now but still enjoys them, thanks to so many episodes being preserved. When I was a kid I didn't like them much but now I realize the writing and acting were pretty good for that era.

Sometimes they actually deal with some contemporary subjects, such as racism and women's rights. I thought it was interesting that Bonanza realized that some weeks, it should be a comedy, other weeks a drama. Usually episodes where Hoss was the lead were lighthearted, sometimes Little Joe would have a comedy episode too. I think it's also interesting that the lead was rotated among all four actors. They even rotated four openings where each actor would be given top billing. Yes, the sets were a bit low-budget. But they made up for that with so much outdoor filming, something very few TV shows did in those days. Most other series were tied to their backlot sets while Bonanza did a good deal of filming in the Sierras, not a cheap thing to do.

Someone above says he wasn't a fan of Ken Curtis in Gunsmoke. But again, I suppose the producers realized that some weeks the show should be more a comedy than a drama and they used Ken Curtis for that reason. Also the main actors were getting older and couldn't be expected to have big roles in an hour-long drama that produced 30 or so episodes a year. So some episodes were lighthearted where Chester was on camera for most of the hour.

I notice in some old TV Guides, the show is called "Marshall Dillon" for the 30 minute episodes that were in syndication. I guess those are either gone or not shown any more.

I also notice This TV shows a few Bat Masterson episodes on weekends starring Gene Barry, who recently passed away. His gimmick was that he used his cane as well as the bad guys used their guns.


Gregg
[email protected]

 

[MattParker]

Gunsmoke does not hold up at all well. Adult western? About the only difference between Gunsmoke and so-called kid westerns was on the kid westerns bad guys were bad; one Gunsmoke they had social or psychological issues. The show still strained credibility. Matt didn't arrest people; he gave them the chance to face him in a fair fight! Very realistic. And what was a so called US Marshall doing breaking up saloon brawls? Kansas had been a state since 1861. Dodge City had a town marshall and a county sheriff (See The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp). Later in the series, Matt was away most of the time anyway so was the town wide open?

The original radio show had many of the same flaws but Charles Marquis Warren, first season producer, really damaged the show. On radio, Chester was scruffy character much like Festus. Warren hired an actor wrong to be convincing as a flunky, so they made up that dumb limp. On radio, Kitty did not own the saloon. She hustled drinks and - shall we say - entertained visiting cowboys upstairs. TV made her a respectable business woman. Then they cleaned up Doc, took away his macabre outlook and weakness for the sauce. On radio, at least the characters were three dimensional.

The shows that hold up best....

Wanted Dead or Alive - grit and suspense.

Have Gun, Will Travel - literate with compelling characterizations. Great writing from Gene Roddenberry, Bruce Geller (among others).

Maverick - Still funny, still intriguing and some of the grifter stories ever.

Broken Arrow - Intriguing and interesting take on personal relationship between a White man and an Indian and a realistic look at Apache culture.

 

[Prais]

Sorry, Matt, but I disagree with you re; Gunsmoke.

The tv eps were largely written by people who wrote for RADIO and particularly these ep's are wonderfully written. It's fun to see the many "young" stars of the day, like Burt Reynolds, and many others in these stories.

I also enjoy Music Stingers, etc, long gone to today's tv economy.

_____
Matt said, "Later in the series, Matt was away most of the time anyway."
_____
I think Jim Arness had alot of salary issues later in the series, so he didn't show up. ____________________

Anyway, you can have your fav's and I'll have mine. Bonanza uses lots of "inside sets" for outdoors stuff and it sometimes makes me crazy.

Best Wishes & Happy Trails.

 

[LibertyNT]

I like
Gunsmoke
Have Gun Will Travel
Cheyanne

 

[gregg75]

Yes I had forgotten Bat Masterson. He was the cleanest, best dressed cowboy of them all. I liked his show. Their sets were downright fancy for a western and the show always featured one or two really great looking lady guest stars.

 

[therealjm12]

Gunsmoke was a family favorite while I was growing up. I watch it now, on TV Land (the color episodes) and Encore (early B&W 60 minute episodes). The Encore episodes, in my opinion, are superior. Seems like with many series, at the time, color cut into their budgets.
After watching Gunsmoke as an adult (or whatever I am), I became curious about U. S. Marshal Matt Dillion breaking up bar fights and checking doorknobs. I asked some law enforcement friends and did a little checking on line for the authenticity of the series. Actually, Dillion more likely would have been a deputy U. S. Marshal. Dodge City would not have had a U.S. Marshal in residence. And yes, Dodge City probably would have had a town marshal or county sheriff to handle the more "petty" crimes. Henry Fonda as a U. S. Marshal in The Deputy and Paul Fix as the town marshal in The Rifleman would have more accurately portrayed frontier lawman in the west.

That all being said, Gunsmoke was a great show with great scripts, acting, and directing. Hollywood is not the place to go for realism, just entertainment.

 

[oldiesfan6479]

Gunsmoke...The show was slated for cancellation in 67, but was saved, reportedly in part because the wife of a CBS executive was a fan, and lobbied to save it.

Babe Paley, as in Bill's wife. While Arness & Co. appreciated the gesture, I don't think
she was as loved by Sherwood Schwartz...and the rest.

 

[Prais]

Jim,
Read the "Happy Days" thread and all the goofy stuff about them, and the Andy Griffith and Mash threads and the "wrong" things, there.

WHO cares? It's entertainment - NOT History class.

TV is fiction. Movies are fiction. Pretend. It's in the mind of a highly paid writer andd actors.

My parents did not watch westerns. Personally, I REALLY enjoy them. Lots of these ep's are NEW to me. If you've never seen it before, it's NEW.

Gunsmoke is very well written and produced. It was abut a simpler time. I enjoy Westerns after sitting and listening to old people crab about life all day. Westerns are simple. Pretty much plots (and photography) that is black and white. GOOD or BAD.

This past week,, after quite a tough go, I've turned off the news for a while, because BOTH the Dems and Repubs make me puke. Today, I really am ambivolant about most everything, because of the goofballs that surround me.

Gunsmoke (and most of the Encore Westerns Channel) are entertainment. They are FICTION. Make Believe.

In the real world, A doctor's office would NEVER be on the second floor (like Doc's office is) and we all know Kitty was lovin' Matt - but it's FICTION.... That's what I'm after.

Sheesh.

 

[bpatrick]

For me, definitely "Maverick," especially if James Garner is
in a particular episode. It's here that he patented his familiar
character of coward with a deep-down heroic streak, which he
would go on to use in "The Rockford Files" and movies like "Support
Your Local Sheriff." And you can't go wrong with scripts by the likes
of Marion Hargrove, who wrote this never-broadcast finale for Garner's
1980s sequel, "Bret Maverick":

Bret, now semiretired, has obtained the rights to the local telephone
service. As the townspeople wander in and out, paying their bills, sidekick
Luis Delgado enters:

LUIS: Jimbo! Jimbo!
GARNER: It's Bret--Bret Maverick.
LUIS: Not anymore, Jimbo. Our show's been canceled.

Eight years before the "Newhart" finale.

Honorable mention: "Have Gun, Will Travel". Literate dialogue, a hero
who (heaven forbid) actually expects to be paid for his good deeds and
will turn on his client if that person's the real criminal, and the perfect
actor in Richard Boone. I also like "Bat Masterson," even though I really
liked Gene Barry better in the original "Burke's Law" (the '90s version was
so corny I could watch it only once).

 

[wbhist]

Gunsmoke...The show was slated for cancellation in 67, but was saved, reportedly in part because the wife of a CBS executive was a fan, and lobbied to save it.

Babe Paley, as in Bill's wife. While Arness & Co. appreciated the gesture, I don't think she was as loved by Sherwood Schwartz...and the rest.

However, this should be noted: In 1966-67, Gunsmoke which had been slated for cancellation, still managed to place #34 . . . while Gilligan's Island finished the season in 49th place.

 

[Bob1370]

If straight adventure is what you were looking for, Have Gun, Will Travel was as good as it got--Richard Boone as Paladin was a compelling actor. Later on, in the NBC western Hec Ramsey, he played a character who was a pioneer in scientific criminology in the turn-of-the-20th-century West, who worked with fingerprints and microscopes and got around, not riding on horseback but driving a 1901 curved-dash Oldsmobile...it was strongly implied that this was, in fact, Paladin as an old man.

If you wanted a little humor and satire, you wanted Maverick, especially the episodes where James Garner was lead.

 

[landtuna]

The title of this thread is 'early' western TV. Maverick began in 1957 so it would have been several years later than the 'early' programs which were mostly 30-minute B&W shows filmed in the late 40's and early 50's.

 

[Prais]

Mr Tuna,
A bit nitpicky, are we?

So, I guess I must vote for "Judge Roy Bean" starring Edgar Buchanan. 1956.

Only a few programs, like the Lone Ranger, Roy Rogers, and Gene Autry are older.

 

[landtuna]

Mr Tuna,
A bit nitpicky, are we?

So, I guess I must vote for "Judge Roy Bean" starring Edgar Buchanan. 1956.

Only a few programs, like the Lone Ranger, Roy Rogers, and Gene Autry are older.

I wasn't picking nits but was just making the statement that the OP was apparently looking for early Westerns and not those popular in the late 50's (Maverick) or early 60's (Bonanza).

There were quite a few early Westerns BTW. Three of my favorites, Autry, Cisco Kid and Range Rider were all very early 50's. There were also Western-themed serials (Autry starred in one Western-SciFi hybrid).