Post by The Highlander on Oct 3, 2006 1:26:23 GMT -5
OK Buckaroo's and Buckerette's, I know that some of you here are old enough to remember the glory days of the Warner Bros. TV westerns, and if you aren't, you probably saw half of them on cable. These are the same shows that probably inspired a lot of us to get our Daisy "Red Ryder's", our Mattel "Fanner 50's" and our sawed-off "Johnny Yuma" Scatterguns. Personal opinions sought here; list your top 5 and why, just for fun.
My Own:
1. Have Gun Will Travel - I already knew the historical legend of Paladin and here's this really craggy-looking, but cool dude using the name, mysterious background, always found a way to make the good guys come out on top, and lived James Bond's lifestyle before any of us heard of James Bond.
2. Maverick - Bret (James Garner) was clearly the coolest, could talk himself out of a fight as easily as he could win it, Jack Kelly as Bart wasn't bad, but didn't have Bret's "cool factor", and Roger Moore as "Cousin Beau" just never really made it.
3. Wagon Train - Great ensemble cast (two really), and always had the best character actors and guest stars with really good story lines. Several notable western authors including Elmore Leonard wrote scripts for them. I preferred the earlier Ward Bond years, but the later John McIntyre years weren't bad either.
4. Close tie with #3, Rawhide - Another very good ensemble cast with some very good guest stars mixed in, but their story lines starting running out after a few years.
5. Gunsmoke - Could be many folk's number 1, mine too on some nights. Consistently good writing, strong characters, great assortment of character acors and guest stars over the years. And the ONLY TV western that John Wayne personally did the intro for on the very first show! He was offered the role and recommended his younger pal Jim Arness for it. Arness had played in a couple of Wayne westerns and the Duke felt like he was ready for his big break.
Honorable Mentions:
6. The Bounty Hunter - Steve McQueen cool with a sawed-off Mare's leg Winchester? Even if the plots weren't always great, it couldn't miss.
7. The Rebel - Nick Adams as Johnny Yuma, The Rebel, traveling the west with a sawed of 12 Ga trying to save the good, punish the bad, and forget the war.
8. The Lawman - John Russell was the quintissential 1950-1960's western sherriff, squint-eyed, hard jaw, weathered face, cool as ice in every situation; the closest anyone on TV came to Gary Cooper in "High Noon". And Peter Brown as his eager-beaver deputy was well-played too.
I could name more, but they start to run together after a point. I never really got into Bonanza or The Big Valley, too much soap opera. Besides, I always liked the "loners". Now, let's hear your choices and then maybe we'll move on to western movies.
My Own:
1. Have Gun Will Travel - I already knew the historical legend of Paladin and here's this really craggy-looking, but cool dude using the name, mysterious background, always found a way to make the good guys come out on top, and lived James Bond's lifestyle before any of us heard of James Bond.
2. Maverick - Bret (James Garner) was clearly the coolest, could talk himself out of a fight as easily as he could win it, Jack Kelly as Bart wasn't bad, but didn't have Bret's "cool factor", and Roger Moore as "Cousin Beau" just never really made it.
3. Wagon Train - Great ensemble cast (two really), and always had the best character actors and guest stars with really good story lines. Several notable western authors including Elmore Leonard wrote scripts for them. I preferred the earlier Ward Bond years, but the later John McIntyre years weren't bad either.
4. Close tie with #3, Rawhide - Another very good ensemble cast with some very good guest stars mixed in, but their story lines starting running out after a few years.
5. Gunsmoke - Could be many folk's number 1, mine too on some nights. Consistently good writing, strong characters, great assortment of character acors and guest stars over the years. And the ONLY TV western that John Wayne personally did the intro for on the very first show! He was offered the role and recommended his younger pal Jim Arness for it. Arness had played in a couple of Wayne westerns and the Duke felt like he was ready for his big break.
Honorable Mentions:
6. The Bounty Hunter - Steve McQueen cool with a sawed-off Mare's leg Winchester? Even if the plots weren't always great, it couldn't miss.
7. The Rebel - Nick Adams as Johnny Yuma, The Rebel, traveling the west with a sawed of 12 Ga trying to save the good, punish the bad, and forget the war.
8. The Lawman - John Russell was the quintissential 1950-1960's western sherriff, squint-eyed, hard jaw, weathered face, cool as ice in every situation; the closest anyone on TV came to Gary Cooper in "High Noon". And Peter Brown as his eager-beaver deputy was well-played too.
I could name more, but they start to run together after a point. I never really got into Bonanza or The Big Valley, too much soap opera. Besides, I always liked the "loners". Now, let's hear your choices and then maybe we'll move on to western movies.
!!
