Posted on 08/23/2015 9:51:27 AM PDT by ken5050
The other day, as a change from endless talk about Hillary and Trump I posted a thread asking FReepers what were their favorite TV westerns. (FYI...the link is below) It generated a lot of comments...everyone seemed to be enjoying the trip down memory lane..so I thought I'd do it again..this time asking about your favorite TV westerns.
When TV took off, westerns were by far the most popular genre on the air. There were hundreds.
FYI, Wikipedia has a complete list here It's alphabetical, which makes sense, but I wish they were listed chronologically. It's easier to look back that way.
Aside from my favorites, I was astonished by how many I'd forgotten (senior moments) and how many I'd never heard of at all, let alone never saw.
"Gunsmoke" is of course the iconic western, and also the longest running TV series ever..20 years. (The second longest running series was another western, "Bonanza.") But "Gunsmoke" was an adult, and thus, prime time show..for we Boomers, our first introduction to the genre was the afternoon, and Saturday morning shows. It was a far simpler time back then...there were good guys, and bad guys, and the god guys wore white (or at least what seemed white on the B&W TV sets..) and by the end of the show, they'd usually killed the bad guys...or "varmints."
NOTE: I'm not going to post a lot of links..there are tens of thousands out there. But, if you have a favorite, do check out YouTube..many of the episodes of these series are available on You Tube..so enjoy!!
For kids back then, "The Lone Ranger," was THE show to watch. Others I fondly remember are "Rin Tin Tin" ( a twofer with the military themed series) "Bat Masterson," "Maverick," "Davy Crockett," "Fury," "Hopalong Cassidy," "Have Gun, Will Travel," "The Rifleman," "Tales of Wells Fargo, " and last but not least, "Zorro."
But what really surprised me, as I was doing this thread, and looking over the list, was how great, how memorable, many of the theme songs for the old western shows were. Even today, they're fresh in my mind. Hardly any TV series today can make the same claim. Of course, maybe that's because it takes them 15 minutes to list all the titles and credits at the start of the show.
Just take a quicken listen to some of these gems:
Rawhide But Of Course!!!
It's amazing how many really big stars came out of the early westerns.
I hope you all have as much fun reading this, and reminiscing, as I had putting it together. Again, if you have links to some of your favorite shows, or episodes, please post 'em to the thread..let others enjoy with you.
And don't forget, lots of episodes of all these shows are on YouTube...it astonished me how many.
FYI..I think in a few days I might do medical dramas, then after that, cop shows. Your suggestions are welcome.
NOTE: If anyone dares to list Kung Fu as their favorite western..well, grasshopper..get yourself another thread..
And here's hoping everyone has a great week ahead!!!!
I watch Rifleman for the body count. We’ve had many discussions about that on FR. F Troop next (RIP, Melody Patterson) and Wanted Dead or Alive.
Bonanza
Sugarfoot.
Maverick, Cheyene, The Rifleman, and Have Gun Will Travel more or less in that order.
Rawhide: ‘head em up, move em out!’
Gunsmoke: Marshal Dillon, oh man!!!
ALL John Wayne western movies....True Grit!!!
Wild Wild West, followed closely by it’s conceptual grandchild Brisco County Jr. Of the “normal” westerns probably Rifleman is my favorite.
Pretty much anything with Marion Robert Morrison in it.
The Rifleman has become an afternoon ritual.
Lone ranger
wild wild west
The rifle man
Dude..we don’t do “subcategories..” (g)
My kind of female...
The Guns of Will Sonnett (No brag, just fact.)
Branded (What do you do when you’re branded, and you know it’s a lie?)
F Troop
Gunsmoke is not the longest running TV show ever. Not even close. It isn’t even the longest running western. Death Valley Days lasted something like 23 years on the air.
Roy Rogers
The Rifleman
Wild Wild West
The Big Valley
Wanted Dead or Alive
Bonanza
Rawhide
Wagon Train
Restless Gun with John Payne, The Texan with Rory Calhoun, and others as mentioned.
VIDEO: The Complete Rifleman MassacrePa...you sure did a lot of killin...but they needed killin... ;)
The Rebel, Johny Yuma.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGUOSz-rTn4
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