“Seems like every episode is so well done.”
That’s what really amazes me. The sets are very authentic, the themes very timeless about people and human nature, the acting usually is very good (even with the unknown “B” actors and actresses. Lots of the shows were filmed on location. The fistfights were very well choreographed and usually looked very real. And they made so many of them — a new show every week. It really is amazing.
The only thing that bugs me (having been a Californian since ‘73) is the constant use of the famous boulders near Los Angeles. Their setting of Gold Rush scenes there that are ostensibly in the Motherlode Country irks me. I can see why though — few travel expenses and most people in the country had no idea about the widely varied topography of California.
The other thing that cracks me up is Dale Robertson never takes his spurs off (never!) and he walks silently to sneak up on bad guys!
LOL. This is also a pet peeve with me. I was born and raised in Southern California (and lived there for more than 30 years) so the areas and spots where a lot of these shows were filmed --Chatsworth, Thousand Oaks, Vasquez Rocks-- are familiar to me and keep popping up again and again. It doubly stands out to me because now I've lived in Arizona now for about 30 years. As you must know, the deserts of Arizona and California are very different, so when I see a scene that's supposed to be in Arizona that's obviously in California (or vice versa) I notice it right away. One thing that I like about "High Chapparal" is that the setting was supposed to be in Arizona south of Tucson and you can really tell that almost all of the exterior shots are actually that area.