Favorite TV Westerns

Since we have a favorite Westerns movies thread, I thought I’d see which TV shows folks like (& remember :)). The hey day of the TV western was in the fifties, though, and we don’t see many today, unfortunately. LOL don’t see any is probably more accurate!

Anyway, as I was a child in the fifties, my faves are probably skewed, but here we go:

  1. Rin Tin Tin–I -loved- this show! I wish I could find it playing on some channel (it probably is, but my cable co. doesn’t have the westerns channel available on regular [non-digital] cable). Rusty and Rinty at the Fort–what more could a child ask for, eh? :slight_smile: I’ve been told that no matter where I was, I came a-running when the theme music came on.

  2. Davy Crockett–Fess Parker in a coonskin cap. LOL While I didn’t have a coonskin cap (maybe I did, I can’t remember … :P), I -did- have a Davy Crockett doll. This was a really big show with kids in the fifties, and nearly everyone knew and could sing the theme song. :slight_smile:

  3. Have Gun, Will Travel – remembered by many simply as Palladin, this was the actual title of the show. :slight_smile: It was an adult-oriented show, but many kids did watch it. Richard Boone was great as the gun for hire.

  4. Wyatt Earp

  5. Wagon Train (one of the best westerns, imo–each show told a different person’s story)

  6. Rawhide

  7. Bonanza

  8. Maverick

  9. Gunsmoke - especially the early years!

That’s all I can remember right now. Please add to the list, and add your memories too, if ya are old enough to have em. :wink:

tarragon

I remember watching Alias Smith and Jones and The Guns of Will Sonnett (with Walter Brennan). Strangely enough, both of these focused on outlaws. Oh, and The Lone Ranger, of course!

I still remember The Cisco Kid and Death Valley Days and another anthology show hosted by Dan Duryea the name of which escapes me at the moment.

Oh, and I remember watching Cheyenne starring Clint Walker, and a show called Sugarfoot

I loved reruns of Poncho and Cisco when I was a kid, but my all time favorite TV western is The Adventures of Brisco County Jr…

Oooh ooh!! (LOL, my Tootie imitation, and I’m not talking about the girl from Facts of Life! ;)) (Tootie of Car 54, for those not in the know :))

I forgot some of my other favorites:

My Friend Flicka
Fury
(notice a horsey trend here? They were westerns, though :))
Zorro (I’m not sure if this was a TV show per se, it may have been part of the Micky Mouse Club)
Wild Bill Hickock

I know I’ll remember more! You all have listed some really great shows so far, though, thanks! :slight_smile:

The only one I watched with any regularity is The Young Riders. It was the one show I was allowed to stay up past 9 to see when I was in the 5th grade…I wish it would air again in syndication, because though I saw every episode, I don’t remember the particulars very well.

I’ve always hated westerns, but I love The Wild Wild West (remember: the TV show, not the movie). “Brisco County” too, for similar reasons.

No one has mentioned The Rebel with Nick Adams nor Wanted Dead or Alive (which in my opinion comes just short of Have Gun Will Travel as the best TV western) with Steve McQueen yet, which surprises me.

I also enjoyed Yancy Darringer with Jocko Mahoney although, granted, it did take place mostly in New Orleans as did a great deal of Jim Bowie which I also enjoyed.

I also enjoyed Bat Masterson with Gene Barry and Riverboat with Darrin McGavin (it also featured a young kid named Burt Reynolds).

I might also put a plug in for Restless Gun (Rory Calhoon) and Shotgun Slade (Scot Brady) which were surprisingly well scripted.

Gunsmoke
Branded with Chuck Connors
The Guns of Will Sonnett

The Rifleman!

We really should mention the “daddy” of them all, Roy Rogers and for that matter the patron saint of women who are not afraid to get involved in shootouts and slugfests, Annie Oakley.

Nor I suppose should we forget the television program that gave Robert Blake his first made-for-the-small-screen recognition, Red Ryder.