# "Have Gun Will Travel" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 27, 2011, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-gun-will-travel/579963 "2011-04-27T23:45:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-gun-will-travel/579963/21 "2011-04-29T14:06:35Z")
Remember the series of Mystery Movies [Hec Ramsey](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068077/) in the 70s? Set at the turn of the 19th/20th century it was like Paladin had hung up his guns and become a private detective. Great show. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-gun-will-travel/579963/22 "2011-04-29T16:09:24Z")
Playing with friends back in grade school, we were running through front yards when a man came around the corner of a house and said hello. We froze, and told him we weren’t stealing apples, we were just running by. He laughed and said ok. Then he said “You boys ever watch Have Gun, Will Travel?” “Yeah…” “Well, I’m Richard Boone.” “Oh, ok. Bye, Mr. Boone.” And off we ran. I’ve always wondered, was Richard Boone really walking around Wauwatosa, Wisconsin (corner of Woodland and Forest St.) back in the mid-60s? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-gun-will-travel/579963/23 "2011-04-29T16:23:22Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Do you think it might also be possible that Paladin (which was only a psuedonym) actually is The Most Interesting Man in the World? I wouldn’t put immortality past him as he was so superior to regular people in every other way. Damn. I wish Phil Farmer was still alive to work on this concept. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-gun-will-travel/579963/24 "2011-04-29T17:22:37Z")
> [@brocks](#): > > He’s a troubleshooter. He helps people with problems, and since it’s the old west, problems requiring his very high fees usually involve violent men. … > I don’t remember very many episodes where he just “stumbled into” a situation…each episode usually begins either with someone seeking him out for help … So, basically, he’s the A-Team. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-gun-will-travel/579963/25 "2011-04-29T18:44:34Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > So, basically, he’s the A-Team. Did Mr. T ever wear an elegant dinner jacket? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-gun-will-travel/579963/26 "2011-04-29T18:52:19Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Did Mr. T ever wear an elegant dinner jacket? [Absolutely.](http://www.theboomtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/mr-t.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-gun-will-travel/579963/27 "2011-04-29T19:09:20Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Did Mr. T ever wear an elegant dinner jacket? Wear them? he \*[sells](http://www.mrtstux.com/)\*them. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-gun-will-travel/579963/28 "2011-04-29T19:48:05Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > So, basically, he’s the A-Team. Well, Lord Bowler also lived in San Francisco… ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-gun-will-travel/579963/29 "2011-04-29T20:11:43Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Playing with friends back in grade school, we were running through front yards when a man came around the corner of a house and said hello. We froze, and told him we weren’t stealing apples, we were just running by. He laughed and said ok. Then he said “You boys ever watch Have Gun, Will Travel?” “Yeah…” “Well, I’m Richard Boone.” “Oh, ok. Bye, Mr. Boone.” And off we ran. > > I’ve always wondered, was Richard Boone really walking around Wauwatosa, Wisconsin (corner of Woodland and Forest St.) back in the mid-60s? I don’t know, but I hope so - I grew up in Wauwatosa and was there at the time. My folks still live next to Mayfair Shopping Center. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-gun-will-travel/579963/30 "2011-04-29T21:06:16Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > [Absolutely.](http://www.theboomtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/mr-t.jpg) You got me. That thing is clearly excellent for eating soup in. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-gun-will-travel/579963/31 "2011-04-29T21:14:55Z")
Small world. My evil sister lives in Wauwatosa now. Apparently the locals call it 'Tosa. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-gun-will-travel/579963/32 "2011-04-29T21:55:57Z")
I was a Heinlein fan for years before I figured out that the title of _Have Space Suit – Will Travel_ (1958) was inspired by that of a TV show of the same period. Not, in fact, until I saw _Stand By Me_ (1986), where the kids are fans of the show (which I’d never heard of before, and I was an avid B&W-rerun-watcher growing up) and sing the theme song. (And I’m 47! If you remember the show, how old does that make **you** feel? ;)) Both titles, I believe, are rooted in “Have Tuxedo, Will Travel,” a supposedly once-common heading for a job-seeking advertisement, though I have never seen a real-life instance in any newspaper. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-gun-will-travel/579963/33 "2011-04-29T22:08:49Z")
> [@brocks](#): > > Yup, those were the good old days, when kids grew up on shows that taught you that guns solved everything. That’s a trifle unfair, espesh when we’re discussing HAVE GUN, WILL TRAVEL. I watched the first few seasons a few years ago, and Paladin usually starts with peaceful solutions – reasoning and negotiation. They sometimes work, they sometimes don’t, but the show is probably the opposite of “guns solve everything.” ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-gun-will-travel/579963/34 "2011-04-29T22:21:08Z")
You know who else had a “Final Solution”? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-gun-will-travel/579963/35 "2011-04-30T04:05:24Z")
Did Paladin ever fall in love? I seem to remember one episode, but IIRC, the poor woman had to die. Kind of like a red-shirted crewman. ---
**Author:** ![Sycorax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@Sycorax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sycorax)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-gun-will-travel/579963/36 "2011-04-30T04:35:45Z")
Oooh, I loved “Have Gun, Will Travel,” and had a crush on Paladin; I haven’t seen it on Encore – I’ll have to check it out. A bit of trivia: Hubby and I moved to St. Augustine, Florida, in 2004 and when we met our neighbors across the street, they said their house was built by Boone and he lived there when he taught acting at Flagler College in downtown St. Augustine. Richard Boone also appeared in many other television shows and several movies. I hope I can find “Have Gun, Will Travel” on Encore, but I guess it depends on one’s location. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-gun-will-travel/579963/37 "2011-04-30T04:47:12Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Did Paladin ever fall in love? I seem to remember one episode, but IIRC, the poor woman had to die. Kind of like a red-shirted crewman. Or a Cartwright wife. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-gun-will-travel/579963/38 "2011-04-30T04:55:53Z")
> [@Sycorax](#): > > Oooh, I loved “Have Gun, Will Travel,” and had a crush on Paladin; I haven’t seen it on Encore – I’ll have to check it out. A bit of trivia: Hubby and I moved to St. Augustine, Florida, in 2004 and when we met our neighbors across the street, they said their house was built by Boone and he lived there when he taught acting at Flagler College in downtown St. Augustine. Richard Boone also appeared in many other television shows and several movies. I hope I can find “Have Gun, Will Travel” on Encore, but I guess it depends on one’s location. Encore is one of the premium channels like HBO and Showtime, so I’m doubtful it would be in a basic cable package anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Sycorax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@Sycorax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sycorax)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-gun-will-travel/579963/39 "2011-04-30T05:11:01Z")
I have Encore as a free trial with Starz (Dish satellite) for a promotional limited time, and includes a few other channels; so far I’m not impressed with the offerings, and haven’t seen anything to entice me. But if I can get quality shows such as “Have gun…” I might sign up for it. I used to pay for HBO but mostly for Bill Maher and Deadwood. When they cancelled Deadwood, I cancelled HBO. Yes, every now and then, HBO and Showtime provide a quality series or min-series, but is it worth it? “The Tudors” was originally broadcast on HBO (or maybe Showtime, not sure) , but BBCA, which I have, is now showing The Tudors. When these so-called premium channels can give me more than one or two shows worth watching, and in my opinion worth the cost, I may sign up. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-gun-will-travel/579963/40 "2011-04-30T05:18:10Z")
I didn’t know it was a TV show. About 10 years ago the major news radio station in L.A. (KNX) used to play old radio shows for an hour every night, and “Have Gun Will Travel” was one of them. Yes, it was better written than the other stuff they played, but it was still really formulaic. As I recall it, every episode Paladin lived in a hotel in San Francisco, where he had a Chinese “man servant,” who essentially pimped for him between “jobs.” Is that how the TV show was? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-gun-will-travel/579963.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-gun-will-travel/579963.md?page=3)