# "Have Gun Will Travel"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-gun-will-travel/579963>\
**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:** 4\
**Page:** 4

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**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:** [May 4, 2011, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-gun-will-travel/579963/61 "2011-05-04T04:22:20Z")

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> [@nivlac](#):
>
> My lasting memory of the show was the calling card “Have Gun Will Travel”. I must admit that I had no idea what the next line meant: “Wire Paladin”. Paladin I knew, but why was his first name Wire??? I eventually figured it out. 😛 I particularly liked that Paladin was based in San Francisco which was the last thing on his card. Come to think of it, I had one of those cards once. Wonder where it’s at now?

I have actually come close to getting cards printed up that say:

\*\*\*HAVE PENCIL  
WILL CONCEPTUALIZE  
{silhouette of chess piece}

Wire D. Digger, San Francisco\*\*\*

But I wonder if anyone would get it… esp if I want clients that are less OldeFarty than I.

Oh, and I would have to move to SF. Small price to pay…

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**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-gun-will-travel/579963/62 "2011-05-04T15:22:07Z")

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> [@blondebear](#):
>
> Thread-appropriate video triva: [Paladin theme as sung by Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman and Jerry O’Connell](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6y2LHlZRVrQ)

“That’s weird . . . What **is** Goofy?” 😕

[(The Master Speaks.)](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/978/if-pluto-is-a-dog-what-is-goofy)

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**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:** [May 4, 2011, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-gun-will-travel/579963/63 "2011-05-04T21:33:16Z")

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Very cool _Roman Holiday_-esque episode of HGWT yesterday. Paladin hired to locate a foreign princess who is out in the wilderness somewhere with two cowpokes, and bring her home to avert political meltdown in her country.

He locates her IMMEDIATELY out where Christ Lost His Shoes (prolly using Google Maps & infra-red, satellite imaging) and chases off her two lame-brained escorts. At first she’s kind of snooty and princess-y, but our boy quickly disarms her with his suave, smarty-pants charm. It turns out she can cook, and She Can Cook. 🙂 Some making out, some quoting of Marcus Aurelius about Duty, other very educated, lovely sweet nothings, and a few nights spent in adjoining bedrolls (or possibly the same bedroll) under the stars… \<swoon\> I’m glad I waited until age 62 to see this episode… at 15, I couldn’t have handled it.

At the end he delivers her back to Her People in that poignant scene where Gregory Peck exchanges meaningful glances with Audrey Hepburn across the roomful of people.

All in all, a very satisfying episode. I had the strange desire to smoke a cigarette afterward.

I think I won’t erase it from my DVR. 🆒

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**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\
**Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-gun-will-travel/579963/64 "2011-05-05T01:34:40Z")

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> [@BrainGlutton](#):
>
> 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? ;))

I have been watching episodes off and on from Netflix. Paladin is just as cool as I remember from seeing it when I was a kid. And BrainGlutton, I am 48, so the fact that you don’t remember it at 47 just tells me the TV channels where you grew up didn’t have enough quality programming. 😃

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