# James Drury the Virginian rides off into the sunset. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 7, 2020, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-drury-the-virginian-rides-off-into-the-sunset/851240 "2020-04-07T01:34:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2020, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-drury-the-virginian-rides-off-into-the-sunset/851240/1 "2020-04-07T01:34:28Z")
I still enjoy watching reruns of The Virginian. Great Western/drama show. Dan Drury was excellent in the role. RIP > **[James Drury, Star of Western Series ‘The Virginian,’ Dies at 85](https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/james-drury-dead-dies-the-virginian-1234572123/)** > > James Drury, best known for starring in the long-running Western series "The Virginian," died Monday of natural causes. He was 85. > [@](#): > > Drury’s quiet character, who always wore a black cowboy hat, had no name other than “The Virginian.” He portrayed the tough foreman of the fictional Shiloh Ranch set in the latter part of the 19th century in the Wyoming Territory. Many of the 249 episodes, airing over nine seasons until 1971, involved his character fending off outlaws and rustlers. Each episode would run for 90 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2020, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-drury-the-virginian-rides-off-into-the-sunset/851240/2 "2020-04-07T03:04:54Z")
“James” Drury. Not “Dan.” ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2020, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-drury-the-virginian-rides-off-into-the-sunset/851240/3 "2020-04-07T03:31:06Z")
Thank you for the correction. I don’t know why I thought it was Dan. James Drury was 85. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2020, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-drury-the-virginian-rides-off-into-the-sunset/851240/4 "2020-04-07T13:55:05Z")
Obligatory IMDb [link](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0238628/). Last finished item is 2012 with one in post. Didn’t work much in the late 70s/80s. But busier since. A ton of westerns. Alas, we lost another crewman from _Forbidden Planet_. That just leaves Earl Holliman as the only cast member still known to be alive. (There’s a Jimmy Thompson who appeared in _Singin’ in the Rain_ and other such movies. There seems to be a mystery as to what happened to him.) No, I don’t count Robby as a surviving cast member. ---
**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 7, 2020, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-drury-the-virginian-rides-off-into-the-sunset/851240/5 "2020-04-07T15:02:34Z")
I loved The Virginian. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2020, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-drury-the-virginian-rides-off-into-the-sunset/851240/6 "2020-04-07T15:09:27Z")
I watched westerns religiously when I was a kid, but The Virginian came along at about the same time as my teen years came along, and my interests had moved on. I may have to give it a shot. I did read the book by Owen Wister for a class I took many years ago, however. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2020, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-drury-the-virginian-rides-off-into-the-sunset/851240/7 "2020-04-07T16:42:53Z")
85 doesn’t seem as old as it used to… ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2020, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-drury-the-virginian-rides-off-into-the-sunset/851240/8 "2020-04-07T18:01:18Z")
[Moderating] Title corrected. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2020, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-drury-the-virginian-rides-off-into-the-sunset/851240/9 "2020-04-07T19:07:29Z")
Thank you. I figured out how I got the name screwed up. I had The Virginian, James Drury mixed up with Dan Duryea. Another great actor. He did Westerns and dramas. Duryea played likeable villains.Duryea guest starred on the Virginian in one episode. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2020, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-drury-the-virginian-rides-off-into-the-sunset/851240/10 "2020-04-07T19:47:30Z")
One of my faves as well.