Thirty-odd years ago, my local UPN station used to show this (and The Wild Wild West) at )-DarkThirty on Friday night. Since my stepfather was a western fan, I was permitted to stay up to watch both.
I have just preordered the first season of TWWW (due out on 6-6-06) from Amazon, but can find no indication that THC is being released. Too bad. I really dug this show, from Leif Erricson’s John Cannon on down. Especially loved Linda Cristal as his wife (her character’s name escapes me) and Henry Darrow as Manolito and Cameron “Sign my check and I’ll be in any damn thing” Mitchell as Buck.
I haven’t seen them since those days, though many plots remain in my memory. I’m hoping if I do get to see them again that I won’t cringe at the portrayals of the Mexican cast members or the many Apache characters that appeared on the series, though I seem to remember that for 60s/70s TV it was pretty balanced (I first heard of the “Buffalo Soldiers” through an episode), and the characters were portrayed with some dignity, though I do recall that Mrs. Cannon went into a vitriolic Spanish spiel whenever she was displeased.
Any fans out there? Anyone better remember the tone of the show?
Loved the theme music and the paintings over which the title credits played!
I think we’re both probably spelling the actor’s name wrong. I believe he spelled it E-r-i-c-k-s-o-n, now that I think about it, and doubt that was his real name. But, yes, I noticed that too in my grade school history class, and discovered that Leif was pronounced “Life,” not “Leaf,” as I had been mentally doing.
I could never watch reruns of High Chaparral quite the same after Frances, which portrayed Leif Erricson reacting to wife Frances Farmer’s infidelity by diving into a sofa and kicking his legs like an enraged toddler. Probably a cinematic sheap shot.
I remember the show, the look of the charactors, and the sound of their voices, but it has been so long that I don’t remember any plots or particular scenes. It was a good show, as were a lot of westerns during that time.
Most of the westerns had great opening montages and theme music; Men From Shiloh, Cimarron Strip, The Outcasts, The Guns of Will Sonnet, just to name a few.
I still think the best opening sequence and theme song was from Cimarron Strip. Stuart Whitman started out riding at a gallop as a helicopter shot slowly pulled up and away to show him raising a dust cloud as his horse raced across the prairie. He rode with one hand on the reins and the other slightly out to his side. Even though the horse was at full gallop, the top of his head didn’t bob up and down, he moved along with the movement of the horse like he was part of it. I don’t know if that was good form or not, but he made riding that horse look like the easiest and most natural thing in the world. And the whole theme song kicked butt
Chalk up another huge fan of THC. Gotta check how long ago that was.
Nice hat, Manolito. And Buck pretty much became a constant for a kid in the 60s-70s as CM accepted any role thrown his way. One of the first actors I recognized.
Would almost be afraid to see re-runs today, to see what I loved as a kid!
I also remember the “Buffalo Soldiers” episode – that was a good one too.
I really liked Buck, Manolito and thought Victoria was pretty hot. I think it was one of the better westerns of the late sixties (when the genre was dying out) and I think it tried to be pretty fair about things in general.
I hated Blue though – I thought he was awfully whiney for a grown man.
