# Who's the toughest TV cowboy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 24, 2013, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-toughest-tv-cowboy/648210 "2013-01-24T11:26:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-toughest-tv-cowboy/648210/41 "2013-01-25T12:07:23Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Not to take anything away from Chuck Connors in the TV show, but if you haven’t seen it yet, take a look at [The Big Country (1958)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051411/?ref_=sr_1) in which Gregory Peck beats the total shit out of Connors’s character. You sure? I don’t remember that. I remember Peck having a seemingly hours-long fistfight with Charlton Heston that ended in a draw, and I remember him exposing Connors as a coward and a low-down mangy backshooter during their duel. I’m not sure that’s a negative. Taking a role like that proves that Chuck was very secure in his manhood. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-toughest-tv-cowboy/648210/42 "2013-01-25T13:34:16Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > You sure? I don’t remember that. I remember Peck having a seemingly hours-long fistfight with Charlton Heston that ended in a draw, and I remember him exposing Connors as a coward and a low-down mangy backshooter during their duel. > > I’m not sure that’s a negative. Taking a role like that proves that Chuck was very secure in his manhood. Your version sounds right. I do remember Peck and Heston keeping their fight – out away from other eyes – strictly between themselves, and that it was one of the most authentically staged such things since _Shane_. And I do remember Burl Ives getting nasty with Connors for some infraction or other. So maybe I did fuse the two events. In any case, Connors in that movie was a far cry from Lucas McCain. There sure were a lot of specialized weapons in those days. TV was all about the advantage a sawed-off rifle or a holster Gatling gun could afford. In that respect, my favorite was Jim Bowie. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-toughest-tv-cowboy/648210/43 "2013-01-25T14:10:55Z")
> [@NitroPress](#): > > I have heard, but don’t know as it it was before my time, that the first year or two of Gunsmoke was much grittier and more violent, and Matt Dillon’s hat had a distinct tinge of gray. It evolved into a more standard story because the idea of an ambiguous hero was too weird for audiences of the day. I’ve heard that from my folks as well–Encore Westerns was working its way through Gunsmoke for a while, and they commented on the earlier episodes having a distinctly different tone than the later. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-toughest-tv-cowboy/648210/44 "2013-01-25T16:08:21Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > There sure were a lot of specialized weapons in those days. TV was all about the advantage a sawed-off rifle or a holster Gatling gun could afford. In that respect, my favorite was Jim Bowie. Some of the specialized weapons: Buntline Special (long-barreled Colt 45)–_Wyatt Earp_ Rapid-fire Winchester–_Rifleman_ Mare’s leg (sawed-off Winchester)–_Wanted Dead or Alive_ Over and Under Shotgun/Winchester–_Shotgun Slade_ Shotgun cut down to pistol length and carried as a side arm–_Johnny Yuma_ Derringer–_Yancy Derringer_ Six gun with an extra shotgun barrel adapted to it-_Johnny Ringo_ Pistol that converted into a rifle–_Restless Gun_ Pistol that used silver bullets -_The Lone Ranger_ I seem to remember one of the shows had a hero with a seven shooter but I don’t remember the show Non-firearm Bowie knife–_Jim Bowie_ Cane–_Bat Masterson_ Karate–_Wild, Wild West and Kung Fu_ Sword–_Zorro_ ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-toughest-tv-cowboy/648210/45 "2013-01-25T16:16:44Z")
Righteous work there, **TV time**! I was just funning about the Gatling gun – I think. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-toughest-tv-cowboy/648210/46 "2013-01-25T16:16:58Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > You sure? I don’t remember that. I remember Peck having a seemingly hours-long fistfight with Charlton Heston that ended in a draw, and I remember him exposing Connors as a coward and a low-down mangy backshooter during their duel. > > I’m not sure that’s a negative. Taking a role like that proves that Chuck was very secure in his manhood. Yeah, I assumed he was talking about the duel. The Heston/Peck fight was just stupid looking. These guys spent all night taking turns punching each other in the jaw. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-toughest-tv-cowboy/648210/47 "2013-01-25T16:29:54Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > In any case, Connors in that movie was a far cry from Lucas McCain. Maybe but this thread is about TV characters, not actors. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-toughest-tv-cowboy/648210/48 "2013-01-25T16:34:18Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > Maybe but this thread is about TV characters, not actors. Yes, but one reason I have trouble seeing _The Rifleman_ as _the toughest TV cowboy_ is because of those connections with the actor. My notion of “tough” applies more to Tommy Lee Jones in all his roles. But that’s why we have salt and pepper, right? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-toughest-tv-cowboy/648210/49 "2013-01-25T16:39:31Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > Maybe but this thread is about TV characters, not actors. And if you want to bring outside of TV facts into it, Chuck Connors was also a Boston Celtic and a Brooklyn Dodger. Beat that! ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-toughest-tv-cowboy/648210/50 "2013-01-25T19:34:37Z")
> [@TV\_time](#): > > Non-firearm > Bowie knife–_Jim Bowie_ > Cane–_Bat Masterson_ > Karate–_Wild, Wild West and Kung Fu_ > Sword–_Zorro_ How about that sharpened up broken calvary sword used by Chuck Conners on _Branded_? The opening credits show Conners’ superior officer breaking it over his knee and flinging it out of the gates of the fort. Talk about Freudian symbolism. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-toughest-tv-cowboy/648210/51 "2013-01-25T19:36:41Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > And if you want to bring outside of TV facts into it, Chuck Connors was also a Boston Celtic and a Brooklyn Dodger. Beat that! He also played for the Chicago Cubs. Mike Royko said there was no one who couldn’t hit the way he couldn’t hit. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-toughest-tv-cowboy/648210/52 "2013-01-25T19:49:52Z")
My vote goes to Mongo. All he needed was a can of beans and men would flee in terror. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-toughest-tv-cowboy/648210/53 "2013-01-25T19:54:03Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > My vote goes to Mongo. All he needed was a can of beans and men would flee in terror. No doubt Mongo would win against the other guys mentioned here, if he was a TV cowboy. On TV he was the guy who got manipulated by a little kid. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-toughest-tv-cowboy/648210/54 "2013-01-25T19:55:53Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > He also played for the Chicago Cubs. Huh, I’d forgotton he played for the other team. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-toughest-tv-cowboy/648210/55 "2013-01-25T19:57:11Z")
The Whipmaster, as portrayed by Bill Murray. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-toughest-tv-cowboy/648210/56 "2013-01-25T20:08:45Z")
He told you to call him Bronco. ---
**Author:** ![chargerrich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chargerrich/32/5399_2.png) [@chargerrich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chargerrich)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-toughest-tv-cowboy/648210/57 "2013-01-25T20:12:34Z")
Woody from Toy Story… ---
**Author:** ![James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac8455/32.png) [@James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/James_Otto_Sweet_Heart)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-toughest-tv-cowboy/648210/58 "2013-01-25T20:16:03Z")
^^^ 😃 😃 😃 God bless you always!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 Holly ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-toughest-tv-cowboy/648210/59 "2013-01-25T20:29:36Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > How about that sharpened up broken calvary sword used by Chuck Conners on _Branded_? The opening credits show Conners’ superior officer breaking it over his knee and flinging it out of the gates of the fort. Talk about Freudian symbolism. Yeah, and in virtually every show he ended up stabbing someone with it. That broken sword got so much action!! ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-toughest-tv-cowboy/648210/60 "2013-01-25T20:37:41Z")
> [@TV\_time](#): > > Six gun with an extra shotgun barrel adapted to it-_Johnny Ringo_ I hear tell he’s the deadliest pistoleer since Wild Bill Hickok. Do you think I should hate him? I mean, there’s just something around the eyes… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-toughest-tv-cowboy/648210.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-toughest-tv-cowboy/648210.md?page=4)