Your word choice makes it hard. “Toughest”…just what do you mean? I mean, Cheyenne was without a doubt the strongest. Matt Dillon could take so much punishment and still come back and shoot four or five people. Paladin has that air of potential evil about him. I think Yancy Derringer was the sneakiest. Now that I think about it…Probably Shotgun Slade…or maybe Johnny Yuma…or…
Yup, in the gun control debates, when people bring up the violent video games kids play today, I always counter with The Rifleman. It was really a family values show, with the single father laying down good morals for his young son.
But somehow, living on a farm ten miles away from a one-horse town, Lucas managed to kill two or three people a week.
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.
But yeah, I’d say Matt Dillon as toughest.
James West.
At least he had the coolest partner, and the coolest train.
Damn you! This is what I thought when I saw the thread title.
That soil wasn’t going to fertilize itself, son.
I’ve watched Shane so many times on TV I want to count him, but it has to be The Rifleman, he takes his shirt off way more than any of the others and is always real sweaty. Also, Adam was the real badass gunfighter on Bonanza. And if Gus was so deadly why didn’t he take out The Blue Duck when they parlayed down at the crick?
The Duck of Death?
I caught a rerun just a few weeks ago. I didn’t remember it that well. I was shocked to see how much violence there was. And in the episode I watched, hardcore anti-Mexican racism.
The Vigilante, Justice League Unlimited
It is unquestionably the Rifleman. Bodie was bigger and stronger looking than the rest, but we all knew he was dumb as a post.
My two candidates are Max Sand (Steve Mcqueen) and Eastwood in “Hang 'em High.”
Raylan Givens.
He wears a Stetson so qualifies as a cowboy in my book.
And he’s a US Marshall. That sounds vaguely cowboy-ish.
Unquestionably. Chuck Connors is a card carrying Bad Ass**
Great thread, BTW. Here’s a classic scene between ‘Lucas’ and Lee Van Cleef :
Gots to lurve cowboy badassery. Raylan’s great too.
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) in which Gregory Peck beats the total shit out of Connors’s character. Great movie.
I’ve always felt sorry for Connors for having to play that part. He also did Cowboy in Africa. Life can be cruel sometimes.
First in with Will Sonnett…
Not the badest but he can shoot.
Hoss is the best fighter!
ymmv…tsfr
Michael Landon as Little Joe was badass enough.
“Z!”
That’s who I was going to nominate. Robert Conrad broke his freakin’ skull on that show.