Old TV Westerns on youtube.

[Tommy Tainant]

I never really got into Bonanza. It was the first Western TV series to be broadcast entirely in color and the director was careful to include scenes that took advantage of it. Bonanza was NBC's Sunday night feature program just after Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color.

In 1959, Americans were buying color TV as fast as dealers could provide them. When Bonanza first aired in 1959, NBC was leading the pack in providing color broadcasts. This gave both Bonanza and NBC a huge boost in viewers. The beauty of living color in your living room was hard to resist. The whole Bonanza cast and characters became household names. The stories and the scripts were not very original but within a couple of years the program had become so intrenched with TV audiences that it lasted 14 seasons.

I can remember watching Bonanza at a neighbors house, the only one on the block who had a color TV. They had a 50 foot antenna so they got broadcasts from a neighboring town. By todays standards the reception was terrible but we thought it was great. Within 2 years there was a station in our town and we had a color TV, so ever Sunday night watching Disney's Wonderful World of Color and Bonanza was required viewing.

My Nana and Taid were the first in the village to get a colour TV. It was on order for over a month. Everybody rented TVs in tjose days.
My Mam said I could go round their house after I had finished my dinner ( lunch).
When I got there I had to squeeze in the front room because half the village had just popped round without realising they had a colour TV.
We all watched Lancer on BBC2 in colour. Everyone agreed it was awesome apart from my Taid.
Saturday afternoon was his time for watching the horse racing. My Nana wouldnt allow it when they had company. Gambling being a sin..

 

[Roy C]

Amanda Blake who played Miss Kitty was a beautiful woman. On Gunsmoke she never quite got together with Matt, however in real life she was married twice and did a lot more than run the Longbranch salon in Dodge.

View attachment 993008 View attachment 993009

thas wut I'm talkin' about!

 

[Flopper]

thas wut I'm talkin' about!

I have never seen her in anything other than Gunsmoke. The interactions between Miss Kitty, Doc, Chester, and Matt are often far different than the storylines. As James Arness said, the storylines and guest stars in those stories are what makes Gunsmoke different than any other western series.

 

[Tommy Tainant]

I am watching Steve Mcqueen in Wanted Dead or Alive at the moment. Its a bit underwhelming. Steve plays a bounty hunter who wears a sawn off shotgun. But ive seen half a dozen episodes so far and he hasnt collected one bounty.
The people he hunts always have a sob story so he lets them go. He seems to be a bit soft to be a bounty hunter.

Easy to watch tho.

 

[Auld Phart]

I am watching Steve Mcqueen in Wanted Dead or Alive at the moment. Its a bit underwhelming. Steve plays a bounty hunter who wears a sawn off shotgun. But ive seen half a dozen episodes so far and he hasnt collected one bounty.
The people he hunts always have a sob story so he lets them go. He seems to be a bit soft to be a bounty hunter.

Easy to watch tho.

the Mares Leg he carried was a

An Official Journal Of The NRA | Wanted Dead Or Alive's 'Mare's Leg': How Effective Is It Really?

Though imposing on the silver screen, Steve McQueen's Winchester Model 92 "Mare's Leg" was an invention of Hollywood. Follow Rick Hacker as he takes a look at some of the modern reproductions of the "Mare's Leg," and tests them out.

www.americanrifleman.org

But then, I wouldn't expect someone like you to know that

 

[Tommy Tainant]

the Mares Leg he carried was a

An Official Journal Of The NRA | Wanted Dead Or Alive's 'Mare's Leg': How Effective Is It Really?

Though imposing on the silver screen, Steve McQueen's Winchester Model 92 "Mare's Leg" was an invention of Hollywood. Follow Rick Hacker as he takes a look at some of the modern reproductions of the "Mare's Leg," and tests them out.

www.americanrifleman.org

But then, I wouldn't expect someone like you to know that

I dont read fetish mags.

 

[surada]

I have over two thousand tv channels but I only watch two or three of em once in a while.

There is one channel called MeTV that runs all of those shows as well as others that aren't really western, but from that TV era.

Grit channel runs Westerns.

 

[Auld Phart]

I dont read fetish mags.

not surprised.

you prefer to post from a position of ignorance.

 

[Tommy Tainant]

not surprised.

you prefer to post from a position of ignorance.

Its a thread about old tv westerns old fella. Calm down.

 

[Flopper]

Ive been watching a few of these lately. They are kind of comforting.
Ive been watching -
Rawhide
Lawman
Wagon Train
Bonanza
Restless Gun
Wells Fargo
Cheyenns
Amongst others.

I have to say that Wagon Train is head and shoulders above the rest.The storylines are better and the dialogue is snappier.
The others are worth a watch as well.. I think Bonanza was a bit overrated. but I wouldnt argue if you think differently.

I cant seem to find some of the real gems.
High Chapperal
Alias Smith and Jones
Branded - What can you do when youre Branded and you know youre a man

I heard that Gene Roddenberry got the idea for Star Trek while watching an episode of Wagon Train. There is lot similarity.

I am watching Steve Mcqueen in Wanted Dead or Alive at the moment. Its a bit underwhelming. Steve plays a bounty hunter who wears a sawn off shotgun. But ive seen half a dozen episodes so far and he hasnt collected one bounty.
The people he hunts always have a sob story so he lets them go. He seems to be a bit soft to be a bounty hunter.

Easy to watch tho.

Do you ever watch any Gunsmoke or Have Gun Will Travel.

 

[Tommy Tainant]

I heard that Gene Roddenberry got the idea for Star Trek while watching an episode of Wagon Train. There is lot similarity.

Do you ever watch any Gunsmoke or Have Gun Will Travel.

Ive seen some Gunsmoke. Wasnt overly impressed.

 

[Flopper]

Ive seen some Gunsmoke. Wasnt overly impressed.

The first 6 seasons of Gunsmoke had a half hour format which means about 22 minutes for the program which is not long enough to develop good plots and characters. In the 7 season, the producers took the program to a one hour format, hired some top TV writers and some the best actors, both new and old. For 5 years they produced some of the most thought provoking and unique westerns on TV. Then NBC demanded all productions were to be in color and appeal to a wide audience of both young and old. This was in the 12 season. I believe this is is when the series started going slowly downhill. By the 17 or 18 season, Gunsmoke was not just showing it's age but it was looking decrypted. The stories became stale. The list of guess actors turned into a list of actors that NBC was promoting. And finally Matt was getting a bit fat and little grey. Kitty was looking like a real madam of a whorehouse. Ken Curtis was playing multiply roles, Amanda Blake, Miss Kitty left the series after the 18th season. Milburn Stone, Doc only appeared in a few episode after the 18th season due to a Hearth attack. Thus at 20 seasons ended the longest running TV series in America.

So if you want to watch the best of Gunsmoke, watch seasons 7 thru 11.

Here is short list of Gunsmoke guest stars. How many do you recognize?


Gunsmoke Guest stars

Claude Akins

John Anderson

Edward Andrews

Jean Arthur

Ed Asner

Lew Ayres

Jim Backus

Richard Basehart

Ned Beatty

Noah Beery Jr.

Ed Begley

Ralph Bellamy

Theodore Bikel

Billie Bird

Dan Blocker

Bruce Boxleitner

Beau Bridges

Charles Bronson

Edgar Buchanan

Ellen Burstyn

Gary Busey

Sebastian Cabot

Joseph Campanella

J. D. Cannon

Harry Carey Jr.

David Carradine

John Carradine

Lee J. Cobb

Chuck Connors

Mike Connors

Tim Considine

Robert Culp

Kim Darby

Bette Davis

Jim Davis

Gloria DeHaven

John Dehner

Bruce Dern

Angie Dickinson

James Doohan

Richard Dreyfuss

Buddy Ebsen

Barbara Eden

Jack Elam

Sam Elliott

Nina Foch

Constance Ford

Harrison Ford

Jodie Foster

Anne Francis

Will Geer

Thomas Gomez

James Gregory

Joan Hackett

Alan Hale Jr.

Earl Holliman

Dennis Hopper

Clint Howard

Ron Howard

John Hoyt

Marsha Hunt

Kim Hunter

Betty Hutton

John Ireland

Ben Johnson

Jack Kelly

George Kennedy

Richard Kiley

Jack Klugman

Ted Knight

Diane Ladd

Jack Lambert

Martin Landau

Cloris Leachman

June Lockhart

Gary Lockwood

Jack Lord

Darren McGavin

Lee Majors

Ross Martin

Strother Martin

Scott Marlowe

Mercedes McCambridge

Vera Miles

Donna Mills

Cameron Mitchell

Ricardo Montalbán

Harry Morgan

Gene Nelson

Leslie Nielsen

Leonard Nimoy

Jeanette Nolan

Nick Nolte

Warren Oates

Carroll O'Connor

Susan Oliver

John Payne

Nehemiah Persoff

Slim Pickens

Suzanne Pleshette

Michael J. Pollard

Denver Pyle

Pernell Roberts

Wayne Rogers

Gilbert Roland

Ruth Roman

Katharine Ross

Kurt Russell

Dick Sargent

John Saxon

Tom Skerritt

David Soul

Aaron Spelling

Harry Dean Stanton

Craig Stevens

Leonard Stone

Loretta Swit

Russ Tamblyn

Forrest Tucker

Cicely Tyson

Robert Urich

Lee Van Cleef

Robert Vaughn

Jan-Michael Vincent

Jon Voight

Lesley Ann Warren

David Wayne

Stuart Whitman

James Whitmore

Johnny Whitaker

Chill Wills

William Windom

Dana Wynter

 

[Tommy Tainant]

The first 6 seasons of Gunsmoke had a half hour format which means about 22 minutes for the program which is not long enough to develop good plots and characters. In the 7 season, the producers took the program to a one hour format, hired some top TV writers and some the best actors, both new and old. For 5 years they produced some of the most thought provoking and unique westerns on TV. Then NBC demanded all productions were to be in color and appeal to a wide audience of both young and old. This was in the 12 season. I believe this is is when the series started going slowly downhill. By the 17 or 18 season, Gunsmoke was not just showing it's age but it was looking decrypted. The stories became stale. The list of guess actors turned into a list of actors that NBC was promoting. And finally Matt was getting a bit fat and little grey. Kitty was looking like a real madam of a whorehouse. Ken Curtis was playing multiply roles, Amanda Blake, Miss Kitty left the series after the 18th season. Milburn Stone, Doc only appeared in a few episode after the 18th season due to a Hearth attack. Thus at 20 seasons ended the longest running TV series in America.

So if you want to watch the best of Gunsmoke, watch seasons 7 thru 11.

Here is short list of Gunsmoke guest stars. How many do you recognize?


Gunsmoke Guest stars

Claude Akins

John Anderson

Edward Andrews

Jean Arthur

Ed Asner

Lew Ayres

Jim Backus

Richard Basehart

Ned Beatty

Noah Beery Jr.

Ed Begley

Ralph Bellamy

Theodore Bikel

Billie Bird

Dan Blocker

Bruce Boxleitner

Beau Bridges

Charles Bronson

Edgar Buchanan

Ellen Burstyn

Gary Busey

Sebastian Cabot

Joseph Campanella

J. D. Cannon

Harry Carey Jr.

David Carradine

John Carradine

Lee J. Cobb

Chuck Connors

Mike Connors

Tim Considine

Robert Culp

Kim Darby

Bette Davis

Jim Davis

Gloria DeHaven

John Dehner

Bruce Dern

Angie Dickinson

James Doohan

Richard Dreyfuss

Buddy Ebsen

Barbara Eden

Jack Elam

Sam Elliott

Nina Foch

Constance Ford

Harrison Ford

Jodie Foster

Anne Francis

Will Geer

Thomas Gomez

James Gregory

Joan Hackett

Alan Hale Jr.

Earl Holliman

Dennis Hopper

Clint Howard

Ron Howard

John Hoyt

Marsha Hunt

Kim Hunter

Betty Hutton

John Ireland

Ben Johnson

Jack Kelly

George Kennedy

Richard Kiley

Jack Klugman

Ted Knight

Diane Ladd

Jack Lambert

Martin Landau

Cloris Leachman

June Lockhart

Gary Lockwood

Jack Lord

Darren McGavin

Lee Majors

Ross Martin

Strother Martin

Scott Marlowe

Mercedes McCambridge

Vera Miles

Donna Mills

Cameron Mitchell

Ricardo Montalbán

Harry Morgan

Gene Nelson

Leslie Nielsen

Leonard Nimoy

Jeanette Nolan

Nick Nolte

Warren Oates

Carroll O'Connor

Susan Oliver

John Payne

Nehemiah Persoff

Slim Pickens

Suzanne Pleshette

Michael J. Pollard

Denver Pyle

Pernell Roberts

Wayne Rogers

Gilbert Roland

Ruth Roman

Katharine Ross

Kurt Russell

Dick Sargent

John Saxon

Tom Skerritt

David Soul

Aaron Spelling

Harry Dean Stanton

Craig Stevens

Leonard Stone

Loretta Swit

Russ Tamblyn

Forrest Tucker

Cicely Tyson

Robert Urich

Lee Van Cleef

Robert Vaughn

Jan-Michael Vincent

Jon Voight

Lesley Ann Warren

David Wayne

Stuart Whitman

James Whitmore

Johnny Whitaker

Chill Wills

William Windom

Dana Wynter

Irs a whos who.

 

[Tommy Tainant]

Currently warching Tombstone Terrirory.
Its a bit of an oddiry. The format, music and narrator are in the style of The Untouchables.
A different story every episode taken from the local paper. Irs well worth a look if lacking star power.