Pioneers of Television (2008–…): Season 2, Episode 2 - Westerns - full transcript
This episodes reviews various contributions to the western genre on early US television. Maverick (1957), starring 'James Garner' was an early success and noted for its humor. The Rifleman (1958) was created by Sam Peckinpah, later noted for his more violent take on westerns. It starred Chuck Connors as a single parent raising his young son. Bonanza (1959) with Lorne Greene as a rich rancher with three grown sons was noted for never having a permanent female character. The Big Valley (1965) on the other hand was noted for its strong female characters played by Barbara Stanwyck and Linda Evans. The Wild Wild West (1965) starring Robert Conrad was noted for it's sometimes bizarre story lines and although still very popular, was canceled in 1969 when the US government began a campaign against violence on TV. The High Chaparral (1967) had several Latino actors in key roles and Daniel Boone (1964) included many African-American actors when few were to be found on US television. Gunsmoke (1955), perhaps the granddaddy of them all, featured James Arness as a US Marshall who rarely used his gun at all.
FROM THE MID-1940s
THROUGH THE MID-'70s,
TELEVISION AUDIENCES ENJOYED
MORE THAN 100 DIFFERENT
WESTERN SERIES.
THEY REFLECTED OUR ATTITUDES AND
HELPED DEFINE US AS A NATION.
ALL OF THE THINGS THAT WE THINK
OF AS THE AMERICAN VALUES
ARE TIED UP IN THAT JOHN WAYNE
KIND OF PERSONA.
IT'S PART
OF THE AMERICAN CULTURE,
PART OF THE WHOLE BACKGROUND OF
AMERICA, AND IT'S VERY ROMANTIC.
I DON'T KNOW... IT'S OUR
HERITAGE, IT'S... THE WEST WAS
OUR FRONTIER,
AND I JUST LIKE WESTERNS.
Linda Evans: I THINK THE PUBLIC
LOVES WESTERNS.
I THINK THEY STILL
LOVE WESTERNS.
AND I DON'T KNOW WHY THEY DON'T
PUT THEM BACK ON TV,
BECAUSE I THINK THERE'S
A HUGE AUDIENCE FOR THEM.
Narrator: TOGETHER, THEY CREATED
THE MOST POPULAR GENRE
OF TV'S FIRST DECADES.
THEY ARE
THE PIONEERS OF TELEVISION.
THE COURT IN VIRGINIA CITY
DOESN'T OWN THE PONDEROSA.
WE DO.
Narrator: THEY CREATED
THE CHARACTERS WE LOVED
TO IDOLIZE.
I NEVER WANTED TO BE
AN ACTOR.
I GOT STUCK IN IT AND KIND OF
LIKED WHAT I WAS DOING, HAD FUN.
IT'S MY JOB TO KEEP THE PEACE
HERE IN TOWN, AND I'LL DO IT.
BUT I'LL DO IT MY OWN WAY.
Ed Ames: BIG JIM ARNESS,
THAT MAN WAS AS BIG AS A TREE.
I MEAN, HE WAS HUGE.
NOW, YOU STAY AWAY FROM THAT
GIRL, OR I'LL KILL YOU.
I MEAN IT, I'LL KILL YOU!
SHE WAS A GROUND-BREAKING WOMAN.
I MEAN, I THINK SHE NEVER FIT
IN ANY CATEGORY.
SHE DID PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING
THAT SHE WANTED TO DO.
PA!
OH, PA, I'M SO GLAD
TO SEE YOU!
I THINK "DANIEL BOONE"
WAS POPULAR...
WELL, PRIMARILY
BECAUSE OF FESS PARKER,
AND I THINK HE HIMSELF WAS
A VERY POPULAR PERSON.
Rosey Grier: HE DIDN'T TRY
TO BE A STAR.
HE JUST PLAYED HIS PART
UP TO THE HILT.
YOU'RE LOOKING
A LOT BETTER,
JUST SINCE YOU
JOINED THIS TRAIN.
HOW YOU MAKING OUT
THESE DAYS?
WELL, I'LL BE FRANK
WITH YOU, MAJOR,
I'M MAKING AN EFFORT,
BUT IT SURE AIN'T EASY.
Narrator: THEY RE-CREATED
A WORLD WE LONGED TO VISIT.
WESTERNS, TO ME,
MAKE AN AWFUL LOT OF SENSE.
BECAUSE IT'S ONE OF THOSE
KIND OF THINGS
THAT YOU CAN LOSE YOURSELF IN.
Robert Conrad:
IT WAS ESCAPISM FARE,
IT'S EVERYTHING RIGHT AND GOOD
ABOUT TV.
IT'S LIKE 143 WOMEN I KISSED
AND 118 FIGHTS.
PROMISE ME
YOU WON'T LET PAPA
TALK YOU
INTO MARRYING ME.
ANYTHING TO PLEASE
A LADY.
I NEVER MET A WOMAN
I DIDN'T LIKE.
I MEAN, TO GO TO WORK
AND KISS A WOMAN?
ARE YOU SERIOUS?
HELLO!
YOU MEAN TO SAY YOU
OVERPOWERED HIM
SINGLE-HANDED
AND UNARMED?
YEP, AND I'D HATE
TO DO IT EVER' DAY.
BY HEAVEN, I'M GOING TO
HAVE TO CHANGE MY OPINION
OF YOUR FIGHTING ABILITY,
DANIEL.
IT WAS A FUN SHOW, TOO.
THERE WAS A LOT OF HUMOR IN IT,
A LOT OF CAMARADERIE.
Evans: SHE LIVED
FOR THE MOMENTS
WE'D HAVE... "TODAY'S
THE BURNING BUILDING!
TODAY'S THE EARTHQUAKE!"
SHE WAS DEVASTATINGLY GOOD
AND REALLY FOCUSED.
YOU THINK HE LOVED HIS SON,
EVEN AT THE END?
I THINK A FATHER NEVER STOPS
LOVING HIS SON, MARK.
Johnny Crawford: I COULDN'T
HAVE BEEN HAPPIER.
THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE
I WOULD HAVE WANTED TO DO
MORE THAN WHAT I WAS DOING.
TELL ME SOMETHING.
HOW CAN YOU AND THE INDIAN
BE FRIENDS?
Darby Hinton:
A LOT OF THE STORIES
THAT WE DID... ABOUT SLAVERY,
ABOUT RACE RELATIONS... I MEAN,
IT WAS REALLY GROUNDBREAKING
AT THE TIME.
Henry Darrow:
THE ONE THREAD
THAT RUNS THROUGH US
IS THE WESTERN.
AND IT HAD ITS RUN,
IT'S HAD ITS PERIOD,
AND WE WERE THERE
TO CELEBRATE IT.
MAYBE IT NEVER
REALLY EXISTED, EVEN,
BUT AT LEAST ROMANTICALLY AND...
AND IN OUR IMAGINATIONS,
THAT EXISTED.
THE WESTERN EXISTED.
Man:
"THE WEST," TAKE 2.
ACTION.
Narrator: DECADES
BEFORE TELEVISION,
WESTERNS WERE GOING STRONG,
A STAPLE OF THE MOVIES.
WHEN TV LAUNCHED
IN THE LATE 1940s,
NO ONE WAS QUITE SURE
IF WESTERNS WOULD WORK
ON THE SMALL SCREEN.
BUT AFTER THE FIRST FEW SHOWS
HIT THE AIR,
THE ANSWER WAS CLEAR.
AUDIENCES LOVED TV WESTERNS.
THE 1959 SEASON ALONE
SAW MORE THAN 30
DIFFERENT WESTERNS
ON THE SCHEDULE.
AS HOLLYWOOD RAMPED UP
PRODUCTION,
EVERY BACK LOT WAS BUSY
WITH COWBOYS AND HORSES.
ON ANY GIVEN DAY,
THERE MIGHT BE
HALF A DOZEN WESTERN COMPANIES
SHOOTING ON THAT.
AND YOU'D BE GETTING READY
FOR A SHOT AND LINING UP
OR TRYING
TO REHEARSE OR SOMETHING,
AND HERE COMES DICK BOONE
WITH A POSSE,
RIDING THROUGH YOUR SHOT,
YOU KNOW.
AND THERE'S MY BROTHER,
JIM ARNESS, OVER THERE.
SO THOSE WERE GREAT DAYS.
A LOT OF WORK.
Narrator: OVER THE DECADES,
AUDIENCES HAVE ENJOYED
MORE THAN 100 WESTERN TV SERIES.
A FEW STAND ABOVE THE REST.
CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
IN THE 1930s DUST BOWL.
PERHAPS THE WORST PLACE
IN AMERICA TO LIVE,
IN THE MIDST OF THE MOST SEVERE
DEPRESSION EVER.
FOR ONE YOUNG BOY HERE,
NAMED JIMMY,
THE DISASTER CUT EVEN DEEPER.
IN 1933, HIS MOTHER DIED,
WHEN HE WAS JUST 5 YEARS OLD.
HIS STEPMOTHER BEAT HIM.
YET OUT OF THIS NIGHTMARE
CAME ONE OF AMERICA'S
MOST UPBEAT PERFORMERS,
THE MAN WHO TOOK
THE OLD WEST COWBOY
AND ADDED A SMILE.
HIS NAME WAS JAMES GARNER.
HIS SIGNATURE CHARACTER
WAS BRET MAVERICK.
SHERIFF, IT ISN'T OFTEN
I CAN SAY THIS.
I FEEL LIKE I'M
LEAVING SUNNY ACRES
A BETTER PLACE
THAN I FOUND IT.
Man: HA!
I NEVER WANTED TO BE
AN ACTOR.
I GOT STUCK IN IT AND KIND OF
LIKED WHAT I WAS DOING, HAD FUN.
Narrator: AFTER MOVING
TO CALIFORNIA IN THE 1950s,
JAMES GARNER LANDED A SERIES
OF SMALL ACTING ROLES.
BUT NOTHING
QUITE CLICKED FOR HIM
UNTIL HE WAS PICKED
TO PLAY BRET MAVERICK.
THIS RELUCTANT HERO WAS
SOMETHING NEW TO TELEVISION,
AND PERFECTLY SUITED
TO JIM GARNER.
IT WAS VERY NEW TO ME.
IT WAS ALL NEW TO ME.
I... I DIDN'T KNOW
WHAT I WAS DOING.
Narrator: AUDIENCES FOUND
GARNER'S ATTITUDE
SO FRESH AND FUN THAT "MAVERICK"
QUICKLY SHOT TO THE TOP
OF THE RATINGS.
Man: IF I DID MY HOMEWORK,
I COULD STAY UP
AND WATCH "MAVERICK," AND IT WAS
LIKE A BIG TREAT FOR ME.
I JUST THOUGHT THERE WAS
SOMETHING ABOUT HIM
THAT WAS JUST SO SPECIAL,
AND I JUST... HE WAS LIKE
MY BIGGEST HERO ON TELEVISION.
Narrator: IT WASN'T
JUST AUDIENCES
THAT ENJOYED
JAMES GARNER'S WORK.
I THINK EVERY WOMAN WHO EVER
WORKED WITH HIM ALWAYS FELT
THAT THEY HAD A SPECIAL...
I KNOW I FELT...
"OH, NO, WE HAD
SOMETHING SPECIAL," YOU KNOW?
HE WAS A REAL... A REAL GUY'S
GUY, AND SO NICE TO WORK WITH.
I LOVED HIM.
LOVED HIM.
Narrator: PERHAPS WHAT
JAMES GARNER'S COSTARS
LOVED MOST WAS
HIS ABILITY TO LISTEN
TO THEIR PERFORMANCES
AND REACT...
A RARE SKILL THAT WAS
ESPECIALLY EFFECTIVE
WHEN GARNER WAS TEAMED
WITH A LIKE-MINDED COSTAR.
IT MAKES IT EASIER,
OH, MY GOD, YES.
YOU KNOW, I GET SOMEBODY LIKE
THAT, I CAN JUST BOUNCE OFF HIM.
YOU KNOW, WATCH HIM ACT.
Narrator: JAMES GARNER BECAME
SO POPULAR SO FAST
THAT HE SOON SAW OPPORTUNITIES
BEYOND "MAVERICK,"
AND LEFT THE SERIES IN 1960.
BUT HE WASN'T DONE
WITH WESTERNS.
10 YEARS LATER, HE RETURNED
WITH HIS PERSONAL FAVORITE,
A TV SERIES CALLED "NICHOLS,"
AND A STRING OF POPULAR
WESTERN MOVIES.
HEY, JAKE,
HOW DO YOU THINK WE OUGHT TO
SPLIT WHATEVER WE FIND?
60/40?
60 FOR WHO
AND 40 FOR WHO?
THERE, YOU SEE, SEE WHAT
GOLD DOES TO MEN?
WE HAVEN'T EVEN
FOUND ANYTHING,
AND ALREADY WE'RE
ARGUING ABOUT IT.
60 FOR WHO
AND 40 FOR WHO?!
I JUST WISH YOU COULD SEE
THE GREED IN YOUR FACE.
WHAT YOU MEAN IS 60 FOR YOU
AND 40 FOR ME!
WELL, THANK YOU, JAKE.
THAT'S VERY GENEROUS OF YOU.
Narrator: IN HIS WESTERNS,
AND LATER,
ON "THE ROCKFORD FILES,"
JAMES GARNER PLAYED A CHARACTER
WHO WAS DIFFERENT FROM
ANYTHING ELSE ON TELEVISION.
HERE WAS A GOOD GUY
WHO AVOIDED FIGHTS,
WHO WOULD RATHER LEAVE TOWN
THAN FACE THE BAD GUYS.
BUT AUDIENCES
LOVED "MAVERICK"...
BECAUSE THEY LOVED
JAMES GARNER.
GOOD AFTERNOON,
MR. MAVERICK.
GOOD AFTERNOON, MR. BATES.
YOU THINK YOU'VE GOT ME WORRIED
WITH THIS LITTLE MANEUVER,
SITTING HERE, WHITTLING
AND WATCHING THE BANK?
WELL, I HADN'T GIVEN IT
MUCH THOUGHT.
DO I?
I CARRY A GUN,
AND I HAVEN'T HAD
A REAL GOOD FIGHT
SINCE I GOT TO BE A BANKER.
NOW, HOW WILL A FIGHT
GET ME BACK MY 15,000?
IT WON'T.
GOT ANY OTHER WAY
IN MIND?
I'M WORKING ON IT.
MAVERICK, YOU'RE
A REAL CLOWN.
Cannell: YOU CAN SEE
WHAT HE'S THINKING.
HE'S ONE OF THOSE ACTORS WHERE,
IF HE'S THINKING,
"I WANT TO GET OUT OF HERE,"
YOU CAN SEE THAT HE WANTS
TO GET OUT OF HERE.
WELL, I'M JUST SO PLEASED THAT
PEOPLE ACCEPTED MY PERFORMANCES
AS THEY DID...
WITH A SMILE, AND ENJOYED THEM
AND GAVE THEM A LITTLE GIGGLE.
Narrator: IF JAMES GARNER PLAYED
THE ANTIHERO,
THEN WHO BEST FIT THE ROLE
OF THE CLASSIC GOOD GUY...
THE BRAVE, GUN-TOTING,
NO-NONSENSE TV COWBOY?
Announcer: "THE RIFLEMAN"!
Narrator: "THE RIFLEMAN" SERIES
HAD AN UNUSUAL PEDIGREE...
CREATED BY ONE OF THE MOST
CONTROVERSIAL FIGURES IN
HOLLYWOOD, SAM PECKINPAH.
GUN VIOLENCE WAS A CENTERPIECE
OF SAM PECKINPAH'S MOVIES.
IN AN ERA WHEN BLOODSHED ON
WESTERNS WAS OFTEN SANITIZED,
PECKINPAH PULLED NO PUNCHES.
HE BROUGHT A NEW KIND OF
VIOLENCE TO THE SCREEN.
IT WAS THE FIRST TIME
THAT YOU EVER
SAW A BULLET ENTER A PERSON
AND... AND GO OUT.
AND, YOU KNOW, THE EXPLOSION
OF THE BLOOD
AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
EVERYBODY WENT, "AHH!
THIS IS TERRIBLE!"
Narrator: WHILE SHOCKING
TO MANY,
PECKINPAH'S APPETITE FOR SCREEN
VIOLENCE WAS JUST ONE FACET
OF A COMPLICATED AND UNIQUELY
TALENTED ARTIST.
HE WAS GIFTED OF GOD
WHEN HE WAS BORN
WITH THIS INCREDIBLE ABILITY
TO JUST SMILE AT YOU
AND MAKE YOU WANT TO GIVE HIM
THE BEST THING YOU'VE GOT.
AND THAT'S WHY EVERYONE WORKED
OVER THEIR HEAD WITH SAM.
HE LOVED ACTORS... I MEAN,
YOU COULD BE
THE WORST ACTRESS...
ACTOR OR ACTRESS IN THE WORLD,
AND HE'D TAKE HIS TIME
AND WORK WITH YOU
AND BRING OUT THE THING
THAT HE WANTED, YOU KNOW, EASY,
AND THE FIRST THING YOU KNOW,
MADE YOU LOOK GOOD.
COMING BEFORE HIS FILMS,
"THE RIFLEMAN" WAS
THE FIRST SERIES PECKINPAH
CREATED FOR TELEVISION.
THE RAPID-FIRE GUNPLAY
ATTRACTED AUDIENCES,
BUT PECKINPAH
HAD SOMETHING MUCH DEEPER
IN MIND.
HE ENVISIONED THE STORY
OF A YOUNG BOY,
PLAYED BY JOHNNY CRAWFORD,
WHO WOULD LEARN
ABOUT THE HARSH, PAINFUL
REALITIES OF LIFE.
PA!
PA, LOOK OUT!
LOOK OUT, PA!
HE'S GONNA KILL YOU, PA!
STAY LOW, MARK!
ARE YOU ALL RIGHT, SON?
UH-HUH.
GET BEHIND ME.
Narrator: SAM PECKINPAH'S VISION
FOR THE SERIES
WAS NEVER FULLY REALIZED,
AND HE LEFT "THE RIFLEMAN"
AFTER THE FIRST SEASON.
THE GUNPLAY STAYED,
BUT IN PECKINPAH'S ABSENCE,
THE SERIES DEVELOPED
A WARM SIDE...
SURE IS
A FAVORING WIND.
Narrator: HIGHLIGHTING THE BOND
BETWEEN FATHER AND SON.
DUE EAST.
HERE WAS A LOVING SINGLE FATHER,
RAISING HIS BOY...
SOMETHING NO TV WESTERN
HAD SEEN BEFORE.
YOU SURE KNOW A LOT
ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS.
YOU WILL, TOO,
SON, WHEN YOU
GET TO BE
AN OLD MAN LIKE ME.
THEY WERE PRETTY BOLD
IN SHOWING
THE RELATIONSHIP
OF THE FATHER AND SON
AND HAVING THEM EXPRESS THEIR
AFFECTION FOR EACH OTHER.
Narrator: THE FATHER...
THE RIFLEMAN...
WAS PLAYED BY AN ACTOR UNIQUELY
SUITED TO A ROLE
THAT COMBINED THE TOUGH GUY
AND THE TENDER FATHER,
CHUCK CONNORS.
LOOK, MARK, THERE'S A LOT OF
PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD
WHO ARE LONELY, WHO WANT VERY
BADLY TO LOVE AND BE LOVED.
I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD
CALL IT "FUNNY."
NO MATTER HOW THEY
GO ABOUT TRYING...
WELL, TRYING NOT TO BE
LONELY ANYMORE,
YOU UNDERSTAND ME?
YEAH.
LET'S GO... WE'VE GOT
A NICE SMOKED HAM
FOR OUR OWN SUPPER.
Narrator: AT 6 FEET 5 INCHES,
CHUCK CONNORS HAD A ROUGHNECK
RESUME FEW ACTORS COULD MATCH.
THE SON OF A LONGSHOREMAN,
CONNORS DROVE TANKS IN THE ARMY,
THEN PLAYED
FOR THE BOSTON CELTICS
AND THE CHICAGO CUBS.
IT WAS A LARGER-THAN-LIFE
PERSONA
THAT OFTEN SCARED THOSE
WHO DID NOT KNOW HIM.
HE INTIMIDATED A LOT OF PEOPLE,
AND HE ENJOYED DOING THAT.
SO I GOT A KICK OUT OF HIM.
I KNEW HIM PROBABLY BETTER
THAN ANYBODY ELSE ON THE SET,
YOU KNOW.
AND WE WERE VERY CLOSE,
AND I WAS VERY COMFORTABLE
AROUND HIM.
AND A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE
WERE AFRAID OF HIM.
Narrator: "THE RIFLEMAN" WASN'T
THE ONLY WESTERN
WITH A FATHER-SON RELATIONSHIP
AT THE CENTER.
THAT SAME THEME
WAS THE FOUNDATION
FOR ONE OF TV'S
MOST POPULAR WESTERNS EVER.
FEELING ALL RIGHT, PA?
YEAH, I'M ALL RIGHT.
FINE.
YOU KNOW SOMETHING?
YOU BOYS LOOK AWFUL GOOD
TO ME.
Narrator: SET IN NEVADA,
"BONANZA" LOOKED LIKE A WESTERN.
BUT AT ITS CORE, IT WAS
A FAMILY DRAMA
CENTERING ON THREE SONS
AND THEIR FATHER,
BEN CARTWRIGHT,
PLAYED BY LORNE GREEN.
NOT ONLY WAS HE
THE GOOD BEN CARTWRIGHT,
BUT HE WAS KIND OF LIKE
THE FATHER OF EVERYBODY.
HE WAS THE FATHER OF THE SET,
YOU KNOW,
EVERYBODY WOULD LOOK UP TO HIM
LIKE THAT.
AND I THINK "BONANZA,"
A LOT OF ITS SUCCESS
WAS BECAUSE OF THAT FAMILY
AND THE WAY THEY EXISTED
ON THE SCREEN
WITH THEIR CHARACTERS,
WITH ONE ANOTHER.
WE WOULDN'T BE HAVING
ALL THIS TROUBLE IF YOU HADN'T
GONE AND LOST THAT CHILI BOWL
I ALWAYS FIT ON YOUR HEAD.
JUST TAKE IT EASY...
IT'S GETTING
THIN ENOUGH UP THERE
LIKE IT IS.
KEEP YOUR HEAD STILL.
ARE YOU STILL PUTTING
THAT SALAD OIL ON YOUR HAIR?
HOG LARD.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT
YOU'RE SO WORRIED ABOUT.
YOU AIN'T GOING TO LOOK
ANY DIFFERENT WHEN I GET DONE.
YEAH, BUT I'LL FEEL DIFFERENT.
Narrator: WHEN PERNELL ROBERTS
LEFT THE SERIES,
"BONANZA" DIDN'T MISS A BEAT,
AS MICHAEL LANDON
AND DAN BLOCKER
PICKED UP THE SLACK.
DAN BLOCKER WAS THE MOST
DOWN-TO-EARTH.
HE WAS THE MOST, LIKE,
YOU KNOW,
A GUY THAT YOU'D GO OUT
AND HAVE A BEER WITH.
Narrator: A FAN FAVORITE,
DAN BLOCKER'S AFFABLE NATURE
SHOWED THROUGH
IN HIS CHARACTER, HOSS.
OH, I'LL FIT YOU.
HI, BROTHER.
YOU STILL PLAYING NURSEMAID
TO THAT LITTLE DOG YOU FOUND?
I CAN'T HARDLY HELP IT NONE,
CAN I,
IF THIS POOR LITTLE CRITTER
HANGS AROUND?
YOU SMELL SOMETHING?
OH, IT'S ME, YEAH,
I WAS SETTING SOME TRAPS
FOR THE WOLVES THAT WERE
BOTHERING THE CATTLE.
CAUGHT A SKUNK
IN ONE OF THEM.
YOU SURE DID...
LOOK HERE,
WHEN I GET THROUGH
WITH OLD SHORTY HERE,
WHY DON'T YOU JUMP IN?
Narrator: WHEN "BONANZA"
PREMIERED,
MICHAEL LANDON WAS JUST 22.
YET HE IMMEDIATELY BEGAN LAYING
THE GROUNDWORK FOR HIS FUTURE
BY LEARNING ALL HE COULD ABOUT
EVERY ASPECT OF THE BUSINESS.
HE WOULD DO HIS THING
ON THE STAGE,
AND HE WOULD COMPLETE
HIS "LITTLE JOE" CHARACTER,
AND THEN HE WOULD GO HANG OUT
IN THE EDITING ROOMS
AND TALK TO THE EDITORS.
Narrator: WITHIN THREE YEARS,
MICHAEL LANDON
WAS WRITING SCRIPTS
FOR "BONANZA."
AND A FEW YEARS AFTER THAT,
HE BEGAN DIRECTING EPISODES.
WHEN "BONANZA" ENDED,
LANDON WAS PERFECTLY POSITIONED
TO CREATE HIS OWN SERIES...
THE EQUALLY POPULAR
"LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE."
MICHAEL LANDON WAS
SUCH A WONDERFUL DIRECTOR,
AND HE GAVE ME AN INSPIRATION
OF, "LET'S DO THIS THING RIGHT."
YOU KNOW, "LET'S SEE
WHAT HAPPENS."
PEOPLE STILL TALK TO ME
ABOUT IT, YOU KNOW,
THAT THEY SAW THAT WONDERFUL
"HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE,"
AND THEY LOVED IT.
HE WAS FUNNY... HE HAD
A GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR.
AND THEN HE WOULD GET
VERY SERIOUS,
YOU KNOW, ABOUT...
ABOUT THE WORK.
HE WAS JUST A GREAT GUY
TO WORK WITH,
AND THE CREW JUST LOVED HIM.
Narrator: UNLIKE MANY
OF ITS CONTEMPORARIES,
"BONANZA" WASN'T AFRAID TO
TINKER WITH THE WESTERN GENRE.
ONE EPISODE MIGHT ADDRESS
A SERIOUS ISSUE,
LIKE RACIAL DISCRIMINATION.
THE NEXT MIGHT BE
A PURE COMEDY.
Chuck McCann:
I WAS THE BIG BUFFOON.
"GOSH ALMIGHTY, LET ME AT THAT.
I'LL LIGHT THAT."
YOU KNOW, AND HE'D GO
FLYING ACROSS THE ROAD.
IT WAS A GREAT, GREAT EPISODE,
AND GREAT FUN TO DO.
Martin Landau: MY CHARACTER
THINKS HE'S PART HORSE.
AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE REASONS
I WANTED TO DO IT.
HE DIES, SAVING MICHAEL LANDON
AND A HORSE.
AND I DIED UP,
AS OPPOSED TO DOWN.
I FELT THE GUY WAS...
I FELT THE GUY WASN'T READY
TO DIE,
AND SO I DIED COMING FORWARD,
INSTEAD OF FALLING BACKWARDS.
Stefanie Powers: THE ONLY GIRL
IN A MALE CAST.
I LOVED BEING THE ONLY GIRL.
EVERYBODY ON IT WAS ADORABLE.
THEY COULDN'T HAVE BEEN NICER.
ALL THE BOYS WERE GREAT.
Narrator: THROUGHOUT
ITS 14-YEAR RUN,
"BONANZA" NEVER HAD
AN ONGOING FEMALE CHARACTER.
THAT EDICT CAME FROM THE SERIES
CREATOR, DAVID DORTORT,
WHO BELIEVED TOO MANY MEN ON TV
WERE WEAK AND BEHOLDEN TO WOMEN.
"BONANZA" WOULD BE A SERIES
ABOUT FATHERS AND SONS,
NOT MOTHERS AND WIVES.
WELL, THEY KILLED OFF ENOUGH
GIRLS, SO I GUESS...
YOU KNOW, YEAH, FEMALE ACTRESSES
WERE ALWAYS AFRAID TO COME ON
THE SHOW,
BECAUSE THEY KNEW THEY'D GET
KILLED OFF SOMEHOW.
LITTLE JOE, YOU SURE DO
SMELL BETTER
THAN YOU DID THIS AFTERNOON.
THANKS A LOT!
OH, YES, OF COURSE.
HEY, PA, I'M GOING TO SEE
IF I CAN'T RUSTLE ME UP
ONE OF THEM LITTLE FILLIES.
Narrator: WHILE NO WOMAN
LASTED LONG ON "BONANZA,"
THAT WASN'T TRUE
OF ALL WESTERNS.
1965 SAW THE PREMIERE OF
THE FIRST MAJOR TV WESTERN
WITH A WOMAN
IN THE LEADING ROLE.
BARBARA STANWYCK WAS
A MOVIE STAR
LONG BEFORE "THE BIG VALLEY"...
BEST KNOWN FOR PLAYING
STRONG WOMEN,
WITH A CAREER THAT DATED BACK
TO THE 1920s.
OH, WELL.
MAYBE THAT LITTLE KISS
WAS WORTH IT.
GOOD THING FOR YOU.
THE LAST LITTLE KISS
YOU'LL GET
FROM THIS WORKING GIRL.
Narrator: BACKSTAGE,
STANWYCK WAS KNOWN AS
PERHAPS THE KINDEST PERSON
IN HOLLYWOOD,
ALWAYS SHOWING AN INTEREST IN
EVEN THE LOWEST-PAID STAGE HAND.
I'M ON A PEACE MISSION.
SHE WAS SO PROFESSIONAL.
SHE KNEW EVERY
CREW MEMBER'S NAME.
SHE KNEW EVERYTHING...
"HEY, JACK, HOW'S YOUR DOG?
IS YOUR MOTHER OKAY?
IS YOUR THIS OKAY?"
SHE DID KNOW EVERYBODY
BY THEIR FIRST NAME.
SHE MADE IT HER BUSINESS TO DO
THAT, BECAUSE WHEN YOU DO THAT,
SHE KNEW VERY WELL,
THEY TAKE EXTRA CARE OF YOU...
WHEN YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT
THAT THEY ARE THERE
AND YOU APPRECIATE THEM.
SHE KNEW THEIR FAMILIES.
AT THE END OF THE DAY,
SHE SAID "GOOD NIGHT" TO THEM,
EVERY ONE.
WELL, THEY JUST...
THEY JUST LOVED HER.
THEY'D DO ANYTHING
FOR HER.
Narrator:
IN "THE BIG VALLEY,"
STANWYCK PLAYED
THE MATRIARCH OF THE BARKLEYS,
A WEALTHY WESTERN FAMILY.
AT A TIME WHEN MOST WOMEN ON TV
WERE DEFERENTIAL,
STANWYCK INSISTED ON PLAYING
VICTORIA BARKLEY AS A TOUGH,
NO-NONSENSE LEADER.
BUT IN THIS INSTANCE,
I AM CONCERNED,
BECAUSE THE... WRONG CHOICE
COULD BE SO VERY WRONG.
YOU DON'T HAVE VERY MUCH FAITH
IN YOUR DAUGHTER, DO YOU?
ARE YOU CONCERNED FOR HER VIRTUE
OR THE BARKLEY NAME?
OH, NO, THE BARKLEY NAME
HAS WITHSTOOD
MANY SEVERE BLOWS IN THE PAST
AND WILL WITHSTAND MANY
MORE IN THE FUTURE.
DOES THAT ANSWER
YOUR QUESTION?
SHE WAS A GROUND-BREAKING WOMAN.
I MEAN, I THINK SHE NEVER FIT
IN ANY CATEGORY.
SHE DID PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING
THAT SHE WANTED TO DO.
Narrator: STANWYCK'S DAUGHTER
ON "THE BIG VALLEY"
WAS PLAYED BY LINDA EVANS,
AN INEXPERIENCED NEWCOMER
WHO HAD STUMBLED INTO ACTING
A FEW YEARS BEFORE,
AT HER PARENTS' INSISTENCE.
THEY MADE ME TAKE DRAMA
IN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
BECAUSE I WAS SO SHY, I WOULDN'T
GET UP AND GIVE A BOOK REPORT.
SO I WAS SORT OF FORCED
TO GET INTO ACTING.
BUT I WASN'T THINKING OF IT
AS A CAREER.
IT WAS ONLY A WAY
TO PASS ENGLISH.
Narrator: ALMOST BY ACCIDENT,
EVANS BEGAN LANDING
SMALL ACTING ROLES.
SHE HAD NO ASPIRATIONS.
ACTING WAS JUST A WAY TO EARN
SOME EXTRA INCOME.
I KEPT THINKING SOMEBODY
WAS GOING TO FIND OUT
I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS DOING.
YOU KNOW, I WAS JUST SO
SURPRISED... IT WAS LIKE
I COULDN'T... I WOULD GO OUT
FOR A COMMERCIAL OR A PART,
AND THEY WOULD GIVE IT TO ME!
AND IT WOULD BE LIKE,
"DON'T THEY KNOW I DON'T KNOW
WHAT I'M DOING?"
AND SO I MOSTLY SHOWED UP
IN TERROR,
HOPING THAT I
COULD GET THROUGH IT
AND GET THE CHECK AND THAT
NOBODY WOULD NOTICE.
Narrator: LANDING THE ROLE
OF AUDRA ON "THE BIG VALLEY"
WAS A MAJOR CAREER BOOST
FOR LINDA EVANS.
BUT AS THE FIRST DAY
OF PRODUCTION GREW CLOSER,
SHE BECAME INCREASINGLY NERVOUS
ABOUT MEETING A BIG STAR
LIKE BARBARA STANWYCK.
THE MINUTE THAT I MET HER,
I KNEW...
SHE WAS AN ABSOLUTE PUSSYCAT
IN HER HEART.
SHE WAS THE SOFTEST LADY INSIDE,
AND ALL OF THAT EXTERIOR
WAS TO MAKE SURE
YOU DIDN'T FIND OUT
THAT THIS GENTLE LITTLE THING
WAS INSIDE OF HER.
Narrator: STANWYCK TOOK EVANS
UNDER HER WING,
AND THE TWO BECAME
LIFELONG FRIENDS.
WELL, YOU KNOW, IT WAS ALMOST
AS IF SHE THOUGHT OF ME
AS HER DAUGHTER.
AUDRA WAS HER DAUGHTER.
AND MY MOM DIED
DURING "BIG VALLEY,"
AND SHE CAME UP TO ME ONE DAY
ON THE SET,
AND SHE SAID,
"AUDRA, I KNOW NO ONE
"WILL EVER REPLACE YOUR MOM,
BUT I'LL BE YOUR MOM
FROM NOW ON."
AND SHE WAS THERE FOR ME.
WELL, IF THOSE WOMEN
ARE SO FASCINATING,
WHY ISN'T HE MARRIED BY NOW?
ONE WOMAN IS RARELY ENOUGH FOR
A MAN LIKE SCOTT BRECKENRIDGE.
THE NEED FOR CONQUEST
IS TOO STRONG.
THEY SIMPLY AREN'T
THE MARRYING KIND.
AREN'T THEY?
Narrator: PERHAPS THE MOST
IMPORTANT LESSON
LINDA EVANS LEARNED
FROM BARBARA STANWYCK
WAS TO NOT BE AFRAID OF LIFE,
TO CHERISH EVERY MOMENT,
APPRECIATE THE JOY
OF EACH DAY.
EVERYTHING HE TOUCHES
TURNS TO GOLD.
SHE LIVED FOR
THE MOMENTS WE'D HAVE...
"TODAY'S THE BURNING BUILDING!
TODAY'S THE EARTHQUAKE!"
OR, "TODAY..."
YOU KNOW, IT WAS LIKE
ALL OF THESE THINGS JUST...
I WOULD COME TO WORK, AND SHE
WOULD JUST
BE SO EXCITED
WE WERE GOING TO DO IT.
YOU KNOW, AND I'D BE
STRAPPED TO THE WALL
AND THE WALLS WOULD BE ON FIRE,
AND I'D THINK, "THIS IS FUN?"
AND I ENDED UP
ACTUALLY LOVING IT.
Narrator: WITH TWO
STRONG FEMALE ROLES,
"THE BIG VALLEY" WAS UNUSUAL
FOR A TV WESTERN.
BUT IT DIDN'T STRETCH THE GENRE
NEARLY AS FAR
AS ANOTHER SERIES THAT PREMIERED
THE SAME YEAR, PERHAPS THE MOST
UNCONVENTIONAL WESTERN EVER.
"THE WILD WILD WEST"
DEFIED DEFINITION.
IT WAS SET IN THE OLD WEST, WITH
SCIENCE FICTION-LIKE GADGETS...
AND A LEADING MAN
RIGHT OUT OF "JAMES BOND."
THE SHOW IS BIZARRE.
YOU KNOW, IT'S ESCAPISM FARE.
THAT'S THE BEST TWO WORDS
I CAN SAY
TO APPLY TO THAT SHOW
AND WHAT THAT SHOW IS.
JUST STAY RIGHT THERE.
Narrator: FOR MANY,
THE MAIN APPEAL OF THE SERIES
WAS STAR ROBERT CONRAD...
WHOSE TOUGH-GUY IMAGE
WAS WELL EARNED.
WHEN ROBERT CONRAD WAS JUST
6 YEARS OLD,
HIS MOTHER TOOK HIM
TO A BOXING GYM IN CHICAGO
AND INSISTED
HE LEARN TO FIGHT.
HE DID.
ON A FALL DAY IN 1949,
PLAYING HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL,
YOUNG ROBERT WAS
ON THE RECEIVING END
OF A PARTICULARLY BRUTAL HIT.
I WAS OUT OF BREATH, AND I
COULDN'T GET UP RIGHT AWAY.
AND THERE WAS THIS SCREAMER...
"GET UP, GET UP, GET UP!
GET UP!"
AND THE GUY WHO WAS WITH ME
SAYS, "WHO IS SHE?"
I SAID, "OH, THAT'S MY MOTHER."
Narrator: ROBERT CONRAD'S
PHYSICAL SKILLS
WERE CRITICAL TO THE PRODUCTION
OF "WILD WILD WEST."
GIVEN THE SHOW'S ELABORATE
ACTION SEQUENCES,
THE ONLY WAY TO KEEP
THE SERIES ON BUDGET
WAS FOR CONRAD
TO DO HIS OWN STUNTS.
FOR THAT, HE WAS WELL PREPARED.
THE GOOD THING ABOUT WORKING
WITH SOMEONE LIKE ROBERT IS,
YOU DON'T GET HURT DOING THAT,
BECAUSE HE'S IN CONTROL.
ALL OF THE DIFFERENT ART FORMS
THAT HAVE TO DO WITH FIGHTING,
I MEAN, HE WAS QUITE UNIQUE
IN THAT AREA.
EVEN... IF HE WAS KICKING
SOMEBODY, HE WAS DOING
A PROPER KIND OF...
A PROPER KIND OF A KICK.
Conrad: WELL, IT'S LIKE
A DANCE ROUTINE.
YOU KNOW,
IT'S THE SAME THING.
YOU PRACTICE CERTAIN STEPS
WHEN YOU DANCE.
AND WHEN YOU DO A CHOREOGRAPHED
FIGHT, YOU DO THE SAME THING.
SO WORKING WITH ROBERT
WAS A PLEASURE,
BECAUSE AS WE WORKED OUT
THE CHOREOGRAPHY,
IT WAS, YOU KNOW, PRECISION.
NO ONE GOT HURT.
NOW!
THE UNEXPECTED, MR. WEST,
TO ADD A LITTLE SPICE
TO A STRUGGLE.
Narrator: BUT EVEN THE MOST
CHOREOGRAPHED FIGHT SCENE
REQUIRED A CERTAIN AMOUNT
OF IMPROVISING IN THE MOMENT.
Grier: HE WAS SMALL.
HE WAS A SHORT GUY.
YOU KNOW THAT...
YOU'D TRY NOT TO FALL ON HIM.
THEY'D SAY,
"DON'T FALL ON THAT MAN.
BUT ENJOY IT,
AND GO WITH YOUR CHARACTER."
SO HE HAD ALL THESE WAYS
OF ATTACKING YOU
THAT MADE YOU,
YOU KNOW, GO DOWN.
IF HE WAS DOING IT
AND IT WAS SO CHOREOGRAPHED
THAT EVERYONE WOULD KNOW IT,
THEN IT WOULDN'T WORK.
SO YOU HAD TO GO WITH THE FLOW
OF THE THING TO MAKE IT WORK.
Narrator: ROBERT CONRAD
SURROUNDED HIMSELF
WITH EXPERT STUNT PEOPLE.
BUT ONE VISITING ACTOR
WASN'T SO EXPERIENCED
AND MADE A MISTAKE
THAT NEARLY COST CONRAD
HIS LIFE.
WE HAD CHOREOGRAPHED IT.
I WAS TO JUMP OFF THE SECOND
FLOOR ONTO THE CHANDELIER,
AND THIS GUY WAS SUPPOSED TO
STOP MY FORWARD MOTION.
I WAS SUPPOSED TO KICK HIM
THROUGH A WINDOW.
HE WAS LATE COMING TO ME.
AND HE DIDN'T STOP
MY FORWARD MOMENTUM.
MY HANDS SLID, AND I FELL
ABOUT 15 FEET TO THE FLOOR
AND HAD A HIGH TEMPORAL
CONCUSSION,
A 6-INCH LINEAR FRACTURE
OF THE SKULL.
Narrator: RUSHED
TO THE HOSPITAL,
CONRAD SPENT MONTHS IN RECOVERY.
PRODUCTION WAS SHUT DOWN.
Narrator: THE FOLLOWING YEAR,
SHOOTING RESUMED
RIGHT WHERE IT LEFT OFF,
WITH JAMES WEST ON THE FLOOR.
ROBERT CONRAD INSISTED
THAT THE FOOTAGE
OF HIS NEAR-FATAL FALL
REMAIN IN THE EPISODE.
"WILD WILD WEST" WASN'T
A ONE-MAN SHOW.
ROBERT CONRAD HAD
ROSS MARTIN TO PLAY OFF OF.
SHEILA IS VERY PRETTY
AND VERY CHARMING,
BUT I DON'T TRUST HER.
WELL, NOW, YOU GET TO BE
AN OLD CODGER LIKE ME,
YOU'LL LEARN TO ADMIRE
AND REVERE THE FAIR SEX
AS I DO.
I WOULDN'T TRUST YOU,
EITHER.
Conrad: HE WAS SO TOTALLY
DIFFERENT THAN MYSELF... I MEAN,
HE SPOKE FIVE LANGUAGES
FLUENTLY,
HE WAS STUDYING LAW
BEFORE HE BECAME AN ACTOR.
Narrator: THE PAIRING WAS
PERFECT,
AND AUDIENCES RESPONDED.
OH, YOU DID IT!
I DON'T WANT TO SAY ANYTHING,
BUT I HELPED.
OH, THANK YOU!
THANK YOU.
YOU'RE CERTAINLY WELCOME.
YES, YOU'VE MADE
MY WHOLE DAY.
Narrator: "WILD WILD WEST" WAS
THE SURPRISE HIT OF 1965.
"WILD WILD WEST" WAS STILL
GOING STRONG IN 1969
WHEN CBS ABRUPTLY CANCELLED IT.
THE REASON WASN'T RATINGS.
RATHER, IT WAS PRESSURE
FROM THE GOVERNMENT.
Conrad: SENATOR PASTORE
OF RHODE ISLAND
THOUGHT IT WAS TOO VIOLENT.
AND HE TOLD ME THAT THE SHOW
HAD BEEN CANCELLED,
NOT FOR RATINGS...
IT WAS IN THE 30s THEN...
BUT BECAUSE OF THE VIOLENCE.
Narrator:
SENATOR PASTORE'S PRESSURE
TO CANCEL "WILD WILD WEST"
WAS IRONIC,
GIVEN THAT,
JUST TWO YEARS EARLIER,
SENATOR ROBERT BYRD
HAD PRESSURED CBS
NOT TO CANCEL
HIS FAVORITE WESTERN.
BYRD'S SPEECH
ON THE SENATE FLOOR
HELPED SAVE THE SERIES THAT
WOULD EVENTUALLY BECOME
THE LONGEST-RUNNING WESTERN
IN TV HISTORY, "GUNSMOKE."
THIS IS WHERE "GUNSMOKE" BEGAN,
ON RADIO...
WITH WILLIAM CONRAD
AS MARSHAL DILLON.
MATT DILLON.
I'M A U.S. MARSHAL HERE.
I'D LIKE TO TALK TO YOU.
Man: FINE, GO AHEAD
AND TALK.
Dillon: WELL, HERE'S
SOME ADVICE.
DON'T DO IT...
TAKE THE NEXT TRAIN,
AND GET OUT OF TOWN.
Narrator: WHEN "GUNSMOKE"
MOVED TO TELEVISION,
WILLIAM CONRAD
WASN'T CONSIDERED,
BECAUSE NETWORK EXECUTIVES
THOUGHT HIS WEIGHT
WOULD TURN AWAY VIEWERS.
CBS THEN CALLED JOHN WAYNE
TO OFFER HIM THE SERIES.
FELLOW ACTOR MIKE CONNORS WAS
THERE WHEN THE CALL CAME IN.
Connors: HE WAS TALKING,
AND I'M STANDING THERE,
HEARING THE WHOLE THING,
AND HE SAID,
"NO, NO, I'M NOT INTERESTED
IN TELEVISION.
I DON'T WANT TO PLAY A COWBOY
ON TELEVISION," BUT, HE SAYS,
"HOWEVER, I GOT
A GUY UNDER CONTRACT,
"WOULD BE PERFECT FOR IT.
"HIS NAME IS JIM ARNESS,
AND HE WOULD BE
ABSOLUTELY PERFECT
FOR THE PART," AND HE SAID,
"OKAY, YEAH, RIGHT AFTER
WE FINISH SHOOTING,
I'LL SEND HIM OVER."
Narrator: JAMES ARNESS
WASN'T SURE HE WANTED
TO DO A TELEVISION SHOW.
BUT JOHN WAYNE TALKED HIM
INTO IT.
AND HE WAS THINKING
OF MY BEST GOOD,
AND TURNED OUT,
HE WAS TOTALLY RIGHT.
I WOULD HAVE BEEN CRAZY
TO PASS THAT UP, YOU KNOW.
IT TURNED INTO A 40-YEAR JOB
FOR ME HERE, YOU KNOW.
WELL, ANYWAY,
THEY'LL HANG HIM.
I HOPE THE JUDGE
AGREES WITH YOU, DOC.
WHY SHOULDN'T HE?
BECAUSE THE ONLY EVIDENCE
I'VE GOT
AGAINST HIM SO FAR
IS CIRCUMSTANTIAL.
I DON'T SEE WHERE I
CAN GET ANYTHING ELSE.
WELL, THEN, YOU
SHOULD HAVE SHOT HIM
RIGHT THERE
WHERE YOU FOUND HIM.
IT'S A GOOD THING
YOU'RE NOT A LAW MAN, DOC.
MAYBE IF I WAS,
THERE WOULDN'T BE
SO MANY KILLINGS
AROUND HERE.
I DOUBT THAT.
Narrator: PREMIERING IN 1955,
"GUNSMOKE" SOON BECAME
THE MOST POPULAR TELEVISION SHOW
IN AMERICA.
FOR MANY, THE REASON
FOR THE SHOW'S APPEAL
WAS STAR JAMES ARNESS.
BIG JIM ARNESS...
THAT MAN WAS AS BIG AS A TREE.
I MEAN, HE WAS HUGE!
I MEAN, I'M
A FAIRLY TALL FELLOW,
BUT I FELT LIKE...
YOU KNOW,
HE WAS ABOUT 6'7"
OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
AND ON SCREEN, THAT HUGE POWER
MANIFESTED ITSELF,
AND IT WAS A VERY POPULAR SHOW.
NUMBER ONE, I'D SAY,
WOULD BE BIG JIM HIMSELF.
MATT DILLON
WAS A GREAT CHARACTER,
AND JIM IS A GREAT CHARACTER.
AND HE PLAYED IT
AS A WONDERFUL HUMAN BEING.
Narrator: UNLIKE PREVIOUS
WESTERN HEROES,
MATT DILLON NEVER WANTED
TO DRAW HIS GUN.
Arness: HE HATED VIOLENCE.
IF I HAD TO SHOOT,
IF MATT DILLON
HAD TO SHOOT SOMEBODY,
AND YOU'D CUT AROUND TO HIM,
YOU COULD SEE THE FACT OF...
THAT HE HAD JUST HATED
TO HAVE TO DO THAT,
AND HE FELT A SORT OF REVULSION
OVER IT.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING, I THINK,
HADN'T REALLY BEEN DONE MUCH,
IF AT ALL, UP TO THAT POINT.
Narrator: EVERYWHERE
JAMES ARNESS WENT, HE WAS
GREETED AS A HERO,
AN AMERICAN ICON
WHO SEEMED TO HAVE
ALL THE VIRTUES
OF HIS FAIR-MINDED CHARACTER,
MARSHAL MATT DILLON.
I KNOW THAT THERE'S
A QUESTION THAT I HAVE,
AND CERTAINLY MANY OF OUR
VIEWERS HAVE ALSO.
DO YOU EVER
LOSE YOUR IDENTITY
AND ARE ADDRESSED
AS "MR. DILLON"
AS YOU WALK DOWN THE STREET,
AND AMONG YOUR FRIENDS?
OH, SURE, SURE.
I IMAGINE AT ONE TIME
OR ANOTHER,
YOUR CHILDREN
ARE CALLING YOU "MARSHAL."
OH, YEAH, I GET
A LOT OF THAT,
BUT I CERTAINLY
DON'T MIND IT.
IT'S ALL TO THE GOOD.
WELL, CERTAINLY, OF COURSE,
THIS IS A PROGRAM
THAT WE SEE ON CHANNEL 2
AND ON CBS.
HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE
THE STAR
OF THE NATION'S NUMBER-ONE
TELEVISION PROGRAM?
WELL, IT'S WONDERFUL,
IT'S REALLY AN AWFUL LOT OF FUN.
I JUST HOPE IT LASTS
FOR A WHILE, THAT'S ALL.
WELL, VERY FINE,
SIR, IT'S BEEN
A REAL PLEASURE
TALKING WITH YOU.
Narrator: BEFORE "GUNSMOKE,"
MOST TV WESTERNS
WERE AIMED PRIMARILY
AT CHILDREN.
BUT THIS SERIES TOOK THE GENRE
IN A NEW DIRECTION.
THIS WAS NOT TO BE A WEEKLY
SHOOT-'EM-UP, BANG-BANG THING.
THEY WANTED TO DO STORIES
ABOUT PEOPLE AND PROBLEMS
IN THE OLD WEST,
AND DID IT WELL...
FOR 20 YEARS.
Narrator: IN THE EARLY YEARS,
NEARLY ALL "GUNSMOKE" EPISODES
REVOLVED AROUND
THE SHOW'S MAIN CHARACTERS,
A CLOSE-KNIT GROUP THAT INCLUDED
AMANDA BLAKE AS MISS KITTY
AND MILBURN STONE AS DOC ADAMS.
LATER, KEN CURTIS WOULD JOIN
THE CAST,
AS DID BURT REYNOLDS,
WHOSE ROLE
AS THE TOWN BLACKSMITH
LAUNCHED HIM
INTO THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT.
I'M GOING TO
HAVE TO LEAVE DODGE SOON,
GO SOMEPLACE ELSE.
WHY?
WELL, I'VE BEEN ENOUGH
TROUBLE TO YOU ALREADY.
THE WAY TO KEEP YOU
OUT OF TROUBLE
IS HAVING YOU AROUND WHERE I
CAN KEEP AN EYE ON YOU.
Narrator: "GUNSMOKE" s FIRST
BREAKOUT CHARACTER WAS CHESTER,
PLAYED BY DENNIS WEAVER.
BECAUSE WEAVER HAD
A LEADING-MAN LOOK,
THE PRODUCERS WANTED
TO FIND A WAY
TO MAKE HIM APPEAR
MORE LIKE A SIDEKICK.
WEAVER CAME UP
WITH CHESTER'S STIFF LEG.
Weaver:
HAD I KNOWN THAT I WAS
GOING TO BE DOING THAT
FOR NINE YEARS,
I MIGHT HAVE HAD
A DIFFERENT THOUGHT ABOUT IT.
BECAUSE DID YOU EVER TRY
AND BUILD A CAMPFIRE
WITH A STIFF LEG,
OR WORST OF ALL,
DID YOU EVER TRY
TO PUT YOUR BOOT ON
WITHOUT BENDING YOUR KNEE?
I HAD TO TAKE YOGA LESSONS
TO DO SOME OF THAT STUFF.
Narrator:
AFTER EIGHT SEASONS,
"GUNSMOKE" s RATINGS
WERE IN DECLINE.
THE SHOW'S PRODUCERS
WERE OUT OF IDEAS.
CANCELLATION SEEMED IMMINENT.
BUT JAMES ARNESS
WANTED TO CONTINUE.
AND SO CBS CAME UP
WITH A SOLUTION.
THE ENTIRE WRITING
AND PRODUCING STAFF
WAS REPLACED.
THE NEW TEAM WOULD RELY HEAVILY
ON GUEST STARS
TO REINVIGORATE THE SERIES...
GUEST STARS
LIKE ANGIE DICKINSON.
MR. DOBIE...
YES, MA'AM?
I'M NOT BLAMING YOU
FOR WHAT HAPPENED.
I'M NOT BLAMING ANYONE.
I LOOKED AT IT
A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO,
AND I WAS PRETTY GOOD
FOR HOW EARLY I WAS,
YOU KNOW, IN MY LEARNING PERIOD,
FOR WHERE I WAS.
Narrator: JAMES ARNESS'S
EASYGOING PERSONALITY
MEANT GUEST STARS WERE TREATED
LIKE OLD FRIENDS,
CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT
WHERE ACTORS COULD THRIVE.
IT WAS A KEY FACTOR
IN THE SHOW'S LONG SUCCESS.
"GUNSMOKE" WAS WONDERFUL
TO BE ON,
BECAUSE IT WAS GOOD MATERIAL,
AND A WONDERFUL CAST.
AND ARNESS WAS SO FABULOUS.
Narrator: "GUNSMOKE"
WAS WELL POSITIONED
TO WEATHER THE GOVERNMENT'S
CRACKDOWN ON TV VIOLENCE
IN THE LATE 1960s,
BECAUSE ITS STORIES
WERE BASED ON RELATIONSHIPS
MORE THAN GUNPLAY.
STILL, NO ONE ON THE SET
LIKED THE NEW RESTRICTIONS.
THEY CAME IN WITH THIS BIG
ANTI-VIOLENCE CAMPAIGN,
YOU KNOW, AND SO
WE HAD TO TONE DOWN
THE AMOUNT OF VIOLENCE
IN EACH EPISODE.
AND, OF COURSE, IT MADE
THE PRODUCERS MADDER THAN HECK,
BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THAT REALLY
PUT LIMITATION ON THEM.
THEY WOULD TELL YOU HOW MANY
FIGHTS YOU COULD HAVE...
BAR FIGHTS...
AND YOU MIGHT BE ABLE
TO HAVE ONE SHOOTING
IN AN EPISODE, AND SO FORTH.
Narrator: "GUNSMOKE" RODE OUT
EVERY CHALLENGE,
AIRING 635 EPISODES...
MORE THAN ANY OTHER PRIME TIME
SERIES IN TELEVISION HISTORY.
EVEN AFTER THE SERIES ENDED,
JAMES ARNESS CONTINUED
TO PLAY MATT DILLON
IN A NUMBER OF TV MOVIES,
WELL INTO THE 1990s...
NEARLY 50 YEARS AS AMERICA'S
FAVORITE LAW MAN.
NO ONE COULD MATCH MATT DILLON
FOR LONGEVITY,
JAMES WEST FOR TOUGHNESS,
OR BRET MAVERICK FOR HUMOR.
BUT NOTHING QUITE COMPARED
TO THE WESTERN HERO
THAT SPARKED A CULTURAL
PHENOMENON IN 1954.
THE FIRST MERCHANDISING CRAZE
OF THE BABY BOOMER GENERATION,
"DAVY CROCKETT,"
STARRING FESS PARKER.
Buddy Ebsen: IT WAS
AN ENRICHING, REWARDING,
VERY MEMORABLE,
AND LOOKING BACK,
LOVING EXPERIENCE.
Narrator: WALT DISNEY'S
"DAVY CROCKETT" MINISERIES
PREMIERED IN SEPTEMBER 1954.
IT WAS A MONSTER HIT,
CATCHING EVERYONE BY SURPRISE.
DISNEY SAW AN OPPORTUNITY,
AND THE MERCHANDISING MACHINE
KICKED INTO HIGH GEAR.
10 MILLION COONSKIN CAPS WERE
SOLD IN A MATTER OF MONTHS.
THERE WERE MORE THAN 3,000
DIFFERENT CROCKETT ITEMS.
LUNCHBOXES, PAJAMAS,
TOOTHBRUSHES.
IN TODAY'S DOLLARS,
THE CRAZE EARNED
MORE THAN A HALF-BILLION
IN REVENUE ALMOST OVERNIGHT
AND PROVIDED WALT DISNEY WITH
THE MONEY TO BUILD DISNEYLAND.
Ames: THEY PLAYED THEM
OVER AND OVER AGAIN,
AND THEY WERE
TREMENDOUSLY SUCCESSFUL.
IT DID MAKE A FORTUNE
FOR DISNEY
AND MADE THE STUDIO
VERY PROMINENT.
Narrator: "DAVY CROCKETT" MANIA
DIED DOWN AFTER ABOUT A YEAR,
BUT FESS PARKER'S POPULARITY
REMAINED.
DISNEY RESPONDED BY CREATING
A VERY SIMILAR SERIES
CALLED "DANIEL BOONE."
PARKER HAD
A NEW ONSCREEN FAMILY,
BUT NO ONE SEEMED TO MIND.
WELL, I ALWAYS WORRIED ABOUT IT
A LITTLE BIT, YOU KNOW,
WHETHER OR NOT
IT WOULD BE ACCEPTED.
SAME GUY, SAME HAT,
DIFFERENT NAME,
DIFFERENT FAMILY.
Narrator: AUDIENCES WELCOMED
FESS PARKER'S NEW TV FAMILY,
AND BACKSTAGE, PARKER WAS LIKE
A SURROGATE FATHER
TO HIS TV KIDS.
HE WAS MY DAD FOR 6 YEARS.
I GOT TO SEE HIM
MORE THAN HIS OWN SON, ELI, DID.
AND FOR ME, I LOST MY FATHER
WHEN I WAS A YEAR OLD
IN A PLANE CRASH, SO HE REALLY
WAS LIKE AN ADOPTIVE FATHER.
WELL, FESS IS 6 FOOT 5.
AND THERE AREN'T MANY ACTORS
THAT ARE THAT TALL.
SO POOR FESS WOULD ALWAYS
HAVE TO BE IN A HOLE,
WHILE THE OTHER ACTORS
WERE ON BOXES,
SO THAT THEY WOULD BE
MORE OF A, YOU KNOW,
BECAUSE, I MEAN, HE'D STAND...
I'VE ALMOST NEVER HEARD HIM SAY
A BAD WORD ABOUT ANYBODY.
HE WAS GENTLE... IS GENTLE,
AND WAS.
AND THAT EMERGED.
PEOPLE SAW THAT.
HE'D GIVE YOU HELP
IF YOU NEEDED HELP,
BUT HE WAS ALWAYS VERY KIND
TO THE PEOPLE
THAT WAS WORKING AROUND HIM.
AND HE HAD A LOT OF INFLUENCE
ON THE SHOW,
AND YET HE DIDN'T ABUSE ANYTHING
IN HIS POWER THAT HE HAD.
BUT HE WAS ALWAYS TRYING TO GIVE
PEOPLE A CHANCE TO WORK.
AND I REALLY APPRECIATED THAT
IN FESS PARKER.
Narrator: FESS PARKER WORKED
TO ENSURE THE SERIES
REFLECTED POSITIVE VALUES.
THE GOOD GUYS WON, AND VIOLENCE
WAS KEPT TO A MINIMUM.
Ames: IT'S FUNNY, THE FACT
THAT IT WAS
AN ACTION-ADVENTURE SERIES.
THERE WAS VERY LITTLE KILLING,
ACTUALLY, WENT ON.
YOU KNOW, WE WOULD SOMETIMES
HAVE FISTICUFFS,
OR WE'D BASH SOMEBODY WITH
SOMEBODY, BUT THE NEXT DAY,
THEY'D BE WALKING AROUND AGAIN,
IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.
THERE WAS A CERTAIN...
YOU KNOW,
WE DID SHOOT
OUR FLINTLOCK RIFLES,
BUT MOST OF THE TIMES,
WE MISSED.
EXCEPT FOR DANIEL BOONE,
OF COURSE... HE NEVER MISSED.
HOW CAN YOU AND THE INDIAN
BE FRIENDS?
WHAT'S SO PECULIAR
ABOUT THAT?
YOU'RE NOT THE SAME COLOR
OR THE SAME RACE.
YOUR PEOPLE FIGHT
AGAINST EACH OTHER.
WELL, A MAN'S WHAT HE IS,
REGARDLESS.
I DON'T THINK RACE OR COLOR
HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT.
Narrator: IN AN ERA
WHEN TV WAS NEARLY ALL WHITE,
THE "DANIEL BOONE" SERIES
REGULARLY SHOWCASED
AFRICAN AMERICANS
IN PROMINENT PARTS.
ROSEY GRIER, FOR EXAMPLE,
HAD A RECURRING ROLE
AS GABE COOPER,
AN ESCAPED SLAVE WHO WAS
A CLOSE FRIEND OF DANIEL BOONE.
Grier: I WAS DOUBTING
THE FACT,
COULD I DO THIS?
BECAUSE THAT WAS NOT MY NATURE.
I WAS AFRAID TO TALK,
AND ALL THAT.
AND YET IT WAS WONDERFUL,
WONDERFUL TRAINING FOR ME.
AND I WAS PLAYING
A VERY GOOD ROLE.
I WASN'T ONE OF THOSE ROLES
THAT YOU HAD TO ACT UP AND BE
VERY ETHNIC.
WHEN I WAS 12 YEARS OLD,
THEY TOOK MY MAMA ONE WAY
AND ME ANOTHER.
I SWORE THAT IF I EVER
FOUND OUT WHERE SHE WAS,
I WAS GOING TO
COME FOR HER.
ALL RIGHT, SAY YOU FIND HER.
THEN WHAT?
YOU'RE GOING TO NEED
SOME HELP.
YOU'RE GOING TO NEED
MONEY AND FURS,
AND I'M GOING TO GO WITH YOU.
I DON'T NEED NOBODY'S HELP
TO DO THIS.
WELL, YOU'RE GETTING IT,
WHETHER YOU WANT IT OR NOT.
A LOT OF THE STORIES
THAT WE DID...
ABOUT SLAVERY,
ABOUT RACE RELATIONS...
I MEAN, IT WAS REALLY
GROUNDBREAKING AT THE TIME.
BUT WE COULD DO IT IN SUCH A WAY
THAT NOBODY WAS PREACHING,
NOBODY...
IT WAS JUST PART OF THE STORY.
IT WAS THE RIGHT THING
TO DO.
AND WE GOT SOME
REALLY GOOD PERFORMANCES.
SO I ENJOYED VERY MUCH,
WORKING
WITH PEOPLE LIKE
RAFER JOHNSON, WHO WAS
AN OLYMPIC CHAMPION.
I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU,
BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW.
WELL, WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT
WHEN YOU'RE BETTER.
RIGHT NOW, YOU NEED
SOME REST.
HOW MUCH BETTER
CAN A MAN FEEL, MR. BOONE?
MY FRIENDS CALL ME "DANIEL."
Narrator: BROADCAST IN AN ERA
OF RACIAL UNREST,
THE SERIES WAS ESPECIALLY
CAREFUL IN ITS PORTRAYAL
OF VIOLENCE.
ONE SCENE WITH ROSEY GRIER'S
CHARACTER WAS CUT
WHEN THE PRODUCERS
HAD SECOND THOUGHTS
ABOUT HOW THE CHARACTER'S
VIOLENT REACTION TO RACISM
MIGHT SEND THE WRONG MESSAGE
TO VIEWERS IN 1960s AMERICA.
I WAS DOING THINGS
LIKE TURNING THE WAGON OVER,
AND, OF COURSE,
THEY CUT THAT OUT,
BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T WANT
TO SHOW VIOLENCE.
BECAUSE VIOLENCE
IS VERY PROVOCATIVE,
IN TERMS OF OTHER PEOPLE
GOING THROUGH SITUATIONS
AND THEY FEEL
THAT THEY'VE BEEN WRONGED.
Narrator: "DANIEL BOONE" WASN'T
THE ONLY WESTERN
TO ADDRESS ISSUES OF RACE.
BUT VERY FEW TV WESTERNS
HAD PEOPLE OF COLOR
IN REGULAR STARRING ROLES.
HEY, AMIGO,
WHAT YOU DOING HERE?
OH, I JUST THOUGHT
YOU MIGHT LIKE TO KNOW
ABOUT THOSE TWO NEW MEN
THAT YOU HIRED.
YEAH, WHAT ABOUT THEM?
THEY HAVE LEFT.
Narrator: ONE MAJOR EXCEPTION
WAS "HIGH CHAPARRAL."
I THINK THEY WENT
TOWARD THE TUCSON ROAD.
TUCSON ROAD.
I AM GOING AFTER THEM,
IN CASE YOU WOULD LIKE
TO JOIN ME
AND FOLLOW AFTER THEM.
HE COULD FIND HUMOR
IN ANYTHING.
HE WAS ALWAYS LAUGHING,
WHICH SOME REVIEWERS MENTIONED.
EVENTUALLY, HENRY DARROW
AS MANOLITO
WILL STOP LAUGHING AS MUCH,
AND SO...
Narrator: MANOLITO WAS
A BREAKOUT CHARACTER
THAT SUDDENLY THRUST
HENRY DARROW INTO THE LIMELIGHT.
IRONICALLY, HE HAD JUST CHANGED
HIS NAME FROM DELGADO TO DARROW
TO AVOID BEING TYPECAST.
I'M NOT A LATIN ACTOR,
HISPANIC ACTOR... I'M AN ACTOR
WHO HAPPENS TO BE
OF SPANISH HERITAGE.
Narrator: MEXICAN CHARACTERS
WERE NOT NEW TO TV WESTERNS.
CISCO KID AND ZORRO HAD BEEN
AROUND SINCE THE BEGINNING.
FOR A PROFESSIONAL
KNIFE THROWER,
THAT FELLOW IS
NOT SO GOOD, PANCHO.
CISCO, HE'S GETTING
CLOSER AND CLOSER.
HEY, WHAT ARE YOU
WORRIED ABOUT?
HE HASN'T HIT YOU YET.
CISCO, THIS IS NO TIME
FOR JOKES, NOT EVEN GOOD ONES.
I WASN'T JOKING, PANCHO.
Narrator: WHAT MADE
"HIGH CHAPARRAL" DIFFERENT
WAS THAT IT PRESENTED
A MORE REALISTIC VIEW
OF MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURE
AND FAMILY LIFE,
INCLUDING HISPANIC ACTORS
SPEAKING IN SPANISH.
THEY'D SAY, "LINDA, HENRY,
YOU GUYS
COME UP WITH SOME DIALOGUE."
AND, OF COURSE, IT WOULD BE
IN SPANISH.
I AM MRS...
VICTORIA.
No le digas nada.
¿Por qué no?
Narrator: ON THE SURFACE,
"HIGH CHAPARRAL" WAS A GLOSSY,
BIG-BUDGET ACTION WESTERN.
BUT THE SERIES' MORE SUBTLE
MESSAGE WAS THAT MEXICANS,
ANGLOS, AND NATIVE AMERICANS
ALL HAD A PLACE
IN THE AMERICAN STORY.
THIS THEME OF RACIAL TOLERANCE
WAS REPEATED OVER AND OVER
ON AMERICAN
TELEVISION WESTERNS...
ON "GUNSMOKE," "BONANZA,"
"THE RIFLEMAN," "DANIEL BOONE."
AT A TIME IN AMERICA WHEN
RACIAL CONFLICT WAS EVERYWHERE,
TV WESTERNS GAVE US HOPE.
BY LOOKING BACK, THEY HELPED US
SEE THE FUTURE.
FROM THE MID-1940s
THROUGH THE MID-'70s,
TELEVISION AUDIENCES ENJOYED
MORE THAN 100 DIFFERENT
WESTERN SERIES.
THEY REFLECTED OUR ATTITUDES
AND HELPED DEFINE US
AS A NATION.
EVEN TODAY, WHEN WE IMAGINE
A SHERIFF
OR A COWBOY
OR THE WILD WEST,
THE IMAGE WE CONJURE
WAS LIKELY CREATED
BY A TV WESTERN.
THE WESTERN IS US.
ALL OF THE THINGS THAT WE THINK
OF AS THE AMERICAN VALUES
ARE TIED UP IN THAT JOHN WAYNE
KIND OF... PERSONA.
IT'S PART OF THE AMERICAN
CULTURE,
PART OF THE WHOLE
BACKGROUND OF AMERICA,
AND IT'S VERY ROMANTIC.
WELL, I THINK THE WESTERN
IS THE MOST SIMPLE VERSION
OF A MORALITY PLAY
THAT YOU CAN DO.
THOSE COWBOYS WILL BUNCH UP
AND SHOOT IT OUT
WITH EVERY MAN WEARING A BADGE.
BE THE WORST SLAUGHTER
DODGE HAS EVER SEEN.
IT'S ABOUT AS FOOL AN IDEA
AS I'VE EVER HEARD.
THE BASIC MESSAGE
OF "GUNSMOKE" WAS,
THERE'S ALWAYS
GOING TO BE THE DUALITY.
THERE'S GOING TO BE THE BAD
AND THERE'S GOING TO BE
THE GOOD,
AND MOST OF THE TIME,
THE GOOD WILL WIN OUT.
THE LONER, THE MAN
WHO FACED THE WORLD
BY HIMSELF, AND BY GOLLY,
WON OUT.
BUT AT THE END OF THE SHOW,
DAD PUTS HIS ARMS
AROUND HIS SONS
AND SAYS
TO THE COUNTRY,
"WE'RE OKAY.
WE'RE OKAY."
Narrator: THE LEGACY
OF TV WESTERNS REMAINS.
THE SHOWS WE LOVED,
THE HEROES WE RESPECTED.
THE PIONEERS OF TELEVISION.
FOR MORE INSIDER FEATURES
ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE TV STARS,
STORIES YOU WON'T HEAR
ANYWHERE ELSE,
THROUGH THE MID-'70s,
TELEVISION AUDIENCES ENJOYED
MORE THAN 100 DIFFERENT
WESTERN SERIES.
THEY REFLECTED OUR ATTITUDES AND
HELPED DEFINE US AS A NATION.
ALL OF THE THINGS THAT WE THINK
OF AS THE AMERICAN VALUES
ARE TIED UP IN THAT JOHN WAYNE
KIND OF PERSONA.
IT'S PART
OF THE AMERICAN CULTURE,
PART OF THE WHOLE BACKGROUND OF
AMERICA, AND IT'S VERY ROMANTIC.
I DON'T KNOW... IT'S OUR
HERITAGE, IT'S... THE WEST WAS
OUR FRONTIER,
AND I JUST LIKE WESTERNS.
Linda Evans: I THINK THE PUBLIC
LOVES WESTERNS.
I THINK THEY STILL
LOVE WESTERNS.
AND I DON'T KNOW WHY THEY DON'T
PUT THEM BACK ON TV,
BECAUSE I THINK THERE'S
A HUGE AUDIENCE FOR THEM.
Narrator: TOGETHER, THEY CREATED
THE MOST POPULAR GENRE
OF TV'S FIRST DECADES.
THEY ARE
THE PIONEERS OF TELEVISION.
THE COURT IN VIRGINIA CITY
DOESN'T OWN THE PONDEROSA.
WE DO.
Narrator: THEY CREATED
THE CHARACTERS WE LOVED
TO IDOLIZE.
I NEVER WANTED TO BE
AN ACTOR.
I GOT STUCK IN IT AND KIND OF
LIKED WHAT I WAS DOING, HAD FUN.
IT'S MY JOB TO KEEP THE PEACE
HERE IN TOWN, AND I'LL DO IT.
BUT I'LL DO IT MY OWN WAY.
Ed Ames: BIG JIM ARNESS,
THAT MAN WAS AS BIG AS A TREE.
I MEAN, HE WAS HUGE.
NOW, YOU STAY AWAY FROM THAT
GIRL, OR I'LL KILL YOU.
I MEAN IT, I'LL KILL YOU!
SHE WAS A GROUND-BREAKING WOMAN.
I MEAN, I THINK SHE NEVER FIT
IN ANY CATEGORY.
SHE DID PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING
THAT SHE WANTED TO DO.
PA!
OH, PA, I'M SO GLAD
TO SEE YOU!
I THINK "DANIEL BOONE"
WAS POPULAR...
WELL, PRIMARILY
BECAUSE OF FESS PARKER,
AND I THINK HE HIMSELF WAS
A VERY POPULAR PERSON.
Rosey Grier: HE DIDN'T TRY
TO BE A STAR.
HE JUST PLAYED HIS PART
UP TO THE HILT.
YOU'RE LOOKING
A LOT BETTER,
JUST SINCE YOU
JOINED THIS TRAIN.
HOW YOU MAKING OUT
THESE DAYS?
WELL, I'LL BE FRANK
WITH YOU, MAJOR,
I'M MAKING AN EFFORT,
BUT IT SURE AIN'T EASY.
Narrator: THEY RE-CREATED
A WORLD WE LONGED TO VISIT.
WESTERNS, TO ME,
MAKE AN AWFUL LOT OF SENSE.
BECAUSE IT'S ONE OF THOSE
KIND OF THINGS
THAT YOU CAN LOSE YOURSELF IN.
Robert Conrad:
IT WAS ESCAPISM FARE,
IT'S EVERYTHING RIGHT AND GOOD
ABOUT TV.
IT'S LIKE 143 WOMEN I KISSED
AND 118 FIGHTS.
PROMISE ME
YOU WON'T LET PAPA
TALK YOU
INTO MARRYING ME.
ANYTHING TO PLEASE
A LADY.
I NEVER MET A WOMAN
I DIDN'T LIKE.
I MEAN, TO GO TO WORK
AND KISS A WOMAN?
ARE YOU SERIOUS?
HELLO!
YOU MEAN TO SAY YOU
OVERPOWERED HIM
SINGLE-HANDED
AND UNARMED?
YEP, AND I'D HATE
TO DO IT EVER' DAY.
BY HEAVEN, I'M GOING TO
HAVE TO CHANGE MY OPINION
OF YOUR FIGHTING ABILITY,
DANIEL.
IT WAS A FUN SHOW, TOO.
THERE WAS A LOT OF HUMOR IN IT,
A LOT OF CAMARADERIE.
Evans: SHE LIVED
FOR THE MOMENTS
WE'D HAVE... "TODAY'S
THE BURNING BUILDING!
TODAY'S THE EARTHQUAKE!"
SHE WAS DEVASTATINGLY GOOD
AND REALLY FOCUSED.
YOU THINK HE LOVED HIS SON,
EVEN AT THE END?
I THINK A FATHER NEVER STOPS
LOVING HIS SON, MARK.
Johnny Crawford: I COULDN'T
HAVE BEEN HAPPIER.
THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE
I WOULD HAVE WANTED TO DO
MORE THAN WHAT I WAS DOING.
TELL ME SOMETHING.
HOW CAN YOU AND THE INDIAN
BE FRIENDS?
Darby Hinton:
A LOT OF THE STORIES
THAT WE DID... ABOUT SLAVERY,
ABOUT RACE RELATIONS... I MEAN,
IT WAS REALLY GROUNDBREAKING
AT THE TIME.
Henry Darrow:
THE ONE THREAD
THAT RUNS THROUGH US
IS THE WESTERN.
AND IT HAD ITS RUN,
IT'S HAD ITS PERIOD,
AND WE WERE THERE
TO CELEBRATE IT.
MAYBE IT NEVER
REALLY EXISTED, EVEN,
BUT AT LEAST ROMANTICALLY AND...
AND IN OUR IMAGINATIONS,
THAT EXISTED.
THE WESTERN EXISTED.
Man:
"THE WEST," TAKE 2.
ACTION.
Narrator: DECADES
BEFORE TELEVISION,
WESTERNS WERE GOING STRONG,
A STAPLE OF THE MOVIES.
WHEN TV LAUNCHED
IN THE LATE 1940s,
NO ONE WAS QUITE SURE
IF WESTERNS WOULD WORK
ON THE SMALL SCREEN.
BUT AFTER THE FIRST FEW SHOWS
HIT THE AIR,
THE ANSWER WAS CLEAR.
AUDIENCES LOVED TV WESTERNS.
THE 1959 SEASON ALONE
SAW MORE THAN 30
DIFFERENT WESTERNS
ON THE SCHEDULE.
AS HOLLYWOOD RAMPED UP
PRODUCTION,
EVERY BACK LOT WAS BUSY
WITH COWBOYS AND HORSES.
ON ANY GIVEN DAY,
THERE MIGHT BE
HALF A DOZEN WESTERN COMPANIES
SHOOTING ON THAT.
AND YOU'D BE GETTING READY
FOR A SHOT AND LINING UP
OR TRYING
TO REHEARSE OR SOMETHING,
AND HERE COMES DICK BOONE
WITH A POSSE,
RIDING THROUGH YOUR SHOT,
YOU KNOW.
AND THERE'S MY BROTHER,
JIM ARNESS, OVER THERE.
SO THOSE WERE GREAT DAYS.
A LOT OF WORK.
Narrator: OVER THE DECADES,
AUDIENCES HAVE ENJOYED
MORE THAN 100 WESTERN TV SERIES.
A FEW STAND ABOVE THE REST.
CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
IN THE 1930s DUST BOWL.
PERHAPS THE WORST PLACE
IN AMERICA TO LIVE,
IN THE MIDST OF THE MOST SEVERE
DEPRESSION EVER.
FOR ONE YOUNG BOY HERE,
NAMED JIMMY,
THE DISASTER CUT EVEN DEEPER.
IN 1933, HIS MOTHER DIED,
WHEN HE WAS JUST 5 YEARS OLD.
HIS STEPMOTHER BEAT HIM.
YET OUT OF THIS NIGHTMARE
CAME ONE OF AMERICA'S
MOST UPBEAT PERFORMERS,
THE MAN WHO TOOK
THE OLD WEST COWBOY
AND ADDED A SMILE.
HIS NAME WAS JAMES GARNER.
HIS SIGNATURE CHARACTER
WAS BRET MAVERICK.
SHERIFF, IT ISN'T OFTEN
I CAN SAY THIS.
I FEEL LIKE I'M
LEAVING SUNNY ACRES
A BETTER PLACE
THAN I FOUND IT.
Man: HA!
I NEVER WANTED TO BE
AN ACTOR.
I GOT STUCK IN IT AND KIND OF
LIKED WHAT I WAS DOING, HAD FUN.
Narrator: AFTER MOVING
TO CALIFORNIA IN THE 1950s,
JAMES GARNER LANDED A SERIES
OF SMALL ACTING ROLES.
BUT NOTHING
QUITE CLICKED FOR HIM
UNTIL HE WAS PICKED
TO PLAY BRET MAVERICK.
THIS RELUCTANT HERO WAS
SOMETHING NEW TO TELEVISION,
AND PERFECTLY SUITED
TO JIM GARNER.
IT WAS VERY NEW TO ME.
IT WAS ALL NEW TO ME.
I... I DIDN'T KNOW
WHAT I WAS DOING.
Narrator: AUDIENCES FOUND
GARNER'S ATTITUDE
SO FRESH AND FUN THAT "MAVERICK"
QUICKLY SHOT TO THE TOP
OF THE RATINGS.
Man: IF I DID MY HOMEWORK,
I COULD STAY UP
AND WATCH "MAVERICK," AND IT WAS
LIKE A BIG TREAT FOR ME.
I JUST THOUGHT THERE WAS
SOMETHING ABOUT HIM
THAT WAS JUST SO SPECIAL,
AND I JUST... HE WAS LIKE
MY BIGGEST HERO ON TELEVISION.
Narrator: IT WASN'T
JUST AUDIENCES
THAT ENJOYED
JAMES GARNER'S WORK.
I THINK EVERY WOMAN WHO EVER
WORKED WITH HIM ALWAYS FELT
THAT THEY HAD A SPECIAL...
I KNOW I FELT...
"OH, NO, WE HAD
SOMETHING SPECIAL," YOU KNOW?
HE WAS A REAL... A REAL GUY'S
GUY, AND SO NICE TO WORK WITH.
I LOVED HIM.
LOVED HIM.
Narrator: PERHAPS WHAT
JAMES GARNER'S COSTARS
LOVED MOST WAS
HIS ABILITY TO LISTEN
TO THEIR PERFORMANCES
AND REACT...
A RARE SKILL THAT WAS
ESPECIALLY EFFECTIVE
WHEN GARNER WAS TEAMED
WITH A LIKE-MINDED COSTAR.
IT MAKES IT EASIER,
OH, MY GOD, YES.
YOU KNOW, I GET SOMEBODY LIKE
THAT, I CAN JUST BOUNCE OFF HIM.
YOU KNOW, WATCH HIM ACT.
Narrator: JAMES GARNER BECAME
SO POPULAR SO FAST
THAT HE SOON SAW OPPORTUNITIES
BEYOND "MAVERICK,"
AND LEFT THE SERIES IN 1960.
BUT HE WASN'T DONE
WITH WESTERNS.
10 YEARS LATER, HE RETURNED
WITH HIS PERSONAL FAVORITE,
A TV SERIES CALLED "NICHOLS,"
AND A STRING OF POPULAR
WESTERN MOVIES.
HEY, JAKE,
HOW DO YOU THINK WE OUGHT TO
SPLIT WHATEVER WE FIND?
60/40?
60 FOR WHO
AND 40 FOR WHO?
THERE, YOU SEE, SEE WHAT
GOLD DOES TO MEN?
WE HAVEN'T EVEN
FOUND ANYTHING,
AND ALREADY WE'RE
ARGUING ABOUT IT.
60 FOR WHO
AND 40 FOR WHO?!
I JUST WISH YOU COULD SEE
THE GREED IN YOUR FACE.
WHAT YOU MEAN IS 60 FOR YOU
AND 40 FOR ME!
WELL, THANK YOU, JAKE.
THAT'S VERY GENEROUS OF YOU.
Narrator: IN HIS WESTERNS,
AND LATER,
ON "THE ROCKFORD FILES,"
JAMES GARNER PLAYED A CHARACTER
WHO WAS DIFFERENT FROM
ANYTHING ELSE ON TELEVISION.
HERE WAS A GOOD GUY
WHO AVOIDED FIGHTS,
WHO WOULD RATHER LEAVE TOWN
THAN FACE THE BAD GUYS.
BUT AUDIENCES
LOVED "MAVERICK"...
BECAUSE THEY LOVED
JAMES GARNER.
GOOD AFTERNOON,
MR. MAVERICK.
GOOD AFTERNOON, MR. BATES.
YOU THINK YOU'VE GOT ME WORRIED
WITH THIS LITTLE MANEUVER,
SITTING HERE, WHITTLING
AND WATCHING THE BANK?
WELL, I HADN'T GIVEN IT
MUCH THOUGHT.
DO I?
I CARRY A GUN,
AND I HAVEN'T HAD
A REAL GOOD FIGHT
SINCE I GOT TO BE A BANKER.
NOW, HOW WILL A FIGHT
GET ME BACK MY 15,000?
IT WON'T.
GOT ANY OTHER WAY
IN MIND?
I'M WORKING ON IT.
MAVERICK, YOU'RE
A REAL CLOWN.
Cannell: YOU CAN SEE
WHAT HE'S THINKING.
HE'S ONE OF THOSE ACTORS WHERE,
IF HE'S THINKING,
"I WANT TO GET OUT OF HERE,"
YOU CAN SEE THAT HE WANTS
TO GET OUT OF HERE.
WELL, I'M JUST SO PLEASED THAT
PEOPLE ACCEPTED MY PERFORMANCES
AS THEY DID...
WITH A SMILE, AND ENJOYED THEM
AND GAVE THEM A LITTLE GIGGLE.
Narrator: IF JAMES GARNER PLAYED
THE ANTIHERO,
THEN WHO BEST FIT THE ROLE
OF THE CLASSIC GOOD GUY...
THE BRAVE, GUN-TOTING,
NO-NONSENSE TV COWBOY?
Announcer: "THE RIFLEMAN"!
Narrator: "THE RIFLEMAN" SERIES
HAD AN UNUSUAL PEDIGREE...
CREATED BY ONE OF THE MOST
CONTROVERSIAL FIGURES IN
HOLLYWOOD, SAM PECKINPAH.
GUN VIOLENCE WAS A CENTERPIECE
OF SAM PECKINPAH'S MOVIES.
IN AN ERA WHEN BLOODSHED ON
WESTERNS WAS OFTEN SANITIZED,
PECKINPAH PULLED NO PUNCHES.
HE BROUGHT A NEW KIND OF
VIOLENCE TO THE SCREEN.
IT WAS THE FIRST TIME
THAT YOU EVER
SAW A BULLET ENTER A PERSON
AND... AND GO OUT.
AND, YOU KNOW, THE EXPLOSION
OF THE BLOOD
AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
EVERYBODY WENT, "AHH!
THIS IS TERRIBLE!"
Narrator: WHILE SHOCKING
TO MANY,
PECKINPAH'S APPETITE FOR SCREEN
VIOLENCE WAS JUST ONE FACET
OF A COMPLICATED AND UNIQUELY
TALENTED ARTIST.
HE WAS GIFTED OF GOD
WHEN HE WAS BORN
WITH THIS INCREDIBLE ABILITY
TO JUST SMILE AT YOU
AND MAKE YOU WANT TO GIVE HIM
THE BEST THING YOU'VE GOT.
AND THAT'S WHY EVERYONE WORKED
OVER THEIR HEAD WITH SAM.
HE LOVED ACTORS... I MEAN,
YOU COULD BE
THE WORST ACTRESS...
ACTOR OR ACTRESS IN THE WORLD,
AND HE'D TAKE HIS TIME
AND WORK WITH YOU
AND BRING OUT THE THING
THAT HE WANTED, YOU KNOW, EASY,
AND THE FIRST THING YOU KNOW,
MADE YOU LOOK GOOD.
COMING BEFORE HIS FILMS,
"THE RIFLEMAN" WAS
THE FIRST SERIES PECKINPAH
CREATED FOR TELEVISION.
THE RAPID-FIRE GUNPLAY
ATTRACTED AUDIENCES,
BUT PECKINPAH
HAD SOMETHING MUCH DEEPER
IN MIND.
HE ENVISIONED THE STORY
OF A YOUNG BOY,
PLAYED BY JOHNNY CRAWFORD,
WHO WOULD LEARN
ABOUT THE HARSH, PAINFUL
REALITIES OF LIFE.
PA!
PA, LOOK OUT!
LOOK OUT, PA!
HE'S GONNA KILL YOU, PA!
STAY LOW, MARK!
ARE YOU ALL RIGHT, SON?
UH-HUH.
GET BEHIND ME.
Narrator: SAM PECKINPAH'S VISION
FOR THE SERIES
WAS NEVER FULLY REALIZED,
AND HE LEFT "THE RIFLEMAN"
AFTER THE FIRST SEASON.
THE GUNPLAY STAYED,
BUT IN PECKINPAH'S ABSENCE,
THE SERIES DEVELOPED
A WARM SIDE...
SURE IS
A FAVORING WIND.
Narrator: HIGHLIGHTING THE BOND
BETWEEN FATHER AND SON.
DUE EAST.
HERE WAS A LOVING SINGLE FATHER,
RAISING HIS BOY...
SOMETHING NO TV WESTERN
HAD SEEN BEFORE.
YOU SURE KNOW A LOT
ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS.
YOU WILL, TOO,
SON, WHEN YOU
GET TO BE
AN OLD MAN LIKE ME.
THEY WERE PRETTY BOLD
IN SHOWING
THE RELATIONSHIP
OF THE FATHER AND SON
AND HAVING THEM EXPRESS THEIR
AFFECTION FOR EACH OTHER.
Narrator: THE FATHER...
THE RIFLEMAN...
WAS PLAYED BY AN ACTOR UNIQUELY
SUITED TO A ROLE
THAT COMBINED THE TOUGH GUY
AND THE TENDER FATHER,
CHUCK CONNORS.
LOOK, MARK, THERE'S A LOT OF
PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD
WHO ARE LONELY, WHO WANT VERY
BADLY TO LOVE AND BE LOVED.
I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD
CALL IT "FUNNY."
NO MATTER HOW THEY
GO ABOUT TRYING...
WELL, TRYING NOT TO BE
LONELY ANYMORE,
YOU UNDERSTAND ME?
YEAH.
LET'S GO... WE'VE GOT
A NICE SMOKED HAM
FOR OUR OWN SUPPER.
Narrator: AT 6 FEET 5 INCHES,
CHUCK CONNORS HAD A ROUGHNECK
RESUME FEW ACTORS COULD MATCH.
THE SON OF A LONGSHOREMAN,
CONNORS DROVE TANKS IN THE ARMY,
THEN PLAYED
FOR THE BOSTON CELTICS
AND THE CHICAGO CUBS.
IT WAS A LARGER-THAN-LIFE
PERSONA
THAT OFTEN SCARED THOSE
WHO DID NOT KNOW HIM.
HE INTIMIDATED A LOT OF PEOPLE,
AND HE ENJOYED DOING THAT.
SO I GOT A KICK OUT OF HIM.
I KNEW HIM PROBABLY BETTER
THAN ANYBODY ELSE ON THE SET,
YOU KNOW.
AND WE WERE VERY CLOSE,
AND I WAS VERY COMFORTABLE
AROUND HIM.
AND A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE
WERE AFRAID OF HIM.
Narrator: "THE RIFLEMAN" WASN'T
THE ONLY WESTERN
WITH A FATHER-SON RELATIONSHIP
AT THE CENTER.
THAT SAME THEME
WAS THE FOUNDATION
FOR ONE OF TV'S
MOST POPULAR WESTERNS EVER.
FEELING ALL RIGHT, PA?
YEAH, I'M ALL RIGHT.
FINE.
YOU KNOW SOMETHING?
YOU BOYS LOOK AWFUL GOOD
TO ME.
Narrator: SET IN NEVADA,
"BONANZA" LOOKED LIKE A WESTERN.
BUT AT ITS CORE, IT WAS
A FAMILY DRAMA
CENTERING ON THREE SONS
AND THEIR FATHER,
BEN CARTWRIGHT,
PLAYED BY LORNE GREEN.
NOT ONLY WAS HE
THE GOOD BEN CARTWRIGHT,
BUT HE WAS KIND OF LIKE
THE FATHER OF EVERYBODY.
HE WAS THE FATHER OF THE SET,
YOU KNOW,
EVERYBODY WOULD LOOK UP TO HIM
LIKE THAT.
AND I THINK "BONANZA,"
A LOT OF ITS SUCCESS
WAS BECAUSE OF THAT FAMILY
AND THE WAY THEY EXISTED
ON THE SCREEN
WITH THEIR CHARACTERS,
WITH ONE ANOTHER.
WE WOULDN'T BE HAVING
ALL THIS TROUBLE IF YOU HADN'T
GONE AND LOST THAT CHILI BOWL
I ALWAYS FIT ON YOUR HEAD.
JUST TAKE IT EASY...
IT'S GETTING
THIN ENOUGH UP THERE
LIKE IT IS.
KEEP YOUR HEAD STILL.
ARE YOU STILL PUTTING
THAT SALAD OIL ON YOUR HAIR?
HOG LARD.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT
YOU'RE SO WORRIED ABOUT.
YOU AIN'T GOING TO LOOK
ANY DIFFERENT WHEN I GET DONE.
YEAH, BUT I'LL FEEL DIFFERENT.
Narrator: WHEN PERNELL ROBERTS
LEFT THE SERIES,
"BONANZA" DIDN'T MISS A BEAT,
AS MICHAEL LANDON
AND DAN BLOCKER
PICKED UP THE SLACK.
DAN BLOCKER WAS THE MOST
DOWN-TO-EARTH.
HE WAS THE MOST, LIKE,
YOU KNOW,
A GUY THAT YOU'D GO OUT
AND HAVE A BEER WITH.
Narrator: A FAN FAVORITE,
DAN BLOCKER'S AFFABLE NATURE
SHOWED THROUGH
IN HIS CHARACTER, HOSS.
OH, I'LL FIT YOU.
HI, BROTHER.
YOU STILL PLAYING NURSEMAID
TO THAT LITTLE DOG YOU FOUND?
I CAN'T HARDLY HELP IT NONE,
CAN I,
IF THIS POOR LITTLE CRITTER
HANGS AROUND?
YOU SMELL SOMETHING?
OH, IT'S ME, YEAH,
I WAS SETTING SOME TRAPS
FOR THE WOLVES THAT WERE
BOTHERING THE CATTLE.
CAUGHT A SKUNK
IN ONE OF THEM.
YOU SURE DID...
LOOK HERE,
WHEN I GET THROUGH
WITH OLD SHORTY HERE,
WHY DON'T YOU JUMP IN?
Narrator: WHEN "BONANZA"
PREMIERED,
MICHAEL LANDON WAS JUST 22.
YET HE IMMEDIATELY BEGAN LAYING
THE GROUNDWORK FOR HIS FUTURE
BY LEARNING ALL HE COULD ABOUT
EVERY ASPECT OF THE BUSINESS.
HE WOULD DO HIS THING
ON THE STAGE,
AND HE WOULD COMPLETE
HIS "LITTLE JOE" CHARACTER,
AND THEN HE WOULD GO HANG OUT
IN THE EDITING ROOMS
AND TALK TO THE EDITORS.
Narrator: WITHIN THREE YEARS,
MICHAEL LANDON
WAS WRITING SCRIPTS
FOR "BONANZA."
AND A FEW YEARS AFTER THAT,
HE BEGAN DIRECTING EPISODES.
WHEN "BONANZA" ENDED,
LANDON WAS PERFECTLY POSITIONED
TO CREATE HIS OWN SERIES...
THE EQUALLY POPULAR
"LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE."
MICHAEL LANDON WAS
SUCH A WONDERFUL DIRECTOR,
AND HE GAVE ME AN INSPIRATION
OF, "LET'S DO THIS THING RIGHT."
YOU KNOW, "LET'S SEE
WHAT HAPPENS."
PEOPLE STILL TALK TO ME
ABOUT IT, YOU KNOW,
THAT THEY SAW THAT WONDERFUL
"HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE,"
AND THEY LOVED IT.
HE WAS FUNNY... HE HAD
A GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR.
AND THEN HE WOULD GET
VERY SERIOUS,
YOU KNOW, ABOUT...
ABOUT THE WORK.
HE WAS JUST A GREAT GUY
TO WORK WITH,
AND THE CREW JUST LOVED HIM.
Narrator: UNLIKE MANY
OF ITS CONTEMPORARIES,
"BONANZA" WASN'T AFRAID TO
TINKER WITH THE WESTERN GENRE.
ONE EPISODE MIGHT ADDRESS
A SERIOUS ISSUE,
LIKE RACIAL DISCRIMINATION.
THE NEXT MIGHT BE
A PURE COMEDY.
Chuck McCann:
I WAS THE BIG BUFFOON.
"GOSH ALMIGHTY, LET ME AT THAT.
I'LL LIGHT THAT."
YOU KNOW, AND HE'D GO
FLYING ACROSS THE ROAD.
IT WAS A GREAT, GREAT EPISODE,
AND GREAT FUN TO DO.
Martin Landau: MY CHARACTER
THINKS HE'S PART HORSE.
AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE REASONS
I WANTED TO DO IT.
HE DIES, SAVING MICHAEL LANDON
AND A HORSE.
AND I DIED UP,
AS OPPOSED TO DOWN.
I FELT THE GUY WAS...
I FELT THE GUY WASN'T READY
TO DIE,
AND SO I DIED COMING FORWARD,
INSTEAD OF FALLING BACKWARDS.
Stefanie Powers: THE ONLY GIRL
IN A MALE CAST.
I LOVED BEING THE ONLY GIRL.
EVERYBODY ON IT WAS ADORABLE.
THEY COULDN'T HAVE BEEN NICER.
ALL THE BOYS WERE GREAT.
Narrator: THROUGHOUT
ITS 14-YEAR RUN,
"BONANZA" NEVER HAD
AN ONGOING FEMALE CHARACTER.
THAT EDICT CAME FROM THE SERIES
CREATOR, DAVID DORTORT,
WHO BELIEVED TOO MANY MEN ON TV
WERE WEAK AND BEHOLDEN TO WOMEN.
"BONANZA" WOULD BE A SERIES
ABOUT FATHERS AND SONS,
NOT MOTHERS AND WIVES.
WELL, THEY KILLED OFF ENOUGH
GIRLS, SO I GUESS...
YOU KNOW, YEAH, FEMALE ACTRESSES
WERE ALWAYS AFRAID TO COME ON
THE SHOW,
BECAUSE THEY KNEW THEY'D GET
KILLED OFF SOMEHOW.
LITTLE JOE, YOU SURE DO
SMELL BETTER
THAN YOU DID THIS AFTERNOON.
THANKS A LOT!
OH, YES, OF COURSE.
HEY, PA, I'M GOING TO SEE
IF I CAN'T RUSTLE ME UP
ONE OF THEM LITTLE FILLIES.
Narrator: WHILE NO WOMAN
LASTED LONG ON "BONANZA,"
THAT WASN'T TRUE
OF ALL WESTERNS.
1965 SAW THE PREMIERE OF
THE FIRST MAJOR TV WESTERN
WITH A WOMAN
IN THE LEADING ROLE.
BARBARA STANWYCK WAS
A MOVIE STAR
LONG BEFORE "THE BIG VALLEY"...
BEST KNOWN FOR PLAYING
STRONG WOMEN,
WITH A CAREER THAT DATED BACK
TO THE 1920s.
OH, WELL.
MAYBE THAT LITTLE KISS
WAS WORTH IT.
GOOD THING FOR YOU.
THE LAST LITTLE KISS
YOU'LL GET
FROM THIS WORKING GIRL.
Narrator: BACKSTAGE,
STANWYCK WAS KNOWN AS
PERHAPS THE KINDEST PERSON
IN HOLLYWOOD,
ALWAYS SHOWING AN INTEREST IN
EVEN THE LOWEST-PAID STAGE HAND.
I'M ON A PEACE MISSION.
SHE WAS SO PROFESSIONAL.
SHE KNEW EVERY
CREW MEMBER'S NAME.
SHE KNEW EVERYTHING...
"HEY, JACK, HOW'S YOUR DOG?
IS YOUR MOTHER OKAY?
IS YOUR THIS OKAY?"
SHE DID KNOW EVERYBODY
BY THEIR FIRST NAME.
SHE MADE IT HER BUSINESS TO DO
THAT, BECAUSE WHEN YOU DO THAT,
SHE KNEW VERY WELL,
THEY TAKE EXTRA CARE OF YOU...
WHEN YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT
THAT THEY ARE THERE
AND YOU APPRECIATE THEM.
SHE KNEW THEIR FAMILIES.
AT THE END OF THE DAY,
SHE SAID "GOOD NIGHT" TO THEM,
EVERY ONE.
WELL, THEY JUST...
THEY JUST LOVED HER.
THEY'D DO ANYTHING
FOR HER.
Narrator:
IN "THE BIG VALLEY,"
STANWYCK PLAYED
THE MATRIARCH OF THE BARKLEYS,
A WEALTHY WESTERN FAMILY.
AT A TIME WHEN MOST WOMEN ON TV
WERE DEFERENTIAL,
STANWYCK INSISTED ON PLAYING
VICTORIA BARKLEY AS A TOUGH,
NO-NONSENSE LEADER.
BUT IN THIS INSTANCE,
I AM CONCERNED,
BECAUSE THE... WRONG CHOICE
COULD BE SO VERY WRONG.
YOU DON'T HAVE VERY MUCH FAITH
IN YOUR DAUGHTER, DO YOU?
ARE YOU CONCERNED FOR HER VIRTUE
OR THE BARKLEY NAME?
OH, NO, THE BARKLEY NAME
HAS WITHSTOOD
MANY SEVERE BLOWS IN THE PAST
AND WILL WITHSTAND MANY
MORE IN THE FUTURE.
DOES THAT ANSWER
YOUR QUESTION?
SHE WAS A GROUND-BREAKING WOMAN.
I MEAN, I THINK SHE NEVER FIT
IN ANY CATEGORY.
SHE DID PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING
THAT SHE WANTED TO DO.
Narrator: STANWYCK'S DAUGHTER
ON "THE BIG VALLEY"
WAS PLAYED BY LINDA EVANS,
AN INEXPERIENCED NEWCOMER
WHO HAD STUMBLED INTO ACTING
A FEW YEARS BEFORE,
AT HER PARENTS' INSISTENCE.
THEY MADE ME TAKE DRAMA
IN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
BECAUSE I WAS SO SHY, I WOULDN'T
GET UP AND GIVE A BOOK REPORT.
SO I WAS SORT OF FORCED
TO GET INTO ACTING.
BUT I WASN'T THINKING OF IT
AS A CAREER.
IT WAS ONLY A WAY
TO PASS ENGLISH.
Narrator: ALMOST BY ACCIDENT,
EVANS BEGAN LANDING
SMALL ACTING ROLES.
SHE HAD NO ASPIRATIONS.
ACTING WAS JUST A WAY TO EARN
SOME EXTRA INCOME.
I KEPT THINKING SOMEBODY
WAS GOING TO FIND OUT
I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS DOING.
YOU KNOW, I WAS JUST SO
SURPRISED... IT WAS LIKE
I COULDN'T... I WOULD GO OUT
FOR A COMMERCIAL OR A PART,
AND THEY WOULD GIVE IT TO ME!
AND IT WOULD BE LIKE,
"DON'T THEY KNOW I DON'T KNOW
WHAT I'M DOING?"
AND SO I MOSTLY SHOWED UP
IN TERROR,
HOPING THAT I
COULD GET THROUGH IT
AND GET THE CHECK AND THAT
NOBODY WOULD NOTICE.
Narrator: LANDING THE ROLE
OF AUDRA ON "THE BIG VALLEY"
WAS A MAJOR CAREER BOOST
FOR LINDA EVANS.
BUT AS THE FIRST DAY
OF PRODUCTION GREW CLOSER,
SHE BECAME INCREASINGLY NERVOUS
ABOUT MEETING A BIG STAR
LIKE BARBARA STANWYCK.
THE MINUTE THAT I MET HER,
I KNEW...
SHE WAS AN ABSOLUTE PUSSYCAT
IN HER HEART.
SHE WAS THE SOFTEST LADY INSIDE,
AND ALL OF THAT EXTERIOR
WAS TO MAKE SURE
YOU DIDN'T FIND OUT
THAT THIS GENTLE LITTLE THING
WAS INSIDE OF HER.
Narrator: STANWYCK TOOK EVANS
UNDER HER WING,
AND THE TWO BECAME
LIFELONG FRIENDS.
WELL, YOU KNOW, IT WAS ALMOST
AS IF SHE THOUGHT OF ME
AS HER DAUGHTER.
AUDRA WAS HER DAUGHTER.
AND MY MOM DIED
DURING "BIG VALLEY,"
AND SHE CAME UP TO ME ONE DAY
ON THE SET,
AND SHE SAID,
"AUDRA, I KNOW NO ONE
"WILL EVER REPLACE YOUR MOM,
BUT I'LL BE YOUR MOM
FROM NOW ON."
AND SHE WAS THERE FOR ME.
WELL, IF THOSE WOMEN
ARE SO FASCINATING,
WHY ISN'T HE MARRIED BY NOW?
ONE WOMAN IS RARELY ENOUGH FOR
A MAN LIKE SCOTT BRECKENRIDGE.
THE NEED FOR CONQUEST
IS TOO STRONG.
THEY SIMPLY AREN'T
THE MARRYING KIND.
AREN'T THEY?
Narrator: PERHAPS THE MOST
IMPORTANT LESSON
LINDA EVANS LEARNED
FROM BARBARA STANWYCK
WAS TO NOT BE AFRAID OF LIFE,
TO CHERISH EVERY MOMENT,
APPRECIATE THE JOY
OF EACH DAY.
EVERYTHING HE TOUCHES
TURNS TO GOLD.
SHE LIVED FOR
THE MOMENTS WE'D HAVE...
"TODAY'S THE BURNING BUILDING!
TODAY'S THE EARTHQUAKE!"
OR, "TODAY..."
YOU KNOW, IT WAS LIKE
ALL OF THESE THINGS JUST...
I WOULD COME TO WORK, AND SHE
WOULD JUST
BE SO EXCITED
WE WERE GOING TO DO IT.
YOU KNOW, AND I'D BE
STRAPPED TO THE WALL
AND THE WALLS WOULD BE ON FIRE,
AND I'D THINK, "THIS IS FUN?"
AND I ENDED UP
ACTUALLY LOVING IT.
Narrator: WITH TWO
STRONG FEMALE ROLES,
"THE BIG VALLEY" WAS UNUSUAL
FOR A TV WESTERN.
BUT IT DIDN'T STRETCH THE GENRE
NEARLY AS FAR
AS ANOTHER SERIES THAT PREMIERED
THE SAME YEAR, PERHAPS THE MOST
UNCONVENTIONAL WESTERN EVER.
"THE WILD WILD WEST"
DEFIED DEFINITION.
IT WAS SET IN THE OLD WEST, WITH
SCIENCE FICTION-LIKE GADGETS...
AND A LEADING MAN
RIGHT OUT OF "JAMES BOND."
THE SHOW IS BIZARRE.
YOU KNOW, IT'S ESCAPISM FARE.
THAT'S THE BEST TWO WORDS
I CAN SAY
TO APPLY TO THAT SHOW
AND WHAT THAT SHOW IS.
JUST STAY RIGHT THERE.
Narrator: FOR MANY,
THE MAIN APPEAL OF THE SERIES
WAS STAR ROBERT CONRAD...
WHOSE TOUGH-GUY IMAGE
WAS WELL EARNED.
WHEN ROBERT CONRAD WAS JUST
6 YEARS OLD,
HIS MOTHER TOOK HIM
TO A BOXING GYM IN CHICAGO
AND INSISTED
HE LEARN TO FIGHT.
HE DID.
ON A FALL DAY IN 1949,
PLAYING HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL,
YOUNG ROBERT WAS
ON THE RECEIVING END
OF A PARTICULARLY BRUTAL HIT.
I WAS OUT OF BREATH, AND I
COULDN'T GET UP RIGHT AWAY.
AND THERE WAS THIS SCREAMER...
"GET UP, GET UP, GET UP!
GET UP!"
AND THE GUY WHO WAS WITH ME
SAYS, "WHO IS SHE?"
I SAID, "OH, THAT'S MY MOTHER."
Narrator: ROBERT CONRAD'S
PHYSICAL SKILLS
WERE CRITICAL TO THE PRODUCTION
OF "WILD WILD WEST."
GIVEN THE SHOW'S ELABORATE
ACTION SEQUENCES,
THE ONLY WAY TO KEEP
THE SERIES ON BUDGET
WAS FOR CONRAD
TO DO HIS OWN STUNTS.
FOR THAT, HE WAS WELL PREPARED.
THE GOOD THING ABOUT WORKING
WITH SOMEONE LIKE ROBERT IS,
YOU DON'T GET HURT DOING THAT,
BECAUSE HE'S IN CONTROL.
ALL OF THE DIFFERENT ART FORMS
THAT HAVE TO DO WITH FIGHTING,
I MEAN, HE WAS QUITE UNIQUE
IN THAT AREA.
EVEN... IF HE WAS KICKING
SOMEBODY, HE WAS DOING
A PROPER KIND OF...
A PROPER KIND OF A KICK.
Conrad: WELL, IT'S LIKE
A DANCE ROUTINE.
YOU KNOW,
IT'S THE SAME THING.
YOU PRACTICE CERTAIN STEPS
WHEN YOU DANCE.
AND WHEN YOU DO A CHOREOGRAPHED
FIGHT, YOU DO THE SAME THING.
SO WORKING WITH ROBERT
WAS A PLEASURE,
BECAUSE AS WE WORKED OUT
THE CHOREOGRAPHY,
IT WAS, YOU KNOW, PRECISION.
NO ONE GOT HURT.
NOW!
THE UNEXPECTED, MR. WEST,
TO ADD A LITTLE SPICE
TO A STRUGGLE.
Narrator: BUT EVEN THE MOST
CHOREOGRAPHED FIGHT SCENE
REQUIRED A CERTAIN AMOUNT
OF IMPROVISING IN THE MOMENT.
Grier: HE WAS SMALL.
HE WAS A SHORT GUY.
YOU KNOW THAT...
YOU'D TRY NOT TO FALL ON HIM.
THEY'D SAY,
"DON'T FALL ON THAT MAN.
BUT ENJOY IT,
AND GO WITH YOUR CHARACTER."
SO HE HAD ALL THESE WAYS
OF ATTACKING YOU
THAT MADE YOU,
YOU KNOW, GO DOWN.
IF HE WAS DOING IT
AND IT WAS SO CHOREOGRAPHED
THAT EVERYONE WOULD KNOW IT,
THEN IT WOULDN'T WORK.
SO YOU HAD TO GO WITH THE FLOW
OF THE THING TO MAKE IT WORK.
Narrator: ROBERT CONRAD
SURROUNDED HIMSELF
WITH EXPERT STUNT PEOPLE.
BUT ONE VISITING ACTOR
WASN'T SO EXPERIENCED
AND MADE A MISTAKE
THAT NEARLY COST CONRAD
HIS LIFE.
WE HAD CHOREOGRAPHED IT.
I WAS TO JUMP OFF THE SECOND
FLOOR ONTO THE CHANDELIER,
AND THIS GUY WAS SUPPOSED TO
STOP MY FORWARD MOTION.
I WAS SUPPOSED TO KICK HIM
THROUGH A WINDOW.
HE WAS LATE COMING TO ME.
AND HE DIDN'T STOP
MY FORWARD MOMENTUM.
MY HANDS SLID, AND I FELL
ABOUT 15 FEET TO THE FLOOR
AND HAD A HIGH TEMPORAL
CONCUSSION,
A 6-INCH LINEAR FRACTURE
OF THE SKULL.
Narrator: RUSHED
TO THE HOSPITAL,
CONRAD SPENT MONTHS IN RECOVERY.
PRODUCTION WAS SHUT DOWN.
Narrator: THE FOLLOWING YEAR,
SHOOTING RESUMED
RIGHT WHERE IT LEFT OFF,
WITH JAMES WEST ON THE FLOOR.
ROBERT CONRAD INSISTED
THAT THE FOOTAGE
OF HIS NEAR-FATAL FALL
REMAIN IN THE EPISODE.
"WILD WILD WEST" WASN'T
A ONE-MAN SHOW.
ROBERT CONRAD HAD
ROSS MARTIN TO PLAY OFF OF.
SHEILA IS VERY PRETTY
AND VERY CHARMING,
BUT I DON'T TRUST HER.
WELL, NOW, YOU GET TO BE
AN OLD CODGER LIKE ME,
YOU'LL LEARN TO ADMIRE
AND REVERE THE FAIR SEX
AS I DO.
I WOULDN'T TRUST YOU,
EITHER.
Conrad: HE WAS SO TOTALLY
DIFFERENT THAN MYSELF... I MEAN,
HE SPOKE FIVE LANGUAGES
FLUENTLY,
HE WAS STUDYING LAW
BEFORE HE BECAME AN ACTOR.
Narrator: THE PAIRING WAS
PERFECT,
AND AUDIENCES RESPONDED.
OH, YOU DID IT!
I DON'T WANT TO SAY ANYTHING,
BUT I HELPED.
OH, THANK YOU!
THANK YOU.
YOU'RE CERTAINLY WELCOME.
YES, YOU'VE MADE
MY WHOLE DAY.
Narrator: "WILD WILD WEST" WAS
THE SURPRISE HIT OF 1965.
"WILD WILD WEST" WAS STILL
GOING STRONG IN 1969
WHEN CBS ABRUPTLY CANCELLED IT.
THE REASON WASN'T RATINGS.
RATHER, IT WAS PRESSURE
FROM THE GOVERNMENT.
Conrad: SENATOR PASTORE
OF RHODE ISLAND
THOUGHT IT WAS TOO VIOLENT.
AND HE TOLD ME THAT THE SHOW
HAD BEEN CANCELLED,
NOT FOR RATINGS...
IT WAS IN THE 30s THEN...
BUT BECAUSE OF THE VIOLENCE.
Narrator:
SENATOR PASTORE'S PRESSURE
TO CANCEL "WILD WILD WEST"
WAS IRONIC,
GIVEN THAT,
JUST TWO YEARS EARLIER,
SENATOR ROBERT BYRD
HAD PRESSURED CBS
NOT TO CANCEL
HIS FAVORITE WESTERN.
BYRD'S SPEECH
ON THE SENATE FLOOR
HELPED SAVE THE SERIES THAT
WOULD EVENTUALLY BECOME
THE LONGEST-RUNNING WESTERN
IN TV HISTORY, "GUNSMOKE."
THIS IS WHERE "GUNSMOKE" BEGAN,
ON RADIO...
WITH WILLIAM CONRAD
AS MARSHAL DILLON.
MATT DILLON.
I'M A U.S. MARSHAL HERE.
I'D LIKE TO TALK TO YOU.
Man: FINE, GO AHEAD
AND TALK.
Dillon: WELL, HERE'S
SOME ADVICE.
DON'T DO IT...
TAKE THE NEXT TRAIN,
AND GET OUT OF TOWN.
Narrator: WHEN "GUNSMOKE"
MOVED TO TELEVISION,
WILLIAM CONRAD
WASN'T CONSIDERED,
BECAUSE NETWORK EXECUTIVES
THOUGHT HIS WEIGHT
WOULD TURN AWAY VIEWERS.
CBS THEN CALLED JOHN WAYNE
TO OFFER HIM THE SERIES.
FELLOW ACTOR MIKE CONNORS WAS
THERE WHEN THE CALL CAME IN.
Connors: HE WAS TALKING,
AND I'M STANDING THERE,
HEARING THE WHOLE THING,
AND HE SAID,
"NO, NO, I'M NOT INTERESTED
IN TELEVISION.
I DON'T WANT TO PLAY A COWBOY
ON TELEVISION," BUT, HE SAYS,
"HOWEVER, I GOT
A GUY UNDER CONTRACT,
"WOULD BE PERFECT FOR IT.
"HIS NAME IS JIM ARNESS,
AND HE WOULD BE
ABSOLUTELY PERFECT
FOR THE PART," AND HE SAID,
"OKAY, YEAH, RIGHT AFTER
WE FINISH SHOOTING,
I'LL SEND HIM OVER."
Narrator: JAMES ARNESS
WASN'T SURE HE WANTED
TO DO A TELEVISION SHOW.
BUT JOHN WAYNE TALKED HIM
INTO IT.
AND HE WAS THINKING
OF MY BEST GOOD,
AND TURNED OUT,
HE WAS TOTALLY RIGHT.
I WOULD HAVE BEEN CRAZY
TO PASS THAT UP, YOU KNOW.
IT TURNED INTO A 40-YEAR JOB
FOR ME HERE, YOU KNOW.
WELL, ANYWAY,
THEY'LL HANG HIM.
I HOPE THE JUDGE
AGREES WITH YOU, DOC.
WHY SHOULDN'T HE?
BECAUSE THE ONLY EVIDENCE
I'VE GOT
AGAINST HIM SO FAR
IS CIRCUMSTANTIAL.
I DON'T SEE WHERE I
CAN GET ANYTHING ELSE.
WELL, THEN, YOU
SHOULD HAVE SHOT HIM
RIGHT THERE
WHERE YOU FOUND HIM.
IT'S A GOOD THING
YOU'RE NOT A LAW MAN, DOC.
MAYBE IF I WAS,
THERE WOULDN'T BE
SO MANY KILLINGS
AROUND HERE.
I DOUBT THAT.
Narrator: PREMIERING IN 1955,
"GUNSMOKE" SOON BECAME
THE MOST POPULAR TELEVISION SHOW
IN AMERICA.
FOR MANY, THE REASON
FOR THE SHOW'S APPEAL
WAS STAR JAMES ARNESS.
BIG JIM ARNESS...
THAT MAN WAS AS BIG AS A TREE.
I MEAN, HE WAS HUGE!
I MEAN, I'M
A FAIRLY TALL FELLOW,
BUT I FELT LIKE...
YOU KNOW,
HE WAS ABOUT 6'7"
OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
AND ON SCREEN, THAT HUGE POWER
MANIFESTED ITSELF,
AND IT WAS A VERY POPULAR SHOW.
NUMBER ONE, I'D SAY,
WOULD BE BIG JIM HIMSELF.
MATT DILLON
WAS A GREAT CHARACTER,
AND JIM IS A GREAT CHARACTER.
AND HE PLAYED IT
AS A WONDERFUL HUMAN BEING.
Narrator: UNLIKE PREVIOUS
WESTERN HEROES,
MATT DILLON NEVER WANTED
TO DRAW HIS GUN.
Arness: HE HATED VIOLENCE.
IF I HAD TO SHOOT,
IF MATT DILLON
HAD TO SHOOT SOMEBODY,
AND YOU'D CUT AROUND TO HIM,
YOU COULD SEE THE FACT OF...
THAT HE HAD JUST HATED
TO HAVE TO DO THAT,
AND HE FELT A SORT OF REVULSION
OVER IT.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING, I THINK,
HADN'T REALLY BEEN DONE MUCH,
IF AT ALL, UP TO THAT POINT.
Narrator: EVERYWHERE
JAMES ARNESS WENT, HE WAS
GREETED AS A HERO,
AN AMERICAN ICON
WHO SEEMED TO HAVE
ALL THE VIRTUES
OF HIS FAIR-MINDED CHARACTER,
MARSHAL MATT DILLON.
I KNOW THAT THERE'S
A QUESTION THAT I HAVE,
AND CERTAINLY MANY OF OUR
VIEWERS HAVE ALSO.
DO YOU EVER
LOSE YOUR IDENTITY
AND ARE ADDRESSED
AS "MR. DILLON"
AS YOU WALK DOWN THE STREET,
AND AMONG YOUR FRIENDS?
OH, SURE, SURE.
I IMAGINE AT ONE TIME
OR ANOTHER,
YOUR CHILDREN
ARE CALLING YOU "MARSHAL."
OH, YEAH, I GET
A LOT OF THAT,
BUT I CERTAINLY
DON'T MIND IT.
IT'S ALL TO THE GOOD.
WELL, CERTAINLY, OF COURSE,
THIS IS A PROGRAM
THAT WE SEE ON CHANNEL 2
AND ON CBS.
HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE
THE STAR
OF THE NATION'S NUMBER-ONE
TELEVISION PROGRAM?
WELL, IT'S WONDERFUL,
IT'S REALLY AN AWFUL LOT OF FUN.
I JUST HOPE IT LASTS
FOR A WHILE, THAT'S ALL.
WELL, VERY FINE,
SIR, IT'S BEEN
A REAL PLEASURE
TALKING WITH YOU.
Narrator: BEFORE "GUNSMOKE,"
MOST TV WESTERNS
WERE AIMED PRIMARILY
AT CHILDREN.
BUT THIS SERIES TOOK THE GENRE
IN A NEW DIRECTION.
THIS WAS NOT TO BE A WEEKLY
SHOOT-'EM-UP, BANG-BANG THING.
THEY WANTED TO DO STORIES
ABOUT PEOPLE AND PROBLEMS
IN THE OLD WEST,
AND DID IT WELL...
FOR 20 YEARS.
Narrator: IN THE EARLY YEARS,
NEARLY ALL "GUNSMOKE" EPISODES
REVOLVED AROUND
THE SHOW'S MAIN CHARACTERS,
A CLOSE-KNIT GROUP THAT INCLUDED
AMANDA BLAKE AS MISS KITTY
AND MILBURN STONE AS DOC ADAMS.
LATER, KEN CURTIS WOULD JOIN
THE CAST,
AS DID BURT REYNOLDS,
WHOSE ROLE
AS THE TOWN BLACKSMITH
LAUNCHED HIM
INTO THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT.
I'M GOING TO
HAVE TO LEAVE DODGE SOON,
GO SOMEPLACE ELSE.
WHY?
WELL, I'VE BEEN ENOUGH
TROUBLE TO YOU ALREADY.
THE WAY TO KEEP YOU
OUT OF TROUBLE
IS HAVING YOU AROUND WHERE I
CAN KEEP AN EYE ON YOU.
Narrator: "GUNSMOKE" s FIRST
BREAKOUT CHARACTER WAS CHESTER,
PLAYED BY DENNIS WEAVER.
BECAUSE WEAVER HAD
A LEADING-MAN LOOK,
THE PRODUCERS WANTED
TO FIND A WAY
TO MAKE HIM APPEAR
MORE LIKE A SIDEKICK.
WEAVER CAME UP
WITH CHESTER'S STIFF LEG.
Weaver:
HAD I KNOWN THAT I WAS
GOING TO BE DOING THAT
FOR NINE YEARS,
I MIGHT HAVE HAD
A DIFFERENT THOUGHT ABOUT IT.
BECAUSE DID YOU EVER TRY
AND BUILD A CAMPFIRE
WITH A STIFF LEG,
OR WORST OF ALL,
DID YOU EVER TRY
TO PUT YOUR BOOT ON
WITHOUT BENDING YOUR KNEE?
I HAD TO TAKE YOGA LESSONS
TO DO SOME OF THAT STUFF.
Narrator:
AFTER EIGHT SEASONS,
"GUNSMOKE" s RATINGS
WERE IN DECLINE.
THE SHOW'S PRODUCERS
WERE OUT OF IDEAS.
CANCELLATION SEEMED IMMINENT.
BUT JAMES ARNESS
WANTED TO CONTINUE.
AND SO CBS CAME UP
WITH A SOLUTION.
THE ENTIRE WRITING
AND PRODUCING STAFF
WAS REPLACED.
THE NEW TEAM WOULD RELY HEAVILY
ON GUEST STARS
TO REINVIGORATE THE SERIES...
GUEST STARS
LIKE ANGIE DICKINSON.
MR. DOBIE...
YES, MA'AM?
I'M NOT BLAMING YOU
FOR WHAT HAPPENED.
I'M NOT BLAMING ANYONE.
I LOOKED AT IT
A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO,
AND I WAS PRETTY GOOD
FOR HOW EARLY I WAS,
YOU KNOW, IN MY LEARNING PERIOD,
FOR WHERE I WAS.
Narrator: JAMES ARNESS'S
EASYGOING PERSONALITY
MEANT GUEST STARS WERE TREATED
LIKE OLD FRIENDS,
CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT
WHERE ACTORS COULD THRIVE.
IT WAS A KEY FACTOR
IN THE SHOW'S LONG SUCCESS.
"GUNSMOKE" WAS WONDERFUL
TO BE ON,
BECAUSE IT WAS GOOD MATERIAL,
AND A WONDERFUL CAST.
AND ARNESS WAS SO FABULOUS.
Narrator: "GUNSMOKE"
WAS WELL POSITIONED
TO WEATHER THE GOVERNMENT'S
CRACKDOWN ON TV VIOLENCE
IN THE LATE 1960s,
BECAUSE ITS STORIES
WERE BASED ON RELATIONSHIPS
MORE THAN GUNPLAY.
STILL, NO ONE ON THE SET
LIKED THE NEW RESTRICTIONS.
THEY CAME IN WITH THIS BIG
ANTI-VIOLENCE CAMPAIGN,
YOU KNOW, AND SO
WE HAD TO TONE DOWN
THE AMOUNT OF VIOLENCE
IN EACH EPISODE.
AND, OF COURSE, IT MADE
THE PRODUCERS MADDER THAN HECK,
BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THAT REALLY
PUT LIMITATION ON THEM.
THEY WOULD TELL YOU HOW MANY
FIGHTS YOU COULD HAVE...
BAR FIGHTS...
AND YOU MIGHT BE ABLE
TO HAVE ONE SHOOTING
IN AN EPISODE, AND SO FORTH.
Narrator: "GUNSMOKE" RODE OUT
EVERY CHALLENGE,
AIRING 635 EPISODES...
MORE THAN ANY OTHER PRIME TIME
SERIES IN TELEVISION HISTORY.
EVEN AFTER THE SERIES ENDED,
JAMES ARNESS CONTINUED
TO PLAY MATT DILLON
IN A NUMBER OF TV MOVIES,
WELL INTO THE 1990s...
NEARLY 50 YEARS AS AMERICA'S
FAVORITE LAW MAN.
NO ONE COULD MATCH MATT DILLON
FOR LONGEVITY,
JAMES WEST FOR TOUGHNESS,
OR BRET MAVERICK FOR HUMOR.
BUT NOTHING QUITE COMPARED
TO THE WESTERN HERO
THAT SPARKED A CULTURAL
PHENOMENON IN 1954.
THE FIRST MERCHANDISING CRAZE
OF THE BABY BOOMER GENERATION,
"DAVY CROCKETT,"
STARRING FESS PARKER.
Buddy Ebsen: IT WAS
AN ENRICHING, REWARDING,
VERY MEMORABLE,
AND LOOKING BACK,
LOVING EXPERIENCE.
Narrator: WALT DISNEY'S
"DAVY CROCKETT" MINISERIES
PREMIERED IN SEPTEMBER 1954.
IT WAS A MONSTER HIT,
CATCHING EVERYONE BY SURPRISE.
DISNEY SAW AN OPPORTUNITY,
AND THE MERCHANDISING MACHINE
KICKED INTO HIGH GEAR.
10 MILLION COONSKIN CAPS WERE
SOLD IN A MATTER OF MONTHS.
THERE WERE MORE THAN 3,000
DIFFERENT CROCKETT ITEMS.
LUNCHBOXES, PAJAMAS,
TOOTHBRUSHES.
IN TODAY'S DOLLARS,
THE CRAZE EARNED
MORE THAN A HALF-BILLION
IN REVENUE ALMOST OVERNIGHT
AND PROVIDED WALT DISNEY WITH
THE MONEY TO BUILD DISNEYLAND.
Ames: THEY PLAYED THEM
OVER AND OVER AGAIN,
AND THEY WERE
TREMENDOUSLY SUCCESSFUL.
IT DID MAKE A FORTUNE
FOR DISNEY
AND MADE THE STUDIO
VERY PROMINENT.
Narrator: "DAVY CROCKETT" MANIA
DIED DOWN AFTER ABOUT A YEAR,
BUT FESS PARKER'S POPULARITY
REMAINED.
DISNEY RESPONDED BY CREATING
A VERY SIMILAR SERIES
CALLED "DANIEL BOONE."
PARKER HAD
A NEW ONSCREEN FAMILY,
BUT NO ONE SEEMED TO MIND.
WELL, I ALWAYS WORRIED ABOUT IT
A LITTLE BIT, YOU KNOW,
WHETHER OR NOT
IT WOULD BE ACCEPTED.
SAME GUY, SAME HAT,
DIFFERENT NAME,
DIFFERENT FAMILY.
Narrator: AUDIENCES WELCOMED
FESS PARKER'S NEW TV FAMILY,
AND BACKSTAGE, PARKER WAS LIKE
A SURROGATE FATHER
TO HIS TV KIDS.
HE WAS MY DAD FOR 6 YEARS.
I GOT TO SEE HIM
MORE THAN HIS OWN SON, ELI, DID.
AND FOR ME, I LOST MY FATHER
WHEN I WAS A YEAR OLD
IN A PLANE CRASH, SO HE REALLY
WAS LIKE AN ADOPTIVE FATHER.
WELL, FESS IS 6 FOOT 5.
AND THERE AREN'T MANY ACTORS
THAT ARE THAT TALL.
SO POOR FESS WOULD ALWAYS
HAVE TO BE IN A HOLE,
WHILE THE OTHER ACTORS
WERE ON BOXES,
SO THAT THEY WOULD BE
MORE OF A, YOU KNOW,
BECAUSE, I MEAN, HE'D STAND...
I'VE ALMOST NEVER HEARD HIM SAY
A BAD WORD ABOUT ANYBODY.
HE WAS GENTLE... IS GENTLE,
AND WAS.
AND THAT EMERGED.
PEOPLE SAW THAT.
HE'D GIVE YOU HELP
IF YOU NEEDED HELP,
BUT HE WAS ALWAYS VERY KIND
TO THE PEOPLE
THAT WAS WORKING AROUND HIM.
AND HE HAD A LOT OF INFLUENCE
ON THE SHOW,
AND YET HE DIDN'T ABUSE ANYTHING
IN HIS POWER THAT HE HAD.
BUT HE WAS ALWAYS TRYING TO GIVE
PEOPLE A CHANCE TO WORK.
AND I REALLY APPRECIATED THAT
IN FESS PARKER.
Narrator: FESS PARKER WORKED
TO ENSURE THE SERIES
REFLECTED POSITIVE VALUES.
THE GOOD GUYS WON, AND VIOLENCE
WAS KEPT TO A MINIMUM.
Ames: IT'S FUNNY, THE FACT
THAT IT WAS
AN ACTION-ADVENTURE SERIES.
THERE WAS VERY LITTLE KILLING,
ACTUALLY, WENT ON.
YOU KNOW, WE WOULD SOMETIMES
HAVE FISTICUFFS,
OR WE'D BASH SOMEBODY WITH
SOMEBODY, BUT THE NEXT DAY,
THEY'D BE WALKING AROUND AGAIN,
IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.
THERE WAS A CERTAIN...
YOU KNOW,
WE DID SHOOT
OUR FLINTLOCK RIFLES,
BUT MOST OF THE TIMES,
WE MISSED.
EXCEPT FOR DANIEL BOONE,
OF COURSE... HE NEVER MISSED.
HOW CAN YOU AND THE INDIAN
BE FRIENDS?
WHAT'S SO PECULIAR
ABOUT THAT?
YOU'RE NOT THE SAME COLOR
OR THE SAME RACE.
YOUR PEOPLE FIGHT
AGAINST EACH OTHER.
WELL, A MAN'S WHAT HE IS,
REGARDLESS.
I DON'T THINK RACE OR COLOR
HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT.
Narrator: IN AN ERA
WHEN TV WAS NEARLY ALL WHITE,
THE "DANIEL BOONE" SERIES
REGULARLY SHOWCASED
AFRICAN AMERICANS
IN PROMINENT PARTS.
ROSEY GRIER, FOR EXAMPLE,
HAD A RECURRING ROLE
AS GABE COOPER,
AN ESCAPED SLAVE WHO WAS
A CLOSE FRIEND OF DANIEL BOONE.
Grier: I WAS DOUBTING
THE FACT,
COULD I DO THIS?
BECAUSE THAT WAS NOT MY NATURE.
I WAS AFRAID TO TALK,
AND ALL THAT.
AND YET IT WAS WONDERFUL,
WONDERFUL TRAINING FOR ME.
AND I WAS PLAYING
A VERY GOOD ROLE.
I WASN'T ONE OF THOSE ROLES
THAT YOU HAD TO ACT UP AND BE
VERY ETHNIC.
WHEN I WAS 12 YEARS OLD,
THEY TOOK MY MAMA ONE WAY
AND ME ANOTHER.
I SWORE THAT IF I EVER
FOUND OUT WHERE SHE WAS,
I WAS GOING TO
COME FOR HER.
ALL RIGHT, SAY YOU FIND HER.
THEN WHAT?
YOU'RE GOING TO NEED
SOME HELP.
YOU'RE GOING TO NEED
MONEY AND FURS,
AND I'M GOING TO GO WITH YOU.
I DON'T NEED NOBODY'S HELP
TO DO THIS.
WELL, YOU'RE GETTING IT,
WHETHER YOU WANT IT OR NOT.
A LOT OF THE STORIES
THAT WE DID...
ABOUT SLAVERY,
ABOUT RACE RELATIONS...
I MEAN, IT WAS REALLY
GROUNDBREAKING AT THE TIME.
BUT WE COULD DO IT IN SUCH A WAY
THAT NOBODY WAS PREACHING,
NOBODY...
IT WAS JUST PART OF THE STORY.
IT WAS THE RIGHT THING
TO DO.
AND WE GOT SOME
REALLY GOOD PERFORMANCES.
SO I ENJOYED VERY MUCH,
WORKING
WITH PEOPLE LIKE
RAFER JOHNSON, WHO WAS
AN OLYMPIC CHAMPION.
I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU,
BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW.
WELL, WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT
WHEN YOU'RE BETTER.
RIGHT NOW, YOU NEED
SOME REST.
HOW MUCH BETTER
CAN A MAN FEEL, MR. BOONE?
MY FRIENDS CALL ME "DANIEL."
Narrator: BROADCAST IN AN ERA
OF RACIAL UNREST,
THE SERIES WAS ESPECIALLY
CAREFUL IN ITS PORTRAYAL
OF VIOLENCE.
ONE SCENE WITH ROSEY GRIER'S
CHARACTER WAS CUT
WHEN THE PRODUCERS
HAD SECOND THOUGHTS
ABOUT HOW THE CHARACTER'S
VIOLENT REACTION TO RACISM
MIGHT SEND THE WRONG MESSAGE
TO VIEWERS IN 1960s AMERICA.
I WAS DOING THINGS
LIKE TURNING THE WAGON OVER,
AND, OF COURSE,
THEY CUT THAT OUT,
BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T WANT
TO SHOW VIOLENCE.
BECAUSE VIOLENCE
IS VERY PROVOCATIVE,
IN TERMS OF OTHER PEOPLE
GOING THROUGH SITUATIONS
AND THEY FEEL
THAT THEY'VE BEEN WRONGED.
Narrator: "DANIEL BOONE" WASN'T
THE ONLY WESTERN
TO ADDRESS ISSUES OF RACE.
BUT VERY FEW TV WESTERNS
HAD PEOPLE OF COLOR
IN REGULAR STARRING ROLES.
HEY, AMIGO,
WHAT YOU DOING HERE?
OH, I JUST THOUGHT
YOU MIGHT LIKE TO KNOW
ABOUT THOSE TWO NEW MEN
THAT YOU HIRED.
YEAH, WHAT ABOUT THEM?
THEY HAVE LEFT.
Narrator: ONE MAJOR EXCEPTION
WAS "HIGH CHAPARRAL."
I THINK THEY WENT
TOWARD THE TUCSON ROAD.
TUCSON ROAD.
I AM GOING AFTER THEM,
IN CASE YOU WOULD LIKE
TO JOIN ME
AND FOLLOW AFTER THEM.
HE COULD FIND HUMOR
IN ANYTHING.
HE WAS ALWAYS LAUGHING,
WHICH SOME REVIEWERS MENTIONED.
EVENTUALLY, HENRY DARROW
AS MANOLITO
WILL STOP LAUGHING AS MUCH,
AND SO...
Narrator: MANOLITO WAS
A BREAKOUT CHARACTER
THAT SUDDENLY THRUST
HENRY DARROW INTO THE LIMELIGHT.
IRONICALLY, HE HAD JUST CHANGED
HIS NAME FROM DELGADO TO DARROW
TO AVOID BEING TYPECAST.
I'M NOT A LATIN ACTOR,
HISPANIC ACTOR... I'M AN ACTOR
WHO HAPPENS TO BE
OF SPANISH HERITAGE.
Narrator: MEXICAN CHARACTERS
WERE NOT NEW TO TV WESTERNS.
CISCO KID AND ZORRO HAD BEEN
AROUND SINCE THE BEGINNING.
FOR A PROFESSIONAL
KNIFE THROWER,
THAT FELLOW IS
NOT SO GOOD, PANCHO.
CISCO, HE'S GETTING
CLOSER AND CLOSER.
HEY, WHAT ARE YOU
WORRIED ABOUT?
HE HASN'T HIT YOU YET.
CISCO, THIS IS NO TIME
FOR JOKES, NOT EVEN GOOD ONES.
I WASN'T JOKING, PANCHO.
Narrator: WHAT MADE
"HIGH CHAPARRAL" DIFFERENT
WAS THAT IT PRESENTED
A MORE REALISTIC VIEW
OF MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURE
AND FAMILY LIFE,
INCLUDING HISPANIC ACTORS
SPEAKING IN SPANISH.
THEY'D SAY, "LINDA, HENRY,
YOU GUYS
COME UP WITH SOME DIALOGUE."
AND, OF COURSE, IT WOULD BE
IN SPANISH.
I AM MRS...
VICTORIA.
No le digas nada.
¿Por qué no?
Narrator: ON THE SURFACE,
"HIGH CHAPARRAL" WAS A GLOSSY,
BIG-BUDGET ACTION WESTERN.
BUT THE SERIES' MORE SUBTLE
MESSAGE WAS THAT MEXICANS,
ANGLOS, AND NATIVE AMERICANS
ALL HAD A PLACE
IN THE AMERICAN STORY.
THIS THEME OF RACIAL TOLERANCE
WAS REPEATED OVER AND OVER
ON AMERICAN
TELEVISION WESTERNS...
ON "GUNSMOKE," "BONANZA,"
"THE RIFLEMAN," "DANIEL BOONE."
AT A TIME IN AMERICA WHEN
RACIAL CONFLICT WAS EVERYWHERE,
TV WESTERNS GAVE US HOPE.
BY LOOKING BACK, THEY HELPED US
SEE THE FUTURE.
FROM THE MID-1940s
THROUGH THE MID-'70s,
TELEVISION AUDIENCES ENJOYED
MORE THAN 100 DIFFERENT
WESTERN SERIES.
THEY REFLECTED OUR ATTITUDES
AND HELPED DEFINE US
AS A NATION.
EVEN TODAY, WHEN WE IMAGINE
A SHERIFF
OR A COWBOY
OR THE WILD WEST,
THE IMAGE WE CONJURE
WAS LIKELY CREATED
BY A TV WESTERN.
THE WESTERN IS US.
ALL OF THE THINGS THAT WE THINK
OF AS THE AMERICAN VALUES
ARE TIED UP IN THAT JOHN WAYNE
KIND OF... PERSONA.
IT'S PART OF THE AMERICAN
CULTURE,
PART OF THE WHOLE
BACKGROUND OF AMERICA,
AND IT'S VERY ROMANTIC.
WELL, I THINK THE WESTERN
IS THE MOST SIMPLE VERSION
OF A MORALITY PLAY
THAT YOU CAN DO.
THOSE COWBOYS WILL BUNCH UP
AND SHOOT IT OUT
WITH EVERY MAN WEARING A BADGE.
BE THE WORST SLAUGHTER
DODGE HAS EVER SEEN.
IT'S ABOUT AS FOOL AN IDEA
AS I'VE EVER HEARD.
THE BASIC MESSAGE
OF "GUNSMOKE" WAS,
THERE'S ALWAYS
GOING TO BE THE DUALITY.
THERE'S GOING TO BE THE BAD
AND THERE'S GOING TO BE
THE GOOD,
AND MOST OF THE TIME,
THE GOOD WILL WIN OUT.
THE LONER, THE MAN
WHO FACED THE WORLD
BY HIMSELF, AND BY GOLLY,
WON OUT.
BUT AT THE END OF THE SHOW,
DAD PUTS HIS ARMS
AROUND HIS SONS
AND SAYS
TO THE COUNTRY,
"WE'RE OKAY.
WE'RE OKAY."
Narrator: THE LEGACY
OF TV WESTERNS REMAINS.
THE SHOWS WE LOVED,
THE HEROES WE RESPECTED.
THE PIONEERS OF TELEVISION.
FOR MORE INSIDER FEATURES
ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE TV STARS,
STORIES YOU WON'T HEAR
ANYWHERE ELSE,