Wagon Train (1957-1965)

There are 41 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 29,948 times. The latest Post () was by ward bond.

Participate now!

Don’t have an account yet? Register yourself now and be a part of our community!

  • WAGON TRAIN


    REVUE/ NBC/ UNIVERSAL



    Here is the web site for
    Wagon Train


    Information From IMDb


    Plot summary
    Stories of the journeys of a wagon train as it leaves post-Civil War Missouri on its way to California through the plains, deserts and Rocky Mountains. The first treks were led by gruff, but good-at-heart Major Seth Adams, backed up by his competent frontier scout, Flint McCullough. After Adams and McCullough, the wagon train was led by the avuncular Christopher Hale along with new scouts Duke Shannon and Cooper Smith. Many stories featured the trustworthy assistant wagonmaster Bill Hawks, grizzled old cook Charlie Wooster and a young orphan, Barnaby West. Written by Doug Sederberg


    Series Cast
    Frank McGrath ... Charlie Wooster (47 episodes, 1957-1965)
    Terry Wilson ... Bill Hawks (42 episodes, 1957-1965)
    John McIntire ... Christopher Hale / ... (40 episodes, 1959-1965)
    Denny Miller ... Duke Shannon (29 episodes, 1961-1964)
    Robert Fuller ... Cooper Smith / ... (28 episodes, 1959-1965)
    Michael Burns ... Barnaby West / ... (28 episodes, 1960-1965)
    Ward Bond ... Major Seth Adams (17 episodes, 1957-1961)
    Robert Horton ... Flint McCullough (13 episodes, 1957-1962)
    Morgan Woodward ... Barney / ... (12 episodes, 1958-1965)
    Richard H. Cutting ... Adam Stryker / ... (10 episodes, 1958-1964)


    and many others,including many of Duke's 'Pals'
    Lee Marvin,Harry Carey Jr.Paul Fix, Kathleen Freeman,
    Noah Beery Jr.Neville Brand, Edgar Buchanan,Dan Duryea,
    Slim Pickens Lon Chaney Jr.Hank Worden, Karl Swenson,
    Robert Ryan, Bruce Dern,Brandon De Wilde, John Carradine
    Chuck Roberson, Henry Hull, Marjorie Main, Ernest Borgnine,
    Vera Miles


    and others who became major stars.
    Ann Blyth, Tommy Sands, Barbara Stanwyck,
    Leonard Nimoy, Jane Wyman, Robert Vaughn
    Debra Paget,Dorothy Provine,
    Cesar Romero, J. Carrol Naish, Mickey Rooney


    Series Directed by
    Virgil W. Vogel (58 episodes, 1958-1965)
    Joseph Pevney (25 episodes, 1959-1965)
    Allen H. Miner (20 episodes, 1958-1965)
    and more....


    Series Produced by
    Howard Christie .... producer / executive producer (146 episodes, 1958-1965)
    Frederick Shorr .... associate producer / producer (45 episodes, 1962-1965)
    Richard Lewis .... producer / executive producer (39 episodes, 1957-1958)
    Boris Ingster .... associate producer / producer (25 episodes, 1957-1958)
    Ralph Dietrich .... associate producer (2 episodes, 1957)


    Series Original Music by
    Sidney Fine (14 episodes, 1960-1964)
    Jerome Moross (12 episodes, 1959-1964)
    Stanley Wilson (12 episodes, 1960-1961)
    and many more...


    Trivia
    * Ward Bond's final acting project.
    * The following three episodes have fallen into the public domain: "Wagon Train: The Malachi Hobart Story (#5.17)" (1962), "Wagon Train: The Dr. Denker Story (#5.18)" (1962), and "Wagon Train: Alias Bill Hawks (#6.34)" (1963).
    * Was sponsored by the Edsel Division of the Ford Motor Company during its first season on the air.


    Filming Locations
    Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA
    (western streets) (after 1959)
    Conejo Flats, Thousand Oaks, California, USA
    Corriganville, Ray Corrigan Ranch, Simi Valley, California, USA
    Iverson Ranch, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA
    Johnson Canyon, Kanab, Utah, USA
    Kanab Movie Ranch - 5001 Angel Canyon Road, Kanab, Utah, USA
    Lone Pine, California, USA
    Rancho Guadalasco, California, USA
    Red Rock Canyon State Park - Highway 14, Cantil, California, USA
    Thousand Oaks, California, USA
    Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA
    Western Street, Republic Studios - North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited 11 times, last by ethanedwards ().

  • Wagon Train is an American Western series that ran on NBC from 1957–62 and then on ABC from 1962–65,
    although the network also aired daytime repeats, as Major Adams,
    Trailmaster and Trailmaster (post-1961 episodes without original series lead Ward Bond),
    from January 1963 to September 1965.
    The show debuted at #15 in the Nielsen ratings, rose to #2 in the next three seasons,
    and peaked at #1 in the 1961–62 television season.
    After moving to ABC in the autumn of 1962, the ratings began to decline,
    and Wagon Train did not again make the Top 20 listing.


    The series initially starred veteran movie supporting actor Ward Bond
    as the wagon master, later replaced upon his death by John McIntire,
    and Robert Horton as the scout, subsequently replaced by lookalike Robert Fuller
    a year after Horton had decided to leave the series.


    The series was inspired by the 1950 film Wagon Master directed by John Ford
    and starring Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr. and Ward Bond,
    and harkens back to the early widescreen wagon train epic
    The Big Trail (1930) starring John Wayne and featuring Bond
    in his first major screen appearance playing a supporting role.
    Horton's buckskin outfit as the scout in the first season of the television series resembles Wayne's,
    who also played the wagon train's scout in the earlier film.


    Like many of us, I grew up with Wagon Train, being part of my life!!
    There were many other actors involved in this series, and many were Dukes, 'Pals'
    Ward Bond, of course, but besides him,
    Paul Fix, Hank Worden, Harry Carey Jr. and many others!
    Like many TV westerns, the cast of support actors was impressive,
    at the time of course, no one was to know how many
    would become major film stars in their own right.


    Duke had a memorable cameo role in one episode from 1960,
    which was directed by John Ford.



    Wagon Train- The Colter Craven Story


    This series was the last project undertaken by Ward Bond

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited 3 times, last by ethanedwards ().


  • Alot of familiar looking faces on your post - it sure brings back alot of good memories.

    When you think back to the late 50's / early 60's, there were just so many westerns on television that you had to choose from. Wagon Train was a great series, but I even enjoyed the "lesser quality" westerns as well.

    You would always seem to get a great human interest / drama story each week and they were always so well written and so well acted with great guest stars appearing each week.

    When you look at television today with the never-ending number of 'reality" tv shows and compare it with the quality of tv so many years ago, you can only shake your ahead in amazement at how far we've fallen.

  • When you think back to the late 50's / early 60's, there were just so many westerns on television that you had to choose from. Wagon Train was a great series, but I even enjoyed the "lesser quality" westerns as well.



    Amen, Mark. My personal favorite was "Maverick" but I also liked "Have Gun, Will Travel", "Cheyenne", "Gunsmoke", "Wanted, Dead or Alive", "Sugarfoot", "Bonanza" and later on "High Chaparral". There were a few others whose names I can't remember. (Damn old age :wink_smile:)

    De gustibus non est disputandum

  • Amen, Mark. My personal favorite was "Maverick" but I also liked "Have Gun, Will Travel", "Cheyenne", "Gunsmoke", "Wanted, Dead or Alive", "Sugarfoot", "Bonanza" and later on "High Chaparral". There were a few others whose names I can't remember. (Damn old age :wink_smile:)



    Hi Stumpy
    I' m surprised!
    although i'm in Japan,but your favorite TV westerns are also my favorites.
    In 50's and 60's, everyday TV westerns were on air.
    in addition my favorites are Rawhide,Laramie,26 men,Lawman ,Whispering Smith
    and many more.(i can't remember?)

    H.sanada

    Sometimes kids ask me what a pro is. I just point to the Duke.
    ~Steve McQueen~


  • I will in due course, be posting threads on the ones you mentioned.

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

  • Amen, Mark. My personal favorite was "Maverick" but I also liked "Have Gun, Will Travel", "Cheyenne", "Gunsmoke", "Wanted, Dead or Alive", "Sugarfoot", "Bonanza" and later on "High Chaparral". There were a few others whose names I can't remember. (Damn old age :wink_smile:)



    Hi Stumpy:

    Boy, we're on the same page here as Maverick was one of my favorites as well. I used to laugh when I watched another one of my favorite Jim Garner shows - the Rockford Files - as his character reminded me of Maverick (just set in Los Angeles in the 1970's instead of the west in the 1870's). Always ready with some kind of a con or flim flim - always had an angle and a wise cracking tongue.

    In addition to the shows you threw out, I really liked a show called the Guns of Will Sonnett with one of my favorite western stars - Walter Brennan. About a grandfather and grandson looking for the son/ dad - "no brag, just fact".

    The Rifleman with Chuck Conners was another favorite of mine. Lucas McCain raising his young son, Mark, in Northfork, New Mexico. Chuck Conners later starred in another western years later - Branded - where he played a disgraced (for cowardice0 ex-army officer.

    Bonanza was always a staple at 9:00 on a Sunday night - week in and week out, it gave us great stories.

    I loved the character of Paladin - the "thinking man's" western hero.

    Brings back alot of great memories of when I was a young boy / teenager and it was all in front of me...:teeth_smile:

  • Keith,
    This is a great site for those folks who enjoyed the old TV Westerns.
    Jim




    Thanks for the great link, Keith - I don't know how I could have forgotten to mention The Virginian, which was another one of my favoites. If I recall, it was a fairly ambitious show with each episode running about 90 minutes. Was always a big fan of a fellow named Doug McClure (Trampas) back in those days.

    Death Valley Days and Zane Grey Theater were another couple of great shows.

  • A good example of classic western. I agree the critics of Clint would eat their hats now for their comments. I also enjoyed Laramie, Cheyenne and more that were on TV. I think that I inherited the love of the western from my father who really enjoyed good written storylines.
    Redcap

    RACMP - For the troops With the troops

  • I've only seen a handfull of Wagon Train episodes. However, I greatly enjoyed most of all-any episode that had Ward Bond in it. Also, one episode that stands out in my mind that I liked alot, was one titled: The Sam Spicer Story.

    Es Ist Verboten Mit Gefangenen In Einzelhaft Zu Sprechen..

  • [extendedmedia]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
    <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CiPDQCeuhzE&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CiPDQCeuhzE&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/extendedmedia][extendedmedia]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BXuukHaqbKQ&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BXuukHaqbKQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/extendedmedia]

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

  • Hi

    I think I watched a handful of Wagon Train episodes including the Colter Craven Story.

    I think I saw the first five minutes of every Wagon train episode but as it was on late on Monday nights I would always fall asleep at the beginning and wake up at the end. It worked every time for me.

    Regards

    Arthur

    Walk Tall - Talk Low

  • I discovered Wagon Train episodes a couple of months ago, when I had my TiVo set up to record Ward Bond shows. I was instantly hooked, and though the station (RetroTv here in Orlando) constantly replays some of the same episodes, I've managed to get quite a few under my belt, including "The Colter Craven Story" And I spotted Duke right off, too, chuckling when I saw his "Michael Morrison" credit. Didn't fool me. :D


    One I just watched yesterday was a bit of a tear-jerker. One of the later ones, with John McIntire..guest starred Bobby Darin, which was very interesting to me. I don't think I've seen any I haven't liked, and so far have been able to store about 30 episodes.

  • WT was a classic, and even from a little kid watched it with my Parents who didn't miss it. My first WT had Ward Bond in it. I also liked the others mentioned Maverick, Have Gun will travel, Paladin, and Lawman. I think John Russell got over looked.

  • In case you fans of these two excellent TV series aint in the know, Wagon Train season 1 is finally out and fans of Daniel Boone will be getting two "Favorites ofs" one will be Fess Parkers Favorite DB episodes and the other will be Mingos favorite episodes.

    Anyway, just thought i'd let you know about these in case you aint heard about them yet?

    Es Ist Verboten Mit Gefangenen In Einzelhaft Zu Sprechen..