The Cowboys (1974–1975)

INFORMATION FROM IMDb

Plot Summary
Seven teenaged boys in 1870s New Mexico Territory fight off
teenaged Comanches and grownup cattle rustlers under the tutelage
of ranch foreman Nightlinger and rancher/widow Annie Andersen.
Written by Ed Stephan

Series Cast
Moses Gunn ... Jebediah Nightlinger (12 episodes, 1974)
Diana Douglas ... Annie Andersen (12 episodes, 1974)
Jim Davis ... Marshal Bill Winter (12 episodes, 1974)
A Martinez ... Cimarron (12 episodes, 1974)
Robert Carradine ... Slim (12 episodes, 1974)
Sean Kelly ... Jimmy (12 episodes, 1974)
Kerry MacLane ... Homer (12 episodes, 1974)
Clint Howard ... Steve (12 episodes, 1974)
Mitch Brown ... Hardy (12 episodes, 1974)
Clay O'Brien ... Weedy (12 episodes, 1974)
John Carradine ... Oscar Schmidt (1 episode, 1974)
DeForest Kelley ... Jack Potter (1 episode, 1974)
and many more...

Series Directed
William Witney ... (5 episodes, 1974)
William F. Claxton ... (4 episodes, 1974)
and many more...

Series Produced
David Dortort ... executive producer (unknown episodes)
John Hawkins ... producer (unknown episodes)

Series Music Department
John Williams ... composer: theme music (12 episodes, 1974)

The Cowboys was a short-lived Western television series based on the 1972 motion picture
of the same name starring John Wayne.
It aired on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) television network
from February 6 to May 8, 1974.

The television show starred Jim Davis, Diana Douglas, Moses Gunn, A Martinez,
Robert Carradine, and Clay O'Brien.
David Dortort, best known for Bonanza and The High Chaparral, produced the series.

The television show, like the movie, followed the exploits of seven boys
who worked on a ranch in 1870s New Mexico.
The Cowboys began as an hour-long series, but ABC decided to reduce running time to a half-hour format.

The format change did not lead to increased viewers, and the show was the victim of early cancellation.

Guest stars included Cal Bellini as Wa-Cha-Ka in "The Indian Givers",
Kevin Hagen as Josh Redding in "Death on a Fast Horse",
and Lurene Tuttle as Grandma Jesse in "Many a Good Horse Died".

User Review

Never came close to the film.
7 January 2003 | by yenlo

Quote from yenlo

This short lived Western TV series was spun off from the

1972 Mark Rydell film of the same name which starred John Wayne.
Moses Gunn replaced Roscoe Lee Browne as Jedediah Nightlinger
the Chuck Wagon driver from the film and Diana Douglas was cast
as the widow of the John Wayne character.
A few of the `Cowboys' from the original movie renewed their characters
but none of the episodes were anywhere near to what the film had been

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