Hondo (1967–68)

Information from IMDb

Plot Summary
Hondo, an embittered former Rebel officer, travels Arizona Territory in the 1870's
with his dog Sam. Often clashing with the local cavalry, who he hold responsible
for the death of his Indian wife, he tries to keep the peace between competing factions.

Series Cast
Ralph Taeger ... Hondo Lane (17 episodes, 1967)
Kathie Browne ... Angie Dow (17 episodes, 1967)
Noah Beery Jr. ... Buffalo Baker (17 episodes, 1967)
Gary Clarke ... Capt. Richards (17 episodes, 1967)
Michael Pate ... Chief Vittoro (17 episodes, 1967)
Buddy Foster ...Johnny Dow (17 episodes, 1967)
William Bryant ... Col. Crook (16 episodes, 1967)

Series Directed
Lee H. Katzin ... (5 episodes, 1967)
Michael D. Moore ... (4 episodes, 1967)
and many more..

Trivia
Hondo's dog was Sam.

Goofs
Factual errors
Colonel Crook in this series was obviously based on General George Crook (1828-1890),
the most famous general in the Indian wars.
In the first episode he even mentions taking only his toothbrush
when going after the Piutes, which is straight from Crook's autobiography.
But at least once Colonel Crook wears an eagle on a yellow background
on his shoulder straps, the sign of a cavalry Colonel. General Crook
was never a member of the cavalry branch, though he did command brigades
and divisions of cavalry as a general in the Civil War
When he came to command in Arizona in 1871 he was the lieutenant colonel
of the 23rd US Infantry

Filming Locations
Red Rock Canyon State Park - Highway 14, Cantil, California, USA
Old Tucson - 201 S. Kinney Road, Tucson, Arizona, USA
Apacheland Studios - 4369 S. Kings Ranch Road, Gold Canyon, Arizona, USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Hondo is a 17-episode Western television series starring Ralph Taeger and Noah Beery, Jr.
that aired in the United States on ABC during the 1967 fall season.
The series was produced by Batjac Productions, Inc., Fenady Associates, Inc., and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television.

Overview
Hondo is based on the 1953 3D film of the same name starring John Wayne and Geraldine Page,
which was in turn an offshoot of an early Louis L'Amour novel.
It concerns Hondo Lane, a former Confederate cavalry officer
who had moved west following the Civil War and taken an Indian bride,
only to see her killed as part of a massacre of Indians conducted by United States Army troops.
Now Hondo and his dog, Sam, travel alone and seek to prevent further trouble between the Army
and the remaining Indians. They also fight to counter land grabbers and other outlaws.

Hondo's frequent sidekick, Buffalo Baker, is portrayed by Noah Beery, Jr.,
the nephew of Wallace Beery and son of Noah Beery, who later played "Rocky" in The Rockford Files
with James Garner.

The little boy, Johnny Dow, is played by Buddy Foster, older brother of Jodie Foster.

While the Wayne film had been fairly successful, this series, airing against the hit sitcom Gomer Pyle,
U.S.M.C. on CBS and Star Trek on NBC, was soon cancelled, with the last broadcast occurring on December 29, 1967.

The rule of thumb for syndication is at least 100 episodes, but Hondo,
with only seventeen segments, became popular after it left the air and
became the subject of an article in the Wall Street Journal.

The first two episodes were edited together to form the feature film Hondo and the Apaches,
which was released theatrically outside of North America.

User Review

Peter Graves could have been Hondo13 February 2007 | by Cheyenne-Bodie

Quote

John Wayne played Hondo in the 1953 movie. Wayne's production company Batjac produced this series. Wayne and company may have been hoping for another "Gunsmoke".

James Arness had once been under contract to John Wayne, and he even had a role in the movie "Hondo". Arness became a legend as Matt Dillon. Peter Graves, brother of James Arness, was first offered the lead in "Hondo". But Graves turned it down. Graves had already starred in "Fury", "Whiplash" and "Court Martial". Instead of taking the role of Hondo, Graves signed on to replace Steven Hill in "Mission Impossible". Graves started "Mission Impossible" in 1967, the year "Hondo" was on.

Ralph Taeger had starred with James Coburn in "Klondike" in 1960. "Klondike" didn't catch on, but NBC liked the two stars well enough to immediately give them a new show called "Acapulco". Telly Savalas also starred in "Acapulco". The show lasted only eight episodes, despite three marvelous leads and a glamorous setting.

Ralph Taeger got one final chance at series stardom six year later. Taeger made a fine Hondo Lane. Gary Clarke ("Michael Shayne", "The Virginian") was also good as a calvary officer. Delightful Kathie Browne ("Slattery's People") played Hondo's love interest. Movie great Robert Taylor ("The Detectives") guest starred in the pilot.

The producer of this series was Andrew Fenady, who had done a fine job with "The Rebel". Peter Graves had previously played a private detective in an unsold pilot for Fenady called "Las Vegas Beat".

"Hondo" was a big budget, ambitious effort. Like the TV version of "Shane" with David Carradine, "Hondo" was a near miss that had considerable charm.

Many years later, the seventeen episodes of "Hondo" were played over and over on cable. It was such a cult phenomenon that the Wall Street Journal did an article about "Hondo" and Ralph Taeger.

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