The Great American WESTERN Thread

[ZipZop]

Aloha!

I am a big fan of Westerns. Mostly classic TV Westerns from the 50s and 60s, but also the classic movies.

I suppose it was because growing up in the 60s, my grandfather always had a Western on TV. Back then, most of the TV entertainment in the evening consisted of Westerns. They were the thing to watch. I guess I never outgrew them. It's wonderful to me to see them coming back. H&I Television (Heroes and Icons) has their weekly early morning run of "Good Guys at Sunrise" where you can watch;

"Cheyenne" with Clint Walker
"Wanted Dead or Alive" with Steve McQueen
"Have Gun Will Travel" with Richard Boone
"Rawhide" with Eric Fleming and Clint Eastwood
"Maverick" with James Garner
"The High Chaparral" with Leif Erickson

I also like the original "Gunsmoke" 30 minute black and white shows before the series went color and expanded to 1 hour I thought the 1/2 hour shows were better. Most of the Westerns that I really like are in Black and White and are 30 minutes.

I have purchased the complete DVD set of "Have Gun Will Travel" because I really enjoy this show, and it is very hard to find ON DEMAND anywhere online. It ran for many years and Richard Boone was actually a neighbor of mine when I was in my late teens and early 20s. He taught Drama at a local college near me, and I really enjoyed his acting in that series. I can say that in real life, he was a rough and tumble guy, just like his character. There is a fairly famous story about one of his students approaching him in his Drama class and asking;
"Mr Boone, I really liked you in "Have Gun Will Travel". May I please get your autograph?"
Boone responded, "How about I carve my initials in your forehead with my pocket knife?"

"Encore Westerns", a division of STARZ Network offers many old Western TV shows and movies. I enjoy them. Some of the old long standing TV Westerns can be seen there including "Death Valley Days" if you remember that one. Many can be ordered-up online or ON DEMAND on your cable set. Amazon's Prime Video has many Westerns available for ON-DEMAND ordering, as does ROKU.

And lately I have been enjoying "Tales of Wells Fargo" with Dale Robertson. This was, IMO, a very well produced show with most scenes actually being portrayed outdoors instead of in a studio.

I haven't even touched on Western MOVIES. Maybe in another post.

Mahalo!

-Zip

[freebird]

Have you tried the classic radio shows? If you have SiriusXM the radio classics channel plays them (mixed in with other shows). If not, then try the Internet Archive Old Time Radio. they’re free to listen to and download. They have the radio versions of Have Gun Will Travel, Gunsmoke, Hopalong Cassidy and quite a few others- even some that never made it to television, such as the Six Shooter starring Jimmy Stewart.

https://archive.org/details/oldtimeradio

[ZipZop]

Have you tried the classic radio shows? If you have SiriusXM the radio classics channel plays them (mixed in with other shows). If not, then try Internet Archive Old Time Radio they’re free to listen to and download. They have the radio versions of Have Gun Will Travel, Gunsmoke, Hopalong Cassidy and quite a few others- even some that never made it to television, such as the Six Shooter starring Jimmy Stewart.

Good point! Yes, I have listened to archived Western radio shows. And I have enjoyed them very much. I had forgotten that Sirius/XM Radio had a Radio Classics Channel, and I don't think I knew that this channel played old Westerns, but it makes sense that they do play Westerns. I do a lot of driving, and usually listen to Sirus/XM's REAL JAZZ channel. I'll have to switch to their Radio Classics. Thanks for the tip.

[JOB15]

I love westerns
"Come back Shane!"

[freebird]

Good point! Yes, I have listened to archived Western radio shows. And I have enjoyed them very much. I had forgotten that Sirius/XM Radio had a Radio Classics Channel, and I don't think I knew that this channel played old Westerns, but it makes sense that they do play Westerns. I do a lot of driving, and usually listen to Sirus/XM's REAL JAZZ channel. I'll have to switch to their Radio Classics. Thanks for the tip.

Here's the link to SiriusXMs Radio Classics schedule. Just bookmark and refer to it for that days lineup. Unfortunately, this close to Halloween �� the westerns will be further between than they normally are.

https://m.siriusxm.com/radioclassics

[outback]

If I switch back to free TV, I can watch all the aforementioned shows. All day long.... But Rawhide would be my favorite. I see the rifleman wasn't mentioned, or the Lone Ranger. So many to remember, but I always remember sitting with gramps watching Gun Smoke, followed by Hee Haw .

Gloom, despair, agony on me....

[ZipZop]

If I switch back to free TV, I can watch all the aforementioned shows. All day long.... But Rawhide would be my favorite. I see the rifleman wasn't mentioned, or the Lone Ranger. So many to remember, but I always remember sitting with gramps watching Gun Smoke, followed by Hee Haw .

Gloom, despair, agony on me....

"Rawhide" I simply forgot. That is on H&I Network every weekday morning. Rowdy Yates (Clint Eastwood) and Gil Favor (Eric Fleming) in that Western classic. Odd how Eric Fleming died during filming of a movie in South America shortly after "Rawhide" went off the air. He drowned while filming a movie. I barely remember that, but I do remember my Father and/or Grandfather mentioning it.

When I was a kid, I really liked "The Rifleman" with Chuck Connors. I know it's on during the day Over-The-Air on ME-TV as is "Wagon Train" with Ward Bond.

[MikeT]

I've spent a considerable amount of time working on cattle ranches. Up in the hills, northern Cal with my dog, my Winchester model 94, and the steady company of cattle doing their thing. For most people it would bore the s**t out of them, but the peace and quiet, the smell of horses, cattle, leather, and a gentle breeze coming up the hillside over the tall grass is somewhat of a beautiful thing.
The excitement, when it came was great! A mountain lion freaking the cattle out, or my dog letting me know danger was close, but most the time the lions stay far away. The bear that would eat my dogs food. Many many close calls with rattle snakes! My best friend lost his dog to one, helped him bury her on the top of a hill, said some nice words, then he moved to the city.
Then there was the weed growers on the hills next door on one side, and the meth-heads on the other hill.

I like the old West movies, and since I'm a generation younger, the TV shows were before my time.
I wish Hollywood would make more movies that reflect the reality of western life, but that might not sell.

I liked the series Deadwood. Thought it was a good one with a few modern touches, but gritty and less glamorous than many bastardized Hollywood films.

[MikeT]

If you guys could suggest some films and TV shows for me..?
What I'm looking for is the type that gives you that feeling of the Old West freedom, along with the challenge of living.

The people who lived that life were tough like beef jerky! Everything was more work. Down to the smallest things we city folk don't think about.. Example:
The ground is not level.
Doesn't sound serious right?
Everyone who came to visit me would twist an ankle in a couple days. Lol
I've grown soft gentlemen! Im a city folk now! Ugh.

Give me some suggestions of shows to take me back...
Much appreciated!

[earcutter]

So I know this is about tv series but, man, there’s been some great western movies out “ lately.”

Django Unchained In 2012 was awesome!