Add 'The Texan" to the list of all those classic TV Westerns that graced the TV screen in the late Fifties. They were standard fare for the era, always presenting a solid lawman who faced danger in every episode, epitomizing the concept of right over wrong and justice over evil. Rory Calhoun was The Texan, Bill Longley by name, and most of the stories relied on his legendary status as a fast gun to instill fear and apprehension in the minds of the bad guys. His reputation usually preceded him from town to town, and even though he never looked for trouble, it generally had a way of finding him.
It was Episode Seven of the first season that revealed pertinent information regarding Longley's background. He was a Southern Captain during the Civil War, and returning home after the war, he learned that his wife had died, a victim of scarlet fever. Placing a makeshift marker next to his wife's tombstone, Longley declared himself dead as well, and thus began his wanderlust that took him across Texas and the rest of the West.
The short lived series lasted for two seasons from September 1958 to September 1960 on the CBS network. You could count on your standard mix of familiar character actors to show up in the stories, actors like Neville Brand, Richard Devon, Myron Healey, and Bob Steele to name a few. But I found it interesting in watching some of the shows, that headliners from competing TV Westerns of the time made guest appearances on "The Texan". Pat Conway for example (Marshal Clay Hollister from Tombstone Territory), came over from ABC to appear in the third episode, 'The Troubled Town'. The very next week, Peggie Castle (Lilly Merrill on Lawman) and Ron Hagerthy (Clipper from Sky King) showed up in 'The First Notch". Both of those shows also aired on the ABC network, making me curious about how the networks operated back in the day. Another research project.
The most curious episode for me, not so much for it's content, but for it's opening and closing credits, was #1.28 - Caballero. The show actually opens using the title 'Caballero', starring Cesar Romero, with guest star Rory Calhoun! I haven't been able to find out anything about that, but I'll keep looking.
As far as the stories went, I guess one of my favorites would be #1.9 - The Widow of Paradise. Longley shoots and kills an outlaw that draws down on him, only to learn that in Montana, where the story takes place, he's now responsible for providing for the man's widow and her two kids! Even the judge who tried the case thinks that law needed changing, and you can see where this one's going. Unwilling to be tied down, Longley schemes to find a suitable husband for the new widow, and finds one in the person of Alan Hale Jr. The skipper from 'Gilligan's Island' actually turned up in quite a few TV and movie Westerns, and it was cool to see him show up here.
Count me among those Western fans who never ran across a series he didn't like, but overall, 'The Texan' was pretty standard fare for the genre. Rory Calhoun made for a resolute hero, but the stories didn't stretch him very much as a character, and as other reviewers have mentioned, the quality of the writing deteriorated in the second season. The show was produced by Calhoun in partnership with Vic Rosati (Rorvic) under the Desilu banner. One thing I'll concede is that the show had the coolest theme music playing over the closing credits.
If you're able to see some of the episodes today, you might be lucky to catch Calhoun hawking for one of the show's sponsors, Viceroy Cigarettes - with the thinking man's filter and the smoking man's taste! Other sponsors included Kool Cigarettes and Williams Lectric Shave. Considering the tobacco sponsors, I don't recall as I write this ever seeing Calhoun smoke in an episode.
It was Episode Seven of the first season that revealed pertinent information regarding Longley's background. He was a Southern Captain during the Civil War, and returning home after the war, he learned that his wife had died, a victim of scarlet fever. Placing a makeshift marker next to his wife's tombstone, Longley declared himself dead as well, and thus began his wanderlust that took him across Texas and the rest of the West.
The short lived series lasted for two seasons from September 1958 to September 1960 on the CBS network. You could count on your standard mix of familiar character actors to show up in the stories, actors like Neville Brand, Richard Devon, Myron Healey, and Bob Steele to name a few. But I found it interesting in watching some of the shows, that headliners from competing TV Westerns of the time made guest appearances on "The Texan". Pat Conway for example (Marshal Clay Hollister from Tombstone Territory), came over from ABC to appear in the third episode, 'The Troubled Town'. The very next week, Peggie Castle (Lilly Merrill on Lawman) and Ron Hagerthy (Clipper from Sky King) showed up in 'The First Notch". Both of those shows also aired on the ABC network, making me curious about how the networks operated back in the day. Another research project.
The most curious episode for me, not so much for it's content, but for it's opening and closing credits, was #1.28 - Caballero. The show actually opens using the title 'Caballero', starring Cesar Romero, with guest star Rory Calhoun! I haven't been able to find out anything about that, but I'll keep looking.
As far as the stories went, I guess one of my favorites would be #1.9 - The Widow of Paradise. Longley shoots and kills an outlaw that draws down on him, only to learn that in Montana, where the story takes place, he's now responsible for providing for the man's widow and her two kids! Even the judge who tried the case thinks that law needed changing, and you can see where this one's going. Unwilling to be tied down, Longley schemes to find a suitable husband for the new widow, and finds one in the person of Alan Hale Jr. The skipper from 'Gilligan's Island' actually turned up in quite a few TV and movie Westerns, and it was cool to see him show up here.
Count me among those Western fans who never ran across a series he didn't like, but overall, 'The Texan' was pretty standard fare for the genre. Rory Calhoun made for a resolute hero, but the stories didn't stretch him very much as a character, and as other reviewers have mentioned, the quality of the writing deteriorated in the second season. The show was produced by Calhoun in partnership with Vic Rosati (Rorvic) under the Desilu banner. One thing I'll concede is that the show had the coolest theme music playing over the closing credits.
If you're able to see some of the episodes today, you might be lucky to catch Calhoun hawking for one of the show's sponsors, Viceroy Cigarettes - with the thinking man's filter and the smoking man's taste! Other sponsors included Kool Cigarettes and Williams Lectric Shave. Considering the tobacco sponsors, I don't recall as I write this ever seeing Calhoun smoke in an episode.