Favorite western TV show?

[Rhythm N. Bliss]

Well I reckon we're plumb outa ol' tv series Westerns to type about.

Who was that goofy sidekick with the jeep he called Nellybelle?
What show was he in?
Not that I really wanna know, I'd rather forget. lol

[gweimer]

Well I reckon we're plumb outa ol' tv series Westerns to type about.

Who was that goofy sidekick with the jeep he called Nellybelle?
What show was he in?
Not that I really wanna know, I'd rather forget. lol

Roy Rogers

[jmcgliss]

I'll bet a lot of you guys practice making vocal sounds to emulate the gun sounds from Westerns, and war shows like Combat.  My wife says I'm the Jonathan Winters of gun sounds - different types of rifles, machine guns, anti-aircraft guns, and so on -  but I can't be the only one. We played combat outside (more so than cowboys-indians) and got a weekly dose of sound effects to copy from TV. Our gray plastic German helmets came from Eckerds drug store - times have changed!

[eb2]

Did anyone see Dusty's Trail?

[Dave W]

Roy Rogers

The Roy Rogers Show, but the sidekick with Nellybelle was Pat Brady.

[Dave W]

I'll bet a lot of you guys practice making vocal sounds to emulate the gun sounds from Westerns, and war shows like Combat.  My wife says I'm the Jonathan Winters of gun sounds - different types of rifles, machine guns, anti-aircraft guns, and so on -  but I can't be the only one. We played combat outside (more so than cowboys-indians) and got a weekly dose of sound effects to copy from TV. Our gray plastic German helmets came from Eckerds drug store - times have changed!

I did, but I stopped about 55 years ago.   

[nofi]

what was that 'modern western' that starred bruce campbell back in the 90's. it did not last long.

[Pilgrim]

what was that 'modern western' that starred bruce campbell back in the 90's. it did not last long.

...The Adventures of Briscoe County Jr.  That series was a HOOT!!  I loved it!

And lest we forget, Roy Rogers was born Leonard Slye, but legally changed his name to Roy Rogers in the 40's.  He was called the King of the Cowboys.  His wife Dale Evans (born Lucille Smith, and quite a babe in her younger days) was referred to as Queen of the West.  Her horse was Buttermilk, and she wrote their trademark song, Happy Trails.

I remember seeing Roy, Dale and Pat Brady (in his Jeep, Nellybelle) at the Iowa State Fair when I was about six years old...that was a big deal in 1956!  

it was about six years ago that we were driving back from the Holiday Bowl (Washington State 28, Univ. of Texas 20!! http://www.coug.com/WSU%20Holiday%20bowl%20report.htm) and stopped at the Roy Rogers museum in Victorville, CA on the edge of the Mojave desert.  VERY interesting for fans...but the museum soon moved to Branson, MO where I'm sure it gets more traffic. http://www.royrogers.com/

All right, I have one that some of you will remember - and one that I liked a lot: Colt .45.  Starred Wade Preston as Chris Colt.  But one that impressed me more was Lawman, starring John Russell as Marshall Dan Troop - whose last western appearance was in Clint Eastwood's Pale Rider, as the crooked "Marshall" with the killer deputies.  I just about cheered when I recognized Russell in that role. The Lawman theme song was one of the really good ones! Check it out: http://www.televisiontunes.com/Lawman.html

[jmcgliss]

I did, but I stopped about 55 years ago.   

You must not have to deal with Chicago traffic.   

[Pilgrim]

BTW - here's a FANTASTIC bio of Roy Rogers:
http://www.bobnolan-sop.net/Biographies/The%20Story%20of%20SOP/Leonard%20Slye/Leonard%20Slye.htm

I had forgotten that he used the name Dick Weston for one picture in 1937 when Republic almost signed him as a replacement for Gene Autry - and he became Roy Rogers for good after that, in 1938.  I never knew that Pat Brady replaced him when he left The Sons of the Pioneers.

BTW - how many of you know that Ken Curtis was also one of the Sons of the Pioneers??  he had a wonderful role in The Searchers as the suitor Charlie McCorry, but is best known for playing Festus Haggan on Gunsmoke.

[Rhythm N. Bliss]

Ok, Goofy Sidekicks for $500~THE GUY WITH THE LIMP

Gunsmoke, warn't it? I hear echoes of "Marshall Dillon! Marshall Dillon!"

Who was Chester played by Dennis Weaver?

My memory is foggy but it's all coming back....

Just saw Pale Rider, Pilgrim, & loved it. That Marshall looked evil in that role!

Saw glimpses of the Lonesome Dove mini-series this week too but it ain't so good.

[Pilgrim]

John Russell has a wonderful voice - great set of pipes. He looked like a hard man in Pale Rider, but as you can see in the photo above, he always had a lean build and a striking face.

Yup, Chester was probably the most famous #2 on Gunsmoke, and he was indeed played by Dennis Weaver, who later starred in the TV western McCloud (as Sam McCloud).  He also starred in the early Spielberg movie Duel.

Anyone remember the role Burt Reynolds played on Gunsmoke?  I know you can do it....

[Dave W]

Yes, I've heard Ken Curtis sing, he also had solo releases.

I liked him as Festus better than Dennis Weaver as Chester.

I remember a young Burt Reynolds on Gunsmoke as the half-breed blacksmith Quint.

[godofthunder]

Years ago I was dubbed "Hoss" at the House of Guitars. It still sticks in certain circles.

[Pilgrim]

I remember a young Burt Reynolds on Gunsmoke as the half-breed blacksmith Quint.

One of the things I enjoy about watching old westerns - both movie and TV - is how many actors got their start playing bit parts in them.  Dennis Hopper did a lot of "B" western movies and TV westerns (Bonanza, Cheyenne, Rifleman), and some memorable movies - like a role in the Burt Lancaster/Kirk Douglas Gunfight At OK Corral (with that memorable Frankie Laine theme song) and a similar role in the John Wayne movie The Sons of Katie Elder.  

Then of course, there were the career character actors like Jack Elam, Paul Fix, Strother Martin, Dub Taylor, Slim Pickens, Chill Wills, Bruce Cabot, L.Q. Jones, Gabby Hayes, Pat Buttram, Arthur Hunnicutt, Andy Devine, Jay Silverheels, Will Sampson, Ben Johnson, Lee Van Cleef, Richard Farnsworth and of course, Walter Brennan.  

Some of the character actors either became leading actors or became so well-known they might as well have been.  Ben Johnson, Jack Elam and Walter Brennan come to mind