OK, here's one for you; Wagon Train vs Rawhide.Both deal in massive "livestock" moves

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the ringo kid

the ringo kid

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OK, here's one for you; Wagon Train vs Rawhide.Both deal in massive "livestock" moves

:D Which do you prefer? Rawhide or Wagon Train? Both deal in massive "livestock" movement be they Human or Beeves.

One thing else i see similar between the two series is=--one starts all its shows titled with: "Incident at Bear Creek" or: The Ben Bonehead Story."

Both shows lost its lead star do to heart attack (Ward Bond & Eric Fleming) well before both series were cancelled. Both shows started off with a rating of approx 30 or above in first week rating. Thankfully, by their second episode-they became more and more popular.

I find them both great shows but, lean towards Rawhide as the more favorite of the two.

Oh and a bit of trivia if not yet discussed) on Rawhide. All of the folks in Gil Favors employ--were Confederates. Favor was a Lieutenant and Yates was a Corporal. Not sure what ranks the others had as members of the Confederate States military.
 
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Two shows I rarely missed as a kid. Would also lean more toward Rawhide if I had to choose between them but see no need to pick one or the other.
 
blues7 said:
Two shows I rarely missed as a kid. Would also lean more toward Rawhide if I had to choose between them but see no need to pick one or the other.
Click to expand...

I had to. Reason being is even some of the earlier episodes of Train were as boring as watching concrete set. So far, Rawhide wins out on stories. One Wagon Train story that sits in my mind as excellent--was the: Sam Spicer Story. I dont know why? but when I think of train--I always think of that story.

However, as far as themes go--Rawhides theme blasts Wagon Trains theme by a mile.
 
You can't beat Frankie Laine.

I normally don't remember a lot of the stories from either show off the top of my head but usually once I begin watching an episode it'll come back to me.

Speaking of these two iconic shows, I hope you won't mind me just mentioning some of the shows I remember on Saturday mornings and during the week. Maybe grist for further discussions...

Fury (The Black Stallion)
Sky King
My Friend Flicka (I didn't watch that one much)
Andy's Gang
Tales Of The Texas Rangers
Tombstone Territory
26 Men
Jim Bowie
Bat Masterson

Man, the list goes on and on but you get the general idea. I guess we were all glued to the tv back then. Hell, I can still recite the words to half the commercials. LOL!
 
Of those above ive seen, I havent seen Sky King since played on the Christian Broadcast Network and I last saw episodes about 1980ish.

Of the others, ive only seen Tombstone Territory and Bat Masterson--which I thought were excellent.

BTW, I just noticed the 17 or so episode series: Custer--is now on dvd.
 
I've read a ton of books on Custer and have visited the battlefield and environs, but I don't recall the series offhand.

Edit to Add: I've been to Tombstone as well. Visited while I was attending an arms smuggling investigation class at Davis-Monthan AFB several years ago.
 
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Jack Flash said:
I thought Eric Fleming drowned in the Amazon river. (?)
Click to expand...

From Wikipedia:

After Fleming left Rawhide at the end of the 1964–65 season (the series would continue for 13 episodes before it was cancelled by CBS), he took part in a Doris Day vehicle The Glass Bottom Boat where he played a suave spy, and then was signed to star in High Jungle, an MGM adventure film shot in Peru. During the final stages of shooting, the dugout canoe that Fleming and costar Nico Minardos were in overturned in the Huallaga River. Minardos managed to swim to safety, but Fleming was swept away by the current and drowned on September 28, 1966.[5] Fleming was 41 when he died.
Click to expand...
 
blues7 said:
I've read a ton of books on Custer and have visited the battlefield and environs, but I don't recall the series offhand.

Edit to Add: I've been to Tombstone as well. Visited while I was attending an arms smuggling investigation class at Davis-Monthan AFB several years ago.
Click to expand...

Custer ran for 16 or 17 episodes. Ive never seen the series myself but is currently on dvd. Also has Slim Pickens as California Joe.

custer_cast.jpg


 
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Enjoyed both shows, agree Rawhide had better music. Both had several episodes that had nothing to do with the series premise. It's amazing how many shows and movies focused on events like the wagon trains, cattle drives and pony express, events that occurred over a relatively short period of time. Many of these shows never made it to syndication due to their short runs. Most syndicators prefer 5 years as a minimum to put weekly shows on daily so they don't run out so fast. Some really long running shows episodes are sold in blocks so you do see repeated episodes. One that I would like to see again is The Guns of Will Sonnet. One thing I thougt funny about Frankie Layne was that when he recorded the song for Blazing Saddles, Brooks didn't tell him it was a spoof so he would play it straight.:D
 
Those were shows from a simpler time, when television was free and options were few. By today's standards, you might say we were roughing it, what with just one TV and three stations to choose from.

There were no household television recording devices; no such thing as "on demand." Miss a show and you had to wait months for summer reruns.

Yes, I liked both of those shows equally well.
 
I really like Rawhide, more excitement. Like Ringo said some Wagon train shows were like watching jello firm up. They were a writers version of a character study. I like the earlier Wagon trains with Ward Bond. I just read his bio. Pretty interesting, Met John Wayne at USC playing football, became lifelong friends. Was a starting lineman on USC's first national championship in 1928.
 
Out of the Blue of the Western sky, comes......

YAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

SKY KING!

Brought to you by......

YAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

NABISCO!

I've mentioned before that Gloria Winters (Penny) came off as kind of like a teenager, but she was pretty filled out. Turns out she was in her twenties through the whole run of the show. I had a terrific case of the hots for her and now I feel justified.

Guns of Will Sonnet was an EXCELLENT show. Really original stories, scripting, dialogue with a fair amount of action.

"He's faster than his Pa. And I'm faster than both of 'em. No brag. Jes' fact."

Star Trek was Rodenberry's idea of "Wagon Train to the stars".

I think when I was a kid I liked Wagon Train, but now Rawhide is my favorite. Wagon Train could get a little slow, which was probably VERY REALISTIC. Probably at the time to me it was contained in a fairly closed setting, kind of like a family, that a kid could understand. Often it centered on personal relationships rather than action. And yeah, theme music, no contest.

Rowdy Yates was pretty cool back then, but he was no Clint Eastwood......yet. We were talking about 'Mr. Ed' and I watched an episode where Mr. Ed was corrupting Clint's horse.

HEAD 'EM UP...MOVE 'EM OUT....

The premise of stories from the Tombstone Epitaph newspaper was pretty cool. What a name for a paper.

Gunsmoke was pretty amazing through it's whole run. A LOT of great stories and characters.

Bonanza was a great show, but I don't enjoy it as much as I did then. Best scenery EVER in a show.

"Pa, I saw them little green men!" (Does this ring a bell with anybody? Probably the closest Bonanza got to the 'aliens from space' that was so big at the time.)


"Branded" - Maybe one of the first 'anti-heroes' after Johnny Yuma.

o/' Stranded. Stuck on the toilet bowl o/'

o/' What do you do when you're stranded o/'

o/' and you can't find the roll? o/'

o/' To prove your a man, you must wipe with your.... o/'

:D:D:D:D
 
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Chuck24 said:
Enjoyed both shows, agree Rawhide had better music. Both had several episodes that had nothing to do with the series premise. It's amazing how many shows and movies focused on events like the wagon trains, cattle drives and pony express, events that occurred over a relatively short period of time. Many of these shows never made it to syndication due to their short runs. Most syndicators prefer 5 years as a minimum to put weekly shows on daily so they don't run out so fast. Some really long running shows episodes are sold in blocks so you do see repeated episodes. One that I would like to see again is The Guns of Will Sonnet. One thing I thougt funny about Frankie Layne was that when he recorded the song for Blazing Saddles, Brooks didn't tell him it was a spoof so he would play it straight.:D
Click to expand...

Well said. Rawhide was based greatly on a movie I think is called: Cattle Queen and Paul (Wishbone) Brineger (SP?)--played the same type character in that movie. Also based on the writings of a real trail-boss--which Fleming basically quotes like him at the beginning of every episode.
 
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rwsmith said:
YAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

SKY KING!

Brought to you by......

YAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

NABISCO!

I've mentioned before that Gloria Winters (Penny) came off as kind of like a teenager, but she was pretty filled out. Turns out she was in her twenties through the whole run of the show. I had a terrific case of the hots for her and now I feel justified.

Guns of Will Sonnet was an EXCELLENT show. Really original stories, scripting, dialogue with a fair amount of action.

"He's faster than his Pa. And I'm faster than both of 'em. No brag. Jes' fact."

Star Trek was Rodenberry's idea of "Wagon Train to the stars".

I think when I was a kid I liked Wagon Train, but now Rawhide is my favorite. Wagon Train could get a little slow, which was probably VERY REALISTIC. Probably at the time to me it was contained in a fairly closed setting, kind of like a family, that a kid could understand. Often it centered on personal relationships rather than action. And yeah, theme music, no contest.

Rowdy Yates was pretty cool back then, but he was no Clint Eastwood......yet. We were talking about 'Mr. Ed' and I watched an episode where Mr. Ed was corrupting Clint's horse.

HEAD 'EM UP...MOVE 'EM OUT....

The premise of stories from the Tombstone Epitaph newspaper was pretty cool. What a name for a paper.

Gunsmoke was pretty amazing through it's whole run. A LOT of great stories and characters.

Bonanza was a great show, but I don't enjoy it as much as I did then. Best scenery EVER in a show.

"Pa, I saw them little green men!" (Does this ring a bell with anybody? Probably the closest Bonanza got to the 'aliens from space' that was so big at the time.)


"Branded" - Maybe one of the first 'anti-heroes' after Johnny Yuma.

o/' Stranded. Stuck on the toilet bowl o/'

o/' What do you do when you're stranded o/'

o/' and you can't find the roll? o/'

o/' To prove your a man, you must wipe with your.... o/'

:D:D:D:D
Click to expand...

I think Penny recently passed away. I wasnt thought of when the show originally aired.

I just barely remember Guns of Will Sonnet. Also, I THINK it was that show that had Kurt Russell--or either it was The Travels of Jamie McPheeters?

I can still watch some Bonanza, but not as much as I did when I was a Kid. If ever released by the owners?(some episodes are released unrestored and look ugly) ill buy only the years that had all four of the stars in it.

Gunsmoke, ill only buy the b&w eps--which i think were seasons 1-10??

I loved every episode of Tombstone Territory. Shame it lasted only 96 episodes. Its demise was because people were getting all Westerned-out I guess? I wish this series had lasted a few more years. Pat Conway--guested on a few shows after--one was in an episode of: The Texan, that also had other Western notables.

I heard about Brandeds theme-variant. The guy who created the show talked a bit about it but never sang any words.
 
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