Sun 12 Nov 2017
A TV Series Review by Dan Stumpf: HAVE GUN – WILL TRAVEL (1957-63).
Posted by Steve under Reviews , TV Westerns[17] Comments
HAVE GUN – WILL TRAVEL. CBS, 1957-1963. 225 30 minute episodes. Richard Boone (Paladin), Kam Tong (Hey Boy). Created by Herb Meadow and Sam Rolfe.
I picked up several episodes of Have Gun – Will Travel a while back and found them, within their limitations, quite enjoyable. The Half-Hour Dramatic Series is nowadays a Lost Art, and it was interesting to see it in practice again.
Quick cuts, elliptical storytelling and tight focus might lead one to expect these would be fast-paced affairs, but they aren’t at all. You see, it’s much cheaper to advance the plot by photographing two actors talking in a room, so there’s a lot of that going on here. Long journeys and even grueling Desert Treks are suggested by about ten seconds of footage, and Fight Scenes, for the most part, are short and to the point. I’ve never seen so many guys knocked out by one punch in all my life, and I wonder if this simplistic approach to Conflict Resolution might have had some effect on my bidding mind in those days.
Anyway, the high point of the series is and always was Boone’s tough, intelligent acting, back in the days when he was Lean and Hungry, and when scriptwriters could let him actually get violent from time to time. Those familiar with Boone’s later acting — particularly the patently phoney, self-indulgent portrayal of The Drawling Cowpoke from Hec Ramsey, who always talked tough but never actually did very much — should get to see him in these.
November 13th, 2017 at 12:27 am
One of my favorite TV shows back in the day and one where I was able to watch all the episodes when they were issued on VHS a few years ago.
November 13th, 2017 at 7:16 am
I always liked this as a kid, but haven’t watched one in years. It would be interesting to see how it holds up 60 (!) years later.
November 13th, 2017 at 7:50 am
As producer, Boone kept a rotating door of writers. One he kept was pre- Star Trek’s Gene Roddenberry – who infused the show with a similarly liberal, intellectual quality.
November 13th, 2017 at 9:12 am
Bill it struck me recently how some of the situations in Roddenberry’s stories for HGWT reappeared in STAR TREK.
November 13th, 2017 at 9:41 am
Someone once noted that Paladin displayed Kirk’s machismo, Spock’s intellect, McCoy’s compassion.
November 13th, 2017 at 4:43 pm
I think that statement shows how important casting is. Who else could have played Paladin except Richard Boone at that early stage of his career?
November 13th, 2017 at 5:13 pm
As a 25 year old who previously only knew Boone from his many western and noir psychos on TCM, I developed a huge admiration for him after buying dvds of this show. What an artist
November 13th, 2017 at 6:04 pm
Randolph Scott — who turned it down.
November 13th, 2017 at 6:43 pm
It’s hard to imagine but maybe.
November 13th, 2017 at 6:52 pm
Steve, it is verifiable. Scott, of course, did not go into television, and that opened the door for Boone to do this.
November 13th, 2017 at 7:00 pm
On page 179 of Robert Knott’s book on Scott, simply google have Gun Will Travel Randolph Scott.
November 13th, 2017 at 7:37 pm
Barry. I wasn’t doubting that Scott turned down the role. I was trying to imagine him as Paladin and couldn’t quite manage it. Still trying.
November 13th, 2017 at 8:56 pm
Looking it up, apparently Scott gave the script to his movie co-star Boone, just as John Wayne had done for James Arness with Gunsmoke. Scott had played the Southern gentleman earlier in his career, tho obviously had a more rough hewn image in his acclaimed later westerns. But I don’t think Paladin was outta his reach. Boone, after all, was more noted for his villainy by then.
November 13th, 2017 at 11:21 pm
Scott even played a few villains, notably in THE SPOILERS, and the key to Paladin is he has to be played with the weight of the villain.
A surprising number of episodes hold up, and I honestly feel most hour series were a waste of about twenty minutes of filler compared to tight short mood and character pieces the best half hour shows did. Case in point Hitchcock and TWILIGHT ZONE.
November 15th, 2017 at 4:53 pm
14. David, I am not a fan of the half hour drama. I find it works for anthologies, but the weekly series with recurring characters need to flesh out the characters beyond that week’s story and plot.
Sheldon Reynolds who did FOREIGN INTRIGUE believed the audience would lose interest in the same character after a few seasons. What he failed to realize was how the audience would react to television drama. The characters would become like friends to us. The success of any weekly TV series with recurring characters is dependent on how close the audience gets to the characters. You need the time to explore the character beyond the story of the week. I compare it to the difference between short stories and novels. The short story can be great but it is limited to plot while the novel can get you involved beyond what the short story can.
As a Sam Rolfe (creator, writer and producer) fan I enjoy this series as well as the radio version with John Dehner. Typical of its era the star ran the series and Boone was demanding of the writers expecting perfection each week, doing 39 episodes a year.
For Richard Boone fans here is an episode of RICHARD BOONE SHOW, “Statement of Fact.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSfXCMShwmg
August 31st, 2020 at 10:17 am
Better late than never… My husband just got me into watching HGWT and I am impressed. Amazing how they could put great stories into an half hour short package. It seems like an hour. Of course I am also a Star Trek / Gene Roddenberry fan so that makes it extra easy to get into this. Lots of later star actors in the series in their young years. Fun to figure out.
The previous mentioned link to the Richard Boone Show doesn’t work anymore but I found another one: https://youtu.be/gRuVWe02OyY Have fun!
August 31st, 2020 at 11:17 am
Me personally, I believe that any fan of TV westerns has to have HGWT as one of their top ten favorites. Thanks for stopping by, Ellen, and for the new link. Shows such as this one they come and they go. Your timing on them has to be just right.