"Wagon Train" (1957) TV series 1957-1965

Directors:

Howard E. Johnson
Leo Sherman

Writer:

Lawrence Menkin (writer)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

Release Date:

18 September 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Plot:

Stories of the journeys of a wagon train as it leaves post-Civil War Missouri on its way to California through the plains...

Plot Keywords:

Wagon Train | Cult Western | Covered Wagon

Awards:

Nominated for 7 Primetime Emmys. Another 5 nominations

Cast

Frank McGrath	...	Charlie Wooster (268 episodes, 1957-1965)
Terry Wilson	...	Bill Hawks / ... (267 episodes, 1957-1965)
Robert Horton	...	Flint McCullough / ... (189 episodes, 1957-1962)
John McIntire	...	Christopher Hale / ... (154 episodes, 1959-1965)
Ward Bond	...	Major Seth Adams (132 episodes, 1957-1961)
Denny Miller	...	Duke Shannon (109 episodes, 1961-1964)

Also Known As:

Major Adams, Trail Master

Runtime:

60 min (284 episodes) | USA:60 min (284 episodes 1957-1963) | USA:90 min (32 episodes 1963-1964)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (1963-1964) | Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Revue Studios

Trivia:

The following three episodes have fallen into the public domain: "Wagon Train: The Malachi Hobart Story (#5.17)" (1962), "Wagon Train: The Dr. Denker Story (#5.18)" (1962), and "Wagon Train: Alias Bill Hawks (#6.34)" (1963).

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Hancock's Half Hour: The Missing Page (#6.2)" (1960)

Soundtrack:

Wagon Train Theme

The "Gold" from the TV Western's Golden Age

Perhaps the quintessential show from the Golden Age of TV westerns, this series ran from 1957 to 1965 and it had a simple but compelling format. Each week it told the story of one of the travelers on an 1870's "wagon train" making its way across the American West. This format thus combined the sweeping backdrop of an ever-changing frontier with the small, personal story of a single individual.

So popular did the show become that it attracted an impressive array of "guest stars" -- Bette Davis, Ernest Borgnine, Rhonda Fleming, Barbara Stanwyck, Leslie Nielsen, Lee Marvin, etc.

The earlier shows in the series were probably the best since they featured Ward Bond as the leader of the wagon train and Robert Horton as his scout. Ward's death in 1960 and Horton's departure in 1962 weakened the series though it maintained a respectable level of production for several more years.

While the TV westerns that arose in the Eisenhower years are now nostalgically regarded as fine "family" entertainment, it's curious that they often showed their leading actors stripped half-naked and subjected to various forms of torture. "Wagon Train" was no exception. On the 1-15-1958 episode titled "The Gabe Carswell Story," for example, a bare-chested Robert Horton is staked out spreadeagle-style under the scorching sun and left to die by a villainous "half-breed." And in the 12-13-1961 episode titled "The Traitor," Horton is stripped to the waist, tied to a wagon wheel, and whipped across his bare back. In both cases the sado-masochistic nature of these sequences is emphasized rather than muted and the exposed muscularity of the actor is openly exploited.

While Ward Bond could never be replaced, many viewers looked kindly on his successor, John McIntire. Robert Fuller, however, never quite seemed adequate as Robert Horton's replacement.