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

Directors:

Howard E. Johnson
Leo Sherman
(more)

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)

Series Directed by
Virgil W. Vogel		(55 episodes, 1958-1965)
Joseph Pevney		(24 episodes, 1959-1965)
Allen H. Miner		(20 episodes, 1958-1965)
Herschel Daugherty		(16 episodes, 1957-1964)
Jerry Hopper		(12 episodes, 1958-1960)
David Butler		(9 episodes, 1958-1962)
Richard Bartlett		(9 episodes, 1958-1959)
Mark Stevens		(8 episodes, 1957-1958)
Ted Post		(7 episodes, 1960-1961)
William Witney		(6 episodes, 1959-1965)
Sidney Lanfield		(5 episodes, 1957-1958)
R.G. Springsteen		(5 episodes, 1960-1964)
Christian Nyby		(4 episodes, 1959-1960)
Tay Garnett		(3 episodes, 1959-1960)
James Neilson		(3 episodes, 1959)
Bretaigne Windust		(3 episodes, 1959)
Sutton Roley		(3 episodes, 1960-1964)
Dick Moder		(3 episodes, 1961-1963)
David Lowell Rich		(3 episodes, 1961)
Bernard Girard		(2 episodes, 1957-1963)
Earl Bellamy		(2 episodes, 1957-1958)
John Brahm		(2 episodes, 1957)
Robert Florey		(2 episodes, 1957)
George Waggner		(2 episodes, 1957)
Jesse Hibbs		(2 episodes, 1958-1960)
Abner Biberman		(2 episodes, 1958-1959)
Frank Arrigo		(2 episodes, 1961-1962)
Mitchell Leisen		(2 episodes, 1961)
Howard E. Johnson		(unknown episodes)
Leo Sherman		(unknown episodes)

Series Writing credits
Norman Jolley		(33 episodes, 1958-1964)
Gene L. Coon		(24 episodes, 1958-1963)
Jean Holloway		(24 episodes, 1959-1961)
Leonard Praskins		(19 episodes, 1959-1965)
Allen H. Miner		(16 episodes, 1959-1965)
John McGreevey		(12 episodes, 1961-1965)
Harold Swanton		(11 episodes, 1959-1962)
Peter Germano		(11 episodes, 1961-1964)
Thomas Thompson		(9 episodes, 1958-1963)
Steven Ritch		(9 episodes, 1962-1963)
Gerry Day		(7 episodes, 1959-1965)
Robert Libott		(6 episodes, 1958-1963)
Calvin Clements Sr.		(6 episodes, 1964-1965)
Sloan Nibley		(5 episodes, 1959-1963)
Howard Christie		(5 episodes, 1959)
William Raynor		(5 episodes, 1960-1963)
Myles Wilder		(5 episodes, 1960-1963)
William Fay		(4 episodes, 1957-1958)
Harry von Zell		(4 episodes, 1958-1959)
Virgil W. Vogel		(4 episodes, 1959-1960)
Floyd Burton		(4 episodes, 1960)
John Kneubuhl		(4 episodes, 1962-1965)
E. Jack Neuman		(3 episodes, 1957-1959)
Dwight Newton		(3 episodes, 1957-1958)
Robert E. Thompson		(3 episodes, 1957-1958)
Aaron Spelling		(3 episodes, 1957)
Ted Sherdeman		(3 episodes, 1958-1965)
Milton Krims		(3 episodes, 1958-1960)
Frank W. Marshall		(3 episodes, 1958)
Kathleen Hite		(3 episodes, 1959)
James A. Parker		(3 episodes, 1959)
Philip MacDonald		(2 episodes, 1957-1960)
Richard Collins		(2 episodes, 1957-1959)
John Dunkel		(2 episodes, 1957-1958)
Boris Ingster		(2 episodes, 1957)
David Swift		(2 episodes, 1958-1959)
Hendrik Vollaerts		(2 episodes, 1958-1959)
Warren Wilson		(2 episodes, 1958-1959)
Richard Maibaum		(2 episodes, 1958)
Leo Townsend		(2 episodes, 1958)
Lou Shaw		(2 episodes, 1959-1961)
Peggy Shaw		(2 episodes, 1959-1961)
Arthur Browne Jr.		(2 episodes, 1959)
Paul King		(2 episodes, 1959)
Joseph Stone		(2 episodes, 1959)
Dick Nelson		(2 episodes, 1960-1965)
Ken Kolb		(2 episodes, 1962)
Jane Klove		(2 episodes, 1963-1965)
Betty Andrews		(2 episodes, 1963-1964)
Lawrence Menkin		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
Howard Christie	....	producer / executive producer (73 episodes, 1958-1964)
Frederick Shorr	....	associate producer / producer (36 episodes, 1962-1964)
Richard Lewis	....	producer / executive producer (23 episodes, 1957-1958)
Boris Ingster	....	associate producer (13 episodes, 1957-1958)

Series Original Music by
Jerome Moross		(13 episodes, 1959-1964)
Sidney Fine		(7 episodes, 1963-1964)
David Buttolph		(6 episodes, 1959-1961)
Stanley Wilson		(5 episodes, 1960-1961)
Cyril J. Mockridge		(4 episodes, 1959-1963)
Morton Stevens		(4 episodes, 1962-1963)
Richard Shores		(3 episodes, 1960-1963)
Heinz Roemheld		(2 episodes, 1958-1959)
John Williams		(2 episodes, 1959-1963)
Albert Woodbury		(2 episodes, 1959-1960)
Conrad Salinger		(2 episodes, 1959)

Series Cinematography by
Benjamin H. Kline		(31 episodes, 1958-1960)
Bud Thackery		(16 episodes, 1957-1964)
Herbert Kirkpatrick		(12 episodes, 1957-1958)
Walter Strenge		(8 episodes, 1960-1964)
John L. Russell		(5 episodes, 1957-1964)
Ray Flin		(3 episodes, 1964)
Lionel Lindon		(3 episodes, 1964)
William Margulies		(2 episodes, 1963)
Richard L. Rawlings		(2 episodes, 1963)
Robert Tobey		(2 episodes, 1963)
John F. Warren		(2 episodes, 1964)

Series Film Editing by
Gene Palmer		(21 episodes, 1957-1964)
Marston Fay		(12 episodes, 1958-1963)
Buddy Small		(9 episodes, 1959-1964)
Tony Martinelli		(8 episodes, 1963-1964)
John Hall		(7 episodes, 1957-1959)
Lee Huntington		(4 episodes, 1957-1959)
Edward Haire		(2 episodes, 1957-1963)
Bill Mosher		(2 episodes, 1957-1958)
Stanford Tischler		(2 episodes, 1957)
Daniel A. Nathan		(2 episodes, 1958-1959)
Stanley Rabjohn		(2 episodes, 1958)
Ray DeVally		(2 episodes, 1960-1964)
Robert Seiter		(2 episodes, 1963-1964)
Edward A. Biery		(2 episodes, 1963)
Sam E. Waxman		(unknown episodes)

Series Art Direction by
Howard E. Johnson		(77 episodes, 1957-1964)
John J. Lloyd		(5 episodes, 1957)
Russell Kimball		(2 episodes, 1963)

Series Set Decoration by
Ralph Sylos		(74 episodes, 1957-1964)
John McCarthy Jr.		(45 episodes, 1960-1964)
Perry Murdock		(6 episodes, 1957-1963)
James Redd		(3 episodes, 1957-1963)
Clarence Steensen		(unknown episodes)

Series Costume Design by
Burton Miller		(1 episode, 1963)

Series Makeup Department
Florence Bush	....	hair stylist (75 episodes, 1957-1964)
Jack Barron	....	makeup artist (65 episodes, 1957-1964)
Larry Germain	....	hair stylist (12 episodes, 1964)
Bud Westmore	....	makeup artist (12 episodes, 1964)
Robert Dawn	....	makeup artist (7 episodes, 1957-1963)
Leo Lotito Jr.	....	makeup artist (3 episodes, 1957-1963)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
James H. Brown	....	assistant director (12 episodes, 1957-1963)
George Bisk	....	assistant director (9 episodes, 1959-1961)
Edward K. Dodds	....	assistant director (8 episodes, 1959-1964)
Charles S. Gould	....	assistant director (6 episodes, 1957-1964)
Hilton A. Green	....	assistant director (4 episodes, 1957-1958)
Ben Bishop	....	assistant director (4 episodes, 1958-1964)
Frank Fox	....	assistant director (3 episodes, 1957-1963)
George Lollier	....	assistant director (3 episodes, 1957-1958)
Carter DeHaven	....	assistant director (3 episodes, 1959-1963)
Frank Losee	....	assistant director (3 episodes, 1960-1963)
Wallace Worsley Jr.	....	assistant director (3 episodes, 1960-1961)
Henry Kline	....	assistant director (3 episodes, 1962-1964)
Abby Singer	....	assistant director (2 episodes, 1958)
Dolph Zimmer	....	assistant director (2 episodes, 1958)
James Hogan	....	assistant director (2 episodes, 1959)
John Clarke Bowman	....	assistant director (2 episodes, 1963-1964)
Donald Baer	....	assistant director (2 episodes, 1964)
Norman A. Cook	....	assistant director (2 episodes, 1964)
Jack Doran	....	assistant director (2 episodes, 1964)
Ray Taylor Jr.	....	assistant director (2 episodes, 1964)
Lou Watt	....	assistant director (unknown episodes)

Series Sound Department
David H. Moriarty	....	sound (45 episodes, 1957-1964)
Melvin M. Metcalfe Sr.	....	sound (26 episodes, 1957-1964)
Corson Jowett	....	sound (4 episodes, 1963-1964)
William H. Lynch	....	sound (2 episodes, 1957-1963)
Stephen Bass	....	sound (2 episodes, 1957)
Jim Bullock	....	sound editor (unknown episodes)

Series Stunts
Jack N. Young	....	utility stunts (4 episodes, 1957-1958)
Bobby Somers	....	stunts (2 episodes, 1957-1958)
Dean Smith	....	stunts (unknown episodes)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Earl C. Williman	....	lamp operator (26 episodes, 1964-1965)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Vincent Dee	....	costume supervisor (85 episodes, 1957-1964)

Series Editorial Department
David J. O'Connell	....	supervising editor / editorial supervisor / ... (47 episodes, 1960-1964)
Richard G. Wray	....	editorial supervisor / supervising editor (38 episodes, 1957-1960)
Robert Brower	....	color coordinator (30 episodes, 1963-1964)
George Fredrick	....	assistant editor (unknown episodes)

Series Music Department
Stanley Wilson	....	musical supervision / music supervisor (76 episodes, 1957-1964)
Jerome Moross	....	composer: theme music (46 episodes, 1959-1964)
Herman Stein	....	musical cues (39 episodes, 1957-1958)
Henri Rene	....	composer: theme music (7 episodes, 1957-1958)
Jack Brooks	....	composer: "Wagon Train" theme / composer: theme music (6 episodes, 1958-1959)
Sammy Fain	....	composer: "Wagon Train" theme / composer: theme music (6 episodes, 1958-1959)
Lloyd R. Apperson	....	composer: additional music (unknown episodes)

Series Other crew
Robert Eggenweiler	....	assistant to producer / assistant to producers (16 episodes, 1958-1959)
Dwight Newton	....	story consultant (3 episodes, 1957)

Production Companies

• Revue Studios
• Universal TV (1963-1965)

Distributors

• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1957-1962) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1962-1965) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Independent Television (ITV)
• MCA Television
• MCA/Universal Pictures
• Mill Creek Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2004) (worldwide) (video) (3 episodes)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• Studios USA Television

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:

Ward Bond's final acting project.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

Wagon Train

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.