"Guestward Ho!" (1960) TV series

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Claudio Guzmán

Writers:

Bob Schiller (writer)
Bob Weiskopf (writer)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

29 September 1960 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Cast

Joanne Dru	...	Babs Hooten / ... (18 episodes, 1960-1961)
Mark Miller	...	Bill Hooten / ... (18 episodes, 1960-1961)
J. Carrol Naish	...	Hawkeye / ... (15 episodes, 1960-1961)
Flip Mark	...	Brook Hooten / ... (14 episodes, 1960-1961)

Runtime:

30 min (38 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Desilu Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Desilu Productions

Trivia:

Originally conceived as a vehicle for Vivian Vance, who shot a pilot for the show in 1958 for CBS. When CBS passed Desi Arnaz retooled the show and cast Joanne Dru in the role of Babs Hooten after Dru's 1957 pilot for a Desilu show called Adventures of a Model failed to be picked up as a series.

Movie Connections:

Featured in T.V. Sphincter (1987) (V)

Fleecing The White Man

Guestward Ho was a very funny show that only lasted a season. It was produced by Desilu in its last throes of existence as the fabled marriage between its husband and wife partners Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball split as well as the company.

I wish this one had lasted a bit longer. In a sense it was Joanne Dru finally surrendering to her image as a frontier gal. During her career she always complained about always seeming to be cast in gingham dress parts.

Here Joanne is in the modern west as she, husband Mark Miller, and son Flip Mark inherit a dude ranch. But the one I remember best from the show was J. Carrol Naish as Hawkeye, a man singularly determined to gain for the Indian the best in every deal as vengeance for being fleeced out of Manhattan island.

Naish was the heart of the show, maybe that was the mistake, the show should have centered on him instead of the white family. In any event Guestward Ho only lasted a season.

I hope those episodes are preserved somewhere.