GET-TV BRINGS BACK ‘HONDO’, ‘NICHOLS’ AND ‘MAN
CALLED SHENANDOAH’!
Robert Horton is A MAN CALLED SHENANDOAH
Three Western series from the sixties and early
seventies, two of which haven’t been seen since their original airdates, will
be returning starting September 12th on GET-TV, a SONY-owned antenna
company in some markets, and cable or satellite in others.
For years, series that had less than a hundred
episodes were not considered worth syndicating.
All three series had just one season each: A MAN CALLED SHENANDOAH
(1965) produced 34 segments, NICHOLS (1971) had 24, and HONDO (1967) just
17. But the recent success of very
short-lived programs, particularly ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (2003), whose production
was actually revived after a seven-year hiatus, has proved there is life in a
good show no matter how few the episodes.
SHENANDOAH was developed by writer-producer E. Jack
Neuman, who previously created MR. NOVACK (1963), and would go on to develop
THE BLUE KNIGHT (1973), POLICE STORY (1973) and PETROCELLI (1974). It starred
Robert Horton – still going strong at 91 – who’d starred for years on WAGON
TRAIN as head scout Flint McCulloch. When
he left the series in 1962, he announced that he would not do a Western series
again, but was tempted back by the tale of a man who awakens from a savage
beating with no memory of who he is, or why anyone would want to kill him. As he travels the West looking for answers,
his adventures involve a stellar group of guest stars: Oscar winners Cloris
Leachman, Martin Landau and George Kennedy, as well as Bruce Dern, John
Ireland, Warren Oates, Sally Kellerman, L.Q. Jones and Strother Martin.
James Garner as NICHOLS
Between his great TV successes MAVERICK (1957-1962)
and THE ROCKFORD FILES (1974-1980), James Garner starred as the lead character
in NICHOLS, one of his personal favorites.
Set in the early 20th century, Garner plays a career soldier
now tired of fighting, who comes home to the town named for his family, and is
bullied into becoming its lawman, a job he does without packing a gun, and
riding an Indian chopper instead of a horse.
Created by Frank Pierson, writer Juanita Bartlett wrote several episodes
before moving with Garner to ROCKFORD FILES, and NICHOLS shares its humorously
savvy tone. Margot Kidder plays Ruth,
the Miss Kitty of the town, and unlike at the Longbranch, you have no doubts
about what goes on upstairs.
Ralph Taeger as HONDO
Of the three series, only HONDO had exposure after
cancellation. In 1988, Ted Turner bought
MGM’s library, and created TNT. HONDO
started getting a lot of play. A.J. Fenady, who created and produced HONDO,
as well as the just DVD-released THE REBEL starring Nick Adams, recalls those
early cable days. “Ted Turner and I
became pals. He loved THE REBEL, but
next to THE REBEL he loved HONDO. When
he was there at TNT, they played that thing time and again. I saw him one time and I said, ‘For God’s
sake, how long are you going to keep playing those same seventeen episodes of
HONDO?’ And he said, ‘As long as I’m
there.’”
An unusually cheerful HONDO moment.
Ralph Taeger had the unenviable job of taking on a
role that John Wayne made famous. Fenady
thought he was up to the challenge. “You
couldn’t draw a picture of a leading man any better than Ralph. He had the build of Tarzan, he was handsomer
than Randolph Scott, and he had a voice like Humphrey Bogart. If that isn’t a combination for a western, I
don’t know what the Hell is.” Even John Wayne was a fan of the show. “Now Duke used to watch the series, and he
said to me, ‘Ralph Taeger is as good a Hondo as I was.’ Parenthetical pause, ‘Almost.’ Well I loved Ralph Taeger. I talked to him at least once a month until
last year, when he died. And doing the
series HONDO led to (my) doing the movie CHISUM with John Wayne and his son
Michael Wayne.”
In addition to Taeger, the cast included Kathie
Browne, Noah Beery Jr., and Aussie-playing-Indian specialist Michael Pate. Among the guest cast did Fenady have a favorite? “Without doubt, it’s Robert Taylor. See, I’m the first guy who did a two-hour (theatrical)
western, HONDO AND THE APACHES, and used it as a pilot. MGM said, if you could get Robert Taylor to
be in it, we’ll do it. And I got Robert
Taylor, and he was the gentleman of all gentlemen; he was a consummate actor,
and a fine, fine man. And, I’m still
making money from that damned thing, because it’s still being featured
overseas.”
Each series will be re-introduced with a
‘mini-marathon’, starting at noon on Saturday, September 12th with
five episodes of NICHOLS; September 19th with five HONDOS; then
September 26th with ten episodes of A MAN CALLED SHENANDOAH. After,
they’ll be getting regular spots on Saturdays.
Saturday has always been an all-Western feature day for getTV, showcasing a lot of Tim McCoys
and Durango Kid films from the Columbia
Pictures vault, as well as big-budget oaters. Jeff
Meier, getTV’s senior veep of
programming is excited about adding the shows to the line-up. “Although each of these series originally had
a short run, they all feature classic Old West action that will have viewers
agreeing that they were cancelled far too soon.”
60TH
GUNSMOKE ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATED BY REEL COWBOYS SEPT. 18!
On Friday,
September 18th, the 18th annual Silver Spur Awards,
presented by The Reel Cowboys, will honor the 60th anniversary of
the Western TV classic GUNSMOKE! The
event, to be held at the Sportsmen’s Lodge in Studio City, will be attended by
many Western stars who can trace the start of their careers to GUNSMOKE. The event will benefit United Cerebral Palsy and The National Day of the Cowboy. Those planning to attend, subject to their availability,
include
members of the James Arness Family, Bruce
Boxleitner, Morgan Brittany, Angie Dickinson, Ed Faulkner, Mariette Hartley,
Earl Holliman, Bo Hopkins, L.Q. Jones, Martin
Kove, Martin Landau, Michael Learned, Gerald McRaney, Mihaly 'Michu' Meszaros, Mayf Nutter, Jacqueline Scott,
Jon Voight, Johnny Whitaker, and Morgan
Woodward – GUNSMOKE’s most frequent guest star!
There
will be a silent auction, an elegant Delmonico’s-worthy dinner, musical
entertainment, a panel discussion and Q&A led by Bruce Boxleitner, and the
awards presentation – and a chance to clink spurs with some of your favorite
Western stars. Tickets are $125, $175
for VIP seating, and $250 for premium seating.
For tickets, call 818-395-5020. To
learn more, go to the official website HERE.
There
you can also listen to a radio interview with the two folks who are running the
event, Reel Cowboys president Robert Lanthier, and historian and event
coordinator Julie Ann Ream, cousin of Glenn Strange, aka Sam the bartender at
the Longbranch.
‘SANTA FE TRAIL’ SAT., SEPT 12TH AT THE
AUTRY
On Saturday, September 12th, as part of The
Autry’s long-running ‘What is a Western?’ monthly series, SANTA FE TRAIL (WB
1940) will be presented at 1:30 pm at the Wells Fargo Theatre. Admission is free with your admission to the
museum. Directed by Michael Curtiz, it
stars Errol Flynn as Jeb Stuart, and Ronald Reagan as George Custer, West Point
Cadets in the days leading up to the Civil War, with Olivia de Havilland, with
Van Heflin, Alan Hale, and Raymond Massey as John Brown.
One big change is that Jeffrey Richardson, The Autry’s Gamble Curator of Western
History, Popular Culture, and Firearms, who has for years informatively and
entertainingly introduced the films, will not be there; he’s left the Autry for
a curatorial job in New Mexico. Instead,
the film will be introduced by screenwriter, director, Western scholar and
author C. Courtney Joyner, who is very excited about the opportunity. “I consider
this one of Curtiz' best westerns - and it’s the last of the Flynn/de Havilland
team-ups.
There’s lots of history about it - and how far it strays from the
truth!” In compliment to the current,
fascinating exhibition at the Autry, Empire
and Liberty: The Civil War and the West, this and the next pair of films
will have Civil War themes. GLORY (1989)
will screen on October 10th, and THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES (1976) will screen on
November 14th – I’ll be introducing that one!
‘REEL STORIES’ OF THE CIVIL
WAR AT SEPT. 23RD COWBOY LUNCH!
Following an always delicious lunch in the Autry’s Crossroad
Café, Rob Word’s ‘A Word on Westerns’
interview program will focus on how the Civil War has been portrayed on film,
from Keaton’s THE GENERAL to GONE WITH THE WIND and beyond. Confirmed guests include Bruce Boxleitner and
Alex Hyde-White of GODS AND GENERALS and esteemed historian Phil Spangenberger. The program begins at
12:45, but get there early for lunch, and to make sure you get a seat, because
these events always fill up. But don’t get there a week early – the
Autry’s ‘What’s Next? calendar incorrectly says this event is September 16th
– it’s definitely the 23rd!
ROY AND DALE’S APPLE VALLEY FORMER HOME FOR SALE!
Thanks to author Martin Grams for posting
about this in the Rick’s Place site. The former home of
Roy Rogers and Dale Evans in Apple Valley, California, is up for sale. It sold in 2012 for $645,000, and is now
being offered for $770,000. Want to take
an on-line tour? The realtor has made a
ten-minute video, showing not only how the property looks today, but how it
used to look.
ALEX CORD LOOKING TO SELL HIS HOME IN TEXAS!Alex
Norman Rockwell's portrait of
Alex Cord for STAGECOACH
And speaking of desirable
cowboy properties, Alex Cord who, among many other roles, played the Ringo Kid
in the 1966 version of STAGECOACH, and starred in the spaghetti Western A
MINUTE TO PRAY, A SECOND TO DIE (1968), is looking to sell his home in
Texas. He says, “Quail Run Ranch (is) 30 acres with three fenced pastures, run-in sheds,
a pond and a creek running through a wooded area. A custom covered arena with
Bob Kiser footing, 200 feet long and 80 wide, built by Butch Reddish. Charming
house on a hill, 3 bdrms, 2 bth, granite counters, hardwood floors, Jacuzzi
tub, storm shelter. Insulated shop, 40 x 40 ft. Horse barn, 4 indoor stalls and
4 sheltered runs, large tack room, feed room and hay storage, wash rack. Three
connected round pens, 125 feet, 50 ft, and 25 ft. The place is dead quiet,
surrounded by 3 cattle ranches owned by the finest neighbors in the world. It
is secluded but not isolated. Twenty minutes to Denton, one hour to DFW
airport, ten minutes to Gainesville, Walmart, Home Depot, Tractor Supply.”
If you’re
in the market, or know someone who is, you can contact Alex through his
official website, HERE.
THAT’S
A WRAP!
I’ve
decided to make a change to the Round-up. Instead of publishing every weekend, I’m
going to publish every other weekend, or bi-weekly. The fact is, between writing the Round-up, being the Film Editor for TRUE
WEST, and teaching full-time, I’m not devoting any time to a screenplay I’ve been trying to finish for months –
and that’s the job that’s supposed to make me rich and famous! With that in mind, if you have any good tips
to pass along to me, or know of events that I should be covering, please let me
know a little earlier!
Happy
Trails,
Henry
All
Original Contents Copyright September 2015 by Henry C. Parke – All Rights
Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment