Though it has been imitated all over the world, it is truly and American phenomenon. The Western.
It began in the movies, with Bronco Billy Anderson, William S. Hart, Tom Mix, Buck Jones, Hoot Gibson, Tim McCoy; then along came Gary Cooper, Randolph Scott, Jimmy Stewart, and many others, who added a touch of class and sophistication to the oaters.
When television came on the scene, the easiest thing to do was cannibalize the movies (and radio, which had also latched onto the western). So television's first cowboy heroes were Hopalong Cassidy, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and The Lone Ranger.
Gradually, however, television began to create it's on characters, and in 1955 it was ready to put it's on brand on the western. These television westerns were to be called "adult westerns." Previously, westerns had been primarily aimed at children, telecast during the day and early evening. But beginning in 1955 television wanted to attract grownups in the audience. So a new brand of westerns began galloping across the screen... uh.. the plains—Wyatt Earp, Matt Dillon, (Gunsmoke), Paladin, (Have Gun, Will Travel), Lucas McCain (The Rifleman), Bat Materson. By 1959 there were thirty-two different westerns on television. Hour after hour of pounding hooves, gun fire, street brawls, barrroom fights, showdowns and dauntless heroes. All over America, youngsters were practicing their fast draws and playing cowboy games.
But the adult westerns were not all gunplay. In fact some purists complained that they did not have enough action. "Too much talk," said Gene Autry, "Television westerns drive me nuts. To slow."
In the early film westerns it was all so simple—the white hats vs. the black hats and no problem that could not be solved with a six-shooter. But in television it was different. You never knew what color hat the good guy would be wearing. And that trusty shootin' iron... many was the week when it never left the holster.
I tend to agree with Gene Autry on some of those early TV westerns.. "too much talk." I was watching an episode of "The Restless Gun," with John Payne recently and noticed it was a little to talky for me. And Bonanza was always to talky... frankly Bonanza never really appealed to me. I always opted for one of those great detective or police drama's, like "Hawaii Five-O" or "The FBI."
Speaking of Bonanza.. it was extremely popular with television audiences. It became the most popular television show on the air. And Gunsmoke kept running forever.
In recent years it seems the western has pretty much disappeared from our television screens. You know, I wonder if Hollywood has forgotten how to make them. Because when they do make a western for film or television these days they're just not very good. "Brokeback Mountain,"released in 2005 about two gay cowboys it proof that Hollywood has lost the art of making a good westerns. Talk about a piece of junk! Actually Brokeback Mountain isn't a westerns at all, it's really just another porn movie! If John Wayne were alive today, he would probably have thrown up at the thought of gay cowboys.
So if you want to watch a western... a real western... guess you'll have to shop the internet for some old favorites... Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Allan 'Rocky' Lane, Tim Holt, Randolph Scott, John Wayne and more. Real
Westerns, available from
The Nostalgia Merchant.
