Television Westerns of the Sixties Quiz

Answer: Bonanza

"Bonanza" aired the first episode on September 12, 1959, and ran until 1973 with various cast changes. The show gained popularity during the sixties and during the 1964 and 1965 seasons it was rated number one. By the time the show went off the air it was number 20 in the ratings. During the first three seasons the costumes varied, but beginning with the fourth season each actor began wearing identifiable garb that associated them with the character. The entire ensemble recorded a version of the famous theme song and Lorne Greene went on to have a recording career singing Western songs such as the number one "Ringo" in 1964. "The Big Valley" and "Wild Wild West" began in 1965. "The Travels of Jamie McPheeters" ran from 1963-1964 and starred a young Kurt Russell.

Interesting fact: Michael Landon was the only regular cast member to have never worn a hairpiece during the entire run of "Bonanza", including Victor Sen Yung, who played Hop Sing.

Answer: Lawman

Chuck Connors look-alike John Russell starred as "The Lawman" when it started its run in 1958. Dale Robertson's first series was "Tales of Wells Fargo", which ran from 1957 to 1962. In the sixties Dale starred on "Iron Horse" with a young up-and-coming actress named Ellen Burstyn. From 1969 to 1972 Dale starred in "Death Valley Days" as the regular narrator. He succeeded such luminaries as Ronald Reagan and Robert Taylor on the series. In 1962 he also appeared on "The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show".

Interesting fact; Dale appeared in over 63 films and several television shows despite never having any formal acting training.

Answer: He won it in a poker game.

"Iron Horse" starred Dale Robertson along side Gary Collins before Collins starred in "The Sixth Sense" and gained fame as a talk show host. Dale Robertson portrayed gambler Ben Calhoun who bet his entire ante against the railroad owner and ended up winning the rail line. The show centered around his struggles while completing the railroad line despite his lack of experience in the business. The sixty minute show aired for two seasons and completed 47 episodes between 1966-1968.

Interesting fact; Although Dale went on to win several awards including induction in the Cowboy Hall of Fame, his first award was The Sour Apple Award which went to the Least Cooperative Actor in 1953.

Answer: Shenandoah

"Man from Shenandoah" featured Horton as a man who was left for dead and had no recollection of who he was. During each episode he would wander the west trying to learn his identity. At the end of the series it was learned that he was a card shark who had been a Union officer. Horton was also an excellent singer and sang the opening theme to the show. After his last Western he appeared on "As the World Turns" between 1983 and 1984. He also played the role made famous by Burt Lancaster in "Elmer Gantry" during a stage play that ran for 330 performances.

Interesting fact; In 1966 Horton starred in the made-for-TV movie "The Dangerous Days of Kiowa Jones". After the Western was shown on television it was distributed as a movie to European cinemas. It co-starred Sal Mineo as a killer.

Answer: Walter Brennan

Walter Brennan starred in "The Guns of Will Sonnett". He appeared in many classic films and as of 2008 remains the only actor to win three Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor ("Come and Get It" (1936), "Kentucky (1938)" and "The Westerner" (1940)). Brennan appeared in numerous films beginning in 1925 as well as television series such as "The Tycoon" (1964), "The Real McCoys" (1957) and "To Rome With Love" (1970). In "The Guns of Will Sonnett" Brennan played a man who rode with his grandson in search of the boy's father who was wrongfully accused of a crime. Henry Fonda was a regular on "The Deputy" from 1959 to 1961. Chill Wills was a star of the sixties Western "Frontier Circus" from 1960 to 1961 with John Derek, Bo's future husband. Stewart starred in many Western movies but not in a TV Western.

Interesting Fact; Walter Brennan played The Three Stooges' father on a 1935 episode entitled "Restless Knights".

Answer: The Monroes

Michael Anderson, Jr. played the oldest of five sibling including a set of twins. The orphaned family faced the perils of the old west assisted by an Indian. In addition to having to survive in the Wyoming wilderness they also have to cope with a man who was trying to swindle the inherited land from them. "The Reivers" is a 1969 movie starring Steve McQueen. "The Dakotas" ran for the 1963 season and featured a band of men led by Jack Elam trying to keep order in the Dakota territory. "Our Five Daughters" was a 1962 soap opera.

Interesting fact; While most people remember the legendary "Batman" series, few remember that "The Monroes" appeared right after Batman. So few that it canceled after one season.

Answer: Burke's Law

"Burke's Law" was a contemporary detective series that ran from 1963 to 1965. The final season of the series was titled "Amos Burke, Secret Agent". The show aired again from 1994 to 1995 as "Burke's Law". Actress Anne Francis starred in the original series as female detective Honey West and ended up with her own spin-off series titled "Honey West" in 1965. "Cimarron Strip" was a 90-minute Western running from 1967 to 1968. "Pistols 'n' Petticoats" was a Western sitcom that ran for the 1966-1967 season. "Stoney Burke" was broadcast from 1962 until 1963. The series starred Jack Lord as a rodeo wrangler before he starred in "Hawaii 5-0".

Interesting fact: Gene Barry, who starred as Amos Burke, also played "Bat Masterson" in the fifties television show of the same name.

Answer: David Carradine

David Carradine starred as Shane in the television series before he went on to fame playing Kwai Chang Caine in the seventies television series "Kung Fu". "Shane" was similar to "Kung Fu" because it ran as a continuing series from episode to episode. Actress Jill Ireland was cast as a regular on the series which also featured Bert Freed. Lupton and Ansara starred in "Broken Arrow", a fifties series that ran throughout the sixties as reruns. Michael Ansara played Cochise. He was married to Barbara Eden from 1958-1974. Peter Graves starred in "Fury" during the fifties.

Interesting fact; Bert Freed was the first actor to play Columbo when he appeared as the detective in an episode of the "Chevy Mystery Theatre" in 1960. Peter Falk assumed the role in 1967.

Answer: The High Chaparral

"The High Chaparral" aired from 1967 to 1971. David Dortort had already created "Bonanza" and left production of the show to focus on "The High Chaparral". When the series folded he retired. The show featured Leif Erickson as "Big" John Cannon, an Arizona rancher in the 1870s. After his wife died in the first episode he married a character played by Linda Cristal. Cameron Mitchell and Mark Slade were among the cast who portrayed characters on the ranch.
"The Loner" ran for less than one season airing 26 episodes from 1965 to 1966. "Gunslinger" starred Tony Young and only aired 12 shows in 1961. "The Westerner" ran for only thirteen episodes in 1960 despite critical approval.

Interesting fact; The role of Cochise was played by Nino Cochise, the actual grandson of Cochise. He only had one leg requiring assistance mounting a horse. And he was 92 years old.

Answer: Secret Service Agents

In 1965 the show was conceived as a Western spy thriller to maintain audience appeal when Westerns were becoming unpopular. It ran through the 1969 season airing over 100 episodes. The show starred Robert Conrad and Ross Martin as two Secret Service agents who had the duty of protecting President Grant. Their main means of travel was aboard a train called "The Wanderer". Ross Martin's character Artemus Gordon wore over 100 disguises during the show's run and effected several dialects. The recurring villains were played by Victor Buono and Michael Dunn with guest stars also portraying enemies. Agnes Moorehead won an Emmy for her role as a villain in one episode. The show also featured various gadgets such as a sleeve gun and stage coach ejection seat.

Interesting fact; The Secret Service was indeed formed in 1865. Ulysses Grant was elected in 1869, however the service did not begin guarding presidents until after President William McKinley's assassination in 1901.