Westward Ho! Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Gem

Al Swearengen, played by Ian Mcshane, owned The Gem Saloon. "Deadwood" was centred around the town of the same name and charted the rise from camp to town. Much of the script (by David Milch) was based on newspapers, letters and historical documents of the time, but there were also many fictional elements. Several real life characters, such as Wild Bill Hickock (Keith Carradine), made an appearance. "Deadwood" was noted for strong language and was cancelled after three seasons, although many felt it could have continued longer.

Answer: Ponderosa

"Ponderosa" ran for one season only in 2001/02. It was supposed to be a prequel to "Bonanza" but with less fighting and more concentration on the young Cartwrights and their early life on the ranch. It starred Matthew Carmody as Adam Cartright and Daniel Hugh as Ben Cartwright. Poor ratings coupled with high production costs saw it cancelled after only one season.

NOTE - This should not be confused with the series "Ponderosa" screened in the 1970s, which was the title given by NBC to repeats of the original "Bonanza" series.

Answer: Kung Fu

"Kung Fu", which ran from 1972 until 1975, starred David Carradine as a Shaolin monk who came to America searching for his half brother. Although the combination of martial arts and western gun fighting might have seemed odd from time to time, historically a lot of Chinese immigrants did work building the railroads across America, so that premise was not as far fetched as it at first appeared.

The series made effective use of flashbacks to Carradine's training at the Shaolin monastery, and much of the appeal of the series was the use of his mental and spiritual powers against the might of the gun.

Answer: Maverick

"Maverick" ran from 1957 until 1962. With James Garner as Brett Maverick and Jack Kelly as Bart Maverick, it was about two gambling brothers. Roger Moore joined in the third season as the English cousin, Beau Maverick. There was quite a high comedy element to this series.

Many of the classic western elements were missing from "Maverick", notably gun fights. There were fist fights, but none of the Maverick family were noted for quick draw shoot outs.

Answer: California

"Wagon Train" started in 1957 and ran until 1965. Originally Ward Bond played the wagonmaster, but he was replaced by John McIntire following his death. Robert Horton was the scout, Flint McCullough, and he too was replaced when he quit the series after the death of Ward Bond. Each episode looked at not only the wagon train in general as it made its way to California, but usually featured one particular would-be settler or family of settlers.

This led to opportunities for a host of guest stars, which, over the years, included Ernest Borgnine, Bette Davis, Angie Dickinson and Lon Chaney Jnr. amongst others.

Answer: Gunsmoke

"Gunsmoke" ran from 1955 to 1975 on television, and held the record for the longest running prime time television series of the 20th century. It transferred to television from radio. James Arness played Marshall Matt Dillon, a role played by William Conrad on radio, and Dennis Weaver played Deputy Chester Goode. Love interest was added by Amanda Blake as Miss Kitty, the saloon owner.

It was set in Dodge City, where Marshall Dillon defended the town from various lawless elements. As with all television westerns of the time, good always won out over bad.

Answer: Reformed

Running from 1971 to 1973, the series featured two outlaws, Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry, played by Pete Duel and Ben Murphy. They were promised a conditional pardon but remained outlaws until they proved they had reformed. The series followed them as they travelled across the west involving themselves in various lives on the way.

In 1971 Pete Duel died and his place was taken by Roger Davis, who had provided narration for the series. There was hardly any interruption at all in shooting, which led to heavy press criticism at the time.

The series was cancelled seventeen episodes later.

Answer: Bronco Layne

Clint Walker, who played Cheyenne Bodie, had an argument with Warner Brothers over terms, and went on strike. In his absence, Bronco Layne, played by Ty Hardin, was brought in as a new central character, but the series still aired under the name of "Cheyenne".

When Walker settled terms and returned, Bronco Layne continued to appear from time to time, but eventually "Bronco", with Ty Hardin in the lead role, emerged as a stand alone series.

Answer: Tales of Wells Fargo

Running from 1957 to 1962, "Tales of Wells Fargo" saw Special Agent Jim Hardie as a company troubleshooter tracking down outlaws, gun runners, smugglers, anyone who threatened the Wells Fargo company. There was only a small regular cast, but, like other series of the time, there was a stellar role call of guest stars. During the run of the series these included Steve McQueen, Michael Landon, James Coburn, Chuck Connors and Jack Nicholson.

Many of the television production companies of the 1950s and 1960s were run by or affiliated to some of the major Hollywood studios, so big stars often cropped up in small roles in television series. Equally many actors got their first roles in these series.

Answer: Murder

Grizzly Adams, played by Dan Haggerty, fled to the mountains after being wrongly accused of murder. He found an orphan bear cub who he raised and the bear, called Ben, became his closest friend. The stars of the show were undoubtedly Ben, a trained grizzly bear called Bozo, and the various wildlife that Adams spent his time protecting. Denver Pyle played trader Mad Jack, and he and Nakoma (Don Shanks) were Grizzly Adams only two regular human companions.