This was the quintessential Western from the golden age of television and even 60 years later it still holds the title. The series was a runaway hit lasting an astounding eight seasons on the air producing 284 episodes airing on two major television networks throughout it's run. First it ran for five seasons on NBC premiering on September 18, 1957 until June 13, 1962 airing on Wednesday nights in prime time producing 226 episodes all in black and white(with the exception of five episodes that aired in color during the fifth season). After NBC canceled the series in the summer of 1962, ABC picked up the series for it's last three seasons airing from September 19, 1962 until May 2, 1965 where a total of 95 episodes were produced with Season 6 producing 37 episodes in black and white and Season 8 producing 26 episodes. Then on September 16, 1963 the series moved from Wednesday nights to Monday nights for it's seventh season where the show expanded to 90 minutes in color where 32 episodes were produced. The series was produced by Revue Studios from 1957 until 1963. From 1963 to 1965 the series was produced by Universal Television.The series debuted in the fall of 1957 at number 15 in the Nielsen ratings, rose to number two in the next three seasons,and peaked at number one in the 1961-1962 season. When it moved to ABC in the fall of 1962 the ratings began to decline and "Wagon Train" never again make the top 20 listings. The series starred Ward Bond as Major Seth Adams(Seasons 1-4) and was replaced upon his death by John McIntire as Christopher Hale(Seasons 4-8),and Robert Horton as Scout Flint McCullough(Seasons 1-5),and was replaced by Scott Miller(Seasons 6-8),and Robert Fuller(Seasons 7-8) along with Michael Burns(Seasons 5-8). Actors Frank McGrath and Terry Wilson were the only cast members that were with the series throughout it's entire run.An array of directors included Virgil W. Vogel (who directed over 80 episodes of the series), along with Joseph Pevney, Jerry Hopper, Allen H. Miner, Earl Bellamy, Herschel Daugherty, David Butler, Christian Nyby, Sutton Roley, Sidney Lanfield, Andrew V. McLaglen, Mark Stevens, and William Witney. Fantastic writers included Norman Jolley, Jean Holloway, Aaron Spelling, Thomas Thompson, Calvin Clements, Gene L. Coon, David Swift along with Harold Swanton and John McGreevey contributed to some of the stories. "Wagon Train" was so popular it became the attraction for an impressive array of guest stars ranging from Bette Davis, Rhonda Fleming, Barbara Stanwyck, Lee Marvin, Ronald Reagan, Leslie Nielsen, Joan Crawford, Ernest Borgnine, Carolyn Jones, Robert Culp, Agnes Moorehead, Glibert Roland, Charles Bronson, James Caan, Burgess Meredith just to name a few. And lists goes on and on...."Wagon Train" kept on rolling in as the new regulars were added to the episodes until the train came to an end in the Spring of 1965.

I'm from Thousand Oaks and like watching this old show just to say: "Look! George and I used to ride bicycles there!" and later: "Look! I used to ride my dirt bike there!" Conejo Flats is in a lot of scenes and I've heard they have yet to build houses there. Let's hope that's true. One of the kids in "Stand By Me" once said that the "Wagon Train" never seems to get anywhere. Now, when I watch it, I tell my wife: "They never seem to leave the Conejo Valley." Easy,David Fruhling, TOHS Class of 1973

One would think that the episodes of this Western that featured super star Ward Bond would have been much better, but the opposite was true.The wagon train that should have had great stories foundered with the most predictable clichés during the run in which Ward Bond and Robert Horton were the mainstays. The writing was simply a rehash of every Hollywood formula ever. It looked to be written for women instead of men, as any gorgeous babe was killed off during this spree. One got the idea that the directors and writers were being jilted by (or for) such women.The writing got much better for the later wagon master, and the later romantic muscle man, Duke. The stories became much more unpredictable, and had a taste of true theatrics to them.The series had some action, but most was implied, and the "stage presentation" was of the utmost importance. That's why the writing was so important. It isn't because of the actors, who all did their jobs well. It was the direction and writing that plagued this series for too long. The subject matter was such that this should have been much better. This turned out to be one of the biggest disappointments in TV series history.

The idea of a story featuring 8, 10 or a Baker's Dozen of characters, all caught up in several different stories of their own; has long been a favourite in Hollywood; for making that "Big" movie. You know that one that the Studio Moguls all fancied to be their shortcut to "Best Picture Oscar." The Genre's greatest exponent and possibly the earliest example lies in GRAND HOTEL (MGM, 1932) with Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Wallace Berry, Lionel Barrymore, et al. It's cousin or sort of Wartime example of the type (sharing Playwright Vicki Baum); is HOTEL BERLIN (Warner Brothers, 1945) with Faye Emerson, Helmut Dantine, Raymond Massey, Andrea King, Peter Lorre, Alan Hale, Kurt Krueger, George Coulouris, Peter Whitney, Steven Geray, Hank Daniell* and a whole lot of other regular Warners Players.Dangerous passage on Commercial Airliners was a popular variation on the "Troubled Microcosm" type story and THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY (Wayne-Fellows/Warner Brothers, 1954) with "the Duke" and a huge supporting cast headed up this parade of Winged Tragedy. The Troubled Skies would soon grow crowded. Read on.Arthur Hailey's novels provided fodder for adaptation; leading off with HOTEL (Warner Brothers, 1967). Following it by three years, we saw AIRPORT (Universal, 1970). Once again we have a film with a top notch cast featuring: Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Jean Seberg, Jacqueline Bisset, George Kennedy, Helen Hayes, Van Heflin, Maureen Stapleton, Barry Nelson Dana Wynter, Lloyd Nolan, Barbara and our old friend from Courts' Hollywood Collectibles Shows here in Chicago, the very talented and personable Mr. Paul Picerni.Arthur Hailey's AIRPORT, which has been called "HOTEL with Wings", is a unique movie. The one feature that sets it apart is that the film not only sired several sequels; but also a bastard of the line in the Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker production, the send-up, AIRPLANE (Paramount, 1980).AS it turns out, AIRPLANE! is a fracturing of another airliner disaster microcosm film, ZERO HOUR (Paramount, 1957) with Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell and Sterling Hayden; which in turn was scripted by the same Arthur Hailey!! So when the "Microcosm of Mankind" idea is to be applied to Network Television, what sort of a series would be the lucky recipient? THE WINNER is a Western, of course! Remember, Schultz; this was 1957 and the Horse Opera ruled Supreme! WITH all of this expositional comparison and lead in done; we can now dig in to our victim of Today's "Roast", which is of course "WAGON TRAIN" (Revue Studios/Universal TV, 1957-65). The Series started off a winner and stayed out in front in the ratings race for most of its run on the Networks; being NBC, 1957-61 and ABC 1962-65.It's simple, yet one that is deeply seeded in the Collective Psyche of the American People. We all know about pioneers, striking out from the relative safety of settlements in Colonies (Later States) located near either the Atlantic or the Gulf Coast and transporting whole families and their household possessions Westward; hoping for a new start, a better life and a chance to give their families what they never had for themselves. And all of this enduring of hardship was complicated by the uncertainty of their dealing with Hostile Indians, floods, snowy blizzards, mountains desserts and potential near starvation in "impassible passes." The WAGON TRAIN Series began with a solid foundation. The cast was headed up by Ward Bond as Major Adams (1957-61) and was replaced after his death by John McIntire as new boss Christopher Hale (1961-65). Both men were properly autocratic and enough of a Father Figure to pull it off as THE Big Kahuna of the operation. Other regulars were: Terry Wilson (as Bill Hawks 1957-65), Denny Miller (as Duke Shannon1961-65), Robert Fuller (Cooper Smith 1959-65), Michael Burns (Barnaby West 1960-65), Robert Horton (Flint McCullough 1957-62) and last, but not least; everybody's Favourite Frank McGrath (Charlie Wooster 1957-65). Mr. McGrath's and Terry Wilson's being the only two players to go coast to coast with the weekly convoy of horse drawn "Ships of the Plains." AS for Guest Stars, WAGON TRAIN never wanted for any; and it was designed to have at least one or two per weekly visitation in our homes. The list of visiting dignitaries from Hollywood's top Stars and Character Actors is as long as your arm. It included Dan Duryea, Carolyn Jones, Everett Sloane, Dana Wynter and Art Linkletter! Each Hour-Long Drama was like a "B" Movie, telling the stories of yet again yet a different journey from oh, say Missouri to California, or the Oregon Territory, which as we all know includes the present day State of Washington as well as Oregon.Now that mad for an awful lot of trips taking months and months; but we didn't care, as each story came to an acceptable, if not exactly always happy ending.NOTE: * Okay, we give up! It should be Henry Daniell, not Hank Daniell. Boy, what a difference a little nickname makes! Just call it an early April Fools Joke, courtesy of Schultz and Myself!