The Virginian western tv show LIMITED TIME
The Virginian (known as The Men From Shiloh in its final year) is an American Western television series starring James Drury and Doug McClure, which aired on NBC from 1962 to 1971 for a total of 249 episodes. Filmed in color, The Virginian became television’s first 90-minute western series (75 minutes excluding commercial breaks). Immensely successful, it ran for nine seasons—television’s third longest running western. It follows Bonanza at fourteen seasons and 430 episodes, and Gunsmoke at twenty seasons and 635 episodes.
James Drury and Doug McClure were the only performers who appeared in all nine seasons of the series (season numbers follow cast members name).
James Drury as The Virginian (Seasons 1–9)
Doug McClure as Trampas (Seasons 1–9)
Lee J. Cobb as Judge Henry Garth (Seasons 1–4)[7]
Gary Clarke as Steve Hill (Season 1–3)[7]
Roberta Shore as Betsy Garth (Seasons 1–4)
Pippa Scott as Molly Wood (Season 1)
Ross Elliott as Sheriff Abbott (Seasons 1–3; 5–9)
Frank Sully as Bartender Danny (Seasons 1–5)
John Bryant as Dr. Spaulding (Seasons 2–6)
Randy Boone as Randy Benton (Seasons 2–4)
Harper Flaherty as Harper (Seasons 2–8)
L.Q. Jones as Andy Belden (Seasons 2–6; 9)
Clu Gulager as Deputy Ryker (Seasons 3–6)[10]
Diane Roter as Jennifer, Garth’s niece (Season 4)
John Dehner as Morgan Starr (Season 4)
Harlan Warde as Sheriff Brannan (Season 4)
Charles Bickford as John Grainger (Seasons 5–6)
Don Quine as Stacey Grainger (Seasons 5–6)
Sara Lane as Elizabeth Grainger (Seasons 5–8)
John McIntire as Clay Grainger (Seasons 6–8)
Jeanette Nolan as Holly Grainger (Season 6-8)
David Hartman as Dave Sutton (Season 7)
Tim Matheson as Jim Horn (Season 8)
Stewart Granger as Col. MacKenzie (Season 9)
Lee Majors as Roy Tate (Season 9)
Stuart Nisbet as Bartender Bart (Seasons 5-8)
Jean Peloquin (aka Joe Cannon) as Gene (Seasons 7-9)
Set around the year 1886, and loosely based on the 1902 novel by Owen Wister, the series revolved around the tough foreman of the Shiloh Ranch, played by James Drury. He and his top hand Trampas (Doug McClure) were the only characters to remain with the show for the entire run. As in the book, the foreman went only by the name “The Virginian.” The Virginian’s real name was never revealed in the nine years the show was on the air. The series was set in Medicine Bow, Wyoming, and circled around the foreman’s quest to maintain an orderly lifestyle at Shiloh. The ranch was named after the two day American Civil War Battle of Shiloh, Tennessee. The Virginian’s white Appaloosa was named Joe D., and Traas’ buckskin horse was named Buck. As the show progressed, Trampas became the more developed of the characters, and it continues to be the role for which actor Doug McClure was best known.
There were several cast changes throughout the program’s run. In the first, second and third seasons, the owner of the ranch was Judge Garth (Lee J. Cobb). His daughter Betsy (Roberta Shore) lived at the ranch with him, and had a sister relationship with the ranch hands. Randy Boone joined the show in the second season as a youthful ranch hand who played guitar and sang duets with Betsy. (In 1965 Decca Records released an LP of songs from the two singing actors.) In the third season, Clu Gulager was added to the show as the restless deputy Emmett Ryker. After executive producer Frank Price was replaced by Norman MacDonnell at the end of season 3, season 4 became a troublesome time. When Roberta Shore left the cast, MacDonnell added a new leading woman—Diane Roter, who played Jennifer, the Judge’s niece. When Lee J. Cobb also left the show, John Dehner was brought in as the new owner, Morgan Starr. His demanding presence and tough demeanor did not fit well with the show, nor did fans like his character. Frank Price was brought back on board for season 5 to straighten out the series. He replaced the characters of Starr and Jennifer with a few actors who brought back the family atmosphere to the show. John Grainger (played by Charles Bickford) became the new owner. Elizabeth Grainger (played by Sara Lane), was John Grainger’s granddaughter. Her brother Stacey (Don Quine) rounded out this new cast. Although Price left again, the series continued smoothly in the pattern that he set. In season 6, Clay Grainger (played by John McIntire) took over ownership after his brother’s apparent departure “on business.” (John Grainger’s abrupt series exit, due to Charles Bickford’s sudden death on November 9, 1967, was never properly explained onscreen.) The sixth season also added Holly Grainger (played by Jeanette Nolan, McIntire’s real-life wife) as the wife of Clay. Season 7 saw the entrance of David Sutton, played by David Hartman. However, Sutton was replaced in season 8 with a younger hand, Jim Horn (played by Tim Matheson).
Season 9
In season 9, the name of the program was changed to The Men from Shiloh and the look of the series was completely redesigned. Ownership was changed once more, and Colonel Alan MacKenzie (Stewart Granger) took over. In several countries, including the United Kingdom, the show went under the extended title The Virginian: Men From Shiloh. The opening theme song was changed to a new one, composed by Ennio Morricone, and the look of the show was changed reflecting a style similar to spaghetti westerns, which were very popular at the time. The hats worn featured much broader brims and higher crowns. The clothing was also jauntier and more imaginative. These changes brought a better ranking (#18) in the top 30 prime-time shows, after the previous year saw the show slip out of the top 30 rankings for the first time ever. The final season operated on a “rotating lead actor” basis of the four stars, with normally just one lead appearing each week. Two of the four lead actors (Lee Majors and Doug McClure) never appeared together in the last season. The ranch itself played a very nominal part in season 9, with most scripts featuring the four stars away from the ranch. There seemed little that could save it, as the final season brought in several big guest stars to the remaining episodes. The studio and network were set on ending the series, as evidenced by rivals CBS and ABC making demographic moves away from rural-oriented shows (see “rural purge” for more information). The final episode aired on March 24, 1971, ending the show’s nine-season run. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Virginian_(TV_series)
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