Saturday, December 17, 2016
WRLEM TV: Tales of Wells Fargo
Recently we were watching "Time Tunnel" on Hulu and they had a baby Robert Duvall playing a heavy. He was in his twenties at the time. It is always fun to watch an old episodic TV show and some famous actor has a bit part when he is just starting out.
Anyway there was a character actor in one of the episodes of Time Tunnel that we couldn't place and I looked him up on IMBD. This guy named Harry Lauter played a bad guy on just about everyone of my favorite shows from when I was a kid. Gunsmoke. Bonanza The Big Valley. The Virginan. Ironside. Mannix. Cannon. Gomer Pyle. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Rawhide. Ozzie and Harriet. Peter Gunn. Have Gun Will Travel. Just about everything I ever enjoyed watching.
One of my new things to do is catch these old shows on Youtube. Most of them are available because I guess the studios don't care anymore. So as I was reviewing his IMBD I noticed that he appeared on an old favorite. "Tales of Wells Fargo." When I looked it up on Youtube there were entire seasons. This is the first episode of the very popular series. A famous TV cowboy has a bit part. I am sure you know who he is. This was in between times of playing for the Dodgers and the Boston Celtics. He was one busy bastard.
Anyhoo. Enjoy Western fans!
I know Ed will get a kick out of it.
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One of the most interesting things about the Rifleman. He was a pal of another Russian despot. From Wikipedia:
"Connors was introduced to Leonid Brezhnev, the leader of the Soviet Union, at a party given by Nixon at the Western White House in San Clemente, California, in June 1973. Connors presented Brezhnev with a pair of Colt Single Action Army "Six-Shooters" (revolvers) which Brezhnev liked greatly. Upon boarding his airplane bound for Moscow, Brezhnev noticed Connors in the crowd and went back to him to shake hands, and jokingly jumped up into Connors' towering hug. The Rifleman was one of the few American shows allowed on Russian television at that time; that was because it was Brezhnev's favorite. Connors and Brezhnev got along so well that Connors traveled to the Soviet Union in December 1973. In 1982, Connors expressed an interest in traveling to the Soviet Union for Brezhnev's funeral, but the U.S. government would not allow him to be part of the official delegation. Coincidentally, Connors and Brezhnev died on the same day, ten years apart."
And his name was Button Smith (I didn't even have to look it up).
Ah, yes, I remember it well.
Fun fact: Wells Fargo was one of the very few late season replacements.
In them that days, the TV season was 39 weeks.
It began when school started and ended about the time summer vacation began. Mid-season wasn't around Valentine's Day, but just before Christmas (13 weeks). If a new show was faltering, that's when they put in the replacement (still do).
Late season was around St Paddy's Day (26 weeks). It was rare they'd do 2 replacements for a time slot, but, sometimes an old show they'd tried to keep going had run out of gas or a limited run show (think "Victory At Sea") had run its course, so they'd need something to fill in the last 13 weeks - it was rare these were picked up, but Jim Hardie was an instant hit with viewers.
Funner fact: Even the summer was a season. A lot of first run shows aired then, so, technically, there were 4 TV seasons - every now and again, one of those summer shows (remember "Secret Agent"?) would do well enough to be picked as a mid- or late season replacement.
What's fascinating is that all that product, black and white, shoestring budgets, was almost always better than what's on today.
And you are right, Troop, I did get a kick out of it. Thanks for making me smile.
Glad you like it ed.
I have been watching episodes and a funny thing happened. Just as in "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp" they take historical figures and use them in the show. Jesse James. Sam Bass. Belle Starr. Doc Holiday. The Clantons.
It even gave me some inspiration for some stories. Imagine a series about the Clantons with them as the heroes and the Earps as the villains. That would be pretty interesting.
I watched it up until the part when Connors said he'd never been with a woman.
You sure this was his first "movie," Troop?
I loved "Time Tunnel" as a kid and remember watching it in prime time. The Titanic episode was my favorite, natch.
Was the Robert Duvall scene you mentioned before this one?
Did the Time Tunnel travelers go back to the O.K. Corral? I seem to recall that Star Trek revisited that great western moment.
I was big on Maverick with James Garner. He reprised--sort of--that role in the movies, Support Your Local Sherriff and Support Your Local Gunfighter. So far as I can remember, he was the only western hero ever with a self deprecatory sense of humor.........Bonanza faded after Hoss died. No one thought of him as the star or as anything more than a featured player, but the show's ratings dropped precipitously after his death. No wonder Game of Thrones is reluctant to kill off Hound.
People didn't want to see him go anything but Brother Bret and they got tired of that.
chickelit said...
I loved "Time Tunnel" as a kid and remember watching it in prime time. The Titanic episode was my favorite, natch.
That was the pilot.
Did the Time Tunnel travelers go back to the O.K. Corral? I seem to recall that Star Trek revisited that great western moment.
Little Big horn was as close as they got.
Actually there was a Billy the Kid episode.
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