Post by tHeOwL on Aug 29, 2004 12:45:54 GMT -5
Please reply to this post for your memories of these shows - - Feel free to make any comments or suggestions of your own
GUNSMOKE
Western
FIRST TELECAST: September 10, 1955
MUSICAL THEME: "Gunsmoke Trails," by Rex Koury
Gunsmoke had its genesis on CBS radio in the spring of 1952, with William Conrad in the role of the resolute, determined Marshal Matt Dillon. Conrad, who later became TV's Cannon in the 1970s, remained the radio voice of Matt Dillon for a total of nine years, but when CBS decided to add a video version of the series the first choice for the role was John Wayne. Wayne did not want to commit to the rigors of a weekly television series and suggested James Arness, a young, relatively unknown actor friend of his. Arness, six feet seven inches in height, was even bigger physically than John Wayne, and he proved to be perfect casting for the role of the heroic marshal.
BONANZA
Western
FIRST TELECAST: September 12, 1959
THEME: "Bonanza," by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans
Set in the vicinity of Virginia City, Nevada, during the years of the Civil War, soon after the discover of the fabulous Comstock Silver Lode, Bonanza was the story of a prosperous family of ranchers. Widower Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene) was the patriarch of the all-male clan and owner of the thousand-square-mile Ponderosa Ranch. Each of his three sons had been borne by a different wife, none of whom were still alive. Adam (Pernell Roberts), the oldest of the half-brothers, was the most serious and introspective, the likely successor to his father as the controlling force behind the sprawling Cartwright holdings. Hoss (Dan Blocker), the middle son, was a mountain of a man who was as gentle as he was huge, at times naive, and not particularly bright. Little Joe (Michael Landon) was the youngest, most impulsive, and most romantic of the Cartwright offspring. The adventures of these men, individually and collectively, their dealings with the mining interests and the ranching interests, and the people whose paths crossed theirs made up the stories on Bonanza.
GUNSMOKE
Western
FIRST TELECAST: September 10, 1955
MUSICAL THEME: "Gunsmoke Trails," by Rex Koury
Gunsmoke had its genesis on CBS radio in the spring of 1952, with William Conrad in the role of the resolute, determined Marshal Matt Dillon. Conrad, who later became TV's Cannon in the 1970s, remained the radio voice of Matt Dillon for a total of nine years, but when CBS decided to add a video version of the series the first choice for the role was John Wayne. Wayne did not want to commit to the rigors of a weekly television series and suggested James Arness, a young, relatively unknown actor friend of his. Arness, six feet seven inches in height, was even bigger physically than John Wayne, and he proved to be perfect casting for the role of the heroic marshal.
BONANZA
Western
FIRST TELECAST: September 12, 1959
THEME: "Bonanza," by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans
Set in the vicinity of Virginia City, Nevada, during the years of the Civil War, soon after the discover of the fabulous Comstock Silver Lode, Bonanza was the story of a prosperous family of ranchers. Widower Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene) was the patriarch of the all-male clan and owner of the thousand-square-mile Ponderosa Ranch. Each of his three sons had been borne by a different wife, none of whom were still alive. Adam (Pernell Roberts), the oldest of the half-brothers, was the most serious and introspective, the likely successor to his father as the controlling force behind the sprawling Cartwright holdings. Hoss (Dan Blocker), the middle son, was a mountain of a man who was as gentle as he was huge, at times naive, and not particularly bright. Little Joe (Michael Landon) was the youngest, most impulsive, and most romantic of the Cartwright offspring. The adventures of these men, individually and collectively, their dealings with the mining interests and the ranching interests, and the people whose paths crossed theirs made up the stories on Bonanza.
