"Have Gun - Will Travel" (1957) TV series 1957-1963

User Rating:

8.7/10   

Creators:

Herb Meadow
Sam Rolfe
(more)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Release Date:

14 September 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Plot:

Professional gunfighter Paladin was a West Point graduate who, after the Civil War, settled into San...

Plot Keywords:

Gunfighter | Cult Western | Cult Favorite | Cult TV

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys.

Cast

Richard Boone	...	Paladin / ... (226 episodes, 1957-1963)
Kam Tong	...	Hey Boy / ... (97 episodes, 1957-1963)

(more)

Series Directed by
Andrew V. McLaglen		(100 episodes, 1957-1963)
Richard Boone		(18 episodes, 1960-1963)
Buzz Kulik		(11 episodes, 1958-1961)
Lamont Johnson		(10 episodes, 1958-1959)
Ida Lupino		(7 episodes, 1959-1960)
Richard Whorf		(6 episodes, 1958-1959)
William Conrad		(4 episodes, 1962)
Richard Donner		(3 episodes, 1961-1962)
Lewis Milestone		(2 episodes, 1958)
Don Taylor		(2 episodes, 1959)
Jerry Hopper		(2 episodes, 1962-1963)

Series Writing credits
Herb Meadow		(213 episodes, 1957-1963)
Sam Rolfe		(213 episodes, 1957-1963)
Gene Roddenberry		(24 episodes, 1957-1963)
Shimon Wincelberg		(13 episodes, 1958-1960)
Harry Julian Fink		(12 episodes, 1958-1962)
Ken Kolb		(11 episodes, 1957-1958)
Albert Aley		(10 episodes, 1958-1959)
Jay Simms		(8 episodes, 1959-1963)
Frank Pierson		(8 episodes, 1959-1960)
Robert E. Thompson		(7 episodes, 1960-1962)
Bruce Geller		(5 episodes, 1958-1963)
Don Ingalls		(4 episodes, 1958-1963)
Don Brinkley		(3 episodes, 1957-1958)
Jack Laird		(3 episodes, 1958-1962)
Joan Scott		(3 episodes, 1958-1962)
Irving Wallace		(3 episodes, 1958-1959)
Robert C. Dennis		(3 episodes, 1960-1963)
Steve Fisher		(2 episodes, 1957-1959)
Jack Jacobs		(2 episodes, 1958-1960)
Joel Kane		(2 episodes, 1958-1960)
Archie L. Tegland		(2 episodes, 1960)

Series Produced by
Sam Rolfe	....	producer / associate producer (51 episodes, 1958-1960)
Julian Claman	....	producer (39 episodes, 1957-1958)
Ben Brady	....	producer (17 episodes, 1959-1960)
Frank Pierson	....	producer (17 episodes, 1959-1960)
Don Ingalls	....	associate producer / producer (3 episodes, 1962-1963)
Robert Sparks	....	producer (2 episodes, 1962-1963)

Series Original Music by
Bernard Herrmann		(1 episode, 1957)
Wilbur Hatch		(1 episode, 1960)
Lyn Murray		(1 episode, 1960)
Lucien Moraweck		(1 episode, 1961)
Jerome Moross		(1 episode, 1961)
Van Cleave		(1 episode, 1962)
René Garriguenc		(1 episode, 1963)
Leon Klatzkin		(1 episode, 1963)
Paul Dunlap		(unknown episodes)
Jerry Goldsmith		(unknown episodes)
Nathan Scott		(unknown episodes)
Fred Steiner		(unknown episodes)

Series Cinematography by
Stuart Thompson		(49 episodes, 1958-1960)
William Margulies		(25 episodes, 1957-1958)
Fleet Southcott		(18 episodes, 1957-1959)
Howard Schwartz		(15 episodes, 1958-1959)
Frank V. Phillips		(14 episodes, 1960-1962)

Series Film Editing by
Sam Gold		(35 episodes, 1957-1959)
Harry Coswick		(27 episodes, 1957-1959)
Michael Luciano		(10 episodes, 1957-1958)
Leslie Vidor		(4 episodes, 1957-1958)

Series Casting by
Lynn Stalmaster		(34 episodes, 1957-1958)
Peggy Rea		(3 episodes, 1961-1963)

Series Art Direction by
James W. Sullivan		(25 episodes, 1957-1958)

Series Set Decoration by
Raymond Boltz Jr.		(77 episodes, 1957-1959)

Series Costume Design by
Joseph Dimmitt		(unknown episodes)

Series Makeup Department
Madine Danks	....	hair stylist (60 episodes, 1957-1959)
Donald W. Roberson	....	makeup artist (36 episodes, 1958-1962)
William Woods	....	makeup artist (25 episodes, 1957-1958)
Glen Alden	....	makeup artist (18 episodes, 1957-1959)
Pat Whiffing	....	hair stylist (18 episodes, 1957-1959)

Series Production Management
Glenn Cook	....	production manager (77 episodes, 1957-1959)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Howard Joslin	....	assistant director (60 episodes, 1957-1959)
Nathan Barrager	....	assistant director (18 episodes, 1957-1959)
Gary Nelson	....	assistant director (2 episodes, 1962-1963)

Series Art Department
Mike Gordon	....	property master (77 episodes, 1957-1959)
Paul Sylos	....	set designer (52 episodes, 1958-1959)
Arthur Friedrich	....	property master (2 episodes, 1959-1962)

Series Sound Department
Frederick A. Kessler	....	sound mixer (1 episode, 1962)
Joel Moss	....	sound re-recordist (1 episode, 1962)
Gene Eliot	....	sound effects editor (unknown episodes)

Series Special Effects by
Louis DeWitt	....	special photographic effects (67 episodes, 1957-1959)
Jack Rabin	....	special photographic effects (67 episodes, 1957-1959)

Series Visual Effects by
Louis DeWitt	....	optical effects (11 episodes, 1957-1958)
Jack Rabin	....	optical effects (11 episodes, 1957-1958)

Series Stunts
Carol Daniels	....	stunts (5 episodes, 1962-1963)
Jack N. Young	....	stunts (2 episodes, 1957)
Fred Dale	....	stunt double (unknown episodes)
Troy Melton	....	stunts (unknown episodes)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Joseph Dimmitt	....	wardrobe / costumer (74 episodes, 1957-1962)
Frank Tauss	....	wardrobe (4 episodes, 1957-1958)
Jack Dowsing	....	wardrobe (2 episodes, 1957-1958)

Series Editorial Department
Fred W. Berger	....	supervising editor (78 episodes, 1957-1959)

Series Music Department
Bernard Herrmann	....	composer: theme music (68 episodes, 1957-1963)
Johnny Western	....	song: "ballad of paladin" (2 episodes, 1962-1963)
Richard Boone	....	song: "ballad of paladin" (unknown episodes)
Gene Feldman	....	music editor (unknown episodes)
Sam Rolfe	....	composer: theme music (unknown episodes)

Series Other crew
Richard Chaffee	....	script supervisor (61 episodes, 1957-1962)
Don Ingalls	....	story editor / script editor (35 episodes, 1958-1959)
Mary Chaffee	....	script supervisor (13 episodes, 1957-1959)
Gana Jones	....	script supervisor (5 episodes, 1958)

Production Companies

• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Distributors

• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1957) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Columbia House (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Paramount Studios  filming location
• Roderick Sound  sound

Runtime:

30 min (226 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

USA:Approved | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Agua Dulce, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Trivia:

While many television series are taken from radio shows, the radio show “Have Gun Will Travel” with John Dehner as Paladin appeared after the television show.

Quotes:

Paladin: I don't think you got a very good look at this gun while you had it. The balance is perfect. This trigger responds to a pressure of one ounce. If you look carefully in the barrel you'll see the lines of the rifling. It's a rarity in a hand weapon. This gun was handcrafted to my specifications and I rarely draw it unless I mean to use it. Would you care for a demonstration?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Legend of 'Cat Ballou' (2000) (V)

Soundtrack:

Ballad of Paladin

Proves what a great storytelling medium television can be

As the proud owner of both the first and second seasons of "Have Gun - Will Travel", I am continually impressed with the quality and complexities of this "forgotten" treasure. Created during an age of western storytelling that was inundated with cardboard, do-gooders that were so clean they squeaked when they walked, Paladin stands out as an effective genre bridge between the over idealistic cowboy typified in John Wayne and the anti-hero "The Man With No Name" Clint Eastwood. "Have Gun - Will Travel" is a series that remembers the key to great storytelling is a believable character being true to himself at all times. Paladin is a combination rogue who works within the system, Robin Hood, and a crusader for the downtrodden. Quick with both a gun and a sarcastic wit, this professional problem solver is as at home in a drawing room as he is around a campfire. While this may sound hokey if you are as cynical as I am, I can assure you it is not. Besides casting the perfect actor for the role, the late Richard Boone, the creators used a talented group of writers {including Gene "Wagontrain to the Stars" Roddenberry} who used every second of screen time to move you through story lines that were frequently only westerns in their setting. I particularly enjoy the fact that you are never given more than an occasional hint as to Paladin's back-story. While this may frustrate some viewers, I find the air of mystery that it lends to the character adds to his complexity. For anyone that truly enjoys well crafted escapism or simply wonders if new life can be brought to an already overworked concept, you could not find a finer example of the true artistic potential of cinema's "bastard" child than "Have Gun - Will Travel".