"The Westerner" (1960) TV series

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Creator:

Sam Peckinpah

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

30 September 1960 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Western

Plot:

Laconic cowboy Dave Blasingame wanders the Wild West with his faithful dog Brown and the occasional companionship of pal Burgundy Smith.

Plot Keywords:

Dog

Cast

Brian Keith

...

Dave Blassingame (13 episodes, 1960)

Also Known As:

The Westerners (USA) (syndication title)

Runtime:

30 min (13 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park - 10700 W. Escondido Canyon Rd., Agua Dulce, California, USA

Trivia:

One episode of this series, "Line Camp," was the basis for the feature film Will Penny (1968). The episode and the film were both written and directed by 'Tom Gries'.

Quotes:

[a Mexican bandito bars Dave way out of town]
Dave Blassingame: Habla Englisa?
[the gunslinger nods]
Dave Blassingame: Sure you do, you miserable hind end of a coyote. Just tryin' to be agreeable. Now look here what I got for you
[Dave unsheathes his rifle]
Dave Blassingame: See? Ain't it purdy? How'd you like to have that, you bushwhackin' hamstringer?
[as the gunslinger reaches for the rifle Dave smacks him with the rifle butt]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade (2004) (TV)

Nothing less than brilliant...

This show was nothing less than brilliant. I saw it when it was first out, when I was in my last year of high school. I knew it was too good to be true then, and, sure enough, I was right.

It is to westerns on television what Fawlty Towers was to comedy. Yes, it was that good...