"The Virginian" (1962) TV series 1962-1971

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Writers:

Frank Price (writer)
Robert Sabaroff (writer) (three episodes)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

Release Date:

19 September 1962 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Plot:

The Shiloh Ranch in Wyoming Territory of the 1890s is owned in sequence by Judge Garth, the Grainger brothers...

Plot Keywords:

Cult Favorite | Cult Western | Based On Novel | Character Name In Title

Cast

James Drury	...	The Virginian / ... (249 episodes, 1962-1971)
Doug McClure	...	Trampas / ... (249 episodes, 1962-1971)
Lee J. Cobb	...	Judge Henry Garth / ... (120 episodes, 1962-1966)
Sara Lane	...	Elizabeth Grainger (105 episodes, 1966-1970)
Clu Gulager	...	Emmett Ryker / ... (103 episodes, 1963-1968)

Also Known As:

"The Men from Shiloh" (USA) (new title)

Runtime:

90 min (249 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:TV-PG | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

Trivia:

Betsy (Roberta Shore) who plays the daughter of Judge Garth, is actually adopted, a fact only ever mentioned in the second episode of the show.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Monty Python's Flying Circus: Royal Episode 13 (#2.13)" (1970)

Soundtrack:

The Virginian

A great achievement in its time.

This was an ambitious series, which made use of first class actors and magnificent location photography.

In its early years the series had five main characters: Judge Garth, owner of Shiloh, a great cattle ranch in Wyoming; his innocent young daughter Betsy; the Virginian, his heroic foreman; and two likeable ranch hands, Trampas and Steve. The relationships between these five, as they were developed and tested, provided the most affecting and amusing moments.

The series gave us strong, intelligent stories, which could be tragic or light-hearted, and often the direction was imaginative, sometimes even poetic. Issues such as injustice through prejudice, individual responsibility and the necessity for compromise were explored, and 'Shiloh' came to stand for the virtues of tolerance, compassion, courage and optimism. Compared with earlier Western series, The Virginian was amazingly deep yet subtle.

As the series ran on over the years it created a hopeful vision of a society slowly progressing towards order and peace.