"Cheyenne" series and Clint (Norman Eugene) Walker
Review by Rose Jenkins, May 30, 2022
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Somehow, I missed the "Cheyenne" series when it was on television, and never saw it featured in any of the cable channels we had at one time or another. However, I "discovered" the series early this year (2022) on one of my rampages of channel switching trying to find something worthy to watch, and happened upon a "Cheyenne" segment. I saw just a fragment, but it was enough to prompt me to see more.
How the "Cheyenne show" came into being -- Producer William Orr, and story developer, Roy Huggins, got the ball rolling at Warner Bros. (for the ABC network). Cheyenne was the first hour-long adult western, addressing issues that were incorporated into compelling stories, like the ending of the Civil War and its aftermath on Southerners; unleashing the Union army to "tame the west," i.e., moving tribes into reservations; and always, it seems, how the White man most often broke faith with Indian tribal leaders, overturned treaties, confiscated Indian lands; renegade whites who sold alcohol and guns to the Indians; Mexican-American border problems, and so on. But there were bridges built into all these conflicts, courtesy of the producers, writers, and the remarkable character and work by Walker. Lots of drama in all of these topics, too often glossed over in our scrubbed grade school education. Plus, there is just the romance of "opening up of the West": cowboys, Indians, buffalo, cattle runs, outlaws, swindlers, riverboat and saloon escapades; stage coaches, trains, stampedes; mean, nasty and greedy people; and those wild, vast empty lands inhabited by strange landscapes, contorted rocks; and other broad stroke effects.
That was the landscape that Cheyenne Bodie traveled; a wanderer, a "top hand," ready to intercede to help anyone in trouble - a Good Samaritan on horseback, intersecting with these characters moving west and south. (Caveat, sometimes a bit reluctantly, though.)
Backstory (& Tribute to Cheyenne) -- The Cheyenne character is blood-brother to the Cheyenne Indian nation - made a blood-brother and raised by that tribe after Cheyenne's family traveling west in a wagon train were massacred, along with most of those in the wagon train. This, apparently, was something that did happen in tribal history: a conflict might arise between tribes, followed by war. Consider this a parallel to European history, with the constant warfare between kingdoms, fiefdoms, etc. In tribal wars, if there were survivors, frequently these were raised as members of the victorious tribe. The moral nature depicting the Cheyenne nation as noble, with honor, integrity; how to build inner and physical strength; live in harmony with the earth; and how to treat others fairly was something that served the white boy they raised as "Cheyenne" well. (I think I learned more about this period of time from the Cheyenne series than from the history lessons in school.)
Credit where it's Due -- With the happy marriage of producers willing to produce quality shows, very good writers, conjuring up characters and stories from historical happenings; directors calling forth those characters, and actors, fulfilling the written word and breathing life into those characters, it is lucky for those of us who value good entertainment that all these happened so splendidly in the Cheyenne series.
The casting of Clint Walker for the lead role was a master stroke, as Walker, a "good guy" in real life, embodied the manly virtues too often discounted and lacking in our world today. Rather like a "Silver Knight of the Plains": valiant, chivalrous, honest, strong, kind, forthright, modest, thoughtful...
Clint Walker's Special Magic -- There is alchemy in such portrayals - as when an actor embodies his character so completely, that an activation of an Archetype occurs. (In this case, a kind of Cowboy Hercules.) Clint Walker also had an ability to create an *emotional field*, one that seemed to induce women to be more womanly and men more manly - charisma that was a true gift of the Spirit.
His singing voice is a warm, fuzzy baritone, sweet and comforting, while his speaking voice had a kind of growly, molasses drawl that could get "barky" when dealing with difficult people. (For the record, just seeing him walk into a room is a treat. Also, for the record, to be balanced, if we appreciate the Divine Feminine, shouldn't we also appreciate the Divine Masculine?)
In one interview, Clint said that "people need heroes, someone to look up to, who they can model themselves after. And if a good model isn't there, a child will likely model themselves after a bad one." So true. Asked how he wanted to be remembered, he said, "... as one of the good guys.
For those who know something about Astrology -- Astrologically, consider that he has a Venus/Mars conjunction in Cancer, sign of emotional sensitivity (enhanced by both Venus and Mars being out-of-bounds - an excessive or pronounced energetic trait) trine Jupiter in Pisces (psychic sensitivity). Also, that Neptune in Leo, sextile his Gemini Mercury - driving inspiration farther afield. Larger than life...
Confession: After I saw that man in action, I became hooked on Clint -- and found his brand of acting suited to those action roles he was featured in, and the kind, good, strong, silent type -- so refreshing after being inundated with nasty-minded, misanthropic, dystopic stuff coming out of "Follywood" for quite a while now. And those geeky guys with no charms... ! Thus saith the feminine spirit. (Happy Birthday, May 30, 2022 -- in all the dimensions, Norman-Eugene-Clint Walker!) ###
How the "Cheyenne show" came into being -- Producer William Orr, and story developer, Roy Huggins, got the ball rolling at Warner Bros. (for the ABC network). Cheyenne was the first hour-long adult western, addressing issues that were incorporated into compelling stories, like the ending of the Civil War and its aftermath on Southerners; unleashing the Union army to "tame the west," i.e., moving tribes into reservations; and always, it seems, how the White man most often broke faith with Indian tribal leaders, overturned treaties, confiscated Indian lands; renegade whites who sold alcohol and guns to the Indians; Mexican-American border problems, and so on. But there were bridges built into all these conflicts, courtesy of the producers, writers, and the remarkable character and work by Walker. Lots of drama in all of these topics, too often glossed over in our scrubbed grade school education. Plus, there is just the romance of "opening up of the West": cowboys, Indians, buffalo, cattle runs, outlaws, swindlers, riverboat and saloon escapades; stage coaches, trains, stampedes; mean, nasty and greedy people; and those wild, vast empty lands inhabited by strange landscapes, contorted rocks; and other broad stroke effects.
That was the landscape that Cheyenne Bodie traveled; a wanderer, a "top hand," ready to intercede to help anyone in trouble - a Good Samaritan on horseback, intersecting with these characters moving west and south. (Caveat, sometimes a bit reluctantly, though.)
Backstory (& Tribute to Cheyenne) -- The Cheyenne character is blood-brother to the Cheyenne Indian nation - made a blood-brother and raised by that tribe after Cheyenne's family traveling west in a wagon train were massacred, along with most of those in the wagon train. This, apparently, was something that did happen in tribal history: a conflict might arise between tribes, followed by war. Consider this a parallel to European history, with the constant warfare between kingdoms, fiefdoms, etc. In tribal wars, if there were survivors, frequently these were raised as members of the victorious tribe. The moral nature depicting the Cheyenne nation as noble, with honor, integrity; how to build inner and physical strength; live in harmony with the earth; and how to treat others fairly was something that served the white boy they raised as "Cheyenne" well. (I think I learned more about this period of time from the Cheyenne series than from the history lessons in school.)
Credit where it's Due -- With the happy marriage of producers willing to produce quality shows, very good writers, conjuring up characters and stories from historical happenings; directors calling forth those characters, and actors, fulfilling the written word and breathing life into those characters, it is lucky for those of us who value good entertainment that all these happened so splendidly in the Cheyenne series.
The casting of Clint Walker for the lead role was a master stroke, as Walker, a "good guy" in real life, embodied the manly virtues too often discounted and lacking in our world today. Rather like a "Silver Knight of the Plains": valiant, chivalrous, honest, strong, kind, forthright, modest, thoughtful...
Clint Walker's Special Magic -- There is alchemy in such portrayals - as when an actor embodies his character so completely, that an activation of an Archetype occurs. (In this case, a kind of Cowboy Hercules.) Clint Walker also had an ability to create an *emotional field*, one that seemed to induce women to be more womanly and men more manly - charisma that was a true gift of the Spirit.
His singing voice is a warm, fuzzy baritone, sweet and comforting, while his speaking voice had a kind of growly, molasses drawl that could get "barky" when dealing with difficult people. (For the record, just seeing him walk into a room is a treat. Also, for the record, to be balanced, if we appreciate the Divine Feminine, shouldn't we also appreciate the Divine Masculine?)
In one interview, Clint said that "people need heroes, someone to look up to, who they can model themselves after. And if a good model isn't there, a child will likely model themselves after a bad one." So true. Asked how he wanted to be remembered, he said, "... as one of the good guys.
For those who know something about Astrology -- Astrologically, consider that he has a Venus/Mars conjunction in Cancer, sign of emotional sensitivity (enhanced by both Venus and Mars being out-of-bounds - an excessive or pronounced energetic trait) trine Jupiter in Pisces (psychic sensitivity). Also, that Neptune in Leo, sextile his Gemini Mercury - driving inspiration farther afield. Larger than life...
Confession: After I saw that man in action, I became hooked on Clint -- and found his brand of acting suited to those action roles he was featured in, and the kind, good, strong, silent type -- so refreshing after being inundated with nasty-minded, misanthropic, dystopic stuff coming out of "Follywood" for quite a while now. And those geeky guys with no charms... ! Thus saith the feminine spirit. (Happy Birthday, May 30, 2022 -- in all the dimensions, Norman-Eugene-Clint Walker!) ###