Yes, the scripts were very mature (as in really mature, not Rated M For Mature). And, as you say, he was a mercenary who went looking for people in need of an advocate more than just a hired gun.
Have Gun Will Travel....
- Thread starter Warped9
- Start date
Apparently Richard Boone wielded an unusual degree of influence on the show beyond his own character. He exerted influence on many aspects of production including the scripts and the look of the show. Film noir aspects were mixed into it. And they often went on location far outside Los Angeles to give the episodes a more varied and wider canvas look then the vast majority of Westerns bothered with, and this at a time when little of that could really be appreciated when seen on small CRT screens.
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HGWT did not escape many of the conventions of the day. Networks, studios and sponsors were terrified of offending anyone that could negatively impact market share. To that end television could be quite sanitized.
That said HGWT does exihibit some of the things Gene Roddenberry later incorporated into Star Trek (indeed, GR wrote 26 episodes for HGWT). HGWT used the Western genre to often make veiled commentary on contemporary and historical issues. Corporate greed and institutionalized racism was often on display in the series. Frontier justice and vigilanteism without any formal due process was often shown. Racism often raised its head although they tended to shy away from depicting racism against blacks. Instead they depicted races against other groups including Native Indians. Indeed Native Indians were often used as stand-ins for blacks to depict the racism at hand.
Paladin as a character was also not perfect and had his own blind spots. Although he appears to respect those of other races we do see a measure of paternalism in some of his dealings with them. Although he tends to treat women of varying stripes with respect there can remain an undercurrent of male dominance. Given the circumstance he could be a womanizer that makes James T. Kirk look like an amateur. No matter how liberal minded Paladin could be he is still a creation of the 1950s.
Although sex could never be shown on 1950's era television it was certainly often implied on HGWT. Even rape was acknowledged if not openly stated. Physical abuse of women was also not shied away from.
One could enjoy HGWT on a superficial level of good guy gunslinger combating varying bad guys of the Old West just as someone could enjoy Star Trek simply for the cool spaceships, weird aliens and adventure, but the perceptive viewer could see all sorts of things going on beyond the superficial trappings.
If nothing else, though, HGWT depicted an Old West that was often nasty, brutish, ignorant and dangerous.
That said HGWT does exihibit some of the things Gene Roddenberry later incorporated into Star Trek (indeed, GR wrote 26 episodes for HGWT). HGWT used the Western genre to often make veiled commentary on contemporary and historical issues. Corporate greed and institutionalized racism was often on display in the series. Frontier justice and vigilanteism without any formal due process was often shown. Racism often raised its head although they tended to shy away from depicting racism against blacks. Instead they depicted races against other groups including Native Indians. Indeed Native Indians were often used as stand-ins for blacks to depict the racism at hand.
Paladin as a character was also not perfect and had his own blind spots. Although he appears to respect those of other races we do see a measure of paternalism in some of his dealings with them. Although he tends to treat women of varying stripes with respect there can remain an undercurrent of male dominance. Given the circumstance he could be a womanizer that makes James T. Kirk look like an amateur. No matter how liberal minded Paladin could be he is still a creation of the 1950s.
Although sex could never be shown on 1950's era television it was certainly often implied on HGWT. Even rape was acknowledged if not openly stated. Physical abuse of women was also not shied away from.
One could enjoy HGWT on a superficial level of good guy gunslinger combating varying bad guys of the Old West just as someone could enjoy Star Trek simply for the cool spaceships, weird aliens and adventure, but the perceptive viewer could see all sorts of things going on beyond the superficial trappings.
If nothing else, though, HGWT depicted an Old West that was often nasty, brutish, ignorant and dangerous.
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Two good books I'm reading regarding Have Gun Will Travel.
Art And Politics In Have Gun Will Travel: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Politics-Have-Gun-Television/dp/0786478845/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471221472&sr=1-1&keywords=Art+and+Politics+in+Have+Gun--Will+Travel:+The+1950s+Television+Western+as+Ethical+Drama
Have Gun Will Travel: https://www.amazon.com/Have-Gun-Wil...71221640&sr=1-3&keywords=Have+Gun—Will+Travel
Both books look at behind the scenes of the series, what and who went into its making and what it telegraphed to the audience. It's also looked at in relation to its competitors and the Western craze of the mid to late 1950s.
In some respects Have Gun Will Travel was something of the TOS of its time in the way the series approached its stories. They weren't content to simply tell familiar Western type stories and themes. They tried to use the Western as a backdrop to tell deeper stories addressing ideas and issues.
Art And Politics In Have Gun Will Travel: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Politics-Have-Gun-Television/dp/0786478845/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471221472&sr=1-1&keywords=Art+and+Politics+in+Have+Gun--Will+Travel:+The+1950s+Television+Western+as+Ethical+Drama
Have Gun Will Travel: https://www.amazon.com/Have-Gun-Wil...71221640&sr=1-3&keywords=Have+Gun—Will+Travel
Both books look at behind the scenes of the series, what and who went into its making and what it telegraphed to the audience. It's also looked at in relation to its competitors and the Western craze of the mid to late 1950s.
In some respects Have Gun Will Travel was something of the TOS of its time in the way the series approached its stories. They weren't content to simply tell familiar Western type stories and themes. They tried to use the Western as a backdrop to tell deeper stories addressing ideas and issues.
I guess that's where Roddenberry learned it from, then.
One could use a loose analogy that Paladin venturing out to one remote community or local after another was similar to our space heroes going from one planet to another.
From what I gather Richard Boone was likely the most significant driving force behind HGWT. He wanted his work to be meaningful--or more specifically he wanted what he was involved with to be worthwhile. He pushed himself and his associates to do their best for everyone's benefit rather than simply for his own.
In some respects Boone was the kind of man Roddenberry should have been for Star Trek. Boone strived to do his best and he truly respected other professionals and didn't try to undermine them or take credit for their work. Indeed apparently he put himself on the line to fight for others to get their due.
In one anecdote: the theme song heard at the end of the series from 2nd season onward was originally a personal "thank you" tribute--an expression of gratitude--to Boone for giving Johnny Western a fair chance during the first season. Boone and the Producer was so impressed by the song they adopted it as The Ballad Of Paladin as the series' theme. It was soon learned that Mitch Miller would record the song for public release, but Miller wanted Jerry Vale to sing it. Boone exploded and got on the phone to Miller and fought to retain Johnny Western to sing the song he wrote as he had in the recording he gave to Boone. And thats what we hear at the end of each episode from 2nd season onward.
You hear only part of the song in the closing credits. You can hear the full song here:
Boone fought for meaningful stories. He also fought for better and good roles for women and minorities. Within the constraints of the era he wanted to depict as much realism as possible including the fact that white Anglo males weren't the only ones on the frontier.
From what I gather Richard Boone was likely the most significant driving force behind HGWT. He wanted his work to be meaningful--or more specifically he wanted what he was involved with to be worthwhile. He pushed himself and his associates to do their best for everyone's benefit rather than simply for his own.
In some respects Boone was the kind of man Roddenberry should have been for Star Trek. Boone strived to do his best and he truly respected other professionals and didn't try to undermine them or take credit for their work. Indeed apparently he put himself on the line to fight for others to get their due.
In one anecdote: the theme song heard at the end of the series from 2nd season onward was originally a personal "thank you" tribute--an expression of gratitude--to Boone for giving Johnny Western a fair chance during the first season. Boone and the Producer was so impressed by the song they adopted it as The Ballad Of Paladin as the series' theme. It was soon learned that Mitch Miller would record the song for public release, but Miller wanted Jerry Vale to sing it. Boone exploded and got on the phone to Miller and fought to retain Johnny Western to sing the song he wrote as he had in the recording he gave to Boone. And thats what we hear at the end of each episode from 2nd season onward.
You hear only part of the song in the closing credits. You can hear the full song here:
Boone fought for meaningful stories. He also fought for better and good roles for women and minorities. Within the constraints of the era he wanted to depict as much realism as possible including the fact that white Anglo males weren't the only ones on the frontier.
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We could use a few more guys and shows like that these days.
Art And Politics In Have Gun Will Travel also discusses Richard Boone's life--his character and experiences that made him what he was. When he learned of the role for HGWT he really wanted it for himself because of the possibilities he saw in it. He recognized much of himself in Paladin.
Interestingly he was not fond of horses, but he took lessons to ride a horse competently. He also took lessons on how to draw and handle a gun convincingly.
He championed women writers in a time when television writing, particular for Westerns, was predominantly male. He championed competent and professional people regardless of gender or colour--hence Ida Lupino getting to direct several episodes of HGWT.
One wonders what a man like Richard Boone could have done for a series like Star Trek if it had been his series and/or if he was its producer. He would have understood some of Roddenberry's ideas for the series and pushed hard for them, including better roles for women and minorities. In his personal life Boone was a devoted family man so personal issues didn't intrude into busines. He also didn't champion women publicly and womanize privately--his public and personal views were consistent with each other and he practiced what he preached.
He pushed for as much diverse location shooting as possible to give HGWT an authentic look as possible. This included interior as well as exterior shooting to strive for diversity and variety. He appreciated striving for creativity to keep the show from getting stale and looking like any other show.
He did so many of these things largely because he believed that doing things to the best of your ability was the only right way to do something. He pursued this for the good of the work rather than for his own ends or his own glorification. He had high expectations for himself and respected it in others.
Interestingly he was not fond of horses, but he took lessons to ride a horse competently. He also took lessons on how to draw and handle a gun convincingly.
He championed women writers in a time when television writing, particular for Westerns, was predominantly male. He championed competent and professional people regardless of gender or colour--hence Ida Lupino getting to direct several episodes of HGWT.
One wonders what a man like Richard Boone could have done for a series like Star Trek if it had been his series and/or if he was its producer. He would have understood some of Roddenberry's ideas for the series and pushed hard for them, including better roles for women and minorities. In his personal life Boone was a devoted family man so personal issues didn't intrude into busines. He also didn't champion women publicly and womanize privately--his public and personal views were consistent with each other and he practiced what he preached.
He pushed for as much diverse location shooting as possible to give HGWT an authentic look as possible. This included interior as well as exterior shooting to strive for diversity and variety. He appreciated striving for creativity to keep the show from getting stale and looking like any other show.
He did so many of these things largely because he believed that doing things to the best of your ability was the only right way to do something. He pursued this for the good of the work rather than for his own ends or his own glorification. He had high expectations for himself and respected it in others.
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This afternoon I received my copy of the complete series set on DVD.
What a pleasure watching this on a 50 in. screen rather than on Youtube on my iPad. You now get to appreciate all the visual detail lost on the small Youtube image (and likely on the small CRT screen when originally broadcast for that matter). You also get to appreciate the acting nuances that are not nearly so apparent on a small screen.
A pity this wan't filmed in colour as Richard Boone lobbied for.
What a pleasure watching this on a 50 in. screen rather than on Youtube on my iPad. You now get to appreciate all the visual detail lost on the small Youtube image (and likely on the small CRT screen when originally broadcast for that matter). You also get to appreciate the acting nuances that are not nearly so apparent on a small screen.
A pity this wan't filmed in colour as Richard Boone lobbied for.
Personally, I find the black and white suits the tone of the series well. Save the gaudy technocolor for the mainstream westerns.
Yeah, I think shows like this and the Twilight Zone really benefit from being shot in black & white. I believe it adds to their charm and better hides production shortcomings like cheap sets, garish stage make-up, or use of stock footage.
Also, there's something about B&W film that triggers your imagination in a way that color footage doesn't. Maybe it's just that your mind fills in the details like the color of a room's walls or how dingy a character's outfit may appear to other characters.
Also, there's something about B&W film that triggers your imagination in a way that color footage doesn't. Maybe it's just that your mind fills in the details like the color of a room's walls or how dingy a character's outfit may appear to other characters.
There is one obvious visual effect at tne beginning of many of the episodes. When they show an opening shot of a San Francisco street with the Carlton Hotel you can clearly see the "Carlton Hotel" sign on the front of the building has been added onto the film. It doesn't match or align realistically as a real sign on the front of a building and seen from an angle.
It's particularly apparent today on high resolution displays.
Watched an episode last night where I just knew it had to be a Gene Roddenberry written episode even before I saw the closing credits. One of the main characters was named Robert April.
It's particularly apparent today on high resolution displays.
Watched an episode last night where I just knew it had to be a Gene Roddenberry written episode even before I saw the closing credits. One of the main characters was named Robert April.
I'd imagine that "wiving settlers" stories were a fairly common Western trope. After all, the whole series Here Come the Brides was built around it. And then there was Frank M. Robinson's 1952 story "The Girls from Earth," adapted by the radio series X Minus One in 1957, about scammers on the Moon running a mail-order-bride con game -- with the very "Mudd's Women"-like twist ending that the space miners were happier with the "ugly" girls the scammers brought up, hardy and adaptable women with low expectations, than they would've been with the flighty, glamorous creatures the con men advertised.
Of course, the "wiving settlers" or "mail order brides" idea isn't new, but seeing that GR wrote "Les Girls" for Have Gun Will Travel and then comes up with a variation called "Mudd's Women" for Star Trek six years later is a connective thread that's hard to miss or ignore.
Don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with reusing an idea and adapting it into a new form. I just found it amusing.
We all know the story of "Mudd's Women:" Conman Harry Mudd intends to pass off three average looking women as dream girls (with the aid of the Venus drug) to some unsuspecting men on a faraway planet. He only has to modify his plans after being intercepted by the Enterprise. Now he can make a deal for his "women" with three rich lithium miners. The irony is that the "real" woman--who they really are--is what the miners really want.
In "Les Girls" Paladin is hired to escort four "mail-order brides" to a remote town across hundreds of miles of wild frontier. Somehow the women aboard their wagon depart early without him yet he manages to catch up with them anyway in short order. When he does catch up with them he is surprised to see the four women are definitely not conventional wiving settlers he expected. The women are from France and one of them is an older woman supervising the other three who are younger and all extremely beautiful. Nonetheless Paladin does the job he was hired to do and takes charge of the expedition. Enroute the four women start to learn the realities of frontier life and the fact that everyone must contribute in order to survive.
Finally when they near their destination they are intercepted by four men on horseback. At first Paladin thinks they are about to be hijacked and the women kidnapped as previous mail-order women have been abducted before. But the men don't act like hijackers and they soon learn that the leader is the very man who contracted Paladin to bring the women out to him and his sons (the three other men).
The younger men are thrilled to find three such beautiful creatures, but their father is a bit dismayed because these are not the kind of women he was expecting. He expected hardy frontier women rather than girls who would look more at home in a salon. Paladin is confused and begins to question the older women and soon learns there has been some sort of mix-up: she received the wrong directions and destination for her and her girls. She had plans to open a salon in America and the three girls were to be her emplyees, but she kept silent because Paladin was an unknown quantity to her and she realized they needed a man knowledgeable about traveling the frontier.
Everyone is looking unsure about the situation when Paladin has an idea. He simply tells the girls they are making camp for the night. Immediately the girls begin makings preparations for an overnight knowing what to do since Paladin taught them during their journey. The four men begin to see the women are not useless beauties and begin to have a change of heart. Even the father begins to take a shine to the older woman. The father tells Paladin he has changed his mind and the women are welcome to stay if they wish and he will pay Paladin for fulfilling their arrangement. Paladin informs the father to simply deposit his money in an agreed upon bank and we see Paladin ride off alone and leaving the others to arrange their futures together.
"Mudd's Women" was played with a mixture of drama and light comedy. "Les Girls" is played somewhat more comedic albeit with a light touch.
Don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with reusing an idea and adapting it into a new form. I just found it amusing.
We all know the story of "Mudd's Women:" Conman Harry Mudd intends to pass off three average looking women as dream girls (with the aid of the Venus drug) to some unsuspecting men on a faraway planet. He only has to modify his plans after being intercepted by the Enterprise. Now he can make a deal for his "women" with three rich lithium miners. The irony is that the "real" woman--who they really are--is what the miners really want.
In "Les Girls" Paladin is hired to escort four "mail-order brides" to a remote town across hundreds of miles of wild frontier. Somehow the women aboard their wagon depart early without him yet he manages to catch up with them anyway in short order. When he does catch up with them he is surprised to see the four women are definitely not conventional wiving settlers he expected. The women are from France and one of them is an older woman supervising the other three who are younger and all extremely beautiful. Nonetheless Paladin does the job he was hired to do and takes charge of the expedition. Enroute the four women start to learn the realities of frontier life and the fact that everyone must contribute in order to survive.
Finally when they near their destination they are intercepted by four men on horseback. At first Paladin thinks they are about to be hijacked and the women kidnapped as previous mail-order women have been abducted before. But the men don't act like hijackers and they soon learn that the leader is the very man who contracted Paladin to bring the women out to him and his sons (the three other men).
The younger men are thrilled to find three such beautiful creatures, but their father is a bit dismayed because these are not the kind of women he was expecting. He expected hardy frontier women rather than girls who would look more at home in a salon. Paladin is confused and begins to question the older women and soon learns there has been some sort of mix-up: she received the wrong directions and destination for her and her girls. She had plans to open a salon in America and the three girls were to be her emplyees, but she kept silent because Paladin was an unknown quantity to her and she realized they needed a man knowledgeable about traveling the frontier.
Everyone is looking unsure about the situation when Paladin has an idea. He simply tells the girls they are making camp for the night. Immediately the girls begin makings preparations for an overnight knowing what to do since Paladin taught them during their journey. The four men begin to see the women are not useless beauties and begin to have a change of heart. Even the father begins to take a shine to the older woman. The father tells Paladin he has changed his mind and the women are welcome to stay if they wish and he will pay Paladin for fulfilling their arrangement. Paladin informs the father to simply deposit his money in an agreed upon bank and we see Paladin ride off alone and leaving the others to arrange their futures together.
"Mudd's Women" was played with a mixture of drama and light comedy. "Les Girls" is played somewhat more comedic albeit with a light touch.
This is comendable, but largely attributable (I think) to the fact that the show spent four consecutive seasons as one of the top five shows on television. Richard Boone couldn't have demanded the same if he had been on Star Trk, for example.
Yeah, that one sounds pretty good. I've stashed it in my Shopping Cart at Amazon for my next shipment.
I have, too.
And while we're on the subject, thank you for bring that book to our attention. I may've missed it otherwise.
And while we're on the subject, thank you for bring that book to our attention. I may've missed it otherwise.
