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

Creators:

Herb Meadow
Sam Rolfe

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 TV | Cult Favorite | Cult Western

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys.

Cast

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

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:

CBS Television

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 War at Home (1996)

Why Paladin was an appealing character

Besides the fact that Richard Boone was perfectly cast, his character was particularly appealing. We knew little of who he was, yet we trusted him to right wrongs and create justice in a world of corruption and bullies. He was seemingly all powerful, besides his physical strength and weapons of perfection, he possessed an extreme intelligence. Much like the Paladin, which is the horse of the chess board (a fact lost on most viewers), he was able to circumvent obstacles and achieve victory where it was seemingly beyond the reach of a mere mortal. There was no hint of bias or bigotry in his character (keep in mind that this was the period of Civil Rights activism); he evaluated each man instantly and treated immigrants with respect and dignity. All of this took place while America was celebrating the centennial of the Civil War and public knowledge of weapons and that time period was intense.