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Harts of the West

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Harts of the West
GenreWestern
StarringBeau Bridges
Harley Jane Kozak
Lloyd Bridges
Theme music composerClint Black
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes15
Production
Executive producersRobert Moloney
Peter Locke
Donald Kushner
Running time60 mins.
Production companyThe Kushner-Locke Company
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseSeptember 25, 1993 (1993-09-25) –
June 18, 1994 (1994-06-18)

Harts of the West is a humorous contemporary western about a Chicago family moving to a run-down Nevada ranch. The series consisted of 15 hour-long episodes that aired on CBS Saturdays, 9:00 to 10:00 p.m., from September 1993 until June 1994.[1]

Much of the series was shot on location in downtown Mayer, Arizona, a small town near Prescott.[2] Clint Black wrote and sang the theme song, In a Laid Back Way.[1]

CBS scheduled the series between two popular westerns: Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman and Walker, Texas Ranger,[3] and it received positive reviews. One reviewer wrote "Don’t make the mistake of ignoring Harts of the West",[4] and another stated the show was "One of the fall season's more appealing new series."[3] However, the series left the schedule in January 1994, with a few final episodes being shown in June 1994.[1]

Synopsis

Dave Hart was a lingerie salesman in Chicago who'd always dreamed of being a cowboy. He had named his three children after western writers and an actor – 16-year-old son Zane after Zane Grey, 15-year-old daughter L'Amour after Louis L’Amour, and 10-year-old son John Wayne (called Duke) after the famous western star.[5] After suffering a mild heart attack Dave decided to follow his dream, and purchased the Flying Tumbleweed Ranch, sight unseen, after reading a sales brochure published in 1957.[1] Duke is the only other family member in favor of moving out West.[4]

The property is a dude ranch in disrepair, near the town of Sholo, Nevada, population 90. Sholo's business district has a trading post - grocery store run by a Native American named Auggie, and the Hanging Tree Cafe, run by the sheriff, R.O., and his ex-wife Rose.[5]

Dave goes out to the Flying Tumbleweed and is shot at by Jake, a grizzled ex-convict who claims to be the ranch foreman.[4] Jake informs Dave that the man who sold the ranch has died, and his ashes are scattered over the Flying Tumbleweed. The foreman is able to find a group of motley ranch hands, some with a prison record.[5] Dave's wife, Allie, is willing to try ranch life for a while, though the elder children initially have little enthusiasm for the idea.[4]

Cast

  • Beau Bridges as Dave Hart (ranch owner)
  • Harley Jane Kozak as Alison (Allie) Hart (Dave's wife)
  • Lloyd Bridges as Jake Tyrell (ranch foreman)
  • Sean Murray as Zane Grey Hart (16-year-old son, infatuated with Cassie)
  • Meghann Haldeman as L'Amour Hart (15-year-old daughter)
  • Nathan Watt as John Wayne (Duke) Hart (10-year-old son)
  • Saginaw Grant as Auggie Velasquez (trading post owner)
  • Talisa Soto as Cassie Velasquez (Auggie's granddaughter)
  • Stephen Root as R.O. Moon (sheriff and cafe owner)
  • O-Lan Jones as Rose McLaughlin (cafe waitress and R.O.'s ex-wife)
  • Sterling Mucer, Jr. as Marcus St. Cloud (ranch hand and ex-convict lawyer)
  • Dennis Fimple as Garral (ranch hand who is always spitting)

Episodes

No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1"Pilot"Robert LiebermanRobert MoloneySeptember 25, 1993 (1993-09-25)
After Dave Hart has a coronary episode he follows his dream of being a cowboy and puts a down payment on a ranch shown in a 1957 sales brochure.
2"The Right Stuff"Bill D'EliaRobert MoloneyOctober 2, 1993 (1993-10-02)
Dave hires a former rodeo champ (Mark Harmon), and a moving company loses the Hart’s belongings.
3"Guess Who’s Coming to Chow?"James HaymanRobert MoloneyOctober 30, 1993 (1993-10-30)
Allie’s mother (Diane Ladd) visits the ranch, and is attracted to Jake.
4"Dead Man’s Leap"James HaymanChris RuppenthalNovember 6, 1993 (1993-11-06)
Zane risks his life to try and make friends, and R.O. claims to channel the dead after being struck by lightning.
5"Goodnight, Irene"Bill D'EliaJill GordonNovember 13, 1993 (1993-11-13)
Someone killed Garrel's cow, Irene, plus Allie takes a teaching job and learns that Duke is failing in school.
6"Cowboyz in the Hood"Scott BrazilUnknownDecember 4, 1993 (1993-12-04)
Marcus brings a troubled teen to the ranch, and Zane follows Cassie to a roundup.
7"Auggie’s End"Greg BeemanMark MasuckaDecember 11, 1993 (1993-12-11)
Auggie begins to prepare for his death, but Dave tries to convince the man his time to die has not come.
8"Jake's Brother"Bill D'EliaJill GordonDecember 25, 1993 (1993-12-25)
A family feud is rekindled when Jake’s brother (Dale Robertson) comes for a visit.
9"Ghost Run"Neal IsraelTrish SoodikJanuary 8, 1994 (1994-01-08)
The local buckboard race becomes a battle of the sexes when Allie competes, and R.O. tries to talk Rose out of entering a beauty contest.
10"You Got to Have Hart"James HaymanUnknownJanuary 15, 1994 (1994-01-15)
When Marcus breaks his leg Dave represents Sholo at the annual local rodeo. L'Amour tells an admirer she's nineteen.
11"Home Alone … With Friends"Greg BeemanTrish SookikJanuary 22, 1994 (1994-01-22)
Rose kicks out ex-husband R.O. so he moves to the Flying Tumbleweed.
12"Hart's Vacation"Mel DamskiChris RuppenthalJanuary 29, 1994 (1994-01-29)
During a family camping trip Dave falls down an abandoned mine shaft. After that the Harts are threatened by a bear and a tornado.
13"Back in the Panties Again"James HaymanJames KramerJune 4, 1994 (1994-06-04)
When the ranch well runs dry Dave works at a Las Vegas lingerie convention.
14"Drive, He Said"Neal IsraelRobert MoloneyJune 11, 1994 (1994-06-11)
When a trucking company raises the price of shipping livestock to the market Dave organizes a cattle drive.
15"Jake and Duke's Excellent Adventure"Helaine HeadRobert MoloneyJune 18, 1994 (1994-06-18)
Jake wants to celebrate Duke’s 10th birthday with a Native American rite of passage. Allie thinks she's pregnant.

Media availability

In 2005 Tango released the Harts of the West series set on DVD.[6] On October 17, 2017 Mill Creek Entertainment released the DVD set Harts of the West The Complete Series.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946 – Present, 7th Edition, page 428, Ballantine Books, 1999
  2. ^ William A. Gordon, Shot on This Site: A Traveler’s Guide to the Places and Locations Used to Film Famous Movies and TV Shows, page 88, Carol Publishing Group, 1995
  3. ^ a b Mike Duffy, 'Harts of West’ is a healthy dose of country living, Arizona Republic (Phoenix, Arizona), September 25, 1993, page 82
  4. ^ a b c d Jonathan Storm, Bored by Dr. Quinn and Walker? Take Hart, The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 25, 1993, page 45
  5. ^ a b c Bob Leszczak, Single Season Sitcoms of the 1990s: A Complete Guide, page 81, McFarland, Inc., 2018
  6. ^ Box sets, books, board games, Newsday, December 13, 2005, page 96
  7. ^ Wild About Movies
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