The Guns of Will Sonnett
| The Guns of Will Sonnett | |
|---|---|
 Walter Brennan and Edward Andrews, 1968. |
|
| Genre | Western |
| Created by | Aaron Spelling Richard Carr |
| Written by | Ed Adamson Harry Basch Tony Barrett Jameson Brewer Richard Carr Peter B. Germano Cliff Gould Kathleen Hite James Komack Edward J. Lakso Robert Pirosh Aaron Spelling Cliff Todd |
| Directed by | Jack Arnold Thomas Carr Irving J. Moore Michael O'Herlihy Richard C. Sarafian Jud Taylor Jean Yarbrough |
| Starring | Walter Brennan Dack Rambo |
| Composer(s) | Hugo Friedhofer Earle H. Hagen Fred Steiner |
| Country of origin | USA |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 50 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Danny Thomas |
| Producer(s) | Aaron Spelling Dick Clark |
| Running time | 30 mins, color |
| Production company(s) | Thomas-Spelling-Brenco Productions |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Original run | September 8, 1967 – September 15, 1969 |
The Guns of Will Sonnett is a Western television series set in the 1870s which ran on the ABC television network from 1967 to 1969. The series was the first production collaboration between Aaron Spelling and Danny Thomas, who would later go on to produce one of ABC's most-memorable hits, The Mod Squad. Today, the series is distributed by King World (now CBS Television Distribution), and, when telecast, is usually seen in tandem with Branded.
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
This series starred veteran character actor Walter Brennan as Will Sonnett, and Dack Rambo as his grandson, Jeff, who were searching for Will's son and Jeff's father, James. Disgusted with his father's being absent on army-scout business more often than not, James (also called Jim) had disappeared at the age of seventeen. A few years later, a baby boy was delivered to Will, with a letter identifying him as James' son. It went on to say that his mother had died in childbirth, and that not very many people get a second chance in life, but this was one for Will. The young boy was raised by his grandfather, who was grateful for the opportunity and did the best that he could.
The elder Sonnett was very capable with firearms and often spoke to strangers about this prowess in a way that intimidated them. In the first episode, he mentions that his son is an expert with guns, while his grandson is better, "and I'm better than both of 'em -- no brag, just fact." This last phrase appeared frequently on the show, and became a catch phrase with many of the show's younger fans.
Apparently Will's absences had been significantly less than total, as he had taught James how to handle a six-shooter, and the younger man had become renowned as a peerless gunfighter. Hearing so much of his father's repute, Jeff decided he had to find him. Will agreed, and they rode across the West looking for their common relative. They often arrived at places which had been recently vacated by James. The inhabitants of those communities had mixed opinions of James, some seeing him as a ruthless killer, others as the only man brave enough to take the side of justice against other men far more ruthless. The middle Sonnett did in fact appear in several scattered episodes, invariably played by Jason Evers. One of those segments, entitled "The Man Who Killed Jim Sonnett" guest starred character actor Robert F. Simon.
Judson Pratt appeared as John Hardwick in the 1969 episode "One Angry Juror".
Unlike most series with a similar premise, the problem was resolved during the life of the series. In the second season finale, "Three Stand Together", Will and Jeff eventually located and linked up with James. The three became lawmen together in a small town, Will as town marshal and the other two as his deputies. Had there been a third season for this series, it would have been as a much more conventional Western.
The Guns of Will Sonnett aired two years after Brennan's previous ABC series The Tycoon failed to develop sufficient audience in the 1964-1965 season.
[edit] Episode list
[edit] Season 1
| Episode # | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1-1 | "Ride the Long Trail" (pilot) | September 8, 1967 |
| 1-2 | "A Bell For Jeff Sonnett" | September 15, 1967 |
| 1-3 | "A Grave For James Sonnett" | September 22, 1967 |
| 1-4 | "The Natural Way" | September 29, 1967 |
| 1-5 | "Of Lasting Summers and Jim Sonnett" | October 6, 1967 |
| 1-6 | "Message At Noon" | October 13, 1967 |
| 1-7 | "A Son For A Son" | October 20, 1967 |
| 1-8 | "Meeting At Devil's Fork" | October 27, 1967 |
| 1-9 | "First Love" | November 3, 1967 |
| 1-10 | "The Favor" | November 10, 1967 |
| 1-11 | "Ride the Man Down" | November 17, 1967 |
| 1-12 | "The Turkey Shoot" | November 24, 1967 |
| 1-13 | "And A Killing Rode Into Town" | December 1, 1967 |
| 1-14 | "Find A Sonnett, Kill A Sonnett" | December 8, 1967 |
| 1-15 | "Sunday In Paradise" | December 15, 1967 |
| 1-16 | "The Secret Of Hangtown Mine" | December 22, 1967 |
| 1-17 | "The Hero" | December 29, 1967 |
| 1-18 | "What's In A Name?" | January 5, 1968 |
| 1-19 | "End Of The Rope" | January 12, 1968 |
| 1-20 | "And He Shall Lead the Children" | January 19, 1968 |
| 1-21 | "Look For the Hound Dog" | January 26, 1968 |
| 1-22 | "Stopover In A Troubled Town" | February 2, 1968 |
| 1-23 | "Alone" | February 9, 1968 |
| 1-24 | "The Sins of the Father" | February 23, 1968 |
| 1-25 | "The Warriors" | March 1, 1968 |
| 1-26 | "A Fool and His Money" | March 8, 1968 |
[edit] Season 2
| Episode # | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 2-1 | "Reunion" | September 27, 1968 |
| 2-2 | "The Trap" | October 4, 1968 |
| 2-3 | "Chapter and Verse" | October 11, 1968 |
| 2-4 | "Pariah" | October 18, 1968 |
| 2-5 | "Joby" | November 1, 1968 |
| 2-6 | "The Straw Man" | November 8, 1968 |
| 2-7 | "A Difference Of Opinion" | November 15, 1968 |
| 2-8 | "Home Free" | November 22, 1968 |
| 2-9 | "Guilt" | November 29, 1968 |
| 2-10 | "Meeting In A Small Town" | December 6, 1968 |
| 2-11 | "The Fearless Man" | December 13, 1968 |
| 2-12 | "Where There's Hope" | December 20, 1968 |
| 2-13 | "Join the Army" | January 3, 1969 |
| 2-14 | "Time Is the Rider" | January 10, 1969 |
| 2-15 | "Robber's Roost" | January 17, 1969 |
| 2-16 | "Trail's End" | January 31, 1969 |
| 2-17 | "A Town In Terror" (Part 1) | February 7, 1969 |
| 2-18 | "A Town In Terror" (Part 2) | February 14, 1969 |
| 2-19 | "Jim Sonnett's Lady" | February 21, 1969 |
| 2-20 | "The Trial" | February 28, 1969 |
| 2-21 | "One Angry Juror" | March 7, 1969 |
| 2-22 | "The Sodbuster" | March 14, 1969 |
| 2-23 | "The Man Who Killed James Sonnett" | March 21, 1969 |
| 2-24 | "Three Stand Together" | September 15, 1969 |
[edit] DVD release
Timeless Media Group released both seasons on DVD in Region 1 on July 14, 2009 in a 6-disc set entitled The Guns of Will Sonnett: The Complete Seasons 1&2.[1] However, they are the edited episodes distributed by King World. They are transferred from video tape sources and have not been remastered from the original film prints. The color is often faded, and the sound is rather poor. The edits in the episodes were poorly performed and sometimes confuse the plotline. The DVD package calls The Guns of Will Sonnett one of the most underrated westerns in the history of television.
[edit] References
- Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows
