The Virginian (TV series)

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The Virginian
Opening title
Also known as	The Men from Shiloh
Genre	Western
Developed by	NBC Revue Studios (season 1) Universal TV (seasons 2-9)
Directed by	John Brahm Richard A. Colla
Starring	James Drury Doug McClure Lee J. Cobb John McIntire Charles Bickford Stewart Granger Clu Gulager Gary Clarke Randy Boone Roberta Shore
Opening theme	The Virginian by Percy Faith
Composer(s)	Stanley Wilson
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	9
No. of episodes	249
Production
Executive producer(s)	Norman MacDonnell Charles Marquis Warren Frank Price John Thomas James
Producer(s)	Frank Telford
Editor(s)	Lee Huntington Bob Kagey Robert L. Kimble Tony Martinelli George Ohanian Robert K. Richard
Cinematography	Alric Edens Gerald Perry Finnerman Robert Wyckoff
Running time	90 Min.
Broadcast
Original channel	NBC
Original run	September 19, 1962 – March 24, 1971

The Virginian is a western-themed television series which aired on NBC from 1962 to 1971 for a total of 249 episodes. It was the first western to air in 90-minute installments each week (75 minutes excluding commercial breaks). Two other westerns later adopted the same 90-minute format: the seventh season of Wagon Train, which returned to a one hour format for its eighth and final season, and Cimarron Strip, which lasted for only a single season. The show differed from Wagon Train in that it was filmed in the color format from its inception.^[1]

Contents 1 Synopsis 2 Cast 2.1 Notable guest stars 3 Spin-offs 4 References in popular culture 5 Translations of the Title 6 See also 7 Further reading 8 References 9 External links

[edit] Synopsis

Loosely based on the Owen Wister novel, the series revolved around a foreman, played by James Drury, who went by the name The Virginian; his real name was never revealed in the nine years the show was on the air. The series took place in Medicine Bow, Wyoming, and revolved around The Virginian's quest to maintain an orderly lifestyle for the ranch he worked on, which was called Shiloh Ranch. Other key characters included Trampas (played by Doug McClure) and Steve Hill (played by Gary Clarke). The main horse on the show was named Joe D. As the show progressed, Trampas became the more recognizable of the characters, and continues to be the role for which actor Doug McClure is best known.

The ranch had four owners throughout the program's run: Judge Garth (played by Lee J. Cobb), the Grainger brothers (played by Charles Bickford and John McIntire) and Colonel Alan McKenzie (played by Stewart Granger). The theme song was titled "Lonesome Tree" and was written by Percy Faith and conducted by Revue musical director, Stanley Wilson.

In the final year, when Col. McKenzie took over Shiloh Ranch, the name of the program was changed to The Men from Shiloh, and the look of the series was completely redesigned, with much broader brims and higher crowns on the hats, beards and mustaches, and jauntier and more imaginative costumes for the characters. These changes were not considered "improvements" by most of the fan base for the series, and after nine years the series was near the end of its run, and there was little that could save it.

[edit] Cast

James Drury and Doug McClure were the only performers who appeared in all nine seasons of the series.

• James Drury as The Virginian
• Doug McClure as Trampas
• Lee J. Cobb as Judge Henry Garth (season 1-4)
• Roberta Shore, as Betsy, daughter of Judge Henry Garth (season 1-4)
• Randy Boone as Randy Benton (season 2-4)
• Gary Clarke as Steve Hill (season 1-3)
• Diane Roter as Jennifer Sommers, Judge Garth's niece (season 4)
• Charles Bickford as John Grainger (season 5-6)
• John McIntire as Clay Grainger (season 6-8)
• Jeanette Nolan as Holly Grainger (season 6-8)
• Sara Lane as Elizabeth Grainger (season 5-8)
• Clu Gulager as Deputy Sheriff Emmett Ryker (season 3-6)
• Don Quine as Stacey Grainger (season 5-6)
• David Hartman as Dave Sutton (season 7)
• Tim Matheson as Jim Horn (season 8)
• Stewart Granger as Colonel Alan MacKenzie (season 9)
• Lee Majors as Tate (season 9)

[edit] Notable guest stars

Guest stars included:

Claude Akins Chris Alcaide Tol Avery Don 'Red' Barry Charles Bateman Hugh Beaumont Noah Beery, Jr. Bruce Bennett Charles Bickford Lloyd Bochner Scott Brady Neville Brand Charles Bronson James Brown Darlene Carr Conlan Carter Robert Colbert Russ Conway Ben Cooper Joseph Cotten Joan Crawford Dennis Cross Royal Dano John Dehner Bruce Dern Francis De Sales Andy Devine Paul Fix Harrison Ford Dick Foran Steve Forrest Tony Franciosa Bert Freed Robert Fuller Leo Gordon Coleen Gray Alan Hale, Jr. Mariette Hartley Ron Hayes Steve Ihnat Ben Johnson Victor Jory Darwin Joston

Robert Karnes Don Keefer DeForest Kelley George Kennedy Walter Woolf King Robert Lansing Cloris Leachman Myrna Loy Dayton Lummis Ida Lupino Strother Martin Lee Marvin Darren McGavin Catherine McLeod Patrick McVey Tyler McVey Burgess Meredith Vera Miles Ricardo Montalban Burt Mustin Leslie Nielsen Leonard Nimoy Lloyd Nolan Pat O'Brien Warren Oates Susan Oliver Gregg Palmer John Pickard Slim Pickens Judson Pratt Aldo Ray Robert Redford Pernell Roberts George C. Scott William Shatner Tom Simcox Robert F. Simon Tom Skerritt Quintin Sondergaard Karl Swenson Barry Sullivan Dub Taylor Tom Tryon Gary Vinson Jane Wyatt

[edit] Spin-offs

In April 1965 an episode of The Virginian called "We've Lost A Train" served as a backdoor pilot for the TV series Laredo.

[edit] References in popular culture

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (January 2008)

• The series was mentioned in the Monty Python's Flying Circus episode "Royal Episode 13" in which John Cleese announced that the Pythons would not be engaging in their typical silliness because the Queen (Elizabeth II) would be tuning in to the show later, although, at the time of the introduction, she was watching The Virginian.^[2]
• The Simpsons character Troy McClure was named after Troy Donahue and Doug McClure^[3].
• The Virginian and its later title The Men from Shiloh is mentioned by stuntman Mike, the character played by Kurt Russell in Death Proof^[2].

• Over the years, The Virginian prevailed or held steady against its network competition, having in its first season overpowered Dwayne Hickman's The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, which ceased production in 1963. In its fifth season, The Virginian faced competition from another Western, one also set in Wyoming: ABC's The Monroes, starring Michael Anderson, Jr., and Barbara Hershey as orphans trying to hold their family of siblings together in the wilderness. In its sixth season, The Virginian overpowered ABC's Custer starring Wayne Maunder in the title role of Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer. Custer was cancelled late in 1967 after seventeen episodes.

[edit] Translations of the Title

• Germany : Die Leute von der Shiloh Ranch
• French : Le Virginien
• Spanish : El Virginiano

[edit] See also

• The Virginian - Novel by American author Owen Wister
• The Virginian - 1914 silent film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Dustin Farnum
• The Virginian - 1923 silent film directed by Tom Forman and starring Kenneth Harlan and Florence Vidor
• The Virginian - 1929 film directed by Victor Fleming and starring Gary Cooper, Walter Huston and Richard Arlen
• The Virginian - 1946 film

[edit] Further reading

• A History of Television's The Virginian 1962–1971 by Paul Green, with a foreword by former executive producer Frank Price, (2006) ISBN 0-786-42613-6

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The Virginian at the Internet Movie Database
• The Virginian at TV.com
• Roy Huggins' American Archive of Television Interview