Television Westerns : Six Decades of Sagebrush Sheriffs, Scalawags, and Sidewinders

Westerns have featured prominently in films almost since motion pictures were first produced at the end of the 19th century. And when televisions invaded American homes in the late 1940s and early '50s, Western programs filled the small screen landscape. Throughout the 1950s and well into the 1960s, these shows dominated television with such long-running successes as __Bonanza__, __Wagon Train__, and __Maverick__. And though the genre has fallen on hard times over the years, it has never died, as Hollywood continues to produce films, mini-series, and shows that keep the west alive.In __Television Westerns: Six Decades of Sagebrush Sheriffs, Scalawags, and Sidewinders__, Alvin H. Marill looks at the genre as it was represented from the beginning of television—from the 20-year run of __Gunsmoke__ to the brutal revisionist take of __Deadwood__. This volume encompasses all manifestations of the Western, including such series as __Rawhide__, __The Virginian__, and __The Wild, Wild West__, as well as movies-of the-week, mini-series, failed pilots, animated programs, documentaries, and even Western-themed episodes of non-Western series that provided their own spin on the genre. Annotation Westerns have featured prominently in films almost since motion pictures were first produced at the end of the 19th century. And when televisions invaded American homes in the late 1940s and early '50s, Western programs filled the small screen landscape. Throughout the 1950s and well into the 1960s, these shows dominated television with such long-running successes as Bonanza, Wagon Train, and Maverick. And though the genre has fallen on hard times over the years, it has never died, as Hollywood continues to produce films, mini-series, and shows that keep the west alive. In Television Westerns: Six Decades of Sagebrush Sheriffs, Scalawags, and Sidewinders, Alvin H. Marill looks at the genre as it was represented from the beginning of television€”from the 20-year run of Gunsmoke to the brutal revisionist take of Deadwood. This volume encompasses all manifestations of the Western, including such series as Rawhide, The Virginian, and The Wild, Wild West, as well as movies-of the-week, mini-series, failed pilots, animated programs, documentaries, and even Western-themed episodes of non-Western series that provided their own spin on the genre Westerns have featured prominently in films almost since motion pictures were first produced at the end of the nineteenth century and when televisions invaded American homes in the late 1940s and early '50s, Western programs filled the small screen landscape. Throughout the 1950s and well into the 1960s, these shows dominated television with such long-running successes as Bonanza, Wagon Train, and Maverick. And though the genre has fallen on hard times over the years, it has never died, as Hollywood continues to produce films, mini-series, and shows that keep the west alive. In Television Westerns: Six Decades of Sagebrush Sheriffs, Scalawags, and Sidewinders, Alvin H. Marill looks at the genre as it was represented from the beginning of television--from the twenty-year run of Gunsmoke to the brutal revisionist take of Deadwood. This volume encompasses all manifestations of the Western, including such series as Rawhide, The Virginian, and The Wild, Wild West, as well as movies-of the-week, mini-series, failed pilots, animated programs, documentaries, and even Western-themed episodes of non-Western series that provided their own spin on the genre. This volume looks at the Western as it was represented from the beginning of television, encompassing all manifestations of the Western, including such series as Bonanza, Gunsmoke, and The Wild, Wild West, as well as movies-of the-week, mini-series, failed pilots, animated programs, documentaries, and even Western-themed episodes of non-Western series that provided their own spin on the genre. Foreword / by Jon Burlingame Introduction Defending range justice on the tube Coming of age on the tv frontier The western Disney style and the pivotal years From Wagon train and Bonanza to The Virginian and The big valley The made-for western saddles up The great western miniseries Cartoon westerns Western documentaries Western-themed series episodes Heading, alas, thataway!.