ALL SCI-FI

[Eadie]

Most of us (myself included) never knew that Wagon Train actually had words to the theme. Here it is from the pilot episode:

___Wagon Train Ending Theme (Sung by Johnny O'Neill)


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Art Should Comfort the Disturbed and Disturb the Comfortable.

[Bud Brewster]

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Eadie, what a wonderful post to add to All Sci-Fi!

Here's the theme song to Rawhide.

_Rawhide Opening and Closing Credits and Theme Song


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Pow]

Robert Horton who played Flint McCullough also sang the title song and did a good job of it.

Ward Bond and Robert Horton did not get along all that well on the show. They eventually worked it out but never became friends. "Wagon Train" was one of the highest rated television shows and ran from 1957-to-1965.

Terry Wilson (Bill Hawks) and Frank McGrath (Charlie Wooster) were top-notch stuntmen before they morphed into character actors.

Ward Bond died in Texas of a massive heart attack at the age of 60 during the run of the show.

Robert Horton left the show in 1962 having grown weary of his role. At that time he swore off doing westerns ever again.

He later changed his mind when he starred in the ABC 30-minutes western TV show "A Man Called Shenandoah." It was a darn good western but only lasted one season from September 1965 until 1966.

Scott Miller (later Denny Miller) played scout Duke Shannon from 1961-to-1964. Denny would play Tarzan in a made-for-TV movie.

"Wagon Train" was loosely based upon the John Ford film "Wagon Master" which also starred Ward Bond as the leader of a wagon train.

Bond was close friends with both Ford and John Wayne.

[ralfy]

Related:

"Gene Roddenberry's Wagon Train to 'Star Trek'"

https://www.newsweek.com/wagon-train-stars-410030

[Bud Brewster]

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By gum, Mike, the version of "Roll Along" by Robert Horton is indeed very good!

It's significantly different from the one by Johnny O'Neil which is featured in the series. The tempo is slower, giving it a mournful flavor, and the orchestration is consistence with this. It's not bold and brassy like the O'Neil version fromr the series.

I'll be hogtied if I don't love 'em both, partner!

____ (ROLL ALONG) WAGON TRAIN Robert Horton


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Note the faster tempo the Johnny O'Neil version below, along with the spirited orchestration with those sharp "orchestral hits" after certain lines of the lyrics.

It's as if the Johnny O'Neil version celebrates the proud pioneer spirit — while the Robert Horton version emphasizes the hard life of the men who worked with the wagon trains, especially the scouts like "Clint McCullough".

___ Wagon Train Ending Theme (Sung by Johnny O'Neil)


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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I watched the season 2 episode today called The Jasper Cato Story, and the young wife of a convicted thief was played by a woman I thought looked familiar as soon as I saw her. But I didn't realize who she was until I heard her voice.

That happens to me often. Despite the changes in an actor's appearance which the role may require, I can often identify them by their distinctive voice.

So, thirty seconds after the woman in The Jasper Cato Story started speaking, I sat up and exclaimed "Hey, that's Peggy Webber from The Space Children!"


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In fact, it was the way she delivered a flirtatious line to her husband in the scene shown above during the Wagon Train episode ithat made me remember Miss Webber doing the same thing with Adam Williams in the scene below from The Space Children!

Cool, hiuh?


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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Well bust my bottoms! The last thing I expected to see in a Wagon Train episode was a musical number with Ann Blyth and Charlie (the cook) singing a sprightly song like something out of Disney animated movie — with a full orchestral accompaniment!

Play the DailyMotion video below and FF to the early scene right after the title card which says The Jenny Tannen Story.

It's amazing!

If you have trouble with the DailyMotion video, I've uploaded it to WeTransfer so you can download it (without ads) and watch it that way.

Click to download The Jenny Tannen Story from WeTransfer.

________ The Jenny Tannen Story on DailyMotion


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Pow]

Some more WT trivia courtesy if Wikipedia & IMDB.

WT first debuted on NBC and ran on that network from 1957 until 1962. The show was then picked up by the ABC network, where it ran from 1962 until 1965. WT ran for 8 seasons in its entirety and amassed 284 episodes in total.

The show was an hour in length except for season 8 where it ran for 90-minutes. This was influenced by NBC's The Virginian television series which was the first 90-minute western TV show.

When WT went into reruns while the series was still running in primetime with original episodes, it was called Seth Adams, Trailmaster.

WT had 3 different theme scores over its run. One theme score was taken from the western movie The Jayhawkers co-starring Jeff Chandler & Fess Parker.

Ward Bond died in the middle of the 4th season of WT. No explanation was ever given on the show regarding Major Seth Adams disappearance.

Although Ward Bond was only 57-years old when he died. He was in terrible health throughout his time on the show. He was obese, had high blood pressure, drank & smoked heavily, never exercised.

Ward Bond & Robert Horton had a contentious relationship on the show. Bond was said to be jealous that Horton received more fan mail than he did. Bond would attempt to limit Horton's screen time on WT as well as remove any good lines of dialogue from Horton whenever he could.

Robert Horton left WT after its 5th season.

Bond & Horton did reconcile shortly before Bond's untimely passing.

In the first season of WT, it was established that cook Charlie Wooster had considerable medical knowledge. However, after season one that concept was entirely dropped.

Ward Bond's close friend John Wayne made a cameo on "The Coulter Craven Story," which was directed by movie legend John Ford who was good friends to both Bond & Wayne. Wayne played General William Tecumseh Sherman.

Comedian George "Lonesome George" Gobel played Major Adams cousin & the title character in "The Horace Best Story."

Martin Landau guest starred on WT and said that his experience with Bond was unpleasant. According to Landau, when Bond learned he was Jewish and from N.Y.C., Bond cold-cocked him during a staged fight for a scene.

Ya know, Ward Bond is one of my favorite performers. Given some of the things I've found out about him, he was also a miserable person.