It’s Western Wednesday again here on Dark Bits so pull out your pistol and…um, wait, that’s probably illegal in some states…In that case, don’t pull out anything just saddle up and scream an occasional Whoopie-i-ti-yay!

A number of Westerns hit the air in the ‘50s and ‘60s, most of them very good. One such show was Cheyenne. I have to admit this was one series I was not familiar with from my youth and hadn’t seen until a friend gave me a copy of a sample DVD set. I am glad he did because it’s a fun series.

It ran on ABC from 1955 to 1963 with 108 hour-long black and white episodes, and was the first hour- long drama with regular characters. It was also one of the most turbulent series in TV history, as its star battled constantly with the studio over contractual matters.

But no doubt about it, despite decent stories, that star WAS the show. Clint Walker’s commanding presence and iron jaw made Cheyenne, and the studio knew it. He drew very high ratings to the smaller ABC network, the show often top ten against stiff competition.

Clint played Cheyenne Bodie, a wanderer whose parents had been massacred by Cheyenne Indians, the same Indians who raised him. A bit dysfunctional, but he came away with a deep understanding of their ways. Walker reprised the role for a Gambler TV movies as well as an episode of Kung Fu: The Legend Continues in the ‘90s.

Bodie drifts through the series, taking odd jobs at ranches, on wagon trains and cattle drives, quickly finding some sort of dilemma to become involved in. Sometimes he was deputized, sometimes ostracized, but he usually solved problems with a fast gun and quick rock-hard fists. The show ripped off a number of famous western movie plots, simply inserting Bodie into the action with very little change and spawned a comic book and board game.

Clint Walker was one of the most commanding film stars of his time and it’s easy to see why many of his demands were met. He is the quintessential Western hero—tough as, dare I say it, rawhide, gentle and cool with the ladies and forged with enough morals and conviction to satisfy a priest—well, except for the killing thing…and constant fist fights. Many episodes are available on DVD, so check it out.