Friday, December 22, 2023

What Might've Been: The Texan (1958)

 One of the benefits of the Grit network returning to Spectrum Cable in the 518 is the addition of Rory Calhoun's 1958-60 oater, The Texan, a 2 season Desilu entry for CBS.

Calhoun not only stars, but serves as co-executive producer with business partner Victor Orsatti. Calhoun plays gunslinger Bill Longley, who travels here and there, but trouble always seems to follow.

After the series ended, ABC acquired rerun rights, airing weekdays at first, then on Saturday mornings. However, aside from Grit and other cablers, it hasn't seen the light of day in years.

Following is the season 1 episode, "No Tears For The Dead", with Beverly Washburn ("Old Yeller") and a pre-Bonanza Ray Teal.


A sharp decline in ratings from season 1 to season 2 resulted in cancellation.

Rating: A.

4 comments:

Mike Doran said...

That scholarly chemist in the first commercial?
Listen closely to his voice:
That's Mason Adams, who went on to be Ed Asner's newsroom boss on Lou Grant, all those years later ...
(I'm going a bit bonkers trying to place that orchid-loving newspaper guy in the second commercial; one of these days ...)

hobbyfan said...

Mason was doing voice-overs for Smuckers while doing Lou Grant. Not a surprise.

Mike Doran said...

In the '50s and '60s, Mason Adams was doing voice-overs for everybody; his voice was heard in commercials, comedy records,announcing, you name it.
The first time my brother and I saw him in an on-camera role, he suddenly piped up: "So that's what he looks like!"

hobbyfan said...

I think in the 80's, Mason and Peter Thomas were the kings of commercial voice-overs.