Have Gun Will Travel - Your Guide To The Hidden Stars In The Classic Western

By Tom Rose
Fancast.com

In television’s Golden Age, westerns were as popular as sitcoms. For four years in a row Have Gun - Will Travel claimed the No. 3 spot behind Wagon Train and Gunsmoke. It was due in no little measure to the mesmerizing portrayal of the iconic lead character, Paladin, by grizzled veteran Richard Boone.

In the words of the show’s creators, Paladin was “a Renaissance man determined to rekindle the genteel code of medieval gallantry in a land still reeling from post-Civil War crises.” Paladin leased a permanent suite in San Francisco’s trendy Hotel Carlton and to stave off boredom, he scanned newspapers for articles about people in desperate situations. Then he would contact them with his business card (hence the series title) making himself available for a fee of $1,000. It was a new take on the Old West and viewers lapped it up.

As a result, actors clamored for any role and many fresh young faces made their bones on the show. Here’s a list of some of those who went on to enduring fame as icons themselves on TV and in the Movies.

Three Bells to Perdido: Jack Lord
Series Premier. A rancher hires Paladin to track down an outlaw who ran off to Mexico with the rancher’s daughter. Jack Lord went on to his career defining role as Steve McGarrett in Hawaii Five-O and originated the catch phrase “Book ‘em Danno.”

The Outlaw: Charles Bronson
The town banker hires Paladin to protect him after a notorious bank robber escapes from jail. After finding limited success on television, Charles Bronson submerged himself in European Cinema for the next few years before exploding in the American brain in 1970 as star of the popular “Death Wish” movies.

The Great Mojave Chase: Claude Akins
Paladin tries his hand at eluding a crack sportsman in the desert by employing some unexpected tricks to throw him off the trail. Claude Akins later made a name for himself by harassing cross-country truckers in the 70’s hit B.J. and the Bear.

A Matter of Ethics: Angie Dickinson
A man accused of murder hires Paladin to protect him, fearing he’ll be lynched before he can receive a fair trial. Angie Dickinson went on to her breakthrough feminist role as Sergeant Leann “Pepper” Anderson in the crime drama Police Woman.

The Bride: Mike Connors
Paladin protects a mail-order bride while questions over her integrity are resolved. Mike Connors later starred as Mannix, a regular guy with a badge, who had the unfortunate propensity for being either shot in the arm (over a dozen times) or run off the road every time he hopped into his trusty convertible.

High Wire: Jack Albertson
When Paladin discovers that an unsavory hobo plans on cheating to win a bet, he makes sure the playing field is leveled against him. Jack Albertson enjoyed a healthy movie career after this appearance and later starred in Chico and the Man, for which he won an Emmy. This gave him the distinction of being one of the few stars to win the Triple Crown of entertainment (a Tony, an Oscar, and an Emmy).

No Visitors: June Lockhart
Paladin tracks down a doctor to treat a poor widow and her son, stricken with typhoid. June Lockhart went on to portray Dr. Maureen Robinson, the mother of the castaway Robinson family in the hit series Lost in Space. The sci-fi program was so popular, Lockhart made it a habit to be photographed in the show’s signature silver spacesuits for years afterward.

Gun Shy: Dan Blocker
Paladin finds himself attracted to a landlady’s beautiful daughter while chasing a band of thieves who stole a valuable chess set. Soon after, Dan Blocker became the lovable “Hoss” Cartwright, middle son of the Bonanza boys, until his sudden and early death from an embolism in 1972.

The Return of Dr. Thackeray: Jack Weston
Paladin’s love interest diagnoses a ranch hand with smallpox, and then sets about preventing an outbreak of the disease. Jack Weston became a cinema staple, usually in comic roles, in films such as Cactus Flower and Please Don’t Eat the Daisies, but also occasionally scored some meatier roles, such as the crooked bank manager in Short Circuit 2.

Deliver the Body: James Franciscus
Paladin is hired to bring a sheriff’s killer to justice. James Franciscus later played Michael Longstreet, a New Orleans insurance investigator who was blinded in an attempt on his life in which his wife accidentally died. The series chronicled his attempts to bring the real killers to justice using powers other than his eyesight.