The Restless Gun

The Restless Gun

1957
The Restless Gun
The Restless Gun

The Restless Gun

7.4 | TV-PG | en | Western

The Restless Gun is an American western television series that appeared on NBC between 1957 and 1959, with John Payne in the role of Vint Bonner, a wandering cowboy in the era after the American Civil War. A skilled gunfighter, Bonner is an idealistic person who prefers peaceful resolutions of conflict wherever possible. He is gregarious, intelligent, and public-spirited. The half-hour black-and-white program aired seventy-eight episodes. Jeanne Bates appeared in varying roles with Payne in five episodes of The Restless Gun. The Restless Gun theme song begins: "I ride with the wind, my eyes on the sun, and my hand on my restless gun..." The song composer is probably Paul Dunlap, credited as the primary series composer, but could have been contributed to by either of the two other series composers, Dave Kahn and Stanley Wilson, also. Two versions are currently posted on YouTube, but neither posting lists any composer or performance credits.

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Seasons & Episodes

2
1
0
EP37  A Very Special Investigator
Jun. 15,1959
A Very Special Investigator

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EP36  The Englishman
Jun. 08,1959
The Englishman

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EP35  The Cavis Boy
Jun. 01,1959
The Cavis Boy

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EP34  A Trial for Jenny May
May. 25,1959
A Trial for Jenny May

After Jenny May McElroy's husband was killed in a gunfight, no one in town would give her a job to support her children, except for the saloon owner, who hired her as a bookkeeper. Because of this some of the "proper" townspeople want to take her children and make them wards of the state.

EP33  Ride with the Devil
May. 18,1959
Ride with the Devil

Bonner is sent for by Don Tomas Verdes, a Mexican ranch owner, to help him convince his son to stop riding with an outlaw gang. Bonner joins the outlaws to try and bring the boy to his senses.

EP32  Lady by Law
May. 11,1959
Lady by Law

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EP31  Mme. Brimstone
May. 04,1959
Mme. Brimstone

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EP30  Code for a Killer
Apr. 27,1959
Code for a Killer

Vint Bonner arrives in the town of Toredo to be best man at his friend, Dave Regan's wedding. Vint soon discovers that Dave has been shot in the back and that the town, led by the new sheriff Ben Webster, are looking for his supposed killer, Vance Carter. It is left to Vint to find the truth and lay a trap for the real killer.

EP29  One on the House
Apr. 20,1959
One on the House

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EP28  Four Lives
Apr. 13,1959
Four Lives

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EP27  The Pawn
Apr. 06,1959
The Pawn

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EP26  Incident at Bluefield
Mar. 30,1959
Incident at Bluefield

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EP25  The Sweet Sisters
Mar. 23,1959
The Sweet Sisters

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EP24  Dead Man's Hand
Jan. 01,0001
Dead Man's Hand

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EP23  Ricochet
Jan. 01,0001
Ricochet

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EP22  Melany
Mar. 02,1959
Melany

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EP21  The Last Grey Man
Feb. 23,1959
The Last Grey Man

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EP20  The Dead Ringer
Feb. 16,1959
The Dead Ringer

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EP19  Better Than A Cannon
Jan. 01,0001
Better Than A Cannon

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EP18  Blood of Courage
Jan. 01,0001
Blood of Courage

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EP17  The Lady and the Gun
Jan. 19,1959
The Lady and the Gun

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EP16  Shadow of a Gunfighter
Jan. 12,1959
Shadow of a Gunfighter

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EP15  The Painted Beauty
Jan. 05,1959
The Painted Beauty

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EP14  The Way Back
Jan. 01,0001
The Way Back

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EP13  A Bell for Santo Domingo
Jan. 01,0001
A Bell for Santo Domingo

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EP12  Peligroso
Dec. 15,1958
Peligroso

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EP11  Multiply One Boy
Dec. 08,1958
Multiply One Boy

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EP10  Take Me Home
Jan. 01,0001
Take Me Home

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EP9  No Way to Kill
Nov. 24,1958
No Way to Kill

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EP8  Remember the Dead
Nov. 17,1958
Remember the Dead

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EP7  Tomboy
Nov. 10,1958
Tomboy

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EP6  Bonner's Squaw
Nov. 03,1958
Bonner's Squaw

Bonner persuades Chief Tashuka to honour the treaty with the white man by handing over two braves who are suspected of robbery. Unfortunately for Bonner, the chief's daughter Running Fawn takes a shine to Bonner and follows him to town. By Indian law Bonner is to marry the girl and reluctantly agrees to prevent a war. However when Bonner sees how beautiful Running Fawn is he uses an Indian custom to lose her to a brave.

EP5  The Nowhere Kid
Oct. 20,1958
The Nowhere Kid

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EP4  Thunder Valley
Oct. 13,1958
Thunder Valley

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EP3  Mercyday
Oct. 06,1958
Mercyday

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EP2  Dragon for a Day
Sep. 29,1958
Dragon for a Day

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EP1  The Hill of Death
Jun. 22,1959
The Hill of Death

Vint and the boy Robby are fishing by the riverbank. Vint tells the boy that the gun is a tool and goes on to tell the story of his grandfather, Jebediah Bonner. Vint's parents have been killed and he is brought up by Dr. Ken Ludlow and his wife. Jebediah, a retired marshall, arrives on the stagecoach to visit with his grandson and is confronted in the saloon by Jim Kenyon who holds a grudge from 20 years ago when he believes that Jedediah had not given his father a fair chance when he had killed him. Joe is consumed by hatred and is determined to exact revenge. Young Vint sees and hears of his grandfather being bullied and doing nothing. Jebediah decides that he must gain respect in young Vint's eyes and an exciting conclusion is played out.

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7.4 | TV-PG | en | Western | More Info
Released: 1957-09-23 | Released Producted By: Revue Studios , Window Glen Productions Country: United States of America Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website:
Synopsis

The Restless Gun is an American western television series that appeared on NBC between 1957 and 1959, with John Payne in the role of Vint Bonner, a wandering cowboy in the era after the American Civil War. A skilled gunfighter, Bonner is an idealistic person who prefers peaceful resolutions of conflict wherever possible. He is gregarious, intelligent, and public-spirited. The half-hour black-and-white program aired seventy-eight episodes. Jeanne Bates appeared in varying roles with Payne in five episodes of The Restless Gun. The Restless Gun theme song begins: "I ride with the wind, my eyes on the sun, and my hand on my restless gun..." The song composer is probably Paul Dunlap, credited as the primary series composer, but could have been contributed to by either of the two other series composers, Dave Kahn and Stanley Wilson, also. Two versions are currently posted on YouTube, but neither posting lists any composer or performance credits.

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The tv show is currently not available onine

Cast

John Payne

Director

David Dortort

Producted By

Revue Studios , Window Glen Productions

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Trailers

Reviews

Martin Onassis I also just watched two episodes on Get TV. It's always instructive to see television or films made early, when production was extremely sparse, and yet the drama is propelled forward by real actors, scripts and dialog.The second episode I watched dealth with accepting new german immigrants, a timely theme in the late 50s, and now for that matter.Most of what I got out of this episode, and the earlier one which dealt with crime, calling a young murderer 'crafted not just by himself, but by society', was that America no longer has any sensible judgement or morality, and everyone is just spewing agendas based on faulty information, instead of taking one step and case at a time. A methodical approach to secular justice is expressed in these smart episodes, something this country has utterly lost, at least in its public discourse.Of course, one particular side will blame the other for this condition. They are wrong. Everyone is responsible, especially the people blaming others. Regardless, these are excellent shows, totally watchable, with a strong, smart, just lead in John Payne. It makes America today look bad, and it makes modern film and tv scripts look average in general.
gsmith-01382 It is showing on GETTV as I am writing this. I enjoy the show. Vint Bonner is always on the move. He was the only star who was on every week. One week he is a shotgun guard the next he gets in the middle of a range war. You never know where he will show up or what his job will be. I don't know how he was able to afford to travel around all the time. I guess it was easier to do in the old west.
aimless-46 The 77 half-hour episodes (all in B&W) of the television western "The Restless Gun" ran from 1957-1959 on NBC. John Payne (best known as the Santa believing attorney in "Miracle on 34th Street") played the title character whose series name was Vint Bonner. There was also a half hour pilot where Payne's character had a different name (Britt Ponset). 23 of these episodes (including the pilot) are on the new DVD release. "The Restless Gun" was a big deal back in those days. It had its own Dell 4-color comic book and was part of Topps 1958 set of T.V. Western trading cards. This was the first series for "Bonanza" producer David Dotort. Payne was the show's executive producer. What distinguished Vint Bonner from the legion of televised loners (Johnny Yuma, Cheyenne, Sugarfoot, Bronco Lane, etc.) who were roaming the range back then was that he was clearly a professional gunfighter (like Paladin) and not just somebody trying to find themselves. He didn't have Paladin's style or fondness for the good life, rather he seemed pretty world weary and disillusioned. As someone has already mentioned, Bonner carried around a special kit that would extend the effective range of his colt. This involved a detailed assembly sequence in which a barrel extension and a rifle stock were attached to the handgun. The idea of a modified novelty gun soon inspired imitators, "Wanted Dead or Alive" and "The Rifleman" within the western genre. Then "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." as the spy shows proliferated. The U.N.C.L.E. gun was the most like what was featured on "The Restless Gun". The featured gun has been largely forgotten except among toy collectors, as a toy replica was released at the time along with the show's other merchandising programs. Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
Oldguypo8 My memory captures voices and John Payne's narration is one of the positive things about this series. In those days of black and white, there were mood differences in series by network. Because of station location I seem not to have watched Maverick and his buddies. Restless Gun, as best I can recall, seems to have been a bit softer edged than Gunsmoke and Have Gun. In truth, I cannot remember individual episodes, just the mood of the thing. Restless Gun began (or ended) with Vint Bonner quoting something like this, "There is so much bad in the best of us and so much good in the worst of us, that it ill behooves any of us to talk about the rest of us." I used to have a paperback or two based on the series and still have a Dell comic which has nice photos and rotten art. My recollection is that Bonner was a kind, sympathetic character who did not want to shoot anybody but had to do what needed to be done.Since it lasted only two years audience interest must not have been great. However, this was golden age of television westerns and most of them "bit the dust." However, with over 70 episodes this one should be shown. I have never seen it listed on cable but it may have been at some point. Nor does it seem to appear in those episode rip off DVD collections which have a smattering of many things.It would be nice to see a couple, just to compare to Bonanza and the others which are seen so often.