The Westerner

1960

The Westerner

7.9 | NR | en | Western

The Westerner is an American Western series that aired on NBC from September to December 1960. Created by Sam Peckinpah, the series was produced by Four Star Television. The Westerner stars Brian Keith as Dave Blassingame and features John Dehner as semi-regular Burgundy Smith.

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Seasons & Episodes

EP13 The Painting

Dec. 30,1960

When Dave is fired from the ranch, he is hired to track down a very rare and expensive painting. But when Daves friend finds out about it, he tries to snooker it from Dave for considerably less than it is worth.

EP12 Hand on the Gun

Dec. 23,1960

A young man provokes a gunfight between Dave and another cowhand.

EP11 Going Home

Dec. 16,1960

On his way home, Dave sees two women pushing a cart with a adly wounded man inside. Dave helps protect the Trio from the bounty hunters after the $2000 reward out for the man's capture.

EP10 Line Camp

Dec. 09,1960

Dave and Brown find a dead man on the trail. They take him to a cattle camp, where he meets an old friend of his. But when Daves friend gets drunk and picks a fight with Dave, Dave has no choice to shoot his old friend.

EP9 Ghost of a Chance

Dec. 02,1960

Dave meets up with a ghost

EP8 The Old Man

Nov. 25,1960

Dave wants his horse and Rifle back after they are stolen by a bunch of land grabbers

EP7 Treasure

Nov. 18,1960

Dave and his dog Brown take shelter during a dust storm, and find a bag full of gold coins. But when the prospector who owns the coins comes along, he is anxious to get the gold back from Dave.

EP6 The Courting of Libby

Nov. 11,1960

Dave courts Libby

EP5 Dos Pinos

Nov. 04,1960

When Dave looks for room and board in a small town, he gets more than his fair share of fun when he learns of the gun happy Cantina named Puak. He also finds a wounded deputy

EP4 Mrs. Kennedy

Oct. 28,1960

Trouble's brewing when Dave is hired to work for a rancher whose wife has eyes for him.

EP3 Brown

Oct. 21,1960

A smooth talker ends up with Dave's dog, Brown

EP2 School Days

Oct. 07,1960

When a man murders a schoolteacher, Dave finds him, and shoots him. But the man still gets away. When Dave finds him, he is dying, with his two brothers by his side. The brothers try to pin his ""murder"" on Dave.

EP1 Jeff

Sep. 30,1960

Dave is out to kill a man named Danny Lipp, who runs a run down bordertown Saloon. In the End, he leaves after only beating up Danny Lipp.

7.9 | NR | en | Western | More Info

Released: 1960-09-30 | Released Producted By: Four Stars Productions , Country: United States of America Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website:

Synopsis

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Cast

Brian Keith

Director

Nels Mathias

Producted By

Four Stars Productions ,

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Cast

Brian Keith

as Dave Blassingame

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Reviews

dougbrode Sam Peckinpah had been active on such early TV adult westerns as Gunsmoke and The Rifleman, but he hoped to and dreamed of creating the most authentic TV cowboy show of all. Originally to have been titled "The Lone Westerner," it finally reached network TV in the fall of 1960, and lasted maybe thirteen weeks before being unceremoniously canceled. Meanwhile, Bonanza - the most stupid and least realistic western of all time - was allowed to continue even though it didn't initially score in the ratings. But I'm off track. The Westerner was every bit as good as Peckinpah (who wrote some episodes, directed others) wanted it to be. Attention to historic detail was fabulous, and it had the kind of grim, no-nonsense qualities that made Gunsmoke so terrific during its first three seasons - when it was, briefly, the High Noon of TV westerns rather than the corny folksy show it all too quickly degenerated into. Keith had a John Wayne kind of quality that served the show admirably while that underrated character actor John Dehner played his sometimes sidekick, Burgundy Smith. Throw in the dog from Old Yeller (here called Brown, which was his real name) and some intriguingly anecdotal tales, all very anti-heroic, and you had a show that captured the escapades of an ordinary saddle tramp in a way that no other did. Tom Gries, who later mounted the magnificent western movie Will Penny, tried out some of the plots and characters of that 1968 film here. Look for such later Peckinpah stock company members as Warren Oates in the varied casts.

thedon1940 A series of shows with Brian Keith being the constant lead actor and hero with various guest stars appearing in the different episodes. Very well acted and interesting to watch, especially if future star spotting is one of the viewers hobbies. Very realistic approach to the western not normally used by directors of the late 1950s and early 60s T. V. shows. The series has Dave Blassingame (Brian Keith) appearing in various situations over the course of the shows usually as a combination drifter turned hero that saves the day or the lady in distress from the villain or villains. Brian Keith plays the part in a very down to earth low key approach that is very refreshing and realistic.

Joseph Harder A few of the episodes were weak, yes, but the over-all concept and execution of this show was brilliant. I have always thought that Peckinpah was an extremely erratic director.I am in the minority, but he was at his purest and best early in his career. Ride the High Country, for example, is one of the supreme masterpieces of the western genre.Peckinpah made an well acted, philosophical western, with little violence, and displayed care and craftsmanship making it. True afficionados of the western genre recognize it as one of the few truly original or interesting Television Westerns ever made. It is a shame that no network exists where shows like this can be re-run. Instead we get TV land showing endless reruns of Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie.

Mister-UHF I've seen just two episodes of this series. In one, the hero drifted into a place that turned out to be a viper's nest. I don't remembered much about the plot, but the photography and suspense were excellent.The other was set during a town's Independence Day celebration. The dude played by John Dehner, quite tipsy, offers the hero an amount for his dog. He declines. One takes a swing and they spend the rest of the episode trying to fight amidst marching bands, dancing girls, etc. It was supposed to be funny, but instead was painfully boring.One could say that these episodes reflected Peckinpah's work in general: either great or awful, with little in between.