Hondo (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Hondo is a Western
television series starring Ralph Taeger
, that aired in the United States
on ABC
during the 1967 fall season
.
starring John Wayne
, which was in turn based on an early Louis L'Amour
novel
. It concerned a former Confederate
cavalry
officer who had moved west following the Civil War
and taken an Indian
bride, only to see her killed as part of an Indian massacre conducted by troops of the United States Army
. Now he and his dog Sam travelled alone, trying to prevent further trouble between the Army and the remaining Indians, but also fighting to counter land grabbers and other outlaws.
While the Wayne film had been fairly successful, this series, airing against the hit sitcom Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
on CBS
and Star Trek
on NBC
, was not, and it was canceled at year's end, with the last broadcast occurring on December 29, 1967.
Despite a run of only seventeen episodes, far less than the industry's rule of thumb
100 episodes
, Hondo was very successful in syndication, which fact became the subject of an article in the Wall Street Journal.
Warner Bros.
owns the rights to the series today - an ironic twist, given that they had been the original distributors of the film, but lost the rights soon after the initial release.
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
television series starring Ralph Taeger
Ralph Taeger
Ralph Taeger is an American actor who starred in three television series during the 1960s.-Biography:Born in Queens, New York, USA,from German speaking parents Fredrich and Olga Siefert. Taeger's first career choice was professional baseball, and he did play briefly on a farm team for the Los...
, that aired in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
during the 1967 fall season
1967-68 United States network television schedule
This was the television schedule on all three networks for the fall season beginning in September 1967. All times are Eastern and Pacific.New fall series are highlighted in bold....
.
Overview
Hondo was based on the film of the same nameHondo (film)
Hondo is a movie that was made in 1953 by 3-D Warnercolor western film starring John Wayne, directed by John Farrow. The screenplay is based on the 1952 short story "The Gift of Cochise" by Louis L'Amour...
starring John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
, which was in turn based on an early Louis L'Amour
Louis L'Amour
Louis Dearborn L'Amour was an American author. His books consisted primarily of Western fiction novels , however he also wrote historical fiction , science fiction , nonfiction , as well as poetry and short-story collections. Many of his stories were made into movies...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
. It concerned a former Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
officer who had moved west following the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
and taken an Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
bride, only to see her killed as part of an Indian massacre conducted by troops of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. Now he and his dog Sam travelled alone, trying to prevent further trouble between the Army and the remaining Indians, but also fighting to counter land grabbers and other outlaws.
While the Wayne film had been fairly successful, this series, airing against the hit sitcom Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.The show renders the title as Gomer Pyle - USMC. is an American situation comedy that originally aired on CBS from September 25, 1964, to May 2, 1969. The series was a spinoff of The Andy Griffith Show, and the pilot was aired as the finale of the fourth season of The Andy...
on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
and Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, was not, and it was canceled at year's end, with the last broadcast occurring on December 29, 1967.
Despite a run of only seventeen episodes, far less than the industry's rule of thumb
Rule of thumb
A rule of thumb is a principle with broad application that is not intended to be strictly accurate or reliable for every situation. It is an easily learned and easily applied procedure for approximately calculating or recalling some value, or for making some determination...
100 episodes
100 episodes
In the U.S. television industry, 100 episodes is the traditional threshold at which point a television series becomes viable for syndication. 100 episodes are advantageous for stripped syndication because such shows can be sold for higher per-episode pricing; it also allows for 20 weeks of...
, Hondo was very successful in syndication, which fact became the subject of an article in the Wall Street Journal.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
owns the rights to the series today - an ironic twist, given that they had been the original distributors of the film, but lost the rights soon after the initial release.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Ralph Taeger | Hondo Lane |
| Noah Beery, Jr. Noah Beery, Jr. Noah Lindsey Beery , known professionally as Noah Beery, Jr. or just Noah Beery, was an American actor specializing in warm, friendly character parts similar to the ones played by his uncle Wallace Beery, although Noah Beery, Jr., unlike his uncle, seldom broke away from playing supporting... |
Buffalo Baker |
| Gary Clarke Gary Clarke Gary Clarke is an American actor best known for his role as Steve Hill in the NBC western television series The Virginian with James Drury. Clarke appeared on the program only for its first three seasons, 1962—1964... |
Captain Richards |
| Kathie Browne | Angie Dow |
| Buddy Foster | Johnny Dow |
| Michael Pate | Chief Vittoro |
| William Bryant William Bryant (actor) -Career:Born in Los Angeles, California, U.S.., Bryant was a character actor who appeared in films such as King Dinosaur , Escape from San Quentin , Experiment in Terror , with Glenn Ford, How to Murder Your Wife and The Great Race with Jack Lemmon, What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? , McQ ,... |
Colonel Crook |
| Randy Boone Randy Boone Clyde Wilson Randall Boone, Jr., known as Randy Boone , is a former actor who co-starred in two of the three 90-minute westerns telecast during the 1960s on the national television networks, NBC's The Virginian and CBS's Cimarron Strip... |
Sean (two episodes) |
Episodes
| Ep # | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Hondo and the Eagle Claw" (with John M. Pickard John Pickard (American actor) John M. Pickard was an American actor who appeared primarily in television Westerns.-Early life and career:... ) |
September 8, 1967 |
| 2 | "Hondo and the War Cry" (again with John M. Pickard) | September 15, 1967 |
| 3 | "Hondo and the Singing Wire" (with Pat Conway Pat Conway Patrick Douglas Conway, known as Pat Conway , was an American actor best known for his role as young but tough Sheriff Clay Hollister on the ABC and then syndicated western television series Tombstone Territory . He was a maternal grandson of silent film star Francis X... ) |
September 22, 1967 |
| 4 | "Hondo and the Superstition Massacre" | September 29, 1967 |
| 5 | "Hondo and the Savage" | October 6, 1967 |
| 6 | "Hondo and the Apache Kid" (with Danielle Roter) | October 13, 1967 |
| 7 | "Hondo and the War Hawks" | October 20, 1967 |
| 8 | "Hondo and the Mad Dog" | October 27, 1967 |
| 9 | "Hondo and the Judas" | November 3, 1967 |
| 10 | "Hondo and the Comancheros" | November 10, 1967 |
| 11 | "Hondo and the Sudden Town" | November 17, 1967 |
| 12 | "Hondo and the Ghost of Ed Dow" (with Chris Alcaide Chris Alcaide Christopher "Chris" Alcaide was an American actor particularly known for his role in television westerns. He surfaced to national attention as Deputy Joshua Tate in the 1956 film Gunslinger, co-starring Beverly Garland as a woman marshal.In 2003, Alcaide was among recipients, including the Sons of... ) |
November 24, 1967 |
| 13 | "Hondo and the Death Drive" | December 1, 1967 |
| 14 | "Hondo and the Hanging Town" (with Quintin Sondergaard Quintin Sondergaard Quentin Charles Sondergaard, known primarily as Quintin Sondergaard , was an American actor principally active on television westerns from 1957-1970... ) |
December 8, 1967 |
| 15 | "Hondo and the Gladiators" | December 15, 1967 |
| 16 | "Hondo and the Apache Trail" | December 22, 1967 |
| 17 | "Hondo and the Rebel Hat" | December 29, 1967 |