Life in the Old West

I just finished watching an episode of “The American Experience” which puts Buffalo Bill Cody in good perspective, highlighting the complexity of the man as genuine American “hero” mixed with heavy doses of showman. The episode I’m talking about is “The American Experience: Buffalo Bill’s Wild West.” (The title is a pun of sorts, playing off of William F. Cody’s creation of his “Wild West” show that toured the world in the 1880s and of the role he played in “inventing” much of what we know of as the Old West of popular culture.)

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I would bet there’s never been a television or radio Western LESS like life in the real Old West than “The Lone Ranger,” but that was perfectly okay to a generation of us growing up back in the 1940s and ’50s and carefully, breathlessly following actor Clayton Moore’s every masked move.

Clayton Moore became the Lone Ranger, just as Native American actor Jay Silverheels (who actually was a Canadian by birth) became his faithful sidekick, Tonto. Moore and Silverheels, who were paired in more than 200 episodes of “The Lone Ranger” on television from 1949-57, both had many other roles in television and movies. But unless you’re a real Moore or Silverheels fan, I’ll bet you can’t name one for either man.

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One of the most famous TV Westerns of all time was “Bonanza.” The series ran for 14 seasons, from 1959-73, and ran the gamut from TV “horse opera” through serious drama. Who can forget Ben Cartwright (Lorne Green) and his sons (“Hoss” played by Dan Blocker, “Adam,” played by Pernell Roberts, and “Little Joe,” played by Michael Landon) and their life and adventures on the Ponderosa ranch, located in Nevada? Just for fun, here’s a video I found of their rousing opening theme. Enjoy!

Read more on Have fun with famous TV Western and Western DVD collectibles…