and an interesting show as the fourth longest western tv series (beyond Gunsmoke, Bonanza and The Virginian). Rawhide made top 20 in Nielsen Ratings for it's premiere episode and one of America's top 10 shows. The Rawhide's storyline about the adventures a North Texans trail boss Gil Favor of a continuous cattle drive (about 3000 head herd cattle) headed to the Sedalia, Kansas market. Gil (starred by Eric Fleming) was assisted crews; a young ranch ramrod scout Rowdy Yates (starred by Clint Eastwood, his first major role), the trail whiskered cook Harkness “Mushy” Mushgrove, scout Wishbone (Paul Brinegar, the one who provides comic relief with “mother” element for Rowdy), old hands scout experts Pete Nolan and Jim Quince, they take adventures and meet people and trouble on the trail. They encounter inconveniences and confronts, they get drawn solving problems and situations in towns, they rescue cattle in dangers in Old West (diseases, injuries, stampedes and lack of water, etc.), but they proved it as a true cowboys in gunfights, brawls and journey on the way. The series made it very realistic and convincing, packed with romance and comic plus a movie-like quality (music in full studio orchestra and scenes view as expansive as West).
The fascinating Rawhide TV series was premiered on January 1959 and end on December 1965 with 8 seasons and 217 episodes, now full 8 seasons available on DVD.
Casts:
- Gil Favor, Trail Boss ....... Eric Fleming
- Rowdy Yates ....... Clint Eastwood
- Simon Blake, Scout ....... Raymond St. Jacques
- G. W. Wishbone, Cook ....... Paul Brinegar
- Jed Colby, Scout ....... John Ireland
- Clay Forrester, Scout ....... Charles Gray
