The Virginian (TV series)
The Virginian is an American Western television series starring James Drury, Doug McClure, and Lee J. Cobb, which aired on NBC from 1962–1971 for a total of 249 episodes. It was a spin-off from a 1958 summer series called Decision. Filmed in color, The Virginian became television's first 90-minute Western series. Cobb left the series after four seasons and was replaced over the years by mature character actors John Dehner, Charles Bickford, John McIntire, and Stewart Granger portraying different characters.
The series ran for nine seasons—network television's third-longest running Western, behind Bonanza at 14 seasons and 430 episodes, and Gunsmoke at 20 seasons and 635 episodes. The series is loosely based on The Virginian: Horseman of the Plains, a 1902 Western novel by Owen Wister. Percy Faith composed the theme.
Production
When Revue Productions' hour-long series Wagon Train moved from the NBC network to ABC, The Virginian was proposed to replace it. From the beginning, the 90-minute series was filmed in color on 35-mm film. The half-hour pilot in 1958 was filmed in black-and-white.Synopsis
Pilot
The half-hour black-and-white pilot titled The Virginian aired in 1958 as part of the series Decision, which in other weeks aired pilots for three other series.In the pilot, the Virginian, with a noticeable southern accent not present in the subsequent network series and wearing a Confederate belt buckle marked "CSA", arrived by invitation at the ranch of Judge Henry to be an accountant and manager and soon became involved in unraveling a plot to destroy the judge's efforts to create a new town in the surrounding region. Other actors, some added later to the cast, included Don Quine, Tim Matheson, Andrew Duggan, Jeanette Nolan, and Dan Blocker, the latter in a small, nonspeaking role.
Seasons one through eight
Set in the late 19th century, and loosely based on The Virginian, A Horseman of the Plains, a 1902 novel by Owen Wister, the series revolved around the tough foreman of the Shiloh Ranch, played by Drury. He and his top hand, Trampas, were the only characters to remain with the show for the entire run. As in the book, the foreman went only by the name "the Virginian". The series was set in Medicine Bow, Wyoming. Various references in the first season indicate that setting is 1898:- In episode five, "The Brazen Bell", guest star George C. Scott quotes from Oscar Wilde's The Ballad of Reading Gaol, which was first published in 1898.
- In episode seven, "Riff Raff", several of the main characters join Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders, the volunteer cavalry unit formed in 1898 to fight in Cuba during the Spanish–American War.
- In episode 11, "The Devil's Children", the grave marker for one of the characters who dies in the episode states 1898 as the year of death.
- In episode 13, "The Accomplice", an 1898 calendar is present in the bunkhouse.
Several cast changes were made throughout the program's run. In the first four seasons, the owner of the ranch was Judge Henry Garth. His de facto daughter Betsy lived at the ranch with him, and had a sister relationship with the ranch hands. Ranch hand Steve Hill joined in episode storylines. Randy Boone joined the show in the second season as a youthful ranch hand who played guitar and sang duets with Betsy.
In 1965, Decca Records released an LP of songs from the two singing actors. In the episode "First to Thine Own Self", Boone's character sings "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry", written by Hank Williams in 1949.
In the third season, Clu Gulager, who had previously guest-starred twice in earlier seasons, was added to the show as the restless deputy Emmett Ryker. After executive producer Frank Price was replaced by Norman Macdonnell at the end of season three, season four became a troublesome time. When Shore left the cast, Macdonnell added a new leading woman — Diane Roter, who played Jennifer, the judge's niece. When Cobb left the show in 1966, John Dehner, as Morgan Starr, was brought in as the manager of Shiloh when Judge Garth left to become the governor of Wyoming. His demanding presence and tough demeanor did not fit well with the show, nor did fans like his character.
Producer Frank Price was brought back on board for season five to straighten out the series. He replaced the characters of Randy, owner Morgan Starr, and Jennifer with a few actors who brought back the family atmosphere to the show. John Grainger became the new owner. Elizabeth Grainger, was John Grainger's granddaughter. Her brother Stacey rounded out this new cast.
Although Price left again, the series continued smoothly in the pattern that he set. In season six, Clay Grainger, took over ownership after his brother John's apparent departure "on business." The sixth season also added Holly Grainger as the wife of Clay. Season seven had the entrance of David Sutton, played by David Hartman. However, Sutton was replaced in season eight with a younger hand, Jim Horn.
Season 9
In season 9, the name of the program was changed to The Men from Shiloh and the look of the series was completely redesigned. Ownership of the Shiloh Ranch was changed once more, and Colonel Alan MacKenzie took over. Granger said of his character:They had some idea of Col. Mackenzie against the West. I wanted no part of that. Englishmen were running cattle here from the beginning. The English have this thing for land; for animals and crops... I said this old cocker's out of India and the colonies: he can take the American West on his own terms.
In several countries, including the United Kingdom, the show went under the extended title The Virginian: Men From Shiloh.
The opening theme song was changed to a new one, composed by Ennio Morricone, and the look of the show was changed reflecting a style similar to spaghetti Westerns, which were very popular at the time. The hats worn featured much broader brims and higher crowns. The clothing was also jauntier and more imaginative and mustaches and beards were much in evidence.
These changes brought a better ranking in the top-30 primetime shows, after the previous year had the show slip out of the top-30 rankings for the first time.
The final season operated on a "rotating lead actor" basis of the four stars, with normally just one lead appearing each week. Two of the four lead actors never appeared together in the last season. The ranch itself played a very nominal part in season 9, with most scripts featuring the four stars away from the ranch. Little seemingly could save it, as the final season brought in several big guest stars to the remaining episodes. The studio and network were set on ending the series, as evidenced by rivals CBS and ABC making demographic moves away from rural-oriented shows. The final episode aired on March 24, 1971, ending the show's nine-season run.
Characters
The Virginian
Played by James Drury, the Virginian was the tough foreman of the Shiloh Ranch.Based loosely on the character in the Owen Wister novel, he always stood his ground firmly. Respected by the citizens of Medicine Bow and the hands of the ranch, he was a prominent figure in Medicine Bow. In the series, the Virginian is the ranch foreman from the first episode. This way, the producers were able to establish a feeling that he had been there for a while, thus keeping a consistent story line. In the book, however, the Virginian was the deputy foreman, and only became the foreman after a promotion from the judge.
When making the show, the producers chose not to reveal the Virginian's real name, and little about his past was actually made known. This succeeded in making the Virginian an intriguing and mysterious character. The foreman worked under five ranch owners throughout the series: Judge Garth, Morgan Starr, John Grainger, Clay Grainger, and Col. Alan Mackenzie. Drury and McClure were the only cast members to remain with the show for all nine seasons. Drury first played The Virginian on the July 6, 1958, episode of Decision.
Judge Garth
Starting in season one, Lee J. Cobb succeeded in making Judge Garth a stern man with a soft side to his personality. The judge acted as a father figure to the Virginian. Respected by all the townspeople, as well as his employees, the judge was often looked to for matters to be settled. Cobb left the series near the end of season four. In the episode "Morgan Starr", the judge was stated to have left Shiloh to become governor of Wyoming. This was a major break in the show's overall story, as the judge had said he would leave Shiloh to Betsy - in "The Hero".Trampas
Played by Doug McClure, the character of Trampas took on a completely different personality from the character in the novel. In Wister's book, Trampas was a villain throughout the story and at the end was shot by the Virginian, but in the TV series, the producers chose to make Trampas a fun-loving and rowdy character; McClure fitting the part perfectly. Trampas, a sandy-haired, rowdy cowhand who eventually settled down on the ranch, was by far the most developed character in the series. Several episodes were made detailing his past. McClure added a touch of light comedy to the series to counterbalance the Virginian's serious manner. For part of season 9, the Trampas character wore a thick mustache and broader brimmed hat.Steve Hill
Played by Gary Clarke, Steve was a good friend of both Trampas and the Virginian. He was constantly getting Trampas in and out of his usual scrapes. The on-screen chemistry that Gary Clarke and Doug McClure possessed reflected their good friendship off screen, and was loved by fans worldwide. Although he was with the show at the beginning, Clarke was being phased out of the show at the end of season two, but remained as a guest star for a few episodes in season three, before departing for good.Betsy Garth
Played by Roberta Shore, from seasons one through four, Betsy was the only daughter of Judge Garth. Early in the series, she was made clear to be adopted, but nevertheless the judge treated her as his own. Betsy and the ranch hands had a sort of brother–sister relationship. Trampas and Steve had a particular soft spot for her, often jumping to protect her, and looking out for her wellbeing. At the start of the series, Betsy is said to be 15 years old. In a season-four episode, "The Awakening", she married a minister, and moved to Pennsylvania, reflecting Roberta Shore's departure from the show.Randy Benton
Played by Randy Boone from seasons two through four, Randy was a young ranch hand who played guitar and sang. He came into the show as Steve Hill was being phased out as a regular cast member. Before the new Grainger family was brought in for season five, his character was discontinued.Deputy Sheriff Emmett Ryker
At the beginning of season three, a new cast regular was introduced. Clu Gulager played the restless deputy Emmett Ryker. Ryker was the first cast regular not to live on Shiloh. A former lawman turned hired gun because the pay was better, Ryker decided to settle in Medicine Bow before he took his new profession too far. He was hired by Sheriff Abbott, with whom he had been acquainted, after solving the murder of a prominent rancher in the introductory episode "Ryker". He became the sheriff in season four. Gulager remained with the show for four seasons, leaving briefly at the beginning of season five, then returning for the rest of season five before leaving for good toward the end of season six.Jennifer Sommers
After Roberta Shore left the show, Diane Roter was brought in as the judge's niece. At the end of season four, along with Boone and Dehner, she left, making room for the new owners.Morgan Starr
Halfway through season four, Morgan Starr was brought in to run the ranch for Judge Garth because of Garth's appointment as governor of Wyoming. John Dehner played a tough and demanding man, who was hard to befriend, as the Virginian and Trampas soon found out. Fans disliked Dehner's character, and he left the show at the end of the season.John Grainger
At the beginning of season five, with Judge Garth, Betsy, and Jennifer gone, a new character was brought in to run Shiloh. Charles Bickford played a stern but loving grandfather to his two grandchildren, Stacey and Elizabeth. Although the Virginian and Mr. Grainger never quite had the father–son relationship that the Virginian and Judge Garth had, they got along well. Charles Bickford's death on November 9, 1967, was a shock to the cast. He was replaced by John McIntire as his brother Clay.Stacey Grainger
Played by Don Quine, Stacey Grainger, the grandson of John Grainger, lived at Shiloh, beginning in season five. He worked alongside Trampas, and the two become good friends. Stacey's sister Elizabeth looked up to him as a big brother, and he filled the role more than competently. Quine's two seasons on The Virginian were the only ones that finished in the Nielsen rating top-15 yearend rankings.Elizabeth Grainger
Stacey's younger sister Elizabeth was the granddaughter of John Grainger, starting in season five. Trampas, the Virginian, and Stacey all look out for her wellbeing. Elizabeth was cast as a teenaged girl enjoying her life on the frontier. She loved horses, riding the range, and going to the ever-present Saturday night dances. Sara Lane left the series in season eight.Clay Grainger
After the death of Charles Bickford, John McIntire was hired as his brother, Liz and Stacey's great uncle. Clay had a wife, Holly, and was the ranch owner for seasons five through eight. McIntire had earlier taken over the lead role in Wagon Train upon the death of Ward Bond, assuming the role of the new wagonmaster. In season 9, The Virginian was revamped, and McIntire, along with Nolan, Lane, David Hartman, and Tim Matheson, left the show.Episodes
The Virginian aired Wednesday at 7:30–9:00 pm on NBC for its entire run.Guest stars
Guest stars from film and television included Claude Akins, Eddie Albert, Slim Pickens, Charles Bronson, Nina Foch, Harrison Ford, Lee Marvin, George C. Scott, Eve McVeagh, Mel Torme, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Robert Duvall, and Robert Redford.Season one
The first episode, "The Executioners", features Hugh O'Brian. It also included Jack Warden, Ricardo Montalban, Aldo Ray, Lee Marvin, Charles Bickford, Joan Freeman, and Charles Aidman, Bette Davis, Harold Gould, Carol Lynley, Brian Keith, Vera Miles ,, David Wayne, John Dehner, Paul Richards, Skip Homeier, Arthur Hunnicut, Richard Anderson, and Harry Morgan, and Dolores Hart.Season two
The first episode of season two featured Royal Dano. After that, such stars as Broderick Crawford, Robert Redford, Albert Salmi, Yvonne De Carlo, Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley, Leo Genn, Bruce Dern, John Agar, Sheree North, Dennis Holmes, and Ross Elliott, and Peter Breck and Bruce Dern were listed.Season three
With season three, a new cast regular was introduced. Clu Gulager played the young deputy Emmett Ryker, but even with the expanding cast, more guest stars were brought on to the show. In the first episode, in which Gulager was introduced, Leslie Nielsen played a corrupt land grabber. Other actors included Victor Jory and Katharine Ross, Robert Culp and Jena Engstrom, Steve Forrest,, Barbara Eden, young Kurt Russell, George Kennedy, John Gavin, and Lloyd Nolan. Following the switch to Universal Studios from Revue, Fabian Forte starred as a young man suffering from schizophrenia in Episode 3.17, "Two Men Named Laredo". Others included Forrest Tucker and Andrew Prine, Jack Warden, Tom Simcox, Rhonda Fleming, William Smith, Neville Brand, and Peter Brown..Season four
played as an old buddy of Trampas' in episode 3.4, "The Claim". Glenn Corbett played a young minister who marries Betsy in episode 4.5, "The Awakening". Others included Earl Holliman, Charles Bronson, Harold J. Stone, James Best, Telly Savalas, John Cassavetes, Tony Bill, John Dehner, and Andrew Duggan.Season five
At the beginning of season 5, three new cast regulars were introduced, the Grainger family. Guest stars included Angie Dickinson, Warren Oates, Aldo Ray, Dan Duryea, Diane Baker and Frank McGrath, Pernell Roberts, Tom Tryon, Andy Devine, Harrison Ford, Michael Shea, Robert Fuller, Vivi Janiss and R. G. Armstrong, and Myrna Loy.Season six
Season six featured Charles Bronson and Dick Foran in 6.1, "The Reckoning". It then continued with David Hartman, Edmond O'Brien, Jeanette Nolan, John McIntire, James Whitmore, Malachi Throne, John Lupton, Robert Lansing, Sharon Farrell, Tim McIntire, Sammy Jackson, Peter Deuel, and Michael Burns. In episode 6.8, "Bitter Autumn", John McIntire was brought in as the brother of John Grainger. McIntire was added to the cast ride-in in episode 6.17, "Jed".Season seven
Season seven's guests included William Smith, Burgess Meredith, John Saxon, Ricardo Montalban, Susan Oliver, Hugh Beaumont, Steve Ihnat, James Brolin, Peter Deuel, Jennifer Gan, Jack Albertson, Troy Donahue, and Shelly Novack.Season eight
Season eight had the return of William Shatner, along with Joan Crawford, Tony Franciosa, Patrick Macnee, Tim McIntire and Terry Wilson, and Julie Gregg.Season 9
Guest stars in the final season included Desi Arnaz and Katy Jurado ; Janet Leigh ; Anne Francis ; Susan Strasberg ; Noah Beery Jr. ; James Gregory and Ricardo Montalban ; Peter Breck ; Terry Wilson and Tom Skerritt ; Randolph Mantooth ; Robert Fuller, Burgess Meredith, and Tisha Sterling ; Michael Burns, Ross Elliott, Alan Hale, Jr., Peter Mark Richman, and Craig Stevens ; and Lloyd Bochner, Howard Duff, L.Q. Jones, and Peter Lawford. The series ended with episode 9.24, "Jump-Up".Reception
The Virginian prevailed or held steady against its network competition, topping in its first season Dwayne Hickman's The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, which ceased production in 1963. In its fifth season, The Virginian faced competition from another Western, one also set in Wyoming: ABC's The Monroes, starring Michael Anderson Jr. and Barbara Hershey as orphans trying to hold their family of siblings together in the wilderness. In its sixth season, The Virginian also rated higher than ABC's Custer starring Wayne Maunder in the title role of Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer. Custer was cancelled late in 1967 after 17 episodes. The Virginian had these rankings in the top-30 TV programs:Ratings
Legacy
James Drury was an active advocate of the series since the end of the original airings. He traveled across the United States, Ireland, and several other countries, appearing in Western-themed conventions, festivals, celebrations, news programs, and TV specials to promote The Virginian. Along with Gary Clarke and Roberta Shore, he participated in interviews for the Encore Westerns channel. Drury also reunited with key cast members Randy Boone, Gary Clarke, and Roberta Shore at these events.In 2012, Drury also reunited with L.Q. Jones, Clu Gulager, Diane Roter, Sara Lane, and Don Quine in addition to Boone, Clarke, and Shore. Three events were held to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Virginian, at the Memphis Film Festival on May 31, 2012, the Western Legends Roundup on August 16, 2012, and the Autry National Center and Museum on September 22, 2012. During the 50th-anniversary event, INSP, the exclusive cable home to current reruns of "The Virginian" filmed content with the surviving cast to use in the "Cast Favorites Marathon", which continues to be aired several times each year. In 2017, INSP began airing The Men From Shiloh during their Saddle Up Weekends programming block.
During a scene in the Quentin Tarantino film Death Proof, Kurt Russell's character, Stuntman Mike, tells the tale of how he got his start as a stuntman doubling Gary Clarke in the series. Tarantino later stated during a radio interview that the show gave inspiration to his 2015 film The Hateful Eight.
Filming locations
- Western streets in the backlot of Universal City, California
- Iverson Movie Ranch, Chatsworth, California
- Lone Pine, California
- Pollock Pines, California
- Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park Los Angeles, California
- CBS Studio Center Los Angeles
- Albertson Movie Ranch, Ventura County, CA
Spin-offs
Syndication
The cable channels of Encore Westerns, MoviePlex, and RetroPlex began airing complete, uncut commercial free episodes of The Virginian starting with a premier marathon in January 2010 and ending in December 2011. Seasons one through eight were shown.The Inspiration Network cable channel began a three-year agreement to run The Virginian starting with a marathon of episodes on September 22, 2012, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the show. Cozi TV, the NBCUniversal classic television digital specialty network, began airing episodes in 2013. The show later returned to Encore Westerns and continues to air every weekday; a marathon of Drury-centric episodes was run shortly after his death in April 2020.
Home media
has released all seasons of The Virginian on DVD in Region 1. All episodes on all releases have been fully restored and digitally remastered in full color and are available in special collectors' edition tin cases. They also each include a bonus disk with interviews from the actors.Euro Video of Germany released season one, part one, in Germany, on October 14, 2010. Season one, part two, was released June 16, 2011. The release is presented with original English audio with German subtitles, as well as a German-dubbed soundtrack.
Acorn Media UK released the first season of The Virginian on DVD in the UK on April 4, 2011. The DVD also contains an interview with James Drury.
| DVD name | Ep # | Release date |
| The Complete First Season | 30 | May 25, 2010 |
| The Complete Second Season | 30 | December 21, 2010 |
| The Complete Third Season | 30 | March 15, 2011 |
| The Complete Fourth Season | 30 | May 17, 2011 |
| The Complete Fifth Season | 29 | October 25, 2011 |
| The Complete Sixth Season | 26 | May 1, 2012 |
| The Complete Seventh Season | 26 | February 5, 2013 |
| The Complete Eighth Season | 24 | July 16, 2013 |
| The Final Season: The Men from Shiloh | 24 | October 25, 2011 |
Translations of the title
- Germany : Die Leute von der Shiloh Ranch
- French : Le Virginien
- Spanish : El Virginiano
- Swedish: Mannen från Virginia
- Finnish: Virginialainen