Have Gun, Will Travel (HGWT)

Western Adventure (1958 - 1960)

"If the girl who's being held prisoner
has been harmed in any way, I'll flip a
coin to see which one of you I gun down first."

Cowboys and Western stories did not have the same impact on the Radio as they did in Hollywood Movies. Several factors made Westerns a staple of the Movies, chiefly that they were relatively cheap to make and audiences were sure to enjoy the action-packed stories and beautiful southwestern landscapes. On the Radio, Westerns were largely relegated to Kiddie Programming with shows like The Lone Ranger, Bobby Benson and the B-Bar-B Riders, Straight Arrow, Red Ryder, and others.

The first "grown-up Western" on the Radio was CBS's Gunsmoke, a much grittier and realistic telling of the Old West. Arguably one of the greatest programs of the OTR era, at the time the Network was desperate to find material for its growing TV presence. Despite the objections of the show's creators, CBS was sure Gunsmoke would be a hit on the Small Screen. Both sides were correct, and soon CBS was looking for more shows to complement their Western TV hit.

The most popular genres were Westerns (for largely the same reasons they were such a B-Movie staple) and Private Eye shows, another carry-over from Radio. Writers Sam Rolfe and Herb Meadow hit upon the idea of combining the two and came up with Have Gun – Will Travel. Earning the Saturday 9:30 pm time slot, just ahead of Gunsmoke, Have Gun – Will Travel soon earned a reputation as "the Thinking Man's Western" and would be one of the few shows to transition from TV to Radio rather than the other way.

Richard Boone starred in the TV version and was integral to the show's success. However, when CBS Radio floated the idea of bringing Have Gun – Will Travel to the radio, the part of Paladin was given to Radio Western regular, John Dehner. Paladin came from a wealthy family "back East" and had served as an officer in the Union Cavalry. After the Civil War, he made his way West, eventually settling into permanent residence at San Francisco's Carleton Hotel. Compared to other fictional Western Heroes, Paladin was very much a "dude" at home, he wore the finest clothes, supported the arts, spoke several languages, was president of the San Francisco Stock Exchange Club, was an expert chess (and poker) player, and always had an eye out for pretty ladies. When Paladin changed into his work clothes, any impressions of a "dude" fell away immediately.

The costume change was more visually effective in the visual medium of TV, of course. According to network mythology, when Richard Boone did his screen-test for the role, the only costume that fit him was the all-black gunslinger ensemble, which simply worked for the character. Dehner was more of a "dude" on the radio, and even more ruthless in the lawless lands that his job took him.

Like the Knights of old and radio's Hard-boiled detectives, Paladin had a very strict code of personal honor. Presenting himself as a mercenary (his standard fee was $1,000 in 1870s money), he would not hesitate to take a "charity case" if he ran across a just cause. Paladin made it a point to inform his clients that he was not an assassin and preferred to resolve conflicts without resorting to violence (although it rarely went that way). He could more than hold his own in fisticuffs, and was absolutely deadly with the Marlin Rifle tied to his saddle and the Colt .45 Single Action Army revolver strapped to his hip.

Fans will debate endlessly whether the TV or Radio version of the show was better.  Gene Roddenberry (of Star Trek fame) was one of the lead writers of the HGWT series. There were 106 episodes made between 1958 and 1960, making it one of the last dramas with recurring characters of the OTR era. Most of the scripts were adapted for radio from TV, occasionally the same story would be presented in the same week on both mediums, although several original stories were created for the radio, including a series finale where Paladin inherits a fortune and moves back East. The TV program ran from 1957 through 1963 and had 225 episodes.

For more great Western Adventure, see also Frontier Gentleman, Six Shooter, and Gunsmoke.