Hollywood has to entertain us). - Zorro Ward Bond was as tough as they come. - Andy Burnett Denny Scott Miller (born Dennis Linn Miller; April 25, 1934 September 9, 2014) was an American actor, perhaps best known for his regular role as Duke Shannon on Wagon Train, his guest-starring appearances on Gilligan's Island and Charlie's Angels, and his 1959 film role as Tarzan. He was life-long friends with western stars James Drury and Robert Fuller. his earlier criminal ways. The show was at it's height of popularity so the network finished playing the 7 recorded episodes with Ward Bond and then intoduced John McIntire into the series. Miller also worked in such films as Making It (1971), written by Peter Bart, Buck and the Preacher (1972) and The Norseman (1978). To add to your reader nationalities collection I am Scottish! Fuller portrayed chief scout Cooper Smith in 60 episodes of Wagon Train towards the end of the series, but is probably best remembered as Jess Harper in Laramie (1959-63). I actually only started watching in 2020 due to being at home during the pandemic. He appeared on early-'60s TV Westerns including Laramie, Have Gun Will Travel and The Rifleman before landing a regular role on the popular Wagon Train in 1961. what did terry wilson died from march 30th 1999 what did terry wilson died from march 30th 1999. The practice of switching networks was quite common in the 50s and 60s when sponsors often controlled a series fate. - Page 2 (1950-1979). He died of a heart attack in November 1960 in a hotel . Later, he taught Modern European History at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. When they reverted to 60 minutes it went back to black and white. others had learned that their parent company had assigned notorious wagon - Tales of the Texas Rangers Ill have to see if we have that TV station here in Ontario, Canada Id love to watch a few of those oldies. He and his brother played basketball in Silver Spring, Maryland, and Baldwin, New York, before the family moved to Los Angeles. the world before coming back and settling into radio drama and as the host of. Featuring Ernest Borgnine. Distractify is a registered trademark. Irene Windust was married to Bretaigne Windust, who worked as a director on Wagon Train. My father said that he was also very down to earth and nice. I am currently working my way through all eight seasons on DVD. Sadly, she died in 1968 aged just 51. One of the good guys. Many times the train would have to "circle the wagons" to defend itself against Indian attacks. Robert Horton (1924-2016) 189 episodes (1957-65) Barbara Ruick. Two years after the Wagon Train series ended, Frank succumbed to a heart attack at 64. Denny Miller was born in Bloomington, Indiana, where his father, Ben Miller, was a physical education instructor at Indiana University. Adams offers a hard-drinking former Civil War commander a job on the wagon train--if he can manage to give up booze. is run off. now as a retired senior citizen, i am "discovering" ALL the original westerns that i had no interest in as a kid. McCullough Duke Shannon Denny Miller (1934 - 2014) 106 episodes (1961-64) Also following the old men are three men who hope to With his clever tall tales, old prospector Henry Shannon talks Charlie Wooster into coming with him to search for a gold mine. Story" (November 8, 1961), Shannon finds a wounded old woman whose wagon On his return to the states he enrolled in acting classes under Richard Boone and renewed his earlier interest in acting, although he was really a dancer. Interestingly, the actress who appeared as Emily Hawks later appeared on Wagon Train in another role entirely. disoriented Levi mistakes Duke Shannon for his own son whose sins and death he has avoided for years. - Elfego Baca - Gabby Hayes Show He was a former US Marine who served in the Second World War, a football star and a stunt man/rodeo rider. - Sugarfoot officer and chairman of the board at Universal) in 'The Duke Shannon Story'. In Season 1, Bill and his wife, Emily Hawks, travel on the wagon train. - Stories of the Century Hold on, he said to Wayne over the telephone. There was also an episode where they started another trip in St. Louis. - Two Faces West Miller, who wore a yellow rain slicker as the Gortons Fisherman in TV commercials for the seafood company for more than a decade, was diagnosed with Lou Gehrigs disease in January and died on Tuesday in Las Vegas, his agent, David Moss, told The Hollywood Reporter. No wonder the Nebraska native would become best buddies with John Wayne. - Swamp Fox Just searched alfred hitchcock presents episodes with robert horton, and seven titles came up. - Man From Blackhawk In doing so, I noticed that there is a noticeable weight loss in Ward Bond and that he had started wearing black pants, vest and hat instead if his usual light colored attire. - Spin and Marty He was 80. to rescue a regiment of soldiers trapped on a mountain by a band of Utes. It was at University High School in Los Angeles where Denny and Kent came to the attention of coach John Wooden. in 50s or 60s. - Maverick - Shane Miller appeared over three seasons in more than 100 episodes of Wagon Train, which aired on NBC and ABC from 1957 to 1965. The next time you watch either Fort Apache (1948) or She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), you might notice Frank as the bugler in both of these John Ford/ John Wayne westerns. Me to they were a good dual and should have not been replaced Horton and Bond the best. - Man Without a Gun It was the original wagon master Ward Bond who insisted on Warner Bros signing on both Terry and Frank for the show. his gold mine. Which brings us to the common thread that binds these Great to see him as different characters and appreciate his smooth, easy style. There is a scene in Laramie (forget the episode) where his handling of a gun is perfect and you can tell it was muscle memory not acting. The Miller brothers played together at UCLA for one year, and their father joined the faculty of UCLA. If ever. I didnt realize how significant he really was until the season in which he had simply disappeared. His relationship with Ward Bond was not a happy one on the set, however, apparently due to Bond constantly spreading rumours about Hortons sexuality! At that point Denny Miller comes looking for his grandfather McHugh and he and Terry Wilson go off looking for these old adventurers. Watched every week with my father. Newcomer John McIntire gets two origin-story episodes in After 284 episodes it was the final nail in the coffin for the once esteemed series. - Tombstone Territory He appeared on early-'60s TV Westerns including Laramie, Have Gun Will Travel and The Rifleman before landing a regular role on the popular Wagon Train in 1961. Anything I have ever seen Robert Fuller in, he was great, just like Ward Bond and John McIntire. Actually, season 1 has a few references to Hawks being married. Inquisitive mind . the train. John was chosen to replace the iconic Ward Bond as wagon-master following Bonds death in 1960. Tiny black and white TVs, fuzzie pictures, but who cared? Produced by Howard Christie, the first season theme had no lyrics. He was one of only two characters who stayed on the series for all eight seasons, as Wagon Train focused on a semi-anthology format. This week I have been watching the Beth Pearson Story also, looking for any visible indications of issues with Ward Bonds health. Miller starred as Edgar Rice Burroughs lord of the jungle in the low-budget Tarzan, the Ape Man (1959), a remake of the 1932 classic that starred Olympic gold medalist Johnny Weissmuller. Other than this movie he was almost exclusively a television actor for nearly 50 years. The Miller family left Bloomington when Denny was in the fourth grade. - Steve Donovan That same house front is disguised as the business of the Princess when McCullough goes to visit on his way to a fort and, it is also the place where the elderly woman is shot and left for dead by the barn when McCullough finds her. We ended up facing each other, both on our knees, too weak to stand up, but still strong enough to punch each other. that it has already been cleaned out attempt to blow up Henry and Wooster I stand corrected, Dorothy. Terry gave freely of his information about how to do the technique of stunt fighting. They also got, was it Barnaby?, to his father in California but he went back with Bill to the wagon train. Ep 605 - The John Augustus Story. - Tim McCoy Show Hawks and Duke dispatch the villains with bullets, but Henry ABC also just plain screwed up in the move by placing the show up against a comedy triumvirate of The Lucy Show (6th for the year), Danny Thomas (9th), and Andy Griffith (5th). - Annie Oakley In 1962, Robert Horton left the popular western Wagon Train after its fifth season. Hale agree that he would be a good addition to their wagon train, accepting him I wish I lived my teenaged yrs. Preston of the Yukon - Legend of Jesse James As discussed in our post on the A Prelude. The timeline of the first season is somewhat ambiguous because characters made contradictory comments about the year throughout the show's run. There were three different theme songs used during the eight year run of Wagon Train. Fuller was the best cowboy actor during the 1950s-60s because of the little things he did such as how to handle a horse and gun. Ooops! Bond once stated, I was playing the wagon master long before Revue Prod. The series initially starred veteran movie supporting actor Ward Bond as the wagon master, later replaced upon his death by John McIntire, and Robert Horton as the scout, subsequently replaced by lookalike Robert Fuller a year after Horton had decided to leave the series. Odyssey of Flint McCullough": Season 4, Episode 23, "The Jed Polke Story": Season 4, Episode 24, "The Nancy Palmer Story": Season 4, Episode 25, "The Christopher Hale Story": Season 4, Episode 26, "The Tiburcio Mendez Story": Season 4, Episode 27, "The Nellie Jefferson Story": Season 4, Episode 28, "The Saul Bevins Story": Season 4, Episode 30, "The Duke Shannon Story": Season 4, Episode 31, "The Will Santee Story": Season 4, Episode 32, "The Jim Bridger Story": Season 4, Episode 33, "The Eleanor Culhane": Season 4, Episode 35, "The Janet Hale Story": Season 4, Episode 36, "Wagon to Fort Anderson": Season 4, Episode 37, "The Ah Chong Story": Season 4, Episode 38, "The Don Alvarado Story": Season 5, Episode 1, "The Captain Dan Brady Story": Season 5, Episode 2, "The Kitty Allbright Story": Season 5, Episode 3, "The Maud Frazer Story": Season 5, Episode 4, "The Selena Hartnell Story": Season 5, Episode 5, "The Clementine Jones Story": Season 5, Episode 6, "The Jenna Douglas Story": Season 5, Episode 8, "The Mark Miner Story": Season 5, Episode 9, "The Bruce Saybrook Story": Season 5, Episode 10, "The Lizbeth Ann Calhoun Story": Season 5, Episode 12, "The Bettina May Story". Was born and reared in Ft. Lauderdale, however I lived, several years, in Kalispell, Mt. for me, it is like watching completely NEW TV shows - only they are all from the 50's and 60's. Loosely based on the John Ford film Wagon Master (50), initially the series starred Ward Bond as gruff but wise wagon master Major Seth Adams, Robert Horton as young, educated scout Flint McCullough, Terry Wilson as another steady scout and assistant wagon master, and for comedy relief irascible Frank McGrath as cook Charlie Wooster. Wagon Train fell to 25th place while James Drury nailed #26 in the Nielsen ratings. - Bronco Get to Know Sweat!. He came on the Universal lot while I was doing Laramie to start working on Wagon Train. I stand corrected on this issue, AGAIN, Cindy. A continuity problem not uncommon, Linda. Sept. 11 was a tragic date in American history long before the terrorist attacks of 2001. An old con man trys to fleece the wagon train members of money by pretending to be a preacher trying to raise funds to build a church. As a kid growing up in the early sixties I wasn't into westerns so I never saw Wagon Train. I brought him down from Idaho in 58.. If they dont gain any appreciation or interest in nostalgia, its sure to be absent in the future. It was very sudden. But in "The Artie Matthewson Wilson said of McIntire, You can tell by the way he sits a horse hes our kind of guy.. Cathy Lewis, however, the actress who played Captain Sam Stewart, almost certainly did her own singing, having started her career as a lead singer for Kay Kyser and his Orchestra while she was in her mid-teens, so she must have been a most promising prospect at such an early age. wants the wagon train to keep rolling and demands that Hale leave an inexperienced rider behind. For once, Sammy didnt take the bait (he loved to show off). By all means, Bill, feel free to disagree with me at any time. ; sometimes called prairie schooners), wagon trains soon became the prevailing mode of long-distance overland transportation for both people and goods. Denny Miller was Duke Shannon in the series from 1964-7 (seasons five through seven), but in 1965 he landed the role of Juliet Prowses husband in the sitcom Mona McCluskey and left Wagon Train to play it. MAME (1974) the end of the Lucy era. He and I did one of the best stunt fights up to that time, according to Lew Wasserman (exec. My current brother-in-law, who now resides in Utah, and is about 87, was born and reared, in I believe, Eureka, Mt. From his origin story during A few years ago I became bored with (modern) TV shows. Not loud and bellowing. - Riverboat It was Gary Cooper that was on the ship with my father and is the other Montana actor. An Interview With The reason Ward Bond no longer appeared in Wagon train after the 4th season. - Page 1 (1910-1949) - Father Murphy I was so surprised at the powerful voices of Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe (in particular). From 1961 to 1964, Miller was a regular on Wagon Train in the role of the scout, Duke Shannon. ploy to appeal to youthful viewers. - Laramie - Gene Autry Show He was perfect for the role of Major Addams & much of the intrigue was largely due to the profound character he had created and Wards powerful presence on screen. They ended up in San Francisco where Seth, Bill, and Charlie were shanghaied. What I should have said was that it took them EIGHT YEARS to get somewhere. All Rights Reserved. inside the mine. Wagon Train survived severe cast changes, format changes and time slot changes over its eight season trekall great testimony to the shows enduring popularity. a search to bring the two old fools back. If A New Comment Is Posted:Do Not Send Email Notifications.Send Email Notification ONLY If Someone Replies To My Comment(s).Send Email Notification Whenever A New Comment Is Posted. I believe Bob Fuller had his own or was on some sport fishing shows about 20 year ago. One night his manager tried to get Sammy to show his fast gun skills (he had won some contest). Also, and this is something that only a nit-picking veteran and target shooter such as myself would notice, the picture of Leonard Nimoy wearing bandoleers over his shoulders shows rifle cartridges that are clearly spire-point bullet, rimmed case Springfield 30.06 ammunition which was developed and adopted by the U.S. ARMY in 1906 (!) . I often surprised to learn that actors or actresses sing well. - Gunslinger I was born in 1947, so I was around to enjoy all those wonderful westerns & actors; Ty Hardin (Bronco) was my First Love Robert Fuller, watched all those shows; Wagon Train; Laramie: Sugarfoot: Cheyenne; Bronco of course; Its nice to see Robert Fuller still around; Another favorite of mine was Peter Brown; Dale Robertson; James Garner (Maverick) loved that show. why did robert fuller leave wagon train. Presumably, reaching San Francisco and concluding the trek was a logical way to wind up the series. The Duke Shannon Story. - My Friend Flicka Thankyou for your comments, Scott. (Notice Im just a few years older than you so they are still actresses) For singing actors my favorite is Le Miserables. Also, I noticed that McCullough began wearing dark pants and jacket about the same time as Ward Bonds death.. Was his wearing black in anyway connected to the death of Ward Bond? Wagon Train is an American semi-anthology Western series following the journeys of a wagon train as it leaves Saint Joseph, Missouri on its way to California through the plains, deserts, and Rocky Mountains.Initially starring wagon master Major Seth Adams (Ward Bond - later replaced upon his death by John McIntire as Christopher Hale) and scouts Flint McCullough (Robert Horton) and Cooper . His other film credits included Making It (1971), Doomsday Machine (1972), Buck and the Preacher (1972), The Gravy Train (1974), The Island at the Top of the World (1974), The Norseman (1978), Caboblanco (1980) and Circle of Power (1981). This turn of events leaves Duke without a family, and Hawks and John McIntire, the character actor who portrayed the stolid, laconic wagonmaster in the hit television series "Wagon Train" in the early 1960's, died on Wednesday at St. Luke's Hospital in . The actress who appeared as Emily Hawks later appeared on Wagon Train series ended, succumbed... 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