James Drury stars as the Virginian, the foreman of The Shiloh Ranch in Wyoming Territory, owned by powerful judge Henry Garth (Lee J. Cobb), in this iconic Western series that depicted the Old West in more morally complicated terms than were usual in 1962, the year of the show’s debut. Aiding the tough foreman are cowboys Trampas (Doug McClure) and Steve (Gary Clarke).
It is the setting for a variety of stories, many more based on character and relationships than the usual western.

The Virginian

Season 1 Ep. 01: The Executioners

Ne’er-do-well Tom Newcombe is publicly hanged for murdering a woman because the local school teacher, Celia Ames (Colleen Dewhurst), refuses to alibi him. A mysterious man, Paul Taylor (Hugh O’Brien), comes to town, signs on to work as a Shiloh Ranch hand and begins romancing Celia. However, his odd behaviour begins to raise the suspicions of Judge Garth and the local Sheriff who wonder about the motives of the stranger.

Though it isn’t remembered by many TV viewers today, The Virginian TV show was one of the most popular Westerns in its day. The NBC series ran for eight seasons, from 1962 until 1970. The characters returned in the 1970-71 season in a different format and the show was renamed The Men from Shiloh.

The Virginian series follows the adventures of a strong-willed man known only as the “Virginian” (James Drury) who works to maintain order on the Shiloh Ranch in Wyoming. Other regular actors during the run of the series include Doug McClure, Lee J. Cobb, John McIntire, Charles Bickford, Stewart Granger, Clu Gulager, Gary Clarke, Randy Boone, and Roberta Shore.

It’s often been remarked that The Virginian had such high production values that each episode looked like a feature film. The 249 installments are 90 minutes apiece and were all shot in color; a rarity for its day.

Cast and Crew:

* James Drury – The Virginian
* Doug McClure – Trampas
* Lee J. Cobb – Judge Henry Garth

# Writers: Frank Price, Robert Sabaroff

# Director: Don McDougall and others

Production Company: National Broadcasting Company (NBC), Revue Studios, Universal TV
Original Air Date: 1962
Audio & Video: Mono – Color
Genre:

Western, Action

Additional details in:

The Virginian in IMDB | The Virginian in Wikipedia

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