Have Gun Will Travel (TV Series)

 

     'Have Gun Will Travel' aired on CBS from 1957-1963. It is an American Western television series. On the Nielsen ratings, 'Have Gun Will Travel' rated in the three and four range during the first four seasons it was aired.

     The show follows the adventures of Paladin, who is a gentleman/gunfighter. When Paladin wasn't working he lived in the Carlton Hotel in San Francisco, wore formal attire, ate gourmet food, and attended the opera. When Paladin was working, he wore black cowboy clothes, used calling cards, wore a holster that carried a chess knight emblem, and carried a derringer under his belt.

Cast

Richard Boone-Paladin

Kam Tong-Hey Boy (Kim Chang)

Lisa Lu-Hey Girl (season 4)

Facts

• 'Have Gun Will Travel' was one of the few shows that spawned a successful radio show of the same name. It debuted on November 23, 1958. It broadcasted 106 shows.
• In 2001, a trade paperback book called 'The Have Gun-Will Travel Companion' was published. It documented the history of the television and radio series. The book was authored by martin Grams, Jr. and Les Rayburn.
• There are three novels based on 'Have Gun Will Travel'. The first is a children's hardback written by Barlow Meyer and illustrated by Nichols S. Firfires. It was part of a series of novelizations of the series. The second was for adults by Noel Lomis in 1960. The third is based on the episode 'Genesis' of 'Have Gun Will Travel'. (The 'Genesis' episode was written by Frank Rolfe.) This novel is the only source where a name is given to Paladin, Clay Alexander. Diehard fans of the show don't consider this name canonical.
• Dell Comics published a number of comic books based on the television series.
• Many of the writer, who worked on 'Have Gun Will Travel', gained fame elsewhere. Gene Roddenberry-'Star Trek', Bruce Geller-'Mission Impossible', Harry Julian Fink-'Dirty Harry'.
• There was a rumor of a movie of 'Have Gun Will Travel' being made in 1997 but it never was made.