The generation that watched the shows are fading away like the actors who made them my parents included. Thanks for sharing and caring to keep this history going.
The story regarding his getting a loan from the studio on a new contract then reneging. I know some people in the audience chuckled but that’s dishonest to me. Unfortunately speaks to his true character. Still, a great story, and I love the behind-the-scenes information. Rob Word is a national treasure!!
I'm not justifying what Preston did but he felt he had been taken advantage of by Warner Bros.. Long hours with no overtime and just generally a small salary.
If you do some research on these Warner Brothers actors you will find that Jack Warner tried to screw the likes of Clint Walker, & James Garner. He was a cheap skate when it came to paying these actors.
@@gerrydooley951 James Garner was equally underpaid as well as not compensated for mandatory public appearances to promote his Warner Brothers show. And when script writers went on strike, Warner refused to pay his under contract players (Wayde included) when production halted as a result. Garner sued. And won. So hated Jack Warner for the rest of his life. Skinflint without scruples that he was, Warner more than almost anyone should have been able to appreciate the tactic.
I love these Word on Westerns episodes !! I am addicted to all things Western starting with my first Zane Grey novel in 3rd grade and then reading all 85or so over the years and then rereading them over..many times !! 💙🐎💙🐎💙🐎💙🐎💙🐎💙🐎💙🐎
Thank you to the great John Strong! Hoping he's faring well on his birthday, today! I'm one, who at the actual time, recall watching that Sugar Pops commercial and it was cool! Daniel Boone was a show above shows! Wish this video series was released sooner, but better late than never here. You don't know what a blessing John Strong is to the earth.
Holy Moly we were shooting .45’s at the range this week and talking about this series. Great times and now wonderful back stories. Thanks for making our Sunday special Rob.. SF🇺🇸
Excellent behind the scenes look at the Golden Age of television, thanks Rob. Amazing how many big stars besides Wayde Preston were born in Denver or Colorado in general. Two hotties, Debra Paget and Barbara Rush for starters, and many, many more...
Rob, you sure manage to dig up some fairly obscure people with great stories to tell! I’m sure that several in your audience know about John Strong, but I’m not one of them. Because new knowledge is very important to me, episodes like this one are extremely welcome. Thank you for another job well done!
Superb interwiev with a great actor colt 45 super show, thanks lord Rob Word of Word on Westerns laird of Word manor your friend tom now and always 😊😊😊😊
Thanks Rob for these wonderful stories from the people who were there about Westerns and old Hollywood from John Strong who seems to know everybody and worked with them.
Great video Rob..loved Daniel Boone! Your videos bring me right back to that super great era! Thanks Rob..for doing all these GREATS..justice!! Your interviews will remain their legacy, eternally. Important content and anecdotes, to be sure! Cheers!
Thank you again, Rob, for sharing interviews and reminiscences from both the actors and behind-the-scenes folks who created so much great entertainment from the early days of Hollywood and television.
Nice stories, Rob. I remember hearing about the television series "Colt .45" but I don't remember watching it. I saw Wayde Prrston in a few crossovers with "Sugarfoot" but that was about it. 👍👍
It appears Wayde Preston had the same level of integrity as Chis Colt, the character he played on his show. Prior to Colt .45, Wayde did a very memorable role on Maverick essentially playing the same character with a similar plot line to the Lance White character famously portrayed ten plus years later by Tom Selleck (Which boosted Selleck's career right into Magnum P.I.) on Jim Garner's other great series, The Rockford Files. Selleck by the way turned down a Lance White spin off series, knowing he said it'd never work without Garner's Rockford as foil to his Lance. Fact is Selleck's Lance White was so similar in character to Wayde's comic too perfect to be true, Waco Williams (the part he played on Maverick) that the two were they more similar in age, could have very easily swapped roles with nothing lost. But in both instances, playing against Garner's Maverick/Rockford being the glue that made it work.
These stories were stoic, funny, and sad. Thanks for airing them. I come from a flying family, so I can understand the allure of a new airplane, but from everything I've read about Jack Warner, he was not a man you wanted to cross. All the same, Bill Strange/Wayde Preston sounds like he was quite a character. He reminds me of a few flyers I knew or heard older professional pilots talk about. They lived in their own world, not unlike that of the fictional Great Waldo Pepper. 😉
Tom Selleck has Wayde Preston to thank for his career. His appearance on "The Rockford Files" as Lance White was a remake of the "Maverick" episode "The Saga of Waco Williams".
I got a pair of those toy guns with holsters for Christmas in 1957 or 58', when I was 7 or 8 years old, I was the envy of the other kids on the block, hee,hee .....They were really neat ! Wish I had them now.
I remember those, too, darrell. Someone in the neighborhood had a set. I liked my Nichols Stallion .45 better, though. Which, by the way, I still have. Box, too.
Very interesting backstory of these shows. I've seen the Colt .45 movie with Randolph Scott from 1950 but I've never seen the show it inspired with Wayde Preston. Now I'll definitely have to after seeing that great intro shootout! Thanks, Rob!
I have like 52 episodes of the series which also starred Donald May for several episodes. I heard rumors a few years ago that Warner Brothers would put this out on video but I guess they scrapped it. It's a shame they have many great series rotting in their vaults like Surfside Six, Hawaiian Eye, 77 Sunset Strip, Roaring Twenties, Temple Houston, Jefferson Drum, and the Alaskans. You can find bootleg videos on some of these great shows today
I wish they had sped up or made him practice the opening shooting a bit more. The pauses between shooting dont give the impression of his being a quickdraw artist. I'm still enjoying watching "Colt 45" though because it has some legendary actors appearing in it. Thanks for posting!
I wonder if there were any records of where all those tv and movie firearms from that time ended up? Are they still in use today? Did a lot of the actors get to keep the weapons they used in those series? Thanks Rob What a great episode I remember my dad talking about the 1950’s and those great westerns they had and how he wish he kept all of his old cowboy toy guns and outfits he had as a kid, if only we had a time machine to visit that great era in television history.
Fascinating story of a Western star who fell on hard times . There were so many westerns from the 50s it's great hearing about the lesser known ones . There is another one the gunslinger with Tony Young which is hard to come by.
I loved watching Name Of The Game and Probe as a teen. I also remember watching the coming attractions on NBC with The Men From Shiloh with great anticipation. While not very highly thought of today, I loved the darker take on The Virginian, the costumes, including the wider brimmed hats etc. and of course the Ennio Morricone theme. Also great to see Lee Majors back in the saddle as The Big Valley was a favorite. Great stories, thank you, Mr. Strong!
Colt 45 was one of my favorite shows on tv growing up and I always wondered what happened to Wade. Sad that he destroyed his career and sad that one man can black ball you from working. By the way Rob I love that picture in the end credits where all the WB cowboy stars are lined up.
I don’t recall ever seeing the show. How long did it run? That may have been mentioned, but I missed it. I’m in my 70th year, so there aren’t too many I didn’t see from the late’50s on.
Colt 45 was my favorite show. I remember it being on Sunday evenings. The dispute between Wade and the Studio may explain why Warner Bros. Never released Colt 45 on DVD. Only available in public domain but the picture quality is poor. Wonder if there will be original studio DVD’s released before the end of my days.
I jusf discovered Western tv shows and never knew id love them! I lve been collecting various tv series such as Gunsmoke...Rawhide...Lawman...Marverick....these are really awesome!
I believe Wayde died in Lovelock , Nevada, not wealthy but not broke either. He moved to Rome around1967 and had a pretty nice career in Italian westerns.
Good show. Too bad Warner Bros. is so stingy in their release of their old westerns to DVD and Blue Ray. Like Disney, they are letting their best stuff die along with us old baby boomers , who are the only ones who would buy them.
Thank you for another great episode Rob. I'm wondering if Hugh O'Brien lived where you film this wonderful series at? :D. I want to be the first to wish you, yours and everyone else; a Merry Christmas.
Thanks, carl. Merry Christmas and Happy New year to you. Hugh lived in a terrific mountain view home just off Mulholland Drive, about 25 mins from the Autry..
@@AWordonWesterns Hi Sir, sorry I missed this. Thank you and hope your Christmas is white with snow. I miss them both and will bet those areas are beautiful. I have something that I'd like sending to you if I can find them? A Gene Autry and Hopalong Cassidy pocket knives. I recently moved 200 miles and hoping these thing will turn up. Happy New Years too.
More great memories... Rob do you remember the Fess Parker interview, where he mentioned in a scene between him and an Indian on a high rock? In the scene the Indian shot an arrow, that actually hit Fess square in the forehead, and knocked him flat unconscious. The cast thought he was dead, until he groaned and rolled over. 👍👍 10⭐
COLT 45 was never much of a hit in Britain, but many of the Warner Brothers stable of TV westerns were, especially Cheyenne and Maverick... Years later SEARCH ran in Britain too, and that too wasn't a hit... but it what was a hit today was JOHN STRONG talking about his friend Wayde Preston and his time in HOLLYWOOD. Strong was very fortunate to meet up with legendary TV producer Leslie Stevens, who's two shows for ZIV-UA being STONEY BURKE and THE OUTER LIMITS. It's good to hear Strong's stories but I don't think the one about DANIELLE BOONE being the most successful series on TV ever, for one thing it depends on how you define "successful" when applied to a TV series that uses HOLLYWOOD accounting... Successful can be how much money it made for it's studio/network; how high the ratings were etc., but those two critical factors are not always paired together. You can have shows with average ratings becoming iconic over the years, and then you can those that only ran one season and lost money, and those that had bad ratings on networks but became huge hits in syndication! Who would've thought the cafe interviews at the Autry would lead to the theatre, and then go global with RUclips... but us western fans always knew because of Rob's dedication!
A very enjoyable video, and an entertaining story of Wayde Preston and his "loan" from Jack Warner. I note that some commenters here seem to look askance at Wayde for his spending the money (allegedly to be used to buy a house for his mother) on an airplane, and his making $10,000 per chartered flight while ignoring his promise to repay Warner the $2,000. Jack Warner had a reputation amongst studio heads rivaled only by Harry Cohn of Columbia for ruthless cheapness, but I think it's important to remind today's readers that it was William T. Orr who was in charge of Warner Brothers' television division, and who was largely responsible for the VILE treatment the studio showed its television stars. People like Clint Walker, James Garner, and Wayde Preston were paid only $500 to $800 a week, and these were the stars of America's top TV shows. AND they were required to make grueling personal appearances when not shooting their shows six days per week . . . and they were required to "kick back" to the studio 50% of their personal appearance pay! . . . Back in the 1980s when I was working on my graduate degree at Cal State Fullerton, I found in their library a published copy of someone's doctoral thesis written on the Warner Brothers television westerns. To this day I remember reading in it the circumstances of why Wayde Preston left Colt .45. He was evidently on location shooting one day, and the scene called for him to be standing on the roof of a stagecoach, fighting with a bad guy while the horses were at full gallop. Since they were shooting it as a distance shot, Wayde wanted to know why the studio hadn't budgeted for a stunt man for the shot, and was shocked when he was ordered to just get up there and get the shot done. He got on the phone to Orr to complain, and was told to get on the damn stagecoach or he'd never work in this town again. Wayde walked off the set and out of the series. . . . And I also remember hearing how, after he'd bought his new plane, Wayde used to buzz low over Jack Warner's house, as well as outdoor sets on the studio lot while filming was being done, no doubt as a response to Warner having blacklisted him! :-)
Jack L. Warner had a reputation for being stiff toward his TV players, Wayde Preston in particular (which is why I no longer watch most of Warner Bros.' TV shows from the era, though almost no one in my generation - Gen Y - has ever heard of these shows except for maybe Maverick).
Saw Hugh O'Brian at a couple of film festivals and he never struck me as a guy with a sense of humor. He was always pissed off as Wyatt Earp. How'd he take being called Huge O'Brian by John Strong, especially since he wasn't quite as lean as in his heyday?
Thanks for posting this, and very refreshing to see real people share real memories, especially since RUclips has become littered with AI generated shlock Hollywood gossip and click bait. This channel is a terrific resource. Btw, I love the Colt .45 show opening with that short no-nonsense musical riff.
Great video, John Strong is a wonderful storyteller. Thanks, Rob for keeping the great westerns alive.
Another entertaining guest Rob.
It would be Fun to let this Man talk for a couple of hours to hear his stories.
Best Wishes from Montana! M.H.
The generation that watched the shows are fading away like the actors who made them my parents included. Thanks for sharing and caring to keep this history going.
The story regarding his getting a loan from the studio on a new contract then reneging. I know some people in the audience chuckled but that’s dishonest to me. Unfortunately speaks to his true character. Still, a great story, and I love the behind-the-scenes information. Rob Word is a national treasure!!
👍
I'm not justifying what Preston did but he felt he had been taken advantage of by Warner Bros.. Long hours with no overtime and just generally a small salary.
If you do some research on these Warner Brothers actors you will find that Jack Warner tried to screw the likes of Clint Walker, & James Garner. He was a cheap skate when it came to paying these actors.
@@ericcrawford3453😅
@@gerrydooley951 James Garner was equally underpaid as well as not compensated for mandatory public appearances to promote his Warner Brothers show. And when script writers went on strike, Warner refused to pay his under contract players (Wayde included) when production halted as a result. Garner sued. And won. So hated Jack Warner for the rest of his life.
Skinflint without scruples that he was, Warner more than almost anyone should have been able to appreciate the tactic.
Very fun, interview with Mr. Strong. This man is a very good storyteller, Rob.
What great stories your wonderful guest shared, thank you! Rest In Peace, to those fantastic actors that played cowboys who are no longer with us!🌹
Thanks Rob always look forward to these Sunday morning interviews, pure gold! T.C.B.⚡
I love these Word on Westerns episodes !! I am addicted to all things Western starting with my first Zane Grey novel in 3rd grade and then reading all 85or so over the years and then rereading them over..many times !! 💙🐎💙🐎💙🐎💙🐎💙🐎💙🐎💙🐎
Thanks Rob. Your show is a talking history book to me. Nicely done!
Very good interview Rob. Very funny.
Love hearing these stories , thanks Rob
Thank you to the great John Strong! Hoping he's faring well on his birthday, today! I'm one, who at the actual time, recall watching that Sugar Pops commercial and it was cool!
Daniel Boone was a show above shows!
Wish this video series was released sooner, but better late than never here.
You don't know what a blessing John Strong is to the earth.
Outstanding Rob l have heard of the TV show Colt 45, but I have never seen an episode .
Thanks
That was spectacular! I really enjoyed it. Sorry Hugh O'Brien is gone now.
😢 Me, too, daryl. Thanks.
Holy Moly we were shooting .45’s at the range this week and talking about this series. Great times and now wonderful back stories. Thanks for making our Sunday special Rob.. SF🇺🇸
Excellent behind the scenes look at the Golden Age of television, thanks Rob. Amazing how many big stars besides Wayde Preston were born in Denver or Colorado in general. Two hotties, Debra Paget and Barbara Rush for starters, and many, many more...
You got that right ,they were smoking hot. Debra Paget was hot in Love Me Tender she was dating Howard Hughes at that time.
@@ericcrawford3453 Very beautiful women. And talented actresses, too.
Rob, you sure manage to dig up some fairly obscure people with great stories to tell! I’m sure that several in your audience know about John Strong, but I’m not one of them. Because new knowledge is very important to me, episodes like this one are extremely welcome. Thank you for another job well done!
Thanks, mj. John can certainly spin a yarn.
Superb interwiev with a great actor colt 45 super show, thanks lord Rob Word of Word on Westerns laird of Word manor your friend tom now and always 😊😊😊😊
Thanks Rob for these wonderful stories from the people who were there about Westerns and old Hollywood from John Strong who seems to know everybody and worked with them.
Great video Rob..loved Daniel Boone! Your videos bring me right back to that super great era! Thanks Rob..for doing all these GREATS..justice!! Your interviews will remain their legacy, eternally. Important content and anecdotes, to be sure! Cheers!
Thanks for the kind words, carol. Glad you like them!
Thank you again, Rob, for sharing interviews and reminiscences from both the actors and behind-the-scenes folks who created so much great entertainment from the early days of Hollywood and television.
Such a great, fun and informative interview. Thank you for another terrific Sunday morning
As always Rob, thank you (Cool stories). Have a great week my friend.👍🐴🐎🐴
Whats sad is the way these studio owners could blacklist actors in that era.
At 74 your guest bring me back some great memories. I had my Fanner 50s pistols and hat.
Nice stories, Rob. I remember hearing about the television series "Colt .45" but I don't remember watching it. I saw Wayde Prrston in a few crossovers with "Sugarfoot" but that was about it. 👍👍
Great stories. I was a big fan of those old shows. Loved Stoney Burke.
Me, too, wes. Thanks.
Thanks for another great video.👏
So nice of you, tony. Thanks.
It appears Wayde Preston had the same level of integrity as Chis Colt, the character he played on his show.
Prior to Colt .45, Wayde did a very memorable role on Maverick essentially playing the same character with a similar plot line to the Lance White character famously portrayed ten plus years later by Tom Selleck (Which boosted Selleck's career right into Magnum P.I.) on Jim Garner's other great series, The Rockford Files.
Selleck by the way turned down a Lance White spin off series, knowing he said it'd never work without Garner's Rockford as foil to his Lance.
Fact is Selleck's Lance White was so similar in character to Wayde's comic too perfect to be true, Waco Williams (the part he played on Maverick) that the two were they more similar in age, could have very easily swapped roles with nothing lost. But in both instances, playing against Garner's Maverick/Rockford being the glue that made it work.
Good stuff.
These stories were stoic, funny, and sad. Thanks for airing them. I come from a flying family, so I can understand the allure of a new airplane, but from everything I've read about Jack Warner, he was not a man you wanted to cross. All the same, Bill Strange/Wayde Preston sounds like he was quite a character. He reminds me of a few flyers I knew or heard older professional pilots talk about. They lived in their own world, not unlike that of the fictional Great Waldo Pepper. 😉
Thanks for the wire, Paladin.
Tom Selleck has Wayde Preston to thank for his career. His appearance on "The Rockford Files" as Lance White was a remake of the "Maverick" episode "The Saga of Waco Williams".
I never made that connection. Cool to know. ty.
I got a pair of those toy guns with holsters for Christmas in 1957 or 58', when I was 7 or 8 years old, I was the envy of the other kids on the block, hee,hee .....They were really neat ! Wish I had them now.
I remember those, too, darrell. Someone in the neighborhood had a set. I liked my Nichols Stallion .45 better, though. Which, by the way, I still have. Box, too.
Very interesting backstory of these shows. I've seen the Colt .45 movie with Randolph Scott from 1950 but I've never seen the show it inspired with Wayde Preston. Now I'll definitely have to after seeing that great intro shootout!
Thanks, Rob!
I have like 52 episodes of the series which also starred Donald May for several episodes. I heard rumors a few years ago that Warner Brothers would put this out on video but I guess they scrapped it. It's a shame they have many great series rotting in their vaults like Surfside Six, Hawaiian Eye, 77 Sunset Strip, Roaring Twenties, Temple Houston, Jefferson Drum, and the Alaskans. You can find bootleg videos on some of these great shows today
I wish they'd release them, too, wilky. The quality of the copies available to screen are often unwatchable. Than ks.
@@AWordonWesterns WHAT?!? Do you have a link to that handy? -MJ
I wish they had sped up or made him practice the opening shooting a bit more. The pauses between shooting dont give the impression of his being a quickdraw artist. I'm still enjoying watching "Colt 45" though because it has some legendary actors appearing in it. Thanks for posting!
I wonder if there were any records of where all those tv and movie firearms from that time ended up? Are they still in use today? Did a lot of the actors get to keep the weapons they used in those series? Thanks Rob What a great episode I remember my dad talking about the 1950’s and those great westerns they had and how he wish he kept all of his old cowboy toy guns and outfits he had as a kid, if only we had a time machine to visit that great era in television history.
Fascinating story of a Western star who fell on hard times . There were so many westerns from the 50s it's great hearing about the lesser known ones . There is another one the gunslinger with Tony Young which is hard to come by.
I always enjoyed GUNSLINGER, too, paul. Did you see my interview with Frankie Laine where we mention that series and his singing the theme?
Nice video.
Many many thanks
It's a shame that the series COLT .45 has never been remastered for DVD or TV reruns. It (and "The Alaskans") are the 2 great "missing" WB TV series.
Colt.45 gets an official release in March
@@gerrydooley951 Where did you get that information? Is it going to be a WB DVD release? Any details you can advise would be most welcome.
it's a Warner Archive blu-ray release. If you check the internet you should find info@@colinduff2922
@@colinduff2922It's being released on Blu-Ray on March 12th.
The blu ray isnt cheap...i saw an ebay seller who sells burned copies more affordable! @gerrydooley951
I loved watching Name Of The Game and Probe as a teen. I also remember watching the coming attractions on NBC with The Men From Shiloh with great anticipation. While not very highly thought of today, I loved the darker take on The Virginian, the costumes, including the wider brimmed hats etc. and of course the Ennio Morricone theme. Also great to see Lee Majors back in the saddle as The Big Valley was a favorite. Great stories, thank you, Mr. Strong!
Thanks, Madman. I remember how cool it was that THE MEN FROM SHILOH had that Morricone theme!
What a Strong career John's had!
Ha! Thanks, pryce.
Colt 45 was one of my favorite shows on tv growing up and I always wondered what happened to Wade. Sad that he destroyed his career and sad that one man can black ball you from working. By the way Rob I love that picture in the end credits where all the WB cowboy stars are lined up.
I don’t recall ever seeing the show. How long did it run? That may have been mentioned, but I missed it. I’m in my 70th year, so there aren’t too many I didn’t see from the late’50s on.
57 to 60@@mjemigh3304
Colt 45 was my favorite show. I remember it being on Sunday evenings. The dispute between Wade and the Studio may explain why Warner Bros. Never released Colt 45 on DVD. Only available in public domain but the picture quality is poor. Wonder if there will be original studio DVD’s released before the end of my days.
Rob, I watch every episode but what I would really like to know is where that fountain of youth is you’ve obviously found.
Ha! Rody. It's called the "Happiness Gene." Just lucky, I guess.
Seems like a steady diet of watching western heroes vanquish the bad guys keeps me pretty young, Rody. Or is that Rowdy?
Great video ❤❤❤❤❤
Thank you, muff!!
I jusf discovered Western tv shows and never knew id love them! I lve been collecting various tv series such as Gunsmoke...Rawhide...Lawman...Marverick....these are really awesome!
Welcome aboard, cowboy!
I believe Wayde died in Lovelock , Nevada, not wealthy but not broke either. He moved to Rome around1967 and had a pretty nice career in Italian westerns.
Good show. Too bad Warner Bros. is so stingy in their release of their old westerns to DVD and Blue Ray. Like Disney, they are letting their best stuff die along with us old baby boomers , who are the only ones who would buy them.
💕👍👍
Big spender Word. Funny ending when JOHN Strong mentions the FREE BURGER. LOL😉
John looks good for a 87 year old man
And his birthday is TODAY! Thanks, roger.
Thank you for another great episode Rob. I'm wondering if Hugh O'Brien lived where you film this wonderful series at? :D. I want to be the first to wish you, yours and everyone else; a Merry Christmas.
Thanks, carl. Merry Christmas and Happy New year to you. Hugh lived in a terrific mountain view home just off Mulholland Drive, about 25 mins from the Autry..
Hugh lived in a beautiful view estate off of Mulholland Drive, about 20 mins from The Autry.
@@AWordonWesterns Hi Sir, sorry I missed this. Thank you and hope your Christmas is white with snow. I miss them both and will bet those areas are beautiful. I have something that I'd like sending to you if I can find them? A Gene Autry and Hopalong Cassidy pocket knives. I recently moved 200 miles and hoping these thing will turn up.
Happy New Years too.
I remember Hugh o Brien as a kid watching Twins
No mention about the contract problems those western stars had involving The Lone Ranger, Maverick and Colt 45.
Probe was one of the few good shows in 1972
I enjoyed the show as a teenager when it first aired, largely because it featured the very alluring Angel Tompkins.
More great memories... Rob do you remember the Fess Parker interview, where he mentioned in a scene between him and an Indian on a high rock? In the scene the Indian shot an arrow, that actually hit Fess square in the forehead, and knocked him flat unconscious. The cast thought he was dead, until he groaned and rolled over. 👍👍 10⭐
Don't know that one, OD. I'll ask Darby about it.
COLT 45 was never much of a hit in Britain, but many of the Warner Brothers stable of TV westerns were, especially Cheyenne and Maverick...
Years later SEARCH ran in Britain too, and that too wasn't a hit... but it what was a hit today was JOHN STRONG talking about his friend Wayde Preston and his time in HOLLYWOOD. Strong was very fortunate to meet up with legendary TV producer Leslie Stevens, who's two shows for ZIV-UA being STONEY BURKE and THE OUTER LIMITS.
It's good to hear Strong's stories but I don't think the one about DANIELLE BOONE being the most successful series on TV ever, for one thing it depends on how you define "successful" when applied to a TV series that uses HOLLYWOOD accounting... Successful can be how much money it made for it's studio/network; how high the ratings were etc., but those two critical factors are not always paired together. You can have shows with average ratings becoming iconic over the years, and then you can those that only ran one season and lost money, and those that had bad ratings on networks but became huge hits in syndication!
Who would've thought the cafe interviews at the Autry would lead to the theatre, and then go global with RUclips... but us western fans always knew because of Rob's dedication!
Thanks, graham. We've come a long way thanks to western fans and viewers of our series like you!
Well yes you were very lucky most kids in those years would have love that. I know I would have been .
A very enjoyable video, and an entertaining story of Wayde Preston and his "loan" from Jack Warner. I note that some commenters here seem to look askance at Wayde for his spending the money (allegedly to be used to buy a house for his mother) on an airplane, and his making $10,000 per chartered flight while ignoring his promise to repay Warner the $2,000. Jack Warner had a reputation amongst studio heads rivaled only by Harry Cohn of Columbia for ruthless cheapness, but I think it's important to remind today's readers that it was William T. Orr who was in charge of Warner Brothers' television division, and who was largely responsible for the VILE treatment the studio showed its television stars. People like Clint Walker, James Garner, and Wayde Preston were paid only $500 to $800 a week, and these were the stars of America's top TV shows. AND they were required to make grueling personal appearances when not shooting their shows six days per week . . . and they were required to "kick back" to the studio 50% of their personal appearance pay! . . . Back in the 1980s when I was working on my graduate degree at Cal State Fullerton, I found in their library a published copy of someone's doctoral thesis written on the Warner Brothers television westerns. To this day I remember reading in it the circumstances of why Wayde Preston left Colt .45. He was evidently on location shooting one day, and the scene called for him to be standing on the roof of a stagecoach, fighting with a bad guy while the horses were at full gallop. Since they were shooting it as a distance shot, Wayde wanted to know why the studio hadn't budgeted for a stunt man for the shot, and was shocked when he was ordered to just get up there and get the shot done. He got on the phone to Orr to complain, and was told to get on the damn stagecoach or he'd never work in this town again. Wayde walked off the set and out of the series. . . . And I also remember hearing how, after he'd bought his new plane, Wayde used to buzz low over Jack Warner's house, as well as outdoor sets on the studio lot while filming was being done, no doubt as a response to Warner having blacklisted him! :-)
Very informative. Two sides to every story!
Where or where are those .45’s now ? 👍🏽😀❤️🇺🇸
In John's collection.
In John's treasure chest of goodies.
8:16 wow, he REALLY fancies Hugh..a lot
Jack L. Warner had a reputation for being stiff toward his TV players, Wayde Preston in particular (which is why I no longer watch most of Warner Bros.' TV shows from the era, though almost no one in my generation - Gen Y - has ever heard of these shows except for maybe Maverick).
I was Gen X....i Never heard of any of these shows besides Gunsmoke growing up
😎👋👍
Hey, Mr. strong, any relation to Elder John Strong from England in the 1600’s? Me, too, if you are.
Where can I find a box set of the complete 1957>59of COLT 45?ANYONE
It's available on Blu-ray at Amazon
Saw Hugh O'Brian at a couple of film festivals and he never struck me as a guy with a sense of humor. He was always pissed off as Wyatt Earp. How'd he take being called Huge O'Brian by John Strong, especially since he wasn't quite as lean as in his heyday?
Where in Jesus holy name, can I 😂you sort sotty
Thanks for posting this, and very refreshing to see real people share real memories, especially since RUclips has become littered with AI generated shlock Hollywood gossip and click bait. This channel is a terrific resource.
Btw, I love the Colt .45 show opening with that short no-nonsense musical riff.