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hunter

(38,924 posts)

66. My great grandparents were the Wild West.

Fri Nov 1, 2024, 07:50 PM

Nov 1

My great grandmothers were the sorts of women who could kill a bad man and call the sheriff/coroner to clean up the mess and file the proper paperwork. My great grandfathers were dreamers. Their wives were the hunters handy with rifles and knives.

My grandparents had some things in common -- they were not Mormons and they'd left their family farms and ranches behind for the bright lights of the big city, somehow landing in Hollywood.

I have pictures of my grandparents with movie and television stars who portrayed the Wild West as It Never Was.

My mom had no patience with television or movie westerns and wouldn't let us watch them. During World War II her parents had both worked in the naval shipyards as welders and they'd sent her off on the train every summer to live with her grandparents on their ranch, supposedly to keep her safe from any Japanese invasion. (Mostly it was because they were not good parents.)

My great grandparent's house had no indoor plumbing and my mom was expected to work alongside everyone else, which must have been disconcerting to a city girl. Summer was not a vacation. The house still had no indoor plumbing when me and my siblings were kids but whenever we visited my mom shielded us from any chores my great grandma might have demanded. This caused some family friction.

Weirdly, we were allowed to watch The Wild Wild West, maybe because it's what's now called an "alternate universe" fantasy, far removed from the Wild West my mom knew. I have a boxed DVD set of that.

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What was your favorite television western series? as a child or an adult. [View all] debm55 Nov 1 OP

Does F Troop count? no_hypocrisy Nov 1 #1

It's a western , Yes, it counts. Thank you no_hypocrisy. debm55 Nov 1 #3

As my friend used to say, Mr.Bill Nov 1 #9

I didn't know that. Thank you Mr.Bill. debm55 Nov 1 #17

I should explain. Mr.Bill Nov 1 #39

Thank you . debm55 Nov 1 #51

And I would have skipped right over it. Truly my favorite. bullimiami Nov 1 #36

F-Troop was hilarious. I will watch it whenever I come across an episode. brush Nov 3 #116

Child: The Lone Ranger. Adult: Deadwood, tho it could be raw. bovine6 Nov 1 #2

Thank you bovine6 debm55 Nov 1 #18

Went to high school with Clayton Moore's daughter. Even then that show was ancient and was really available to watch chicoescuela Nov 3 #102

Thank you very much chicoescuela. debm55 Nov 3 #104

I liked "Have Gun Will Travel" when I was a kid. Ocelot II Nov 1 #4

Thank you Ocelot II. debm55 Nov 1 #19

Agree with you. Looked forward most to Paladin (Good Guy with a Gun), WheelWalker Nov 1 #28

I was disappointed to discover Paladin's first name was not Wire Brother Buzz Nov 1 #68

"A knight without armor in a savage land" Prairie_Seagull Nov 3 #95

Oh, yeah! Paladin all the way. chowmama Nov 3 #144

Maverick FalloutShelter Nov 1 #5

Thank you FalloutShelter. Those are two of my favorites too. debm55 Nov 1 #20

Bonanza I usually see it daily XanaDUer2 Nov 1 #6

Thank you XanaDUer2. Enjoy. debm55 Nov 1 #23

Mine, too ailsagirl Nov 2 #74

Maverick flakey_foont Nov 1 #7

Thank you flakey_foont. I enjoyed it too. debm55 Nov 1 #24

Deadwood ECSkeptic Nov 1 #8

Thank you ECSkeptic. debm55 Nov 2 #76

Gunsmoke as a child arkielib Nov 1 #10

Thank you arkielib. I didn't know there was a Western Channel. debm55 Nov 1 #25

The INSP Channel is the one they watch. arkielib Nov 2 #85

It's called "Grit" on Cox cable. brush Nov 3 #118

Thank you , brush. debm55 Nov 3 #119

There is a Westerns channel. Different Drummer Nov 1 #60

As a child, Bonanza. Mr.Bill Nov 1 #11

Thank you Mr.Bill. Two great choices. debm55 Nov 1 #26

When I was a little girl and our TV was new, in 1954, Annie Oakley Walleye Nov 1 #12

thank you Walleye. I was born in 55 so I missed it. debm55 Nov 1 #31

I'd say Maverick - less guns, some humor rurallib Nov 1 #13

Agree. I liked it too. debm55 Nov 1 #32

As a child, "The Lone Ranger." I even listened to it on the radio! Glorfindel Nov 1 #14

Thank you Glorfindel. Two great choices. debm55 Nov 1 #34

Gunsmoke. nt doc03 Nov 1 #15

Thank you doc03 Great choice. debm55 Nov 1 #35

This message was self-deleted by its author ItsjustMe Nov 1 #16

Thank you ItsjustMe. I agree. debm55 Nov 1 #37

Bonanza Lunabell Nov 1 #21

Thank you Lunabell. Yes , I watched Little House and would consider it a western. debm55 Nov 1 #41

As a child, Maverick. James Garner is still my favorite actor. House of Roberts Nov 1 #22

Thank you House of Roberts. I like your choices and reasoning for both. debm55 Nov 1 #42

As a child, The Lone Ranger and Have Gun Will Travel. patphil Nov 1 #27

Thank you patphil for your honest answer for you. debm55 Nov 1 #43

Have Gun Will Travel gainesvillenole Nov 1 #29

Thank you gainsvillenole. thank you for your choice. debm55 Nov 1 #44

I knew about it being on H&I. Different Drummer Nov 1 #61

You know it was on radio first Mosby Nov 1 #62

Maverick and Kung Fu Metaphorical Nov 1 #30

Thank you Metaphorical . I agree with you choices and the ending of David Carridine. I remember reading that Bruce Lee debm55 Nov 1 #45

Garner was great in whatever. "The Rockford Files" too. He was a great Dem also. brush Nov 3 #123

Thank you . I liked Garner very much in whatever role he was in. debm55 Nov 3 #125

the Rifleman ! Nigrum Cattus Nov 1 #33

Thank you Nigrum Cattus. And welcome to DU debm55 Nov 1 #46

Someone asked me on Quora why they ended production of The Rifleman jmowreader Nov 1 #58

Johnny Yuma GreenWave Nov 1 #38

Thank you GreenWave. and thank you for your post. debm55 Nov 1 #48

Wild, Wild, West displacedvermoter Nov 1 #40

Thank you I really liked that show and Artie making all the gadgets. debm55 Nov 1 #49

Seconded. My favorite western show when I was a kid. (n/t) OldBaldy1701E Nov 3 #92

I'm not familiar with very many but Elessar Zappa Nov 1 #47

Thank you Elessar Zappa. I like your post of sharing the time with your dad with the shows. debm55 Nov 1 #50

The Big Valley Eugene Nov 1 #52

Thank you for both choices Eugene. debm55 Nov 1 #55

The Monroes. thucythucy Nov 1 #53

Thank you very much. thucythucy. debm55 Nov 1 #56

Adult definitely Deadwood. As a child it was Bonanza, Maverick and Lone Ranger and the Rifleman TommieMommy Nov 1 #54

Thank you very much TommieMommy for your choices. debm55 Nov 1 #57

Roy Rogers (Trigger) and Dale Evans (Buttermilk) Fla Dem Nov 1 #59

Thank you Fla Dem. debm55 Nov 2 #77

Deadwood. Not Heidi Nov 1 #63

Thank you Not Heidi. debm55 Nov 2 #81

nobody has mentioned High Chaparel Kali Nov 1 #64

Thank you Kali. for your favorites list-------- debm55 Nov 1 #72

Thank you very much. Kali debm55 Nov 2 #78

High Chaparel was filmed in "Old Tucson" a western film studio/theme park in the Tucson mountains ourside of Tucson, AZ. brush Nov 3 #124

very cool! Kali Nov 3 #142

No. Left there for the Bay Area after college, then to NY, now in Vegas. brush Nov 3 #143

My favorite was high chaparral and second - Virginian MaryMagdaline Nov 3 #141

When I was a child, I never liked Westerns much. Different Drummer Nov 1 #65

Excellent choices thank you Different Drummer debm55 Nov 1 #71

My great grandparents were the Wild West. hunter Nov 1 #66

Than you very much , hunter. Your post is very enlightening. debm55 Nov 1 #70

The Lone Ranger. Aristus Nov 1 #67

Thank you very much, Aristus debm55 Nov 1 #69

Probaby Bonanza was my favorite as a ?8-9 yr old... electric_blue68 Nov 2 #73

Thank you very much electric_blue68 debm55 Nov 2 #80

My favorite western television series as a child was: Niagara Nov 2 #75

Thank you very much Niagara. I miss your Halloween posts. debm55 Nov 2 #79

You're welcome, Debbie. I'm trying to convince True Dough to host 12 Days of Christmas! Niagara Nov 2 #82

When I was a kid, murielm99 Nov 2 #83

Thank you murilm99 Two great choices. debm55 Nov 2 #84

Have Gun - Will Travel (Paladin) Emile Nov 2 #86

Thank you Emile. debm55 Nov 2 #87

Does Firefly count, area51 Nov 2 #88

Sure, area51 debm55 Nov 2 #89

+1 pat_k Nov 3 #133

The Big Valley JoseBalow Nov 2 #90

Thank you JoseBalow. I agree with you debm55 Nov 3 #93

Yes, Big Valley for sure JenniferJuniper Nov 3 #101

The Wild Wild West Uncle Joe Nov 2 #91

Thank you Uncle Joe. I really liked it debm55 Nov 3 #94

Westworld and Longmire to add to all the shows mentioned. quaint Nov 3 #96

Thank you quaint. debm55 Nov 3 #97

Fury Mz Pip Nov 3 #98

Thank you very much, Mz Pip. debm55 Nov 3 #99

High Chaparel, as a kid. bikebloke Nov 3 #100

I wasn't a western fan but I did like The Big Valley with Barbara Stanwyck & probably because of Barbara Stanwyck. :-D CrispyQ Nov 3 #103

Thank you CrispyQ debm55 Nov 3 #106

Did I miss anyone mentioning Wagon Train? I enjoy watching it. chicoescuela Nov 3 #105

Thank you chicoescuela. debm55 Nov 3 #107

As a little girl MuseRider Nov 3 #108

Thank you very much MuseRider. I used to watch the Real McCoy. Didn't know that about Grandpa. debm55 Nov 3 #110

I was stunned MuseRider Nov 3 #121

I agree. Thank you MuseRider. debm55 Nov 3 #122

Western Favorites as a child Tiny Tabby Nov 3 #109

thank you very much for the shows and the information about your relatives. debm55 Nov 3 #111

The Wild Wild West The Wizard Nov 3 #112

Thank you The Wizard. It is mine too. debm55 Nov 3 #113

Maverick, then Bonanza. brush Nov 3 #114

Thank you brush, Both are classics. debm55 Nov 3 #115

Sky King ... marble falls Nov 3 #117

I remember Sky King. Thank you marble falls. debm55 Nov 3 #120

Cowboy in Africa oldtime dfl_er Nov 3 #126

Sorry I have never heard of it. debm55 Nov 3 #127

Chuck Connors and Tom Nardini oldtime dfl_er Nov 3 #129

Thank you. debm55 Nov 3 #136

Firefly 2002 (should count as an American space Western) pat_k Nov 3 #128

I posted earlier that it did. Thanks pat_k. debm55 Nov 3 #131

Deadwood, although, I can't watch it anymore. Too much cruelty and misogyny. Ferrets are Cool Nov 3 #130

Thank you Ferrets are Cool I have never seen it. Thanks for the warning. debm55 Nov 3 #134

As a kid. Roy Rogers, but I don't consider it a real western, real western, The Rifleman. dem4decades Nov 3 #132

Thank you dem4decades. debm55 Nov 3 #135

Wild Wild West Buttoneer Nov 3 #137

Thank you Buttoneer, Another fan here debm55 Nov 3 #139

High Chaparral MaryMagdaline Nov 3 #138

Thank you MaryMagdaline debm55 Nov 3 #140

debm55 ............. Upthevibe Nov 3 #145

Thank you very much, upthevibe debm55 Nov 3 #146