Since I recently became unemployed and useless, I find myself with too much time on my hands. I discovered that Encore’s western cable station broadcasts the favorite TV show of my childhood, “Have Gun, Will Travel,” daily around noon. Watching it again after a lapse of several decades, I was amazed at how well it has held up to the test of time. While most of the other westerns of the period (late 50’s – early 60’s) were basically live action western comic books, Paladin was a far more complex character. In most episodes he at some point quotes lines form great poetry. (It was a jolt to realize that a large portion of the poetry I have memorized over the years, I first encountered on this show, which impressed me enough to look it up and learn it) He has in various episodes stood up to people abusing the Chinese, Gypsy, Jews, Indians and Japanese, which was ahead of its time. In one episode he trades line of Talmudic wisdom, with a Rabbi doing a Jewish wedding, then goes out to drive out and pacify a lynch mob, then returns to expertly dance the traditional wedding dances. In many he rights injustice without drawing his gun. There is an incredibly homoerotic episode with Paladin and a very young (and beautiful) Charles Bronson as an escaped outlaw sentenced to hang. After much male bonding and bromance, eventually Bronson forces Paladin to kill him in a gunfight. He dies slowly in Paladin's arms coming as close to a kiss without actually kissing as possible. The whole scene is staged like Michelangelo's Pieta.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ7f-Pvp1R0.

At this time Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek was a writer for the show and more than one person has described the first series of Star Trek as Paladin in space, with Spock and Kirk splitting the role of Paladin. It is amazing how similar the structure of the two shows is. Each episode of Paladin begins with him lounging in the Hotel Carlton in San Francisco. Hey Boy (later Hey Girl) runs in with a telegram summoning paladin to strap on his gun and go off to right wrongs. Star Trek begins with Spock and Kirk lounging on the stardeck of the Enterprise, when the radioman runs in with an emergency beacon from the ends of the universe and they are off to right wrongs.

Transward

I remember "Have Gun, Will Travel." Your post brings back my fond memories of the show. I remember watching it with my father each week. It was one of my favorites, although I haven't thought about it in years. As for "Star Trek", I was hooked from the first episode. Thanks for the interesting post!

I remember Half Gun will Travel but not really, I remember we watched it but I draw a blank. As for star trek, I missed the first season completely I was overseas and picked it up on the reruns of the second season and like Danya, I was hooked.

Funny I see those old episodes on reruns today and realize just how bad they were, and still love them.

River

Sunday nights with Grampa. Gunsmoke, Paladin, Bonanza. In the summer (reruns, which I had already seen - sneakily for Bonanza past bed time), great memories. Still miss Murphy! Star Trek, too - the real one. Hell, even Grampa liked Star Trek! Gun slingers in space!