"Rawhide" (1959) TV series 1959-1966

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

Release Date:

9 January 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Western

Plot:

Gil Favor is trail boss of a continuous cattle drive; he is assisted by Rowdy Yates. The crew runs into characters and adventures along the way.

Plot Keywords:

Cattle | Cattle Drive | One Word Title | Cult TV | Cult Western

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 5 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Clint Eastwood	...	Rowdy Yates (217 episodes, 1959-1965)
Paul Brinegar	...	Wishbone (215 episodes, 1959-1965)
Steve Raines	...	Jim Quince (214 episodes, 1959-1965)
Eric Fleming	...	Gil Favor (202 episodes, 1959-1965)
James Murdock	...	Mushy (202 episodes, 1959-1965)
Rocky Shahan	...	Joe Scarlet (181 episodes, 1959-1965)
Robert Cabal	...	Hey Soos (112 episodes, 1959-1965)
Sheb Wooley	...	Pete Nolan (110 episodes, 1959-1965)

Runtime:

60 min (217 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Filming Locations:

Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Trivia:

Clint Eastwood got his role in "Rawhide" (1959) while visiting a friend at the CBS lot when a studio exec spotted him because he "looked like a cowboy."

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In some episodes Gil Favor is seen wearing Wrangler jeans - rivets and the trademark "W" on two pockets. The Wrangler brand wasn't sold until 1947.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991)

Soundtrack:

Rawhide Theme

Rawhide ran from 1959-1965, not 1966.

It ran 8 seasons, but it's first, in early 1959, and it's last, in the autumn of 1965, were shorter than seasons 2-7. CBS chief William Paley canceled Rawhide's production after watching the 1st show of season 8, in September, 1965, because he disliked the series without Eric Fleming as Gil Favor, who had departed after season 7. The last new episode aired in November, 1965. The lone 1966 CBS broadcast, on January 4, 1966, was a rerun.

I have often wondered why Rawhide didn't switch to color filming for it's last season? Most of the big westerns of the 1960s had gone over to color by 1965. CBS was broadcasting in color that autumn, for many of their sitcoms, but westerns like Gunsmoke and Rawhide remained in black and white. Gunsmoke was the last western (and last prime time network series to switch to color) on September 17, 1966, for the episode Snap Decision.