The Westerner is an American Western television series that was broadcast on NBC from September 30 to December 30 1960. The program consisted of a single season comprising 13 half‑hour episodes.
Production
- Creator/Producer: Sam Peckinpah, who also wrote and directed several episodes.
- Executive Producer: Hal Hudson.
- Production Company: Four Star Productions (Four Star Television).
- Filming Location: Republic Studios, Los Angeles, California.
- Camera Setup: Single‑camera.
- Running Time: Approximately 25 minutes per episode.
Premise and Characters
The series follows the itinerant cowboy Dave Blassingame (portrayed by Brian Keith), a laconic drifter who travels through the American West seeking work and, ultimately, enough money to purchase his own ranch. Accompanying him is his faithful dog, Brown, performed by the trained animal actor Spike. The narrative typically centers on Blassingame’s encounters with various frontier figures and situations.
Recurring supporting characters include:
- Burgundy Smith (John Dehner), a rakish companion who appears in multiple episodes.
- Additional regular cast members such as Hank Gobble, Jimmy Lee Cook, Michael T. Mikler, and Marie Selland appear in minor roles.
The series featured numerous guest stars, among them Malcolm Atterbury, Ben Cooper, Katy Jurado, Sam Jaffe, Warren Oates (in the premiere episode “Jeff”), and other actors who later appeared in Peckinpah’s feature films.
Broadcast History
- Network: NBC.
- Original Air Dates: September 30 – December 30 1960.
- The pilot for The Westerner originally aired as an episode of CBS’s anthology series Dick Powell’s Zane Grey Theatre before the show was picked up by NBC.
Syndication
Following its cancellation, The Westerner was packaged for syndication along with three other short‑lived Four Star Westerns—Black Saddle, Johnny Ringo, and Law of the Plainsman—under the collective title The Westerners, which featured hosting sequences by Keenan Wynn.
Home Media
A complete two‑DVD set, including the pilot episode, was released by Shout! Factory in February 2017.
Reception and Cancellation
Although critically praised for its concise storytelling and Peckinpah’s direction, the series suffered low ratings, largely because it was scheduled opposite popular programs such as The Flintstones and Route 66. Consequently, NBC cancelled the show after its initial 13‑episode run.
Legacy
After The Westerner ended, Sam Peckinpah and Brian Keith collaborated on the feature film The Deadly Companions, marking Peckinpah’s debut as a theatrical director. The series is noted for being an early television work of Peckinpah, who later became renowned for his influential Western films.