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13 September 2012

Comic Book Short Story~The Reluctant Rustler

HAVE GUN- WILL TRAVEL premiered 55 years ago, and ran for 6 or 7 seasons. I was too young to remember it. I've never sought it out as I have other retro TV because I don't much care for westerns. However I have just watched the first 2 episodes and I must say I am very impressed. The second episode, guest starring Charles Bronson, would be Emmy nominated fare today. The half hour format makes for tight plotting and writing, which is why I love shows like Peter Gunn and the first 39 episodes of Danger Man so much.
This was the only TV show to spawn a successful radio drama version. Paladin was voiced by William Conrad.

Dell Four Color #1044 October 1959

art by  Alberto Giolitti



















here are the 2 infopages for this issue



9 comments:

  1. Mike LynchSeptember 13, 2012 at 9:47 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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    1. Smeghead2068September 14, 2012 at 3:35 AM

      I accidentally removed your post. I am so sorry ...cannot seem to restore it. Please repost if you have time.

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  2. SmurfswackerSeptember 14, 2012 at 12:34 AM

    A great comic! I've loved the HGWT comics since I was a kid. I didn't know who Giolitti was back then, but I collected every comic he drew. Giolitti was at the top of his game for this series...even the back cover "throwaway" feature bursts with life and period atmosphere.

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  3. Mike LynchSeptember 14, 2012 at 9:22 AM

    Hey there Smeghead ...

    All I wrote was that I agree with you: I was not a fan of westerns, but then when I watched HAVE GUN, I was mesmerized. Great writing! (I also became a fan of those Budd Boetticher/Randolph Scott Western movies from the 50s too, and HGWT is similar to those.)

    I also love Giolitti, whose work, like HGWT, is not so well remembered. Thanks for shining a spotlight on both of these!

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  4. edutcherSeptember 25, 2012 at 9:42 PM

    Have Gun, Will Travel ran 6 seasons, ending in 1963.

    Interesting you like it even though you don't care for Westerns.

    I used to watch it first run and was kind of neutral about it at the time, but find, seeing them again, the show was contrived and pretentious.

    To each his own.

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    1. Smeghead2068October 11, 2012 at 11:36 PM

      I am getting into the pretentious ones now, watching them a few at a time. I am finding the unteachable ones all have one thing in common- Written by Gene Roddenberry

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    2. Smeghead2068October 14, 2012 at 9:38 AM

      that's UNWATCHABLE

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  5. edutcherOctober 11, 2012 at 11:43 AM

    Bill Conrad was Matt Dillon when "Gunsmoke" was on radio. John Dehner, another great character actor, was radio's Paladin.

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    1. Smeghead2068October 11, 2012 at 11:34 PM

      Here are 12 episodes for anyone who hasn't heard the radio vesion.



      http://archive.org/details/HaveGunWillTravel_OldTimeRadio

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