Jump to content

Have Gun – Will Travel: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Citation bot (talk | contribs)
Bots
5,421,539 edits
Altered pages. Added date. Formatted dashes. | Use this bot. Report bugs. | Suggested by Spinixster | Category:Quotations from television | #UCB_Category 221/333
 
(688 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|American Western television series}}

{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}
{{Infobox television
{{Infobox television
| show_name = Have Gun{{spaced ndash}}Will Travel
| image = Have Gun–Will Travel.jpg
| image_alt =
| image = [[File:Have Gun–Will Travel.jpg]]
| caption = Richard Boone as Paladin
| caption = Richard Boone as Paladin
| genre = [[Western (genre)|Western]]
| show_name_2 =
| creator = {{Plainlist|
| genre = [[Western (genre)|Western]]
| creator = [[Sam Rolfe]]<br />[[Herb Meadow]]
* [[Sam Rolfe]]
* [[Herb Meadow]]
}}
| director = [[Andrew McLaglen]]<br />[[Sam Peckinpah]]<br />[[Lamont Johnson]]<br />[[Ida Lupino]]<br />[[Richard Boone]]<br />[[William Conrad]]<br />others
| based_on =
| creative_director =
| developer =
| developer =
| writer =
| presenter =
| director = {{Plainlist|
| starring = [[Richard Boone]]<br>[[Kam Tong]]
* [[Andrew V. McLaglen]]
| voices =
| narrated = [[Richard Boone]]
* [[Richard Donner]]
* [[Lamont Johnson]]
| theme_music_composer =
* [[Ida Lupino]]
| opentheme = composed by<br>[[Bernard Herrmann]]
* [[Richard Boone]]
| endtheme = "[[The Ballad of Paladin]]" composed by<br>[[Johnny Western]]<br>Richard Boone<br>Sam Rolfe<br>performed by<br>Johnny Western
* [[William Conrad]]
| composer
* others
| country = USA
}}
| language = English
| creative_director =
| num_seasons = 6
| presenter =
| num_episodes = 225
| starring = {{Plainlist|
| list_episodes = List of Have Gun – Will Travel episodes
* [[Richard Boone]]
| executive_producer =
* [[Kam Tong]]
| co_exec =
}}
| producer = [[Julian Claman]]<br>[[Sam Rolfe]]
| judges =
| supervising_producer =
| voices =
| asst_producer =
| narrated = [[Richard Boone]]
| co-producer =
| theme_music_composer =
| story_editor =
| country = United States
| cinematography =
| language = English
| camera =
| num_seasons = 6
| runtime = 25 mins.
| num_episodes = 225
| network = [[CBS]]
| list_episodes = List of Have Gun – Will Travel episodes
| picture_format = [[4:3]] black and white
| executive_producer =
| audio_format = Mono
| producer = {{Plainlist|
| first_run =
* [[Julian Claman]]
| first_aired = September 14, 1957
* [[Sam Rolfe]]
| last_aired = April 20, 1963
}}
| company = [[CBS Productions]]<br>[[Filmaster]] Productions
| cinematography =
| distributor = [[CBS Television Distribution]]
| editor =
| camera =
| runtime = 25 mins.
| company = {{Plainlist|
* [[CBS Productions]]
* Filmaster Productions
}}
| network = [[CBS]]
| first_aired = {{Start date|1957|9|14}}
| last_aired = {{End date|1963|4|20}}
| composer = {{Plainlist|
* [[Bernard Herrmann]]
* [[Johnny Western]]
* Richard Boone
* Sam Rolfe
}}
| endtheme = "[[The Ballad of Paladin]]"
}}
}}
'''''Have Gun – Will Travel''''' is an American [[Westerns on television|Western television series]] that was produced and originally broadcast by [[CBS]] on both television and radio from 1957 through 1963. The television version of the series starring [[Richard Boone]] was rated number three or number four in the [[Nielsen ratings]] every year of its first four seasons.


Set in the period of the [[Old West]], the series follows the adventures of "[[Paladin (Western character)|Paladin]]," played by Boone, a gentleman investigator/gunfighter who travels around the [[American frontier|Old West]] working as a gunfighter for hire. Although Paladin charges steep fees to clients who can afford to hire him, typically $1,000 per job, he provides his services for free to poor people who need his help.
'''''Have Gun&nbsp;– Will Travel''''' is an American [[Western (genre)|Western]] television series that aired on [[CBS]] from 1957 through 1963. It was rated number three or number four in the Nielsen ratings every year of its first four seasons.<ref name=boone>{{cite web|url=http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/B/htmlB/boonerichar/boonerichar.htm|title=Richard Boone}}</ref> It was one of the few television shows to spawn a successful radio version. The [[radio show|radio series]] debuted November 23, 1958.


A [[Radio program|radio series]] starring [[John Dehner]] debuted November 23, 1958, more than a year after the premiere of its televised counterpart, making ''Have Gun – Will Travel'' one of the few shows in television history to spawn a successful radio version.<ref name="boone2">{{Cite web |title=Richard Boone |url=http://www.museum.tv/eotv/boonerichar.htm |access-date=8 September 2015 |archive-date=17 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150617010338/http://www.museum.tv/eotv/boonerichar.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
''Have Gun{{spaced ndash}}Will Travel'' was created by [[Sam Rolfe]] and [[Herb Meadow]] and produced by [[Frank Pierson]], [[Don Ingalls]], [[Robert Sparks]], and [[Julian Claman]]. There were 225 episodes of the TV series, 24 written by [[Gene Roddenberry]]. Other contributors included [[Bruce Geller]], [[Harry Julian Fink]], [[Don Brinkley]] and [[Irving Wallace]]. [[Andrew McLaglen]] directed 101 episodes<ref name="mbc">[http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/H/htmlH/havengunwil/havegunwil.htm The Museum of Broadcast Communications (Encyclopedia of Television){{spaced ndash}}''Have Gun, Will Travel''] by Peter Orlick</ref><ref name=imdb>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050025|title=Have Gun{{spaced ndash}}Will Travel}}</ref> and 19 were directed by series star [[Richard Boone]].


==Premise==
The television show is shown on the Encore-Western channel.
This series follows the adventures of a man calling himself "[[Paladin (Western character)|Paladin]]" (played by Richard Boone on television and voiced by John Dehner on radio), taking his name from that of the foremost [[Paladin|knights]] in [[Charlemagne]]'s court. He is a gentleman investigator/gunfighter who travels around the [[American frontier|Old West]] working as a mercenary for people who hire him to solve their problems.


Like many Westerns, the television show was set in a time vaguely indicated to be some years after the [[American Civil War]]. The radio show announced the year of the story that followed in the opening of each episode.<ref>Dunning, John. ''Tune In Yesterday: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, 1925–1976'' (New York: Prentice Hall), 1976; {{ISBN|978-0139326165}}</ref>
== Title ==
The title was a [[catchphrase]] used in [[personal advertisement]]s in newspapers like ''[[The Times]]'', indicating that the advertiser was ready for anything. It was used this way from the early 20th century.<ref>{{citation |url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Nm3jbg0JalMC&pg=PT179 |title=A dictionary of catch phrases: British and American, from the sixteenth century to the present day |author=Eric Partridge, Paul Beale}}</ref> A form common in theatrical advertising was "[[Have tux, will travel]]," and CBS claimed this was the inspiration for the writer Herb Meadow. The television show popularized the phrase in the 1960s, and many variations were used as titles for other works such as ''[[Have Space Suit—Will Travel]]'' by [[Robert Heinlein]].<ref>{{citation |title=Robert A. Heinlein: a reader's companion |page=98 |author=J. Daniel Gifford |year=2000}}</ref>


The season-five television episode, "A Drop of Blood", gives the specific date of July 3, 1879. In the 14th and 17th ("Lazarus", March 6 and 7, 1875) episodes of season five, it is 1875.
But in 1974, a [[rodeo]] performer named Victor De Costa won a federal court judgment against CBS for [[trademark infringement]], successfully arguing that he had created the Paladin character and the ideas used in the show, and that CBS had used them without permission. For example, at his rodeo appearances he always dressed in black, he called himself the "Paladin," he handed out hundreds of business cards with a chess piece logo and the phrase, "Have gun will travel," and he carried a concealed [[derringer]]. A year later, a [[court of appeals]] overturned the lower court, ruling that the plaintiff had failed to prove that there had been likelihood of confusion in the minds of the public—a necessary requirement for a suit over trademark infringement. However, De Costa kept pursuing his legal options, and in 1991—more than 30 years after his first lawsuit was originally filed—he was awarded more than $3,000,000.00. Mr. De Costa died at the age of 83 before he could receive the award.<ref>http://www.theoldbarx.com/havegun.htm</ref>


==Characters==
In 1991, on the basis of De Costa's established claims, a [[Rhode Island]] federal judge blocked the redistribution of the Paladin show by [[Viacom]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://articles.latimes.com/1991-10-07/entertainment/ca-50_1_western-series | work=Los Angeles Times | first=Beth | last=Kleid | title=Television | date=October 7, 1991}}</ref> See the segment "Victor De Costa: a previous Paladin" below.
===Paladin===
[[File:Richard_Boone_Paladin_1962.JPG|thumb|Richard Boone in the episode "Genesis" (1962), before becoming the famed "knight without armor", Paladin]]
Paladin prefers to settle the difficulties clients bring his way without violence, but this rarely happens. When forced, he excels in [[Bare-knuckle boxing|fisticuffs]]. Under his real name, which is never revealed, he was a dueling champion of some renown. Paladin is a graduate of the [[United States Military Academy]] at West Point and a veteran of the [[American Civil War]], in which he served as a [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] cavalry officer. In the episode "The Bostonian", he indirectly reveals he comes from Boston (or at least spent some time there), claiming, "In my youth, . . I was the best-dressed bouncer in [[Scollay Square]]."


His permanent place of residence is the Hotel Carlton in [[San Francisco]], where he lives the life of a successful businessman and ''[[wiktionary:bon viveur|bon vivant]]'', wearing elegant [[Bespoke|custom-made]] suits, consuming fine wine, playing the piano, and attending the opera and other cultural events. He is an expert chess player, poker player, and swordsman. He is skilled in Chinese martial arts, and is seen in several episodes receiving instruction and training with a kung ku master in San Francisco.{{Citation needed|reason=No online clips given any evidence for this. All the online mentions of this have identical wording, possibly from a common, unverified source. Moreover, his supposed martial arts teacher is generally treated as merely a servant or underling. A westerner being taught by Chinese would have been very odd for the time, when few in America had ever heard of Asian martial arts, other than judo and ju-jutsu. |date=September 2023}} He is highly educated, able to quote classic literature, philosophy, [[Bible|Scripture]], and case law, and speaks several languages. He is also president of the San Francisco Stock Exchange Club.<ref>Gould, Berni; Pascal, Milton; & Kolb, Ken. Have Gun – Will Travel, Episode 1/21, "The Bostonian", first aired February 1, 1958; retrieved November 6, 2017.</ref>
== Opening sequence ==
Originally, each show opened with the same 45-second visual. Over a slow four-note-repeat backbeat score, a tight shot of a silver [[Knight (chess)|chess knight]] emblem centered in a black background is seen. The view widens to show that the knight is an emblem affixed onto the black holster of a gunman, clad in black, who is standing with his right side to the camera, and his left hand in the pistol belt. Only his midsection, showing the full holster, is seen. Paladin's right hand slowly draws a Western revolver from the holster, leisurely cocks it, and then rotates it to point the barrel at the viewer for 10 seconds. In this time, Paladin delivers a pointed line of dialogue from the coming episode (since the speaker's face is unseen, this is possible using the same visual in every episode). The pistol is then uncocked and holstered briskly, emphasizing the previous "teaser" statement. As the weapon is reholstered, the view tightens to show only the chess knight, and "RICHARD BOONE in HAVE GUN{{spaced ndash}}WILL TRAVEL" appears. This leads into the show's theme music. In the episode that followed, the line delivered at gunpoint in the opening sequence is often ''not'' delivered with the same intonation or phrasing. There are cases where the teaser line does not occur in the story: In Season 1's "No Visitors;" Season 2's "The Wager," and "Lady on the Stagecoach."


When out working, Paladin changes into all-black [[Western wear|Western-style clothing]]. His primary weapon is a custom-made, first-generation .45 caliber [[Colt Single Action Army]] Cavalry Model revolver<ref name="tvacres2">[https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20121119113315/http://www.tvacres.com/weapons_glance.htm TV Acres]&nbsp;– Weapons at a Glance, tvacres.com; accessed May 20, 2018.</ref> with an unusual [[Rifling|rifled]] barrel, carried in a black leather holster (with a platinum chess knight symbol facing the rear), hanging from a black leather gunbelt. He also carries a [[Lever action|lever-action]] [[Marlin Firearms|Marlin]] rifle (with a platinum chess knight symbol facing the rear seen in "The Hunt") strapped to his saddle. In some episodes, he has a two-shot [[Derringer#Remington Deringers|Remington derringer]] concealed under his belt; in other episodes, it is a single-shot Merrimack Arms "Southerner" derringer.
The first season's Christmas episode, "The Hanging Cross," is unique. Instead of drawing the revolver, Paladin unbuckles the belt and removes the whole rig, holding it out to the camera as he talks. The camera tilts upward, revealing Richard Boone speaking to the camera, then hanging his belt, holster, and pistol on a wall peg and walking away as the theme begins and the title graphics appear.
[[File:Haveguncard.png|thumb|This calling card was the identifying graphic of the ''Have Gun&nbsp;– Will Travel'' series.]]
Paladin gives out a [[business card]] imprinted with "Have Gun Will Travel" and an engraving of a white [[Knight (chess)|knight]] chess piece, which evokes the proverbial [[wiktionary:Special:Search/white knight|white knight]] and the [[Knight-errant|knight in shining armor]]. Underneath the chess piece is the wording "Wire Paladin", and under that, "San Francisco". A closeup of this card is used as a [[Intertitle|title card]] between scenes in the program.


''A Man Called Paladin'', Frank C. Robertson's novelization of the season-six premiere "Genesis", gives Paladin's real name as Clay Alexander.<ref>{{cite web |title=Have Gun Will Travel: Paladin's Real Name REVEALED! |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSM1MaQoIu4 |website=[[YouTube]]| date=16 July 2020 }}</ref>
In a later version of the opening sequence, there is a long-range shot, with Paladin in a full-body profile silhouette, and he fast-draws the revolver, dropping into a slight crouch as he turns, pointing at the camera. After the dubbed-over line, he straightens as he shoves the firearm into his holster. This silhouette visual remained for the run of the series. In later episodes, the teaser line would be dropped.


===Other recurring characters===
== Filming locations ==
The one other major semiregular character in the show is the [[Han Chinese|Chinese]] [[bellhop]] at the Carlton Hotel, known as Hey Boy (real name Kim Chan or Kim Chang); in the first season in the episode called "Hey Boy's Revenge", the character Hey Boy is sought by Paladin under the name Kim Chan, which is written on a piece of paper and shown on screen. As the episode continues, Hey Boy is referred to (verbally) five times as Kim Chan and then on the sixth incident Paladin states Hey Boy's name as Kim Chang and thereafter he is referred to as Kim Chang every time. No explanation is given for the name change.
Unlike many westerns, entire episodes were filmed outdoors and away from the Old West street set on Irving Street just below [[Melrose Avenue]], the home of Filmaster television production company. Filmaster was located across the street from, later becoming part of, Paramount Studios' [[backlot]]. The area is now enclosed in the independent [[Kingsley Productions]] studio lot encompassing a city block.


Hey Boy is played by [[Kam Tong]]. According to author and historian [[Martin Grams Jr.]], Hey Boy is featured in all but the fourth of the show's six seasons, with the character of Hey Girl, played by [[Lisa Lu]], replacing Hey Boy for season four while Kam Tong worked on the ''[[Mr. Garlund]]'' television series.<ref name="mbc2">Peter Orlick, [http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/H/htmlH/havengunwil/havegunwil.htm The Museum of Broadcast Communications (Encyclopedia of Television) – ''Have Gun, Will Travel''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100610231714/http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/H/htmlH/havengunwil/havegunwil.htm|date=10 June 2010}}; accessed May 20, 2018.</ref> Lisa Lu had previously played Hey Boy's sister, Kim Li, in "Hey Boy's Revenge".
Beginning in season four, filming locations were often given in the closing credits. Locations included [[Bishop, California|Bishop]] and [[Lone Pine, California]]; an area now known as Paladin Estates between [[Bend, Oregon|Bend]] and [[Sisters, Oregon|Sisters]], [[Oregon]]; and the Abbott Ranch near [[Prineville, Oregon|Prineville]], Oregon.


Character actor [[Olan Soule]] appears in 10 episodes across all six seasons of ''Have Gun – Will Travel'' as an employee of the Carlton Hotel, usually identified as the manager/desk clerk. The character's name is inconsistent, being given as "Cartwright" in two episodes, and "Matthews" in another. Tony Regan also appears as an unnamed desk clerk in over a dozen episodes, between seasons two and five. [[Hal Needham]], later a noted director, worked on the show as a stunt performer and can be seen as a bit-part player (in a wide variety of roles) in nearly 50 episodes.
== Characters ==


=== Paladin ===
===Notable guest stars===
[[File:Richard_Boone_Christine_White_Have_Gun_Will_Travel_1958.JPG|thumb|With [[Christine White (actress)|Christine White]], 1958]]
[[File:Richard Boone Paladin 1962.JPG|180px|thumb|Richard Boone in the 1962 episode, "Genesis," before becoming the famed "knight without armor," Paladin.]]
[[File:Patricia_Medina_Richard_Boone_Have_Gun_Will_Travel_1960.JPG|thumb|With [[Patricia Medina]], 1960]]


====Guest stars included====
This series follows the adventures of a man calling himself "Paladin," a gentleman gunfighter (played by [[Richard Boone]] on television and voiced by [[John Dehner]] on radio). He prefers to settle without violence the difficulties brought his way by clients who pay him. When forced, he excels in [[fisticuffs]] and, under his real name, was a duelling champion of some renown.
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
* [[Claude Akins]]
* [[Jack Albertson]] as Mayor Whiteside / Jason Coldwell / Bookie
* [[Martin Balsam]] as Marshall Jim Brock / Charles Dawes
* [[Roxane Berard]]
* [[Edward Binns]]
* [[Robert Blake (actor)|Robert Blake]] as Lauro / Jessie May Turnbow / Smollet
* [[Dan Blocker]] as Joe
* [[Charles Bronson]]
* [[Kathie Browne]] as Marie Ellis / Lydia Moss
* [[Edgar Buchanan]] as Cardiff
* [[Dyan Cannon]] as Fifi
* [[John Carradine]]
* [[Lon Chaney Jr.]]
* [[James Coburn]] as Bill Sledge / Jack
* [[Mike Connors]] as Johnny Dart
* [[William Conrad]] as Moses Kadish / Norge
* [[James Craig (actor)|James Craig]]
* [[Angie Dickinson]] as Amy Bender
* [[Ivan Dixon]] as Isham Spruce
* [[Buddy Ebsen]]
* [[Jack Elam]] as Joe Gage
* [[Peter Falk]] as Waller
* [[James Franciscus]] as Tom Nelson
* [[Peggy Ann Garner]] as Virginia "Ginger" Adams
* [[Lisa Gaye]] as Nancy Warren / Helen Abajinian
* [[Virginia Gregg]]
* [[Murray Hamilton]]
* [[Ted Hamilton]] as Catcher
* [[Ben Johnson (actor)|Ben Johnson]]
* [[DeForest Kelley]] as Deakin
* [[George Kennedy]] as Preston / Deke / Rud / Saxon / Brother Grace / Big John
* [[Werner Klemperer]] as Etienne
* [[Patric Knowles]]
* [[June Lockhart]] as Dr. Phyllis Thackeray
* [[Jack Lord]] as Dave Enderby
* [[Strother Martin]] as Carew / Boise Peabody
* [[Victor McLaglen]] as Mike O’Hare
* [[Patricia Medina]] as Diana Coulter / Sabina
* [[Duane Eddy]] as Young Cowboy / Carter Whitney Tyler
* [[James Mitchum]]
* [[Harry Morgan]]
* [[Jeanette Nolan]]
* [[Warren Oates]] as John Bosworth / Harrison
* [[Odetta]]
* [[Hank Patterson]]
* [[Suzanne Pleshette]] as Maria
* [[Sydney Pollack]] as Joe Culp
* [[Vincent Price]] as Charles Matthews / Othello
* [[Denver Pyle]] as Clay Sommers
* [[Pernell Roberts]]
* [[Janice Rule]]
* [[Albert Salmi]] as Father Montalvo
* [[Harry Dean Stanton]] as "Slim" Wilder / Stoneman
* [[Lee Van Cleef]] as Corbin / Golias
* [[Jack Weston]]
* [[Christine White (actress)|Christine White]]
* [[Stuart Whitman]]
* [[Ken Curtis ]] as Monk {{div col end}}


==Production==
A hard-headed businessman, Paladin claims to be president of the San Francisco branch of the Stock Exchange Club ("[[The Bostonian (Have Gun – Will Travel)|The Bostonian]]"). He resides at the posh Hotel Carlton in [[San Francisco]], in suite 205 as related in "[[The Singer (Have Gun – Will Travel)|The Singer]]" (or 314 depending on the episode). His attire is stylish, his manner is elegant; so much so that, on their initial meeting, many clients take him for an Eastern [[dandy]]. Paladin is a fine pianist and enjoys the [[opera]], the theatre, recitals and other refined entertainments.
''Have Gun – Will Travel'' was created by [[Sam Rolfe]] and [[Herb Meadow]] and produced by [[Frank Pierson]], [[Don Ingalls]], Robert Sparks, and [[Julian Claman]]. Of the 225 episodes of the television series, 24 were written by [[Gene Roddenberry]].<ref>Series co-creator Sam Rolfe would later write a script for the Roddenberry-created ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]''.</ref> Other major contributors included [[Bruce Geller]], [[Harry Julian Fink]], [[Don Brinkley]], and [[Irving Wallace]]. [[Andrew V. McLaglen]] directed 101 episodes,<ref name="mbc2" /> and 28 were directed by series star [[Richard Boone]].{{Citation needed |date=April 2023}}


=== Filming locations ===
Paladin is a recognized San Francisco wine authority and [[epicure (gourmet)|epicure]]—so much of both that he is called upon to judge wines in competition. He happily partakes in and appreciates [[gourmet meals]], often served in his rooms at the Carlton. Paladin receives a yearly crate of award-winning [[Riesling]] from the California [[winery]] of Renato Donatello ([[Eduardo Ciannelli]]) in return for the aid he gave Signore Donatello in a land dispute ("[[Bitter Wine]]").
Unlike many Westerns, entire episodes were filmed outdoors and away from the Old West Street set on Irving Street just below [[Melrose Avenue]], the home of Filmaster television production company. Filmaster was located across the street from, later becoming part of, Paramount Studios' [[backlot]]. The area is now enclosed in the independent Kingsley Productions studio lot encompassing a city block. Beginning in season four, filming locations were often given in the closing credits. Locations included [[Bishop, California|Bishop]] and [[Lone Pine, California|Lone Pine]], California; an area now known as Paladin Estates between [[Bend, Oregon|Bend]] and [[Sisters, Oregon|Sisters]], Oregon; and the Abbott Ranch near [[Prineville, Oregon|Prineville]], Oregon.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Studlar |first=Gaylyn |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jX11BwAAQBAJ&q=%22outdoor%20location%22&pg=PT149 |title=Have Gun – Will Travel |publisher=Wayne State University Press |year=2015 |isbn=978-0814339770 |page=140 |language=en}}</ref>


=== Writing ===
Paladin enjoys fine cigars (he often carries a few in his boot tops when on the trail) and the company of beautiful ladies. Often found playing in the lobby of the Carlton, he treats [[chess]] as a blood sport. He is known for his prowess at [[poker]] as well as being an expert swordsman, as earlier mentioned.
Many of the writers who worked on ''Have Gun&nbsp;– Will Travel'' went on to gain fame elsewhere. [[Gene Roddenberry]] created ''[[Star Trek]]'', [[Bruce Geller]] created ''[[Mission: Impossible (1966 TV series)|Mission: Impossible]]'', [[Samuel A. Peeples]] created ''[[The Tall Man (TV series)|The Tall Man]]'', ''[[Custer (TV series)|Custer]]'', and ''[[Lancer (TV series)|Lancer]]'', and [[Harold Jack Bloom]] created Boone's later series ''[[Hec Ramsey]]'' and the 1970s medical-adventure series ''[[Emergency!]]'' [[Harry Julian Fink]] is one of the writers who created ''[[Dirty Harry]]'' (the opening title and theme scene of the 1973 ''Dirty Harry'' sequel ''[[Magnum Force]]'' features a ''Paladin''-like sequence of a handgun being slowly cocked and then finally pointed toward the camera, with a potent line of dialogue). [[Sam Peckinpah]] wrote one episode, "The Singer", which aired in 1958. Other notable writers who contributed an episode include [[Gene L. Coon]], [[Richard Matheson]], [[Charles Beaumont]], Laurence Heath, and [[Fred Freiberger]]. Both ''Star Trek'' and ''Mission: Impossible'' were produced by [[Desilu Productions]] and later [[Paramount Television]], which also now owns the rights to ''Have Gun&nbsp;– Will Travel'' through its successor company, [[CBS Television Distribution]].{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}


=== Music ===
Paladin's San Francisco tailor, Polo di Marco (a tongue-in-cheek play on the name [[Marco Polo]]), designed and created his wardrobe until his death, after which his nephew, Gino, took over ("[[The High Graders]]"). For services rendered in saving Polo's gold mine, Gino and his cousin, Angela, Polo's daughter, provide Paladin with two suits each year.
The program's opening was a four-note motif composed and conducted by [[Bernard Herrmann]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Herrmann Music in Have Gun Will Travel and Other Classic CBS Television Series – The Bernard Herrmann Society |url=http://www.bernardherrmann.org/articles/misc-havegunwilltravel/2/ |access-date=2018-11-06 |website=www.bernardherrmann.org |language=en-US}}</ref> For the opening theme, Herrmann reused a short sequence he had previously composed for the 1951 movie ''[[On Dangerous Ground]]'', starring [[Robert Ryan]] and [[Ida Lupino]]. The ''Have Gun – Will Travel'' theme (and fragments of incidental music also used in the television series) are featured in a chase scene across snowy fields; at the 35:25 mark of the film, the actual ''Have Gun – Will Travel'' opening theme is played in recognizable form, although the scoring is slightly different from the better-known television version.


The show's closing song, "[[The Ballad of Paladin]]", was written by [[Johnny Western]] (who had a role in season one, episode 35, "The Return of Dr. Thackeray"), Richard Boone, and program creator Sam Rolfe, and was performed by Western. In the first season, the closing song was a reprise of the opening theme. In syndication, the first (premise) episode concludes with the Johnny Western ballad. The rest of the first-season episodes play a reprise of the opening theme; although the theme song was used in closing at least four times in season one, including episodes 25, 30, 33, and 34.<ref>''Have Gun - Will Travel'' syndicated re-run aired season-one episodes, and DVD release.</ref>
The gunfighter routinely switches from his frock-coated, lightly hued, tan, brown or striped suits (or from an informal smoking jacket when in his rooms) befitting the good life he partakes of in genteel urbanity, to the black attire appropriate for his forays into the lawless and barren Western wilderness. There, he is a hard-living [[gunslinger]].


In the second season, the song was the only closing music. In the third season, a new lyric was added to the five-line "The Ballad of Paladin", making it six lines long. In 1962–1963, the final season, the song's lyrics were cut to four lines, the original fourth and added sixth being dropped. This occurred because the production credits for writer, producer, and director were pulled from the closing credits to appear over the opening sequences. However, in the season-six episode "Sweet Lady in the Moon" (episode 26, 1963), the ballad was played complete over the closing credits.<ref>''Have Gun - Will Travel'' syndicated re-run aired seasons 2–6 episodes, and DVD release</ref>
The change may betoken the off-putting chess move of the knight. Like a [[chess master]] seeking control of the board, Paladin employs all his talents and abilities to gain superior positioning in any situation, most often shooting an opponent, but only as a last resort.


Johnny Western has sung a fully recorded version, opening with the refrain and including a second verse never heard on the television series.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/z9-I5vMLqbE Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20201008224534/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9-I5vMLqbE Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{Citation |last=Johnny Western - Topic |title=The Ballad Of Paladin |date=2015-09-01 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9-I5vMLqbE |access-date=2018-11-06}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
Whenever his services are engaged and Paladin dons black trail clothing, he becomes a black knight, so to speak, an anonymous [[wikt:chevalier|chevalier]] lacking a [[coat-of-arms]] by which he may be identified. His weapons are a finely-crafted revolver, a [[Derringer]] hidden under his black leather gunbelt and, on occasion, a custom rifle bearing a knight's head on the stock. (See more at [[#Paladin's weapons|Paladin's weapons]], below.)


When showing episodes with Paladin at the Hotel Carlton in San Francisco, background music is often played. That instrumental was "Darling Nelly Gray", which is a 19th-century popular song written and composed by Benjamin Hanby.
Paladin is a [[mercenary]], accepting commissions from people who seek to engage his services. He is not above scanning newspaper headlines to offer his services to people whose troubles find their way into print. In the parlance of chivalry, since Paladin is not attached to the service of any one [[liege]] lord, his is "a free lance." He makes it clear that his time is all his clients hire for their particular jobs. Time and again, as seen in "[[The Outlaw" (Have Gun – Will Travel episode)|The Outlaw]]" and "[[Killer's Widow]]", Paladin denies that he is a paid assassin or a [[bounty hunter]]. Still, some of his assignments make such distinctions highly academic.


== Themes and analysis ==
Paladin is a former [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] cavalry officer, a graduate of the United States Military Academy at [[United States Military Academy|West Point]], and a veteran of the late [[War Between the States]], the [[American Civil War]]. In the episode "[[Squatters Rights]]," mention is made of his participation in the battle of [[Antioch Station]] in Tennessee on April 10, 1863. Upon encountering his old friend, Sheriff Ernie Backwater in the episode,
"[[Fandango]]", they recall their service in the army at [[First Battle of Bull Run|Bull Run]] and [[Battle of Shiloh|Shiloh]]. Paladin also claims to have fought with [[Abner Doubleday]] at [[Battle of Chancellorsville|Chancellorsville]] and learned how to play [[baseball]] from him ([["Out at the Old Ballpark]]").


=== Title ===
Well-schooled and highly cultured, Paladin is a world traveler and [[Multilingualism|polyglot]], conversant, if not fluent, in any foreign tongue required by the plot, including [[Morse code]]. He has a thorough knowledge of ancient history and classical literature. Almost every episode has Paladin dropping a line from such diverse sources as [[Plato]], [[Aristotle]], [[Julius Caesar]], [[Marcus Aurelius]], [[St Paul]], [[Omar Kayyam]], [[John Milton]], [[Percy Shelley]], [[Lord Byron]], [[Miguel de Cervantes]], and even [[Oscar Wilde]], the [[United Kingdom|British]] writer and [[wit]] whom Paladin saved from kidnapping in "[[The Ballad of Oscar Wilde]]." There are also several instances of Paladin recalling lengthy Shakespearean passages.
The title is a variation on a [[cliche]] used in [[personal advertisement]]s in newspapers such as ''[[The Times]]'', indicating that the advertiser (a job seeker) is equipped for a certain category of jobs and flexible about the location of the job. It has been used this way from the early 20th century.<ref>{{citation |author=Eric Partridge, Paul Beale |title=A dictionary of catch phrases: British and American, from the sixteenth century to the present day |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nm3jbg0JalMC&pg=PT179 |year=1986 |publisher=Routledge |access-date=May 20, 2018 |isbn=978-0415059169}}</ref>


A [[Trope (literature)|trope]] common in theatrical advertising at the time was "Have tux, will travel" (originally from comedian [[Bob Hope]] in 1954<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/haver|title=haver &#124; Etymology of haver by etymonline|website=www.etymonline.com}}</ref>), and CBS has claimed this was the specific inspiration for the writer Herb Meadow. The television show popularized the phrase in the 1950s and 1960s, and many variations have been used as titles for other works, including the 1958 science-fiction novel ''[[Have Space Suit—Will Travel]]'' by [[Robert A. Heinlein]].<ref>{{citation |author=J. Daniel Gifford |title=Robert A. Heinlein: a reader's companion |page=98 |year=2000}}</ref>
A strong, moral, male role model, who not only has committed great poetry to memory but can call it to mind to underscore particular situations, was unique in the realm of 1950s prime time television programming.


=== Opening sequence ===
In earlier episodes, Paladin smiled more and undertook his work with a lighthearted, almost devil-may-care attitude. He grew grimmer over the run of the series, still, he never lost his sense of absurdity, his sense of humor, or his appreciation of life's comic situations.
[[File:Richard_Boone_Lisa_Gaye_Have_Gun_Will_Travel_1958.JPG|right|thumb|With [[Lisa Gaye]], 1958]]
[[File:Richard_Boone_Have_Gun_Will_Travel.jpg|right|thumb|With [[Roxane Berard]], who appeared in three episodes]]
Originally, each show opened with the same 45-second visual. Over a slow, four-note-repeat backbeat score, a tight shot of Paladin's [[Knight (chess)|chess knight]] emblem centered in a black background is seen, before the view widens to show the emblem affixed to Paladin's holster, with Paladin in his trademark costume seen from waist level in profile. Then, as he draws his revolver from the holster, the four-note-repeat backbeat fades to a light, almost harp-like strumming. He cocks the hammer, and then rotates the gun to point the barrel at the viewer for ten seconds, often delivering a line of dialogue from the coming episode, after which the pistol is uncocked and holstered briskly. As the weapon is reholstered and the view tightens to show only the chess knight, again, the four-note-repeat backbeat returns.


As only the chess knight emblem in a black background is back, the name "RICHARD BOONE" appears across the screen for about five seconds. The name fades out and immediately the words "in HAVE GUN – WILL TRAVEL" fade in, again for about five seconds. Boone's name and the show's title are accompanied by a four-note "stinger" that overshadows the four-note-repeat. The "stinger" is roughly the same as that heard when Paladin's business card is flashed on screen (in almost every episode). The words fade away after those five seconds, leaving only the chess knight emblem against the black background, and the four-note-repeat fades out. This opening then fades out and the show fades in on its opening scene.<ref>''Have Gun-Will Travel'' Seasons 1–2 aired episodes, and DVD release.</ref>
A "[[paladin]]" is a [[knight]], a [[paragon]] of chivalry; a heroic champion of a cause: "like Charlemagne's fabled Roland," as the Honourable Diana Coulter ([[Patricia Medina]]) notes in "[[The Lady]]". Using this ''[[nom-de-guerre]]'' Paladin makes clear that he is motivated by a code of chivalry to act justly in a just cause. He exhibits a passion for justice as well as for the rule of law, which means that he is constantly forced to differentiate between the two concepts.


A later version of the opening sequence (seasons three to six) has a long-range shot, with Paladin in a full-body profile silhouette, and he fast-draws the revolver, dropping into a slight crouch as he turns, pointing at the camera. After the dubbed-over line, he straightens as he shoves the firearm into his holster. This silhouette visual remained for the run of the series. In later episodes, the teaser line was dropped; as seen in many of the episodes of the final two seasons' opening titles, when Paladin crouches and points his gun at the camera, first "RICHARD BOONE", and then "HAVE GUN – WILL TRAVEL" would appear as before, and Boone would reholster his gun as the words faded out. Due to the networks not always airing episodes in the order they were filmed, the omission of the voice-over dialogue was inconsistent for some of the episodes, as seen in the opening titles. Season six did have the most opening titles without the voice-over dialogue, especially as the season progressed, again as seen when the episodes opened.<ref>''Have Gun-Will Travel'' Seasons 3–6 aired episodes, and DVD release.</ref>
The ease with which he is able to call to mind, and meticulously quote from obscure decisions, citing dates and names of the cases, enable a viewer to deduce the probability of Paladin having studied for the [[bar (law)|bar]]. He shows himself adroit in court procedure when defending a gunman in "[[Trial at Tablerock]]" before a hastily convened court held in a saloon. This particular skill, unfortunately, does not stop him from being routinely beaten and even shot as he carries out his assignments.


== Release ==
Though Paladin may be aristocratic in demeanor, he is no snob or bigot, character flaws he finds distasteful. While he maintains a richly-textured lifestyle in San Francisco, he is invariably courteous to the hotel's staff, including Mitchell, the occasionally officious desk clerk/manager, and the ubiquitous [[Chinese people|Chinese]] [[bellhop]] and [[jack of all trades, master of none|jack-of-all-trades]], [[#Hey Boy and Hey Girl|Hey Boy]], as well as his sister, [[#Hey Boy and Hey Girl|Hey Girl]] (see below), seen in several episodes. Upon arriving home after a late night [[soiree]] Paladin has been known to [[waltz]] lightheartedly in the hotel [[foyer]] with Peggy or (depending on the episode) Maggie McGuire [[Peggy Rae]]), the Carlton's [[Irish people|Irish]] scrubwoman. Paladin is not a wholehearted supporter of women, "these soft and glorious rose petals," being given the right to vote nor is he appreciative of the earliest appearance of [[psychiatry]] ("[[Sweet Lady in the Moon]]").


=== Broadcast history and ratings ===
Among Paladin's early exploits is an 1857 visit to India, where he won the respect of the natives by hunting man-eating tigers. In "[[The Yuma Treasure]]," it is revealed that Paladin is known to most [[U.S. Cavalry]] officers in Midwestern forts as a former Army officer. Paladin has cultivated friendly relations with the Indian Nations, notably among the [[Quechan|Yuma]], the [[Pima people|Pima]], the [[Opata]] and the [[Maricopa people|Maricopa]] tribes. He has the distinction of having ridden with [[Cochise]]. The [[Pawnee people|Pawnee]] chief, Cah La Te, admits that Indians know him as ''Ulu Shah Te,'' i.e., "He Who Rides with Many Tribes" ("[[The Hanging Cross (Have Gun - Will Travel episode)|The Hanging Cross]]").
{{Further|List of Have Gun – Will Travel episodes}}


September 14, 1957 – September 21, 1963: Saturdays at 9:30&nbsp;pm<ref name="Brooks_and_Marsh">{{Cite book|last1=Brooks|first1=Tim|author-link=Tim Brooks (historian)|last2=Marsh|first2=Earle F.|title=The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present|publisher=[[Ballantine Books]]|year=2007|isbn=978-0-345-49773-4|location=New York|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w8KztFy6QYwC&dq=%22Have+Gun+Will+Travel+western%22&pg=PA590|pages=590–591|access-date=March 31, 2023}}</ref>{{rp|590}}<ref name="McNeil">{{cite book|last=McNeil |first=Alex |title=Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present |location=New York |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |page=363|isbn=0-14-02-4916-8 |date=1996 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dctkAAAAMAAJ|access-date=March 31, 2023}}</ref>{{rp|363}}
The episode "[[Genesis (Have Gun – Will Travel episode)|Genesis]]" has it that Paladin's reputation for duelling under his own name is well known. Revealed in the same episode, Paladin had not always been highly principled before taking up his knightly profession. While he had no wish to disgrace his well-to-do family, he nevertheless continued a dissipated existence for a time. He alienated his parents, who sent him "a small monthly remittance not to go home:" money he routinely gambled away. (See "Genesis," below.) Even in his new existence as Paladin, he maintains ties to his Eastern life, admitting to rancher Henry Price, a newly arrived Bostonian, that he is the "president of the San Francisco chapter of the [[Stock Exchange Club]] ("[[The Bostonian]]").
{{:List of Have Gun – Will Travel episodes}}


=== Home media ===
In his somewhat reformed life, Paladin expects his clients to treat him as courteously as he treats them. He has no scruples about charging steep fees from clients who can afford to hire him, typically $1000.00 per job, a small fortune at the time - and still an impressive sum even in the 1950s. On occasion, depending on the client, Paladin has been known to take nothing for his services. Again, when the outcome warrants, he graciously remits his stipend altogether, as in "[[Killer's Widow]]," when he works to relieve the poverty of a woman whose husband, an outlaw, he had been forced to shoot and kill.
All of the episodes were released on VHS by [[Columbia House]]. [[CBS Home Entertainment|CBS DVD]] (distributed by [[Paramount Home Media Distribution|Paramount]]) has released all six seasons of ''Have Gun – Will Travel'' on DVD in Region 1. Season six, volumes one and two were first released on May 7, 2013.<ref>{{cite web |date=2007-05-25 |title=Have Gun Will Travel DVD news: Announcement for The 6th and Final Year, Volume 1 and The 6th and Final Year, Volume 2 |url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Gun-Travel-Season-6/18027 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516045010/http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Gun-Travel-Season-6/18027 |archive-date=16 May 2013 |access-date=2013-05-13 |publisher=TV Shows On DVD|df=dmy-all}}</ref>


On May 10, 2016, CBS DVD was to release ''Have Gun – Will Travel – The Complete Series'' on DVD in Region 1.<ref>[http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Gun-Travel-The-Complete-Series/22018 Richard Boone Stars in 'The Complete Series' 35-DVD Set] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160224200348/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Gun-Travel-The-Complete-Series/22018|date=24 February 2016}}, tvshowsondvd.com; accessed May 20, 2018.</ref>
Paladin has Christian sympathies, but he seems not to belong to any particular religious tradition. Among his most fondly esteemed friends is a [[Czarist]] Russian [[Jew]], Nathan Shotness ([[Martin Gabel]]), with whom he trades passages from the [[Mishna]], and his daughter, Rivka ([[Roxane Berard]]) who appear in two episodes, ("[[The Fatalist]]" and "[[Drop of Blood]]"). Indeed, Paladin has studied many faiths and appreciates elements found in their philosophies and has been known to quote from [[Kahlil Gibran]]'s ''[[The Prophet(book)|The Prophet]]'' and the [[Talmud]] as well as from the Bible. In "[[The Poker Fiend]]," Paladin's scriptural awareness stands him in good stead when he comes up against an adversary of a decidedly Luciferian type ([[Peter Falk]]) as he plays poker to save a man's soul. The gentlemanly gunfighter well understands the symbolic power of the Cross. He takes pleasure in singing carols, and shows great respect for the beauty of the Christmas story ("[[The Hanging Cross]]").


In the second-season DVD, two episodes are mislabeled. On disk three, the episode titled "Treasure Trail" is actually "Hunt the Man Down", and on disk four, "Hunt the Man Down" is "Treasure Trail"; the "Wire Paladin" in each case refers to the other episode.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Paladin |url=https://havegunwilltravel1953.wordpress.com/ |access-date=2019-09-30 |website=Paladin |language=en}}</ref>
Paladin's Yuletide spirit most notably comes to fore when he aids a young man and his pregnant wife seeking shelter, as he had, from a driving snowstorm. Breaking in on a small town saloon's Christmas Eve revels, they ask for help and are ignored. Paladin forces the barkeep to, at least, shelter them in the storeroom. He eventually convinces a hard-bitten bar girl to help as the couple's son is born, the town doctor having passed out during this, "his only vacation." The storm abated, Paladin mounts his horse to leave, pausing to notice the [[livery stable]]'s sign. Over the strains of a [[harmonica]] playing ''[[Adeste Fideles]]'' Paladin realizes with some satisfaction that he has spent this Christmas in Bethlehem, Texas. The episode's title, "[[Be Not Forgetful of Strangers]]," harkens to Hebrews 13:2, "Be not forgetful of showing hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."
{| class="wikitable"
!DVD name
!Ep #
!Release date
|-
|Season 1
|39
|May 11, 2004
|-
|Season 2
|39
|May 10, 2005
|-
|Season 3
|39
|January 3, 2006
|-
|Season 4- Volume 1
|19
|March 2, 2010
|-
|Season 4- Volume 2
|19
|July 6, 2010
|-
|Season 5- Volume 1
|19
|November 30, 2010
|-
|Season 5- Volume 2
|19
|February 22, 2011
|-
|Season 6- Volume 1
|16
|May 7, 2013
|-
|Season 6- Volume 2
|16
|May 7, 2013
|-
|Complete Series
|225
|May 10, 2016
|}


==Awards==
Paladin shows an abiding respect for the tireless [[Franciscan]] friars he encounters in their missions on the Southwest frontier ("[[The Sanctuary]]," "[[A Statue for San Sebastian]]," and "[[A Miracle for St Francis]]"). Inevitably the priests endanger themselves by protecting Indians, Mexicans and underprivileged settlers from the schemes of unscrupulous bullies. On more than one occasion Paladin is seen at impromptu burials with a passage of Scripture on his lips. Still, it is telling that, when burying a rancher killed by hostile Indians, instead of reciting a biblical passage, Paladin intones [[John Donne]]'s "[[Holy Sonnets|Death Be Not Proud]]" over the grave.
The television show was nominated for three [[Emmy Awards]]:


* Best Actor in a Leading Role (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series, for Richard Boone (1959)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series Nominees / Winners 1959 |url=https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1959/outstanding-lead-actor-in-a-drama-series |access-date=2023-04-01 |website=Television Academy |language=en}}</ref>
=== Paladin's business card and chessman ===
* Best Western Series (1959)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Best Western Series Nominees / Winners 1959 |url=https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1959/best-western-series |access-date=2023-04-01 |website=Television Academy |language=en}}</ref>
A set piece takes place in each episode: Paladin's "Have Gun-Will Travel" engraved [[business card]] is seen a closeup, highlighted by a usually ominous musical sting. Prominent on the card is a drawing of a [[chess piece|chessman]], the horse-headed [[knight]]. The same device worked in [[platinum]] is attached to the center of his holster.
* Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Series (Lead or Support), for Richard Boone (1960).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Best Actor Nominees / Winners 1960 |url=https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1960/best-actor |access-date=2023-04-01 |website=Television Academy |language=en}}</ref>


In 1957, Gene Roddenberry received the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Script for the episode "Helen of Abajinian".<ref>Reginald, Robert (1979). Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature Volume II. Detroit: Gale. {{ISBN|978-0810310513}}.</ref>
The symbol refers to the man's name, [[Paladin]], a knight errant—a nickname or, more precisely, a [[nom-de-guerre]], a [[nom de guerre|working name]]—denoting his occupation as a [[Paladin|champion-for-hire]]. The series' closing theme song describes Paladin as "a knight without armor". In "[[The Road to Wickenburg]]," Paladin draws a parallel between his methods and the knight's movement on a chess board: "It's an attack piece, the most versatile on the board. It can move eight different ways, over barriers, and [is] always unexpected."


==Franchise in other media==
Along with the horse-headed knight's piece appearing on Paladin's iconic business card, is found the brief instruction: "Wire Paladin-San Francisco". The laconic message inspired comedians of the day to quip, "What's Paladin's first name? 'Wire', of course—look at his card!"
===Radio show===
[[File:John_Dehner_1963.jpg|left|thumb|{{center|[[John Dehner]]}}]]
The ''Have Gun&nbsp;– Will Travel'' radio show broadcast 106 episodes on the [[CBS Radio News|CBS Radio Network]] between November 23, 1958, and November 27, 1960.<ref name="dunning2" /> It was one of the last radio dramas featuring continuing characters and one of only a handful of American radio adaptations of a television series. [[John Dehner]] (a regular on the radio series version of ''[[Gunsmoke]]'') played Paladin, and [[Ben Wright (English actor)|Ben Wright]] usually (but not always) played Hey Boy. [[Virginia Gregg]] played Miss Wong, Hey Boy's girlfriend, before the television series featured the character of Hey Girl. Unlike the small-screen version, this medium usually had a tag scene at the Carlton at both the beginning and the end of the episode. Initially, the episodes were adaptations of the television program as broadcast earlier the same week, but eventually, original stories were produced, including a finale ("From Here to Boston", "Inheritance", and "Goodbye, Paladin") in which Paladin leaves San Francisco, perhaps forever, to claim an inheritance back east. The radio version was written by producer/writer [[Roy Winsor]].<ref name="dunning2">{{Citation |last=Dunning |first=John |title=On The Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio |url=https://archive.org/details/onairencyclop00dunn/page/311/mode/1up |page=[https://archive.org/details/onairencyclop00dunn/page/311/mode/1up 311] |year=1998 |location=New York |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0195076788}}</ref>


===Books===
In a 1959 episode of [[Maverick (TV series)|Maverick]] entitled "Gun Shy", an amusing send-up of another famous series, [[Gunsmoke]], Marshall Mort Dooley, reflecting on Marverick's appearance in town reminds Doc that, the week before, "there was that gunfighter passing out business cards."
Three novels were based on the television show, all with the title of the show. The first was a hardback written for children, published by [[Western Publishing|Whitman]] in 1959 in a series of novelizations of television shows. It was written by Barlow Meyers and illustrated by Nichols S. Firfires. The second was a 1960 paperback original, written for adults by Noel Loomis. The last book, ''A Man Called Paladin'', written by [[Frank Chester Robertson|Frank C. Robertson]] and published in 1963 by Collier-Macmillan in hardback and paperback, is based on the television episode "Genesis" by Frank Rolfe.
[[File:Haveguncard.png|left|thumb|350px|This calling card was the identifying graphic of the ''Have Gun{{spaced ndash}}Will Travel'' series.]]


This novel is the only source wherein a name is given to the Paladin character, Clay Alexander, but fans of the series do not consider this name canonical. [[Dell Comics]] published a number of comic books with original stories based on the television series.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Have Gun Will Travel – Comic Book Cowboys, by Boyd Magers |url=http://www.westernclippings.com/comics/havegun_comicbookcowboys.shtml |access-date=2019-05-28 |website=www.westernclippings.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Huxley |first=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AJtiDwAAQBAJ |title=Lone Heroes and the Myth of the American West in Comic Books, 1945–1962 |publisher=Springer |year=2018 |isbn=978-3319930855 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Sam Rolfe and Herb Meadow |url=http://archive.org/details/HaveGunWillTravelComics9319831044467 |title=Have Gun Will Travel Comics # 931, 983, 1044, 4, 6, 7 |language=en}}</ref> In 2000, [[Martin Grams, Jr.]] and Les Rayburn self-published the 500-page trade paperback, ''The Have Gun&nbsp;– Will Travel Companion'', documenting the history of the radio and television series.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Rollins |first1=Peter C. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=suc99SBlbnEC&pg=PT307 |title=Hollywood's West: The American Frontier in Film, Television, and History |last2=O'Connor |first2=John E. |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |year=2005 |isbn=978-0813138558 |language=en}}</ref>
=== "Genesis" ===
The beginning of Paladin's career is seen in a flashback during the first episode of the final season ("Genesis," episode 193), which Boone shares with a young [[Jim Mitchum]], so clearly the son of actor [[Robert Mitchum]]. A young man surprises Paladin in his rooms at the Hotel Carlton. After a savage fistfight, Paladin subdues the young man and finds out from him that he had been hired to kill the gunfighter. Paladin sees too clear a parallel between this and a similar incident in his own life which he describes to his erstwhile assassin.


===Film===
Norge, a smarmy land dealer (portrayed by [[William Conrad]], who directed the installment), gives an unnamed young man an opportunity to pay off a $15,000.00 gambling debt. If not, he obliquely promises to disgrace the young man's "distinguished family name" by sending the young man to jail.
In 1997, a film version of the television series was announced. [[John Travolta]] was named as a possible star in the [[Warner Bros.]] production, which was scripted by [[Larry Ferguson]] and to be directed by [[The Fugitive (1993 film)|''The Fugitive'']] director [[Andrew Davis (director)|Andrew Davis]]. The film was never made.<ref name="fleming2">{{cite news |author=Michael Fleming |date=1997-05-15 |title=Krane Takes Bull by Horns |publisher=Variety |url=https://variety.com/1997/voices/columns/krane-takes-bull-by-horns-1117341748/ |access-date=2007-12-31}}</ref>


In 2006, a ''Have Gun – Will Travel'' film starring rapper [[Eminem]] was announced to be in production, but the film does not hold an official confirmed release date. [[Paramount Pictures]] extended an 18-month option on the television series and planned to transform the character of Paladin into a modern-day bounty hunter. Eminem was expected to work on the soundtrack.<ref name="cbc2">{{cite news |date=2006-06-14 |title=Eminem to star in Have Gun – Will Travel film remake |publisher=CBC News |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/eminem-to-star-in-have-gun-will-travel-film-remake-1.573507 |url-status=live |access-date=2008-02-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614043748/http://www.cbc.ca/arts/story/2006/06/14/eminem-havegun-remake.html |archive-date=2007-06-14}}</ref>
Norge explains that he has looked into the young man's background and counts on his personal code of honor to accept an offer to hunt down and kill a mysterious gunman called Smoke in exchange for wiping out the debt. The young man is assured by Norge that Smoke is a blackguard, "wanted for fifteen murders in fifteen states," who deserves to die several times over. By killing off Norge's guards, Smoke has kept the land baron off his own property in Delta Valley for some time. The young man accepts the commission by burning his IOUs.


===Television reboot===
Wearing a brown jacket, tan hat with tight, tan trousers stuffed into a pair of tall, black, riding boots (see photo above) the young man rides off seeking Smoke. In a soft leather holster covered by a flap, the young man carries a service revolver, obviously the sidearm he wore as an Army officer. Viewers first see Smoke from the right side. He is outfitted in black, and his pistol is holstered in hard, black leather on which is seen the knight's-head chess device.
In August 2012, several venues announced that [[David Mamet]] was developing a reboot of the television series for CBS.<ref>{{cite news |author=Rose, Lacey |date=2012-08-21 |title=CBS, David Mamet Developing 'Have Gun – Will Travel' Reboot |work=The Hollywood Reporter |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cbs-david-mamet-have-gun-will-travel-364445 |access-date=2013-02-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |author=Tucker, Ken |date=2012-08-22 |title=David Mamet's 'Have Gun, Will Travel' reboot: Why it's a great idea |url=http://watching-tv.ew.com/2012/08/22/david-mamet-have-gun-will-travel-reboot |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=2013-02-28}}</ref>


=== In other television series ===
Smoke sneaks up behind the young man on the outskirts of town and knocks him senseless. After recovering, he sees Smoke on a cliff above him while he is confined behind a palisade and a 1000-foot drop behind. Smoke (also played by Boone in a grey wig and without his trademark mustache) is fully aware that the young man believes he is on a mission of justice. However, Smoke informs the young man that he is nothing but the latest in a chain of misguided amateur bounty hunters paid by Norge to kill him. Smoke is not impressed by the young man's gentlemanly attire and demeanor. He sardonically informs the well-meaning avenger that he may think himself "a noble paladin" like his medieval forebears who wore "shiny armor" and "carried pointy lances," but that a paladin is, after all, nothing more than a mercenary, a soldier of fortune. Smoke mentors the young man on fast draw techniques to make himself "worthy" to face him. Since the young man refuses to identify himself, Smoke taunts him as "my noble Paladin."
In the television series ''[[Maverick (TV series)|Maverick]]'', season two, episode 16, "[[List of Maverick episodes|Gun Shy]]", a send-up of the television series ''[[Gunsmoke]]'', Marshal Mort Dooley, the marshal of Elwood, Kansas, comments that several strange people have been passing through his town lately, specifically referring to "that gunslinger who handed out business cards". A subsequent comedic ''Maverick'' episode titled "The Cats of Paradise" features a black-clad character obviously based on Paladin, albeit without using the name. Both episodes star [[James Garner]].


In the 1962 ''[[Tom and Jerry]]'' cartoon "[[Tall in the Trap]]", Tom rolls into town on spurs with a card reading "Tall in the Trap" showing a mousetrap on a knight chess piece. In the third episode of the seventh season of ''[[Archer (2009 TV series)|Archer]]'' ("Deadly Prep," April 14, 2016) the titular character is seen cleaning his weapon as he sings the theme song from ''Have Gun - Will Travel''.
This appellation turns out to be doubly ironic when the already dying Smoke is fatally shot. Only then does he reveal to the young man that Norge lied. Smoke admits to having been a criminal gunslinger once, but, indebted to the townspeople for taking him in and nursing him back to health, Smoke became their champion, "the one noble thing" he has ever done, protecting his new friends from the despotism they suffered under Norge and his hired thugs. Smoke warns his slayer that while he won ''this'' match, "there are always dragons."


==Cultural influences==<!--reorder to chronologically?-->
During the funeral service, Smoke is movingly eulogized by townspeople now left without a protector. It is all too clear to the young man that the gunfighter had, without doubt, earned their veneration as their defender. The young man is overcome with grief for what he has done.
{{more citations needed section|date=November 2016}}


*''[[Boon (TV series)|Boon]]'', a hit British Drama series, was heavily influenced by ''Have Gun – Will Travel''. The series followed the adventures an ex-fireman who was invalided out of the service and became a modern-day hero. Of ''Have Gun – Will Travel'''s influence, co-creator Jim Hill said: "''Boon'' had been derived from an American TV series from the 1950s that Bill Stair and I both watched and liked. It was called ''Have Gun – Will Travel'' – a troubleshooting cowboy answered distress calls. He was called Paladin and was played by the actor [[Richard Boone]]. We dropped the E and we had BOON – a modern-day trouble shooter on a motorbike instead of a steed." ''Boon'' ran from 1986 to 1992, with a special one-off episode in 1995.
At the flashback's conclusion, Norge, speeding to Delta Valley in a buckboard to take back his domain, is confronted by a man wearing a black, low-crowned Stetson and black trail clothes. It is the young man Norge had hired to kill the now-deceased Smoke, who has become the new defender of the town. With Smoke's knightly holster on his hip, he is now Paladin. The flashback ends with the implication that Paladin eliminates Norge, thus saving the town from tyranny. Paladin thus takes on his profession as an act of personal redemption.
*The "Have...Will..." theme was used in the titles of several record albums, such as ''[[Have Trumpet, Will Excite!]]'' by jazz musician [[Dizzy Gillespie]], ''Have Organ Will Swing'' by pianist/organist [[Buddy Cole (musician)|Buddy Cole]], ''Have Organ Will Travel'' by organist [[George Wright (organist)|George Wright]], multiple albums named ''[[Have Guitar Will Travel (disambiguation)|Have Guitar Will Travel]]'', and others.
*In a scene in ''[[Stand by Me (film)|Stand by Me]]'', the main characters sing the show's closing theme song as a way of evoking that film's era (it is set in late 1959); songwriter Johnny Western successfully sued the producers for not securing his permission beforehand. This scene is spoofed in the "Stand by Me" segment of the ''[[Family Guy]]'' episode "[[Three Kings (Family Guy)|Three Kings]]".
*The ''[[Tom and Jerry]]'' cartoon "[[Tall in the Trap]]" (1962, directed by [[Gene Deitch]]) was a parody of ''Have Gun – Will Travel''.
*A feature of [[Frank Zappa]]'s 1970 tour's performances was the "Paladin Routine", a brief [[Improvisation|improvised]] comedy sketch based on the ''Have Gun – Will Travel'' characters, culminating in a vocalization of the music from the series' opening-credit sequence. One such performance is documented on the [[Bootleg recording|bootleg album]] ''[http://globalia.net/donlope/fz/btb/freaks_and_motherfu.html#Paladin Freaks & Motherfu*#@%!]'' (later released as part of ''[[Beat the Boots]]'').
*In the third season, episode three of ''[[Downton Abbey]]'', aired January 6, 2013, in what appears to be an anachronism, the character Lady Cora tells her husband, "I'm American: have gun, will travel", but the general phrase ''"[[Snowclone#Have X, will travel|Have X will travel]]"'' does date back to the show's time period.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 2013 |title=Have gun, will travel « The Word Detective |url=http://www.word-detective.com/2013/07/have-gun-will-travel/ |access-date=2019-05-11 |website=www.word-detective.com}}</ref>
*In the 1972–74 series ''[[Hec Ramsey]]'', set in New Prospect, Oklahoma, in 1901, Boone is an older former gunfighter turned forensic criminologist. At one point, Ramsey denies that in his younger days as a gunfighter, he worked under the name Paladin. The origin of this myth is Boone's remark in an interview, "Hec Ramsey is Paladin – only fatter." Naturally, he merely meant the characters had certain similarities: Ramsey, for his part, was practically buffoonish, imparting a measure of humor to ''Hec Ramsey'' missing from the sterner, more erudite Paladin.
*In the two-part 1991 TV miniseries ''[[The Gambler (film series)|The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw]]'', a poker game is played by the rules of "the late Mr. Paladin" in the Carlton Hotel where the recently deceased Paladin usually stayed; the film featured numerous cowboy actors from 1950s television series playing their earlier roles in [[cameo appearance]]s three decades later, along with [[Claude Akins]] as President [[Theodore Roosevelt]] turning up at the game to assist in memorializing Paladin.
*In the 1985 ''[[Star Trek]]'' novel ''Ishmael'' by [[Barbara Hambly]], in which the ''Enterprise'' travels back in time, Spock plays chess against Paladin during a visit to San Francisco.
*In the 2013 fan-created series ''[[Star Trek Continues]]'' episode "[[Pilgrim of Eternity]]", visual effects artist [[Doug Drexler]] played the part of Paladin in a Holodeck creation. Drexler cited the special specifications of Paladin's revolver to an impressed Captain Kirk ([[Vic Mignogna]]).
*Paying homage to Boone's character, in the ''[[Pathfinder Roleplaying Game]]'', the [[Paladin (character class)|Paladin]] features an archetype named "Holy Gun", whose abilities are succinctly described as "Have Gun".
*[[Desmond Bagley]]'s 1968 novel ''The Vivero Letter'' has a moment when the protagonist/narrator, thinking about what he is getting into, ironically describes himself as an "adventurer at large – 'have gun, will travel'." Then he notes that he does not have a gun and said, "I doubted whether I could use one effectively, anyway."
*''[[Have Space Suit—Will Travel]]'' is a 1958 science fiction novel for young readers by American writer [[Robert A. Heinlein]].
*The [[United States Navy|US Navy's]] Strike Fighter Squadron 105 ([[VFA-105]]), nicknamed "Gunslingers", wears a unit insignia featuring a western-style revolver in a holster emblazoned with a gold knight chess piece (although unlike Paladin's holster, the horse faces forward).<ref>{{cite web |title=VFA 105 |url=https://www.airlant.usff.navy.mil/vfa105/ |website=airlant.usff.navy.mil |publisher=United States Navy |access-date=2 April 2024}}</ref>


==Τrademark infringement litigation==
The episode, written by Sam Rolfe, one of the show's creators, exhibits elements of Christian allegory and mythical subtexts, both of which were highly unusual for a popular Western in 1962.{{Citation needed|date=June 2009}}
In 1974, a [[rodeo]] performer named Victor De Costa won a [[United States district court|federal court]] judgment against CBS for [[trademark infringement]], successfully arguing that he had created the Paladin character and the ideas used in the show, and that CBS had used them without permission. For example, at his rodeo appearances he always dressed in black, called himself the "Paladin", handed out hundreds of [[business card]]s featuring a [[chess]] piece [[logo]] along with the phrase "Have gun will travel", and carried a concealed [[derringer]] pistol.<ref name="ruled2">{{cite web |last=Baker |first=Russell |author-link=Russell Baker |date=17 April 1974 |title=Court Rules C.B.S. Pirated Paladin From a Cowboy |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/04/17/archives/court-rules-cbs-pirated-paladin-from-a-cowboy-c-b-s-loses-suit-on.html |access-date=8 August 2021 |website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> A year later, an [[appellate court]] overturned the lower court ruling on the basis that the plaintiff had failed to prove that likelihood of confusion had existed in the minds of the public—a necessary requirement for a suit over trademark infringement.<ref name="confusion2">{{cite web |title=About Trademark Infringement |url=https://www.uspto.gov/page/about-trademark-infringement |access-date=8 August 2021 |publisher=[[United States Patent and Trademarks Office]]}}</ref> In 1977, De Costa was awarded a [[United States trademark law|federal trademark]] for the Paladin character.<ref name="fed2">{{cite web |date=1 February 1993 |title=Paladin' creator dead at 84 |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1993/02/01/Paladin-creator-dead-at-84/2454728542800/ |access-date=8 August 2021 |website=[[UPI]]}}</ref>


De Costa kept pursuing his legal options, and in 1991—more than 30 years after his first lawsuit was originally filed—a federal jury awarded DeCosta $3.5 million from Viacom International, by then a [[CBS]] [[subsidiary]], which has distributed the show's reruns in defiance of De Costa's registered trademark, ordering Viacom to pay DeCosta $1 million for his loss and $2.5 million in [[punitive damages]].<ref name="damages2">{{cite news |date=25 September 1991 |title=First "Paladin' now has justice, will travel |website=[[Tampa Bay Times]] |url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1991/09/25/first-paladin-now-has-justice-will-travel/ |access-date=8 August 2021}}</ref> [[United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island|Rhode Island]] [[United States federal judge|District Judge]] [[Ernest C. Torres]] blocked the [[Broadcast syndication|redistribution]] of the Paladin show by [[Viacom (2005–present)|Viacom]].<ref name="blocked2">{{cite journal |last1=Laff |first1=Charles A. |last2=Saret |first2=Larry L. |date=Winter 1976 |title=Further Unraveling of ''Sears-Compco'': Of Patches, Paladin and Laurel & (and) Hardy |url=https://lawecommons.luc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2312&context=luclj |journal=Loyola University Chicago Law Journal |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=33–56 |access-date=8 August 2021}}</ref>
=== Paladins's trail clothing ===
On the trail, Paladin wears black boots, what appear to be black denim trousers, a black shirt and a telescope-crowned Stetson, with its crown "modified to have a slight pinch in front". His hat also has three silver conchos attached to the leather band around the crown: one in front and back, one on the right; the left side of the band has a "pig tail" strap fastened via a "D-ring" buckle to hold the band in place. The hat's wide brim is described as having a "pencil curl". Paladin originally wore a narrow, cloth [[string tie]] knotted in [[four-in-hand]] fashion (see picture in the [[Books]] section below) instead of the usual bow-knotted variation worn by many tradesmen and bankers in Westerns. In early episodes this tie was white with black speckles, which later became solid gray. The tie continues the concept of Paladin's gentlemanly fastidiousness and furthers a notion that he regarded his profession as "going to work" to the Eisenhower generation. The tie was discarded after the first season, perhaps feeling that it was an affectation, although rumor has it that Boone disliked the tie, claiming that due to its short length, the wind and motion kept the tie slapping him in the face while he was riding his horse. Paladin's shirt remained open-collared for the remainder of the series (eventually changing from his original full-button-front shirt to a pull-over partial button-neck shirt) save for a segment in an early Second Season episode, "[[The Moor's Revenge (Have Gun – Will Travel)|The Moor's Revenge]]". Paladin wore his tie to a performance of Shakespeare when well-known film stars [[Vincent Price]] and [[Patricia Morrison]] guest starred, playing Shakesperean actors bringing culture to the frontier. The tie also made another brief appearance (with the pull-over shirt) in the later Second Season episode "[[The Return Of The Lady (Have Gun – Will Travel)|The Return Of The Lady]]"


In 1992, the jury award was reversed. The United States Court of Appeals ruled that because Mr. DeCosta had unsuccessfully sued in the past over the same issues, "the doctrine of 'collateral estoppel' bars his new claims." In other words, he was not allowed a second attempt to try the old, previously settled dispute. See the final legal case: Victor DeCosta, v. VIACOM, 981 F.2d 602, 604 (1st Cir. 1992).
In a few early episodes Paladin wore a large, natural sheepskin jacket coupled to a fleecy, close-fitting, ear-flapped travelling cap in snow and cold weather. The floppy ear flaps, turned up and untied, gave the gunman an uncharacteristic sloppy, even comic appearance. For the rest of the run Paladin substituted a close fitting, black leather jacket with a gray sheepskin collar, resembling the leather bomber jacket style familiar at the time, with black gloves and his usual black headgear. (However, this shorter jacket appears much lighter in color than his black clothing, and in a few scarce color publicity photos the jacket appears to be a medium brown.) The larger sheepskin jacket made occasional reappearances in a few of the later episodes, such as Season 6's episode "[[Be Not Forgetful Of Strangers (Have Gun – Will Travel)|Be Not Forgetful Of Strangers]]".

Paladin was a man of means. His clothing would have been tailored in the fashion of the time and suited to his needs.

It is implied that Paladin's black gunbelt, holster, and very likely his "modified" telescope-crowned hat, first belonged to Smoke, the wily yet virtuous gunslinger whom Paladin mistakenly thought a scoundrel, as detailed in the "[[#Genesis|Genesis]]" segment above.

=== Paladin's presumed afterlife ===
In the final episode of the radio show, Paladin moves to Boston in 1875 to claim an inheritance bequeathed by his aunt Grace. Paladin mentions living in Illinois as a child, recalling his father mentioning that Grace ran away from the family to New York.

In the television series, Paladin's gunfighting career continues sometime longer, He encounters an Army friend, as he searches for a corporal, a deserter from the 7th Cavalry, the command of Colonel George Armstrong Custer until 1876; and Oscar Wilde toured America in 1882.

In the 1972–74 series ''[[Hec Ramsey]]'', set at the end of the 19th century, Boone is an older former gunfighter turned early forensic criminologist. At one point Ramsey denies that, in his younger days as a gunfighter, he worked under the name Paladin. The origin of this myth is Boone's remark in an interview, "Hec Ramsey is Paladin—only fatter." Naturally, he merely meant the characters had certain similarities: Ramsey, for his part, was practically buffoonish, imparting a measure of humor to ''Hec Ramsey'' missing from the sterner, more erudite Paladin.

In the two-part 1991 TV mini-series, ''The Gambler—The Luck Of The Draw'', a poker game is played by the rules of "the late Mr.&nbsp;Paladin" in the Carlton Hotel where Paladin usually stayed. The players are under the impression that Paladin had finally met his Maker.

Related information is found in the [[#Historical setting|Historical setting]] section below.

=== Paladin's weapons ===
Paladin's primary weapon is a custom-made, first-generation .45 caliber [[Colt Single Action Army]] Cavalry Model revolver<ref name=tvacres>[http://www.tvacres.com/weapons_glance.htm TV Acres]&nbsp;— Weapons at a Glance</ref><ref>The revolver used in the series was an original model tested and accepted by the United States Army. See [[Colt Single Action Army]].</ref> with a {{Frac|7|1|2}} inch barrel that was perfectly balanced and of excellent craftsmanship. It had a one-ounce trigger pull (virtually impossible to achieve reliably with the Colt lockwork; most such revolvers have a trigger pull of four to eight pounds, not ounces, and a one-ounce pull would be very dangerous) and a [[rifling|rifled barrel]]<ref name=moviecitynews>[http://www.moviecitynews.com/reviews/DVD/2005/050526.html Movie City News: Have Gun{{spaced ndash}}Will Travel] In the course of the series, the trigger pull weight was given as both one and two ounces. In the first episode, "one ounce" is stated. In the episode "Julia," "two ounces" is given.</ref> with the rifling stated in the show as though it were a special feature, though all Single Action Army revolvers had rifled barrels, unless specially made for shot cartridges. The accuracy was given as "one inch to the right at fifty feet" though such a large error in windage would have been corrected on a custom-made Colt.<ref name="thepiano">{{cite episode |title=The Piano http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0597640/ |series=Have Gun{{spaced ndash}}Will Travel |quote=one inch to the right at fifty feet}}</ref> Nonetheless, it sounds impressive to uninformed viewers.

The [[lever-action]] [[Marlin Firearms|Marlin]] rifle strapped to his saddle was rarely used, but the chess knight medallions on the rifle stock suggest this weapon was as meticulously crafted as the six-shooter. The [[derringer]] (a double-barreled Remington in most episodes, a single-barrel Colt in others) which Paladin hides under his belt saves his life in numerous instances. Paladin's intuitive sense of chess-like strategy&nbsp;— often anticipating moves ahead of his adversary and backing it up with formidable skills in personal combat&nbsp;— plus his epicurean tastes and implied lust for women (when relaxing in San Francisco) made him very much a "[[James Bond]]" of the Old West. Ever a man of refinement, Paladin carries cigars in his boot when adventuring.

Paladin's great advantage over adversaries was not his impressive equipment or ability as a marksman, superior as that may be; Paladin's edge was his training, intellect, rich education and tactical sense gained from his experience at West Point and as an officer in the U.S. Army. He has the ability to relate ancient antecedents to current situations. With the enemy surrounding him, Paladin often comes up with an insightful aside about [[Marcus Claudius Marcellus|General Marcellus]] and [[Sicilian Expedition|the siege of Syracuse]] or something similar, employing this insight to his advantage. Paladin had common sense and the ability to relate to people on their level and persuade them to see his point of view. He could have been a great lawyer, as he often demonstrated the ability to sway public opinion.

=== Hey Boy and Hey Girl ===
The one other major semi-regular character in the show was the [[Han Chinese|Chinese]] [[bellhop]] at the Carlton Hotel, known as Hey Boy, played by [[Kam Tong]]. According to author and historian [[Martin Grams,&nbsp;Jr.]], Hey Boy was featured in all but the fourth of the show's six seasons, with the character of Hey Girl, played by [[Lisa Lu]], replacing Hey Boy for season four while Kam Tong worked with another television series.<ref name="mbc"/>

Lu appears in the 1958 episode "Hey Boy's Revenge," playing Hey Boy's sister, Kim Li. In that episode, the audience learns that Hey Boy's name is Kim Chan and that his murdered brother was Kim Song. We also learn that Paladin can read and speak Chinese in a rudimentary way. The racial prejudice of the era is accurately portrayed, as is Paladin's insistence that American justice will work for the Chinese immigrants hired (and cheated) while working for the railroad. It is a telling feature of Paladin's character that, to hostile whites, he repeatedly refers to Kim Chan as his friend. In an episode from the first season, "The Singer," Hey Boy is annoyed when a stranger addresses him as "Hey you!" He responds that he is called "Hey Boy" not "Hey you."

In the season/episode sequencing used by [[Netflix]], Kam Tong (Hey Boy) did appear in three episodes of Season&nbsp;4: episode&nbsp;1 ("The Fatalist"), episode&nbsp;2 ("Love's Young Dream"), and episode&nbsp;9 ("The Marshal's Boy").

=== Guest stars ===
<!--
Please don't add names without references and information about appearance
Wikipedia policies: [[WP:CITE]], [[WP:UNDUE]]
-->
[[June Lockhart]] was cast twice in the role of Dr. Phyllis Thackeray. Her first appearance was in the episode "No Visitors" in which she portrays a groundbreaking female physician who has diagnosed a case of three-day [[measles]] instead of the [[smallpox]] that a fire-and- brimstone wagonmaster had decided was reason enough to abandon a mother and child alone on the prairie. Paladin rescued them and finds a kindred spirit in the lovely Dr. Thackeray. In "The Return of Dr. Thackeray," which aired May 17, 1958, Paladin's physician friend diagnoses a cook with smallpox. Dr. Thackeray worries that the disease has infected the ranch hands employed by wealthy ranch owner Sam Barton, played by [[Grant Withers]], coming in from a cattle drive because Barton and his weak son refuse to take responsibility for containing the outbreak on their ranch. Singer [[Johnny Western]] - who performed the series' closing ballad - appears as an immature gunslinger.<ref>Hal Erickson, "Return of Dr. Thackeray," All Movie Guide</ref> Paladin shows a softer side as he and the lovely Dr. Thackeray talk about why they are not ready to change their lives and marry.

Perhaps as a favor to his son, Andrew, HGWT's original and main director, famously craggy Oscar-winning actor, [[Victor McLaglen]], one of the most reliable of director [[John Ford]]'s stock company, appeared in the first season as Mike O'Hare, an Irish architect trying to build a dam in the wilderness against the wishes of a nearby town in "[[The O'Hare Story]]". As a mark of distinction the elder McLaglen was billed in the opening credits after Richard Boone.

[[Kevin Hagen]] appeared five times, long before he was cast as kindly Dr. Hiram Baker on [[Michael Landon]]'s ''[[Little House on the Prairie (TV series)|Little House on the Prairie]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0353419/|title=Kevin Hagen|publisher=[[Internet Movie Data Base]]|accessdate=October 26, 2012}}</ref>

[[Roy Barcroft]] the character actor whose glance could shake planets in science fiction serials in the 1930s and 1940s, was well-remembered as kindly [[Colonel Logan]] in the "[[Spin and Marty]]" segments of ''[[The Mickey Mouse Club]].'' He appeared in eleven episodes in various roles.

[[Harry Carey, Jr.]], who also appeared in "Spin and Marty" as Bill Burnett, could be seen in segments of most every western television series made in the 1950s. He was part of the [[John Ford]] stock company and appeared in movies with [[John Wayne]]. He appeared thirteen times on ''Have Gun – Will Travel.''

[[Hal Needham]], ace stuntman and character actor, who later directed several successful films, appeared in twenty-six episodes.

[[Ben Wright (actor)|Ben Wright]], born in London, was one of the most prolific of actors on television in the 1950s–'60s. He appeared in six episodes when not doing voice-overs for Disney movies such as ''[[One Hundred and One Dalmatians]]'' and ''[[The Little Mermaid]]'', or appearing in ''[[Gunsmoke]]'' or ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|Twilight Zone]]'' among dozens of other series. His most visible role in films was as Herr Zeller, the Nazi official in ''[[The Sound of Music]]''. It should be noted that Ben Wright regularly played Hey Boy in the radio version of HGWT.

[[Olan Soule]], who had a long career in movies and television, appeared in eleven episodes as Mitchell or Mr McGinnis depending on the episode (perhaps his name is Mitchell McGinnis?) the Hotel Carlton's manager/front desk clerk, although he's also called Mr Cartwright, the assistant manager, in the episode, "[[Hobson's Choice]]". He was spelled a few times by [[Peter Brocco]], another oft-seen character actor who also appeared in "[[The Cream of the Jest]]" as the scientist employed to make up Paladin's custom-made bullets using Paladin's own formulation for smokeless gunpowder.

[[Fintan Meyler]] was another busy actress in television of the era. She appeared in four episodes, twice appearing as Pegeen Shannon, an Irish lass with a penchant for getting into trouble.

[[Denver Pyle]] bounced between films and television up to the 1990s when he hit it big in ''[[The Dukes of Hazzard]]''. He appeared eight times.

[[George Kennedy]], years before he famously beat up [[Paul Newman]] in ''[[Cool Hand Luke]]'' and starred on TV as [[Sarge (TV series)|Sarge]], appears in six segments.

[[Charles Bronson]], later one of the screen's most popular action stars, appeared in five different roles, from the second episode up to the last season.

[[Jena Engstrom]] appeared in three episodes, and her mother, [[Jean Engstrom]], appeared in two in 1961 and 1962. Jena first appeared in the 1961 episode "The Fatal Flaw" with guest stars [[Royal Dano]] and [[Allyn Joslyn]] as the resident of a mountain cabin where the three men, Paladin, a U.S. Marshal (Joslyn) and a captured outlaw (Dano) take refuge in a blizzard. Her second appearance was with guest star [[Duane Eddy]] in the episode "The Education of Sarah Jane" where the youngsters are the latest in the line of feuding families who have killed one another for years. In "Alice", Jena appears as a former saloonkeeper's daughter who hires Paladin to find her mother ([[Jeanette Nolan]] as Alice). Jena's mother Jean Engstrom first appeared as an unwed, expectant mother befriended by a runaway bank teller ([[John Fielder]]) in "The Gold Bar," and then as an ex-gunfighter's widow in "Place for Abel Hix" with [[Robert Blake (actor)|Robert Blake]].

[[Pernell Roberts]], before starring as [[Adam Cartwright]] on ''[[Bonanza]]'' and [[Trapper John McIntyre]] on ''[[Trapper John, MD]]'', was a scheming railroad employee in "[[Hey Boy's Revenge]]".

[[Carol Thurston]] appeared twice, as Martha Whitehorse in "Winchester Quarantine" (1957) and as Nita in "Heritage of Anger" (1959).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0862239/?ref_=tt_cl_t7|title=Carol Thurston|publisher=Internet Movie Data Base|accessdate=August 16, 2013}}</ref><!--

Please don't add names without references and information about appearance
Wikipedia policies: [[WP:CITE]], [[WP:UNDUE]]
-->

== Opening theme – closing ballad ==
The program's opening four note motif was as familiar a theme as the four note openings of contemporary television programs ''[[Highway Patrol (TV series)|Highway Patrol]]'', ''[[Dragnet (series)|Dragnet]]'', ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|Twilight Zone]]'' and ''[[Perry Mason]]''. It was composed and conducted by [[Bernard Herrmann]]. The closing song, "[[The Ballad of Paladin]]", was written by [[Johnny Western]], Richard Boone, and program creator Sam Rolfe, and was performed by Western.

In the first season the closing song was a reprise of the opening theme. In syndication, the first (premise) episode concludes with the Johnny Western ballad. The rest of the run of the first season episodes play a reprise of the opening theme.

In the second season the song was the only closing music. In the third season a new lyric was added to the five line "[[The Ballad of Paladin]]" making it six lines long. In 1962–63, the final season, the song's lyrics were cut to four lines, the original fourth and added sixth being dropped. This occurred because the production credits for writer, producer and director were pulled from the closing credits to appear over the opening sequences. However in the 1963 episode "[[Sweat Lady in the Moon]]" the ballad was played complete over the closing credits.

The fully recorded version, sung by Johnny Western, opening with the refrain and with a second verse never heard on the television series may be heard here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgvxu8QY01s

== Historical setting ==
Like many westerns, the television show was set during a nebulous period after the Civil War. Based on several episodes, Paladin had served in the cavalry during that war, about 12 years previously, and the episode "The Fifth Man" (May 30, 1959) was clearly set during 1875 (the introduction to episodes of the radio version explicitly states the year 1875 as well). The episode "Full Circle" (May 14, 1960) and "Blind Circle" in the fifth season are also set in 1875. ("Full Circle" is set three years after September 1872.) The episode "Lazarus" in the fifth season takes place on March 6 and 7, 1875.

"Comanche" (May 16, 1959) ends with Paladin surveying the aftermath of the [[Battle of the Little Bighorn]], June 26, 1876. In "Out at the Old Ball Park" in the fourth season, he speaks of having seen a baseball game organized by Colonel [[Abner Doubleday]] in 1863 and of having seen the first curve ball in 1876. In "The Shooting of Jessie May" in the fourth season, a newspaper is dated October 7, 1876, and an event in the Civil War was "10 or 12 years ago." "The Cure" in the fourth season is set sometime after the death of [[Wild Bill Hickok]], August 2, 1876. The episode of December 6, 1958 ("The Ballad of Oscar Wilde"), takes place during [[Oscar Wilde]]'s tour of America in 1882.<ref>The episode "The Mark of Cain" is set after [[Jesse James]], [[Frank James]], the [[Dalton Gang]], [[Cherokee Bill]], and [[Tom Horn]] are all dead. Jesse James died in 1882, Cherokee Bill in 1896, Tom Horn in 1903, Frank James in 1915, and the last member of the Dalton gang in 1937.</ref> In "A Drop of Blood" (December 2, 1961), the date of Rivka Shotness' wedding is given as 12 Tammuz 5639; this corresponds to 3 June 1879 CE.

On the other hand, in "Cage at McNaab," which was episode 23 of the sixth season (which originally aired February 16, 1963), Paladin is asked by the wife of a condemned prisoner to visit him and see if new evidence can be found to clear him. Paladin's visit leads to an unexpected result: Paladin literally finds that he now walks in another man's footsteps. While imprisoned, to demonstrate that he could not have spent the last year in solitary confinement, Paladin says, "Last week the liberal Republicans nominated [[Horace Greeley|Greeley]] for President and [[Benjamin Gratz Brown|Brown]] for Vice President." This refers to the [[United States presidential election, 1872|1872 election]], indicating that this occurred prior to November 1872, probably in the summer of 1872. He also says, "Last May 22, the [[Amnesty Act]] for Confederate soldiers was signed," also in 1872.

A chronological problem occurs in the second season episode "[[The Man Who Wouldn't Talk]]" when Paladin attends a performance of "[[Cyrano de Bergerac]]" at the San Francsico Opera House. [[Edmund Rostand]] first saw this play produced in France in 1897. The first English language version starred [[Richard Mansfield]] in England. The first US production on Broadway took place in 1923 and starred [[Walter Hampden]]. Again, in the third season episode "Pancho," Paladin tangles with a teenager named Doroteo Arango, a man who later was known as [[Pancho Villa]]. The real Pancho Villa was not born until 1878.

In the fifth season episode "The Invasion" (April 28, 1962), Paladin is hired by the State Department to prevent an uprising by a charismatic Irish-American named O'Shea, a leader of the [[Fenians]] who intended to seize the English colonies in Canada to force Britain out of Ireland. The [[Fenian raids]] began in 1866 and were one of the main reasons for Canada's independence in 1867. "The Invasion" specifically refers to Canada being under British rule, so must be set before 1867.

Season 5, Episode 18 "The Mark Of Cain" Paladin states that Tom Horn is dead. Tom Horn was hanged in Cheyenne, Wyoming for the murder of Willie Nickell November 20, 1903.

The radio show explicitly states the year in the opening of every episode with the introduction, "San Francisco, 1875. The Carlton Hotel, headquarters of the man called ... Paladin!"

== Broadcast history and ratings ==
September 1957 – April 1963: Saturdays at 9:30 pm

*October 1957 – April 1958: #4 – 33.7
*October 1958 – April 1959: #3 – 34.3
*October 1959 – April 1960: #3 – 34.7
*October 1960 – April 1961: #3 – 30.9
*October 1961 – April 1962: #29 – 22.2
*October 1962 – April 1963: #29 – 20.8

== Awards ==
The television show was nominated for three [[Emmy Award]]s. These were for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series, for Richard Boone (1959); Best Western Series (1959); and Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Series (Lead or Support), for Richard Boone (1960).<ref name="imdb" /> In 1957, Gene Roddenberry received the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Script for the episode "Helen of Abajinian."

== Writers ==
Many of the writers who worked on ''Have Gun{{spaced ndash}}Will Travel'' went on to gain fame elsewhere. [[Gene Roddenberry]] created ''[[Star Trek]]'', [[Bruce Geller]] created ''[[Mission: Impossible]]'', and [[Harry Julian Fink]] is one of the writers who created ''[[Dirty Harry]]'' (the opening title and theme scene of the ''Dirty Harry'' sequel ''[[Magnum Force]]'' would feature the same ''Paladin''-like sequence of a handgun being slowly cocked and then finally pointed toward the camera, with a line of dialogue). [[Sam Peckinpah]] wrote one episode, which aired in 1958. Both ''Star Trek'' and ''Mission: Impossible'' were produced by [[Desilu Productions]] and later [[Paramount Television]], which also now owns the rights to ''Have Gun{{spaced ndash}}Will Travel'' through its successor company, [[CBS Television Distribution]].

== In other media ==

=== Radio show ===
The ''Have Gun{{spaced ndash}}Will Travel'' radio show broadcast 106 episodes on the [[CBS Radio Network]] between November 23, 1958, and November 27, 1960. It was one of the last radio dramas featuring continuing characters and the only significant American radio adaptation of a television series. [[John Dehner]] (a regular on the radio series version of ''[[Gunsmoke]]'') played Paladin, and [[Ben Wright (actor)|Ben Wright]] usually (but not always) played Hey Boy. [[Virginia Gregg]] played Miss Wong, Hey Boy's girlfriend, before the television series featured the character of Hey Girl. Unlike the small-screen version, in this medium there was usually a tag scene at the Carlton at both the beginning and the end of the episode. Initially, the episodes were adaptations of the television program as broadcast earlier the same week, but eventually original stories were produced, including a finale ("Goodbye, Paladin") in which Paladin leaves San Francisco, apparently forever, to claim an inheritance back east.<!-- all as heard on "When Radio Was" --> The radio version was written by producer/writer [[Roy Winsor]].<ref name="dunning">{{Citation
| last = Dunning
| first = John
| title = On The Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio
| publisher = Oxford University Press
| year = 1998
| location = New York
| page = 311
| isbn = 0-19-507678-8}}</ref>

=== Books ===
[[File:Have Gun–Will Travel dell comics.jpg|thumb|140px|Dell Comics' "Have Gun{{spaced ndash}}Will Travel"]]
There were three novels based on the television show, all with the title of the show. The first was a hardback written for children, published by [[Western Publishing|Whitman]] in 1959 in a series of novelizations of television shows. It was written by Barlow Meyers and illustrated by Nichols S. Firfires. The second was a 1960 paperback original, written for adults by Noel Lomis. The last book, ''A Man Called Paladin'', written by [[Frank Chester Robertson|Frank C. Robertson]] and published in 1963 by Collier-Macmillan in hardback and paperback, is based on the television episode "Genesis" by Frank Rolfe. This novel is the only source wherein a name is given to the Paladin character, Clay Alexander, but fans of the series do not consider this name canonical. [[Dell Comics]] published a number of comic books with original stories based on the television series.

In 2001, a trade paperback book titled ''The Have Gun{{spaced ndash}}Will Travel Companion'' was published, documenting the history of the radio and television series. The 500-page book was authored by [[Martin Grams, Jr.]] and Les Rayburn.

=== Film ===
In 1997 it was announced that a movie version of the television series would be made. [[John Travolta]] was named as a possible star in the [[Warner Bros.]] production, which was scripted by [[Larry Ferguson]] and to be directed by [[The Fugitive (1993 film)|''The Fugitive'']] director [[Andrew Davis (filmmaker)|Andrew Davis]].<ref name=fleming>{{cite news|url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117341748.html?categoryid=3&cs=1|title=Krane Takes Bull by Horns|author=Michael Fleming|date=1997-05-15|publisher=Variety|accessdate=2007-12-31}}</ref> The film was not made.

In 2006, it was announced that a ''Have Gun{{spaced ndash}}Will Travel'' movie starring rapper [[Eminem]] is in production. However, the film currently does not hold an official confirmed release date. [[Paramount Pictures]] extended an 18-month option on the television series and planned to transform the character of Paladin into a modern-day bounty hunter. Eminem was expected to work on the soundtrack.<ref name=cbc>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/arts/story/2006/06/14/eminem-havegun-remake.html|date=2006-06-14|title=Eminem to star in Have Gun{{spaced ndash}}Will Travel film remake|publisher=CBC News|accessdate=2008-02-16|deadurl=yes}} {{Dead link|date=April 2014|bot=RjwilmsiBot}}</ref>

=== Television reboot ===
In August 2012, it was announced in several venues that [[David Mamet]] is developing a reboot of the television series for [[CBS]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cbs-david-mamet-have-gun-will-travel-364445|date=2012-08-21|title=CBS, David Mamet Developing 'Have Gun – Will Travel' Reboot|author=Rose, Lacey|publisher=The Hollywood Reporter|accessdate=2013-02-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://watching-tv.ew.com/2012/08/22/david-mamet-have-gun-will-travel-reboot/|date=2012-08-22|title=David Mamet's 'Have Gun, Will Travel' reboot: Why it's a great idea|author=Tucker, Ken|publisher=Entertainment Weekly|accessdate=2013-02-28}}</ref>

== Home video and DVD ==
All of the episodes were released on VHS by [[Columbia House]].

[[CBS Home Entertainment|CBS DVD]] (distributed by [[Paramount Home Entertainment|Paramount]]) has now released all six seasons of ''Have Gun{{spaced ndash}}Will Travel'' on DVD in Region 1. Season 6, Volumes 1 & 2 were first released on May 7, 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Gun-Travel-Season-6/18027 |title=Have Gun Will Travel DVD news: Announcement for The 6th and Final Year, Volume 1 and The 6th and Final Year, Volume 2 |publisher=TVShowsOnDVD.com |date=2007-05-25 |accessdate=2013-05-13}}</ref>

Note: In the second-season DVD, two episodes are mislabeled. On disk three, the episode titled "Treasure Trail" is actually "Hunt the Man Down," and on disk four, "Hunt the Man Down" is "Treasure Trail"; the "Wire Paladin" in each case refers to the other episode.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!DVD name
!Ep #
!Release date
|-
| Season 1
| style="text-align:center;"|39
| May 11, 2004
|-
| Season 2
| style="text-align:center;"|39
| May 10, 2005
|-
| Season 3
| style="text-align:center;"|39
| January 3, 2006
|-
| Season 4- Volume 1
| style="text-align:center;"|19
| March 2, 2010
|-
| Season 4- Volume 2
| style="text-align:center;"|19
| July 6, 2010
|-
| Season 5- Volume 1
| style="text-align:center;"|19
| November 30, 2010
|-
| Season 5- Volume 2
| style="text-align:center;"|19
| February 22, 2011
|-
| Season 6- Volume 1
| style="text-align:center;"|16
| May 7, 2013
|-
| Season 6- Volume 2
| style="text-align:center;"|16
| May 7, 2013
|}


De Costa died on 29 January 1993 at the age of 84. In the end, he received nothing.<ref>{{cite web |title=Have Gun, Will Travel |url=http://www.theoldbarx.com/havegun.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022010659/http://www.theoldbarx.com/havegun.htm |archive-date=22 October 2013 |access-date=8 August 2021 |publisher=The Old Barx}}</ref>
== Victor De Costa: a previous Paladin ==
In April 1974 a Portuguese cowboy from [[Rhode Island]] named Victor DeCosta won a federal court judgment in his second suit against CBS for trademark infringement, a decision supporting his claim that he had created the Paladin character and some concepts seen in the series.<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,911228,00.html ''Time'', April 29, 1974.]</ref> His cowboy image notably included the nickname "Paladin," a mustache, an all-black outfit including flat-top black hat, chess knight on the business card, and the motto "Have Gun{{spaced ndash}}Will Travel". In their previous appeal, the defendants claimed it was "'coincidence' run riot," "more bizarre than most television serial installments."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/377/315/345634/ |title=377 F.2d 315: Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc., Defendant, Appellant, v. Victor Decosta, Plaintiff, Appellee.capital Cities Broadcasting Corporation v. Victor Decosta.c B S Films Inc. v. Victor Decosta :: US Court of Appeals Cases :: Justia |publisher=Law.justia.com |date=1967-05-11 |accessdate=2013-05-13}}</ref><ref>Michael V.P. Marks, "Legal Rights of Fictional Characters," in: ''Copyright Law Symposium'', ASCAP, Columbia University Press, 1980, ISBN 0231048661, [http://books.google.com/books?id=gogUyAbPj7gC&pg=PA54 p. 54]</ref> During subsequent litigation, the "court found no basis for liability for common law service mark infringement or unfair competition and accordingly reversed.". After that, DeCosta applied for registration of his mark, and in 1975 the Patent and Trademark Office granted his application. Meanwhile CBS granted the syndicated broadcasting of the series throughout the United States to [[Viacom]]. DeCosta sued Viacom for trademark infringement, and after an appeal, in 1991 he was awarded $3.5 million.<ref>[http://ri.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.19910311_0000016.DRI.htm/qx DECOSTA v. VIACOM INTL., March 11, 1991]</ref><ref>[http://articles.latimes.com/1991-09-25/entertainment/ca-2469_1_television-industry Morning Report: Television], ''[[Los Angeles Times]],'' September 25, 1991</ref> The award was denied in 1993,<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=oKHI8LB8W8YC&pg=PA811&lpg=PA811&dq=%22DeCosta%22+viacom+1993+-wikipedia&source=bl&ots=dwAfzlrfU4&sig=Et-FhYQKHHF6E95_wOCTbaUy670&hl=en&sa=X&ei=lOUJULrQOMqAqQGh-OCwCg&ved=0CFUQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=%22DeCosta%22%20viacom%201993%20-wikipedia&f=false |title=Licensing and Intellectual Property Law Desk Reference: 2004 Edition - Michael D. Scott - Google Books |publisher=Books.google.com |date= |accessdate=2013-05-13}}</ref> and after the death of Victor DeCosta (1993) the litigation was continued by David DeCosta.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mt.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.19930628_0044111.SCT.htm/qx |title=FindACase™ &#124; DECOSTA |publisher=Mt.findacase.com |date=1993-06-28 |accessdate=2013-05-13}}</ref>


==References==
== HGWT's cultural influences ==
* [[Have Space Suit—Will Travel]] is a 1958 "space opera"-type science fiction novel by [[Robert Heinlein]] that partly spoofs the title of this series. It is also a [[picaresque]] with the main character starting at home and then being called to adventure in space. The connection between westerns (known as "horse operas") and science fiction in Americana is again alluded to.
* ''[[Have 'Twangy' Guitar Will Travel]]'' is a 1958 album by guitarist [[Duane Eddy]]
* "[[Have Love, Will Travel]]" is a 1959 song written and recorded by [[Richard Berry (musician)|Richard Berry]].
* In a scene in ''[[Stand by Me (film)|Stand By Me]]'', the main characters sing the show's closing theme song as a way of evoking that film's era (it is set in late 1959); songwriter Johhny Western successfully sued the producers for not securing his permission beforehand. This scene is spoofed in the "Stand by Me" segment of the ''[[Family Guy]]'' episode "[[Three Kings (Family Guy)|Three Kings]]".
* The 1962 [[Tom and Jerry]] cartoon ''[[Tall in the Trap]]'' (directed by [[Gene Deitch]]) was a parody of ''Have Gun{{spaced ndash}}Will Travel''.
* A feature of [[Frank Zappa]]'s 1970 tour's performances was the "Paladin Routine," a brief [[improvisation|improvised]] comedy sketch based on the ''Have Gun{{spaced ndash}}Will Travel'' characters, culminating in a vocalization of the music from the series' opening-credit sequence. One such performance is documented on the [[bootleg album]] ''[http://globalia.net/donlope/fz/btb/freaks_and_motherfu.html#Paladin Freaks & Motherfu*#@%!]'' (later released as part of ''[[Beat the Boots]]'').
* In a preview of the upcoming season of [[Downton Abbey]] aired November 25, 2012, in what appears to be an anachronism, the character Lady Cora tells her husband, "I'm American—have gun, will travel."
* "[[Have Time Will Travel]]" from "[[The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald]]".


{{Reflist}}
== See also ==
<references responsive="0"></references>
* [[Paladin]]


== Notes ==
==Bibliography==
{{reflist|2}}


* ''Have Gun&nbsp;– Will Travel Companion'' by [[Martin Grams, Jr.]] and [[Les Rayburn]]. OTR Publishing, 2001. {{ISBN|0970331002}}.
== Further reading ==
*''The Have Gun{{spaced ndash}}Will Travel Companion'' by [[Martin Grams, Jr.]] and [[Les Rayburn]]. OTR Publishing, 2001. ISBN 0-9703310-0-2.


== External links ==
==External links==
{{commons category|Have Gun-Will Travel}}
{{commons category|Have Gun – Will Travel}}


*{{IMDb title|id= 0050025|title=Have Gun{{spaced ndash}}Will Travel}}
* {{IMDb title|id=0050025|title=Have Gun&nbsp;– Will Travel}}
* [https://ctva.biz/US/Western/HaveGunWillTravel.htm ''Have Gun – Will Travel''] at CVTA
*{{tv.com show|have-gun-will-travel|Have Gun{{spaced ndash}}Will Travel}}
*[http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/H/htmlH/havengunwil/havegunwil.htm ''Have Gun{{spaced ndash}}Will Travel''] at the [[Museum of Broadcast Communications]]
* [http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/H/htmlH/havengunwil/havegunwil.htm ''Have Gun&nbsp;– Will Travel''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100610231714/http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/H/htmlH/havengunwil/havegunwil.htm|date=10 June 2010}} at the [[Museum of Broadcast Communications]]
*[http://www.hgwt.com/ ''Have Gun{{spaced ndash}}Will Travel'' Tribute Site]
* [http://www.hgwt.com/ ''Have Gun&nbsp;– Will Travel'' Tribute Site]
*[http://www.otrwesterns.com/offair-westerns/have-gun-will-travel/ The Entire Radio Series for download]
* [http://www.otrwesterns.com/offair-westerns/have-gun-will-travel/ The Entire Radio Series for download]
*[http://www.martingrams.com Web-site for the ''Have Gun{{spaced ndash}}Will Travel'' paperback book]
* [http://www.martingrams.com/ Web-site for the ''Have Gun&nbsp;– Will Travel'' paperback book]
*[http://www.audio-classics.com/mgarticle005.html ''Have Gun{{spaced ndash}}Will Travel: The Radio Series'' by author Martin Grams, Jr.]
* [http://www.audio-classics.com/mgarticle005.html ''Have Gun&nbsp;– Will Travel: The Radio Series'' by author Martin Grams, Jr.]
* [http://www.hgwt.com/ballad.wav "Ballad of Paladin" (closing theme)]&nbsp;– written by Johnny Western, Richard Boone, and Sam Rolfe and performed by Johnny Western
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QclVGUHvRvE First version of opening sequence]
* [http://zootradio.com/Have_Gun_Will_Travel.php Zoot Radio, free old time radio show downloads of ''Have Gun&nbsp;– Will Travel''.]
*[http://www.hgwt.com/ballad.wav "Ballad of Paladin" (closing theme)]&nbsp;— written by Johnny Western, Richard Boone, and Sam Rolfe and performed by Johnny Western
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20041207014351/http://employees.oxy.edu/jerry/bts/index1.htm Behind-the-scenes production photo] Collection of [[Stephen Lodge (screenwriter)|Stephen Lodge]].


{{DEFAULTSORT:Have Gun - Will Travel}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Have Gun - Will Travel}}
[[Category:Western (genre) television series]]
[[Category:1950s Western (genre) television series]]
[[Category:CBS network shows]]
[[Category:CBS television dramas]]
[[Category:American radio drama]]
[[Category:American radio dramas]]
[[Category:1950s American television series]]
[[Category:Television series by CBS Studios]]
[[Category:1960s American television series]]
[[Category:Television shows set in San Francisco]]
[[Category:Television series by CBS Paramount Television]]
[[Category:Television shows set in San Francisco, California]]
[[Category:1957 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:1957 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:1963 American television series endings]]
[[Category:1963 American television series endings]]
[[Category:Television shows adapted into comics]]
[[Category:Television shows adapted into novels]]
[[Category:Snowclones]]
[[Category:Snowclones]]
[[Category:1950s American radio programs]]
[[Category:1950s American radio programs]]
[[Category:1960s American radio programs]]
[[Category:1960s American radio programs]]
[[Category:Black-and-white television programs]]
[[Category:1958 radio programme debuts]]
[[Category:1960 radio programme endings]]
[[Category:Black-and-white American television shows]]
[[Category:CBS Radio programs]]
[[Category:1960s Western (genre) television series]]
[[Category:1950s quotations]]
[[Category:Quotations from radio]]
[[Category:Quotations from television]]
[[Category:Western (genre) radio series]]
[[Category:Television series set in the 1870s]]

Latest revision as of 15:37, 1 January 2025

For other uses, see Have Gun – Will Travel (disambiguation).

Have Gun – Will Travel
Richard Boone as Paladin
GenreWestern
Created by
Directed by
Starring
Narrated byRichard Boone
Ending theme"The Ballad of Paladin"
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons6
No. of episodes225 (list of episodes)
Production
Producers
Running time25 mins.
Production companies
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseSeptember 14, 1957 (1957-09-14) –
April 20, 1963 (1963-04-20)

Have Gun – Will Travel is an American Western television series that was produced and originally broadcast by CBS on both television and radio from 1957 through 1963. The television version of the series starring Richard Boone was rated number three or number four in the Nielsen ratings every year of its first four seasons.

Set in the period of the Old West, the series follows the adventures of "Paladin," played by Boone, a gentleman investigator/gunfighter who travels around the Old West working as a gunfighter for hire. Although Paladin charges steep fees to clients who can afford to hire him, typically $1,000 per job, he provides his services for free to poor people who need his help.

A radio series starring John Dehner debuted November 23, 1958, more than a year after the premiere of its televised counterpart, making Have Gun – Will Travel one of the few shows in television history to spawn a successful radio version.[1]

Premise

[edit]

This series follows the adventures of a man calling himself "Paladin" (played by Richard Boone on television and voiced by John Dehner on radio), taking his name from that of the foremost knights in Charlemagne's court. He is a gentleman investigator/gunfighter who travels around the Old West working as a mercenary for people who hire him to solve their problems.

Like many Westerns, the television show was set in a time vaguely indicated to be some years after the American Civil War. The radio show announced the year of the story that followed in the opening of each episode.[2]

The season-five television episode, "A Drop of Blood", gives the specific date of July 3, 1879. In the 14th and 17th ("Lazarus", March 6 and 7, 1875) episodes of season five, it is 1875.

Characters

[edit]

Paladin

[edit]
Richard Boone in the episode "Genesis" (1962), before becoming the famed "knight without armor", Paladin

Paladin prefers to settle the difficulties clients bring his way without violence, but this rarely happens. When forced, he excels in fisticuffs. Under his real name, which is never revealed, he was a dueling champion of some renown. Paladin is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and a veteran of the American Civil War, in which he served as a Union cavalry officer. In the episode "The Bostonian", he indirectly reveals he comes from Boston (or at least spent some time there), claiming, "In my youth, . . I was the best-dressed bouncer in Scollay Square."

His permanent place of residence is the Hotel Carlton in San Francisco, where he lives the life of a successful businessman and bon vivant, wearing elegant custom-made suits, consuming fine wine, playing the piano, and attending the opera and other cultural events. He is an expert chess player, poker player, and swordsman. He is skilled in Chinese martial arts, and is seen in several episodes receiving instruction and training with a kung ku master in San Francisco.[citation needed] He is highly educated, able to quote classic literature, philosophy, Scripture, and case law, and speaks several languages. He is also president of the San Francisco Stock Exchange Club.[3]

When out working, Paladin changes into all-black Western-style clothing. His primary weapon is a custom-made, first-generation .45 caliber Colt Single Action Army Cavalry Model revolver[4] with an unusual rifled barrel, carried in a black leather holster (with a platinum chess knight symbol facing the rear), hanging from a black leather gunbelt. He also carries a lever-action Marlin rifle (with a platinum chess knight symbol facing the rear seen in "The Hunt") strapped to his saddle. In some episodes, he has a two-shot Remington derringer concealed under his belt; in other episodes, it is a single-shot Merrimack Arms "Southerner" derringer.

This calling card was the identifying graphic of the Have Gun – Will Travel series.

Paladin gives out a business card imprinted with "Have Gun Will Travel" and an engraving of a white knight chess piece, which evokes the proverbial white knight and the knight in shining armor. Underneath the chess piece is the wording "Wire Paladin", and under that, "San Francisco". A closeup of this card is used as a title card between scenes in the program.

A Man Called Paladin, Frank C. Robertson's novelization of the season-six premiere "Genesis", gives Paladin's real name as Clay Alexander.[5]

Other recurring characters

[edit]

The one other major semiregular character in the show is the Chinese bellhop at the Carlton Hotel, known as Hey Boy (real name Kim Chan or Kim Chang); in the first season in the episode called "Hey Boy's Revenge", the character Hey Boy is sought by Paladin under the name Kim Chan, which is written on a piece of paper and shown on screen. As the episode continues, Hey Boy is referred to (verbally) five times as Kim Chan and then on the sixth incident Paladin states Hey Boy's name as Kim Chang and thereafter he is referred to as Kim Chang every time. No explanation is given for the name change.

Hey Boy is played by Kam Tong. According to author and historian Martin Grams Jr., Hey Boy is featured in all but the fourth of the show's six seasons, with the character of Hey Girl, played by Lisa Lu, replacing Hey Boy for season four while Kam Tong worked on the Mr. Garlund television series.[6] Lisa Lu had previously played Hey Boy's sister, Kim Li, in "Hey Boy's Revenge".

Character actor Olan Soule appears in 10 episodes across all six seasons of Have Gun – Will Travel as an employee of the Carlton Hotel, usually identified as the manager/desk clerk. The character's name is inconsistent, being given as "Cartwright" in two episodes, and "Matthews" in another. Tony Regan also appears as an unnamed desk clerk in over a dozen episodes, between seasons two and five. Hal Needham, later a noted director, worked on the show as a stunt performer and can be seen as a bit-part player (in a wide variety of roles) in nearly 50 episodes.

Notable guest stars

[edit]
With Christine White, 1958
With Patricia Medina, 1960

Guest stars included

[edit]

Production

[edit]

Have Gun – Will Travel was created by Sam Rolfe and Herb Meadow and produced by Frank Pierson, Don Ingalls, Robert Sparks, and Julian Claman. Of the 225 episodes of the television series, 24 were written by Gene Roddenberry.[7] Other major contributors included Bruce Geller, Harry Julian Fink, Don Brinkley, and Irving Wallace. Andrew V. McLaglen directed 101 episodes,[6] and 28 were directed by series star Richard Boone.[citation needed]

Filming locations

[edit]

Unlike many Westerns, entire episodes were filmed outdoors and away from the Old West Street set on Irving Street just below Melrose Avenue, the home of Filmaster television production company. Filmaster was located across the street from, later becoming part of, Paramount Studios' backlot. The area is now enclosed in the independent Kingsley Productions studio lot encompassing a city block. Beginning in season four, filming locations were often given in the closing credits. Locations included Bishop and Lone Pine, California; an area now known as Paladin Estates between Bend and Sisters, Oregon; and the Abbott Ranch near Prineville, Oregon.[8]

Writing

[edit]

Many of the writers who worked on Have Gun – Will Travel went on to gain fame elsewhere. Gene Roddenberry created Star Trek, Bruce Geller created Mission: Impossible, Samuel A. Peeples created The Tall Man, Custer, and Lancer, and Harold Jack Bloom created Boone's later series Hec Ramsey and the 1970s medical-adventure series Emergency! Harry Julian Fink is one of the writers who created Dirty Harry (the opening title and theme scene of the 1973 Dirty Harry sequel Magnum Force features a Paladin-like sequence of a handgun being slowly cocked and then finally pointed toward the camera, with a potent line of dialogue). Sam Peckinpah wrote one episode, "The Singer", which aired in 1958. Other notable writers who contributed an episode include Gene L. Coon, Richard Matheson, Charles Beaumont, Laurence Heath, and Fred Freiberger. Both Star Trek and Mission: Impossible were produced by Desilu Productions and later Paramount Television, which also now owns the rights to Have Gun – Will Travel through its successor company, CBS Television Distribution.[citation needed]

Music

[edit]

The program's opening was a four-note motif composed and conducted by Bernard Herrmann.[9] For the opening theme, Herrmann reused a short sequence he had previously composed for the 1951 movie On Dangerous Ground, starring Robert Ryan and Ida Lupino. The Have Gun – Will Travel theme (and fragments of incidental music also used in the television series) are featured in a chase scene across snowy fields; at the 35:25 mark of the film, the actual Have Gun – Will Travel opening theme is played in recognizable form, although the scoring is slightly different from the better-known television version.

The show's closing song, "The Ballad of Paladin", was written by Johnny Western (who had a role in season one, episode 35, "The Return of Dr. Thackeray"), Richard Boone, and program creator Sam Rolfe, and was performed by Western. In the first season, the closing song was a reprise of the opening theme. In syndication, the first (premise) episode concludes with the Johnny Western ballad. The rest of the first-season episodes play a reprise of the opening theme; although the theme song was used in closing at least four times in season one, including episodes 25, 30, 33, and 34.[10]

In the second season, the song was the only closing music. In the third season, a new lyric was added to the five-line "The Ballad of Paladin", making it six lines long. In 1962–1963, the final season, the song's lyrics were cut to four lines, the original fourth and added sixth being dropped. This occurred because the production credits for writer, producer, and director were pulled from the closing credits to appear over the opening sequences. However, in the season-six episode "Sweet Lady in the Moon" (episode 26, 1963), the ballad was played complete over the closing credits.[11]

Johnny Western has sung a fully recorded version, opening with the refrain and including a second verse never heard on the television series.[12]

When showing episodes with Paladin at the Hotel Carlton in San Francisco, background music is often played. That instrumental was "Darling Nelly Gray", which is a 19th-century popular song written and composed by Benjamin Hanby.

Themes and analysis

[edit]

Title

[edit]

The title is a variation on a cliche used in personal advertisements in newspapers such as The Times, indicating that the advertiser (a job seeker) is equipped for a certain category of jobs and flexible about the location of the job. It has been used this way from the early 20th century.[13]

A trope common in theatrical advertising at the time was "Have tux, will travel" (originally from comedian Bob Hope in 1954[14]), and CBS has claimed this was the specific inspiration for the writer Herb Meadow. The television show popularized the phrase in the 1950s and 1960s, and many variations have been used as titles for other works, including the 1958 science-fiction novel Have Space Suit—Will Travel by Robert A. Heinlein.[15]

Opening sequence

[edit]
With Lisa Gaye, 1958
With Roxane Berard, who appeared in three episodes

Originally, each show opened with the same 45-second visual. Over a slow, four-note-repeat backbeat score, a tight shot of Paladin's chess knight emblem centered in a black background is seen, before the view widens to show the emblem affixed to Paladin's holster, with Paladin in his trademark costume seen from waist level in profile. Then, as he draws his revolver from the holster, the four-note-repeat backbeat fades to a light, almost harp-like strumming. He cocks the hammer, and then rotates the gun to point the barrel at the viewer for ten seconds, often delivering a line of dialogue from the coming episode, after which the pistol is uncocked and holstered briskly. As the weapon is reholstered and the view tightens to show only the chess knight, again, the four-note-repeat backbeat returns.

As only the chess knight emblem in a black background is back, the name "RICHARD BOONE" appears across the screen for about five seconds. The name fades out and immediately the words "in HAVE GUN – WILL TRAVEL" fade in, again for about five seconds. Boone's name and the show's title are accompanied by a four-note "stinger" that overshadows the four-note-repeat. The "stinger" is roughly the same as that heard when Paladin's business card is flashed on screen (in almost every episode). The words fade away after those five seconds, leaving only the chess knight emblem against the black background, and the four-note-repeat fades out. This opening then fades out and the show fades in on its opening scene.[16]

A later version of the opening sequence (seasons three to six) has a long-range shot, with Paladin in a full-body profile silhouette, and he fast-draws the revolver, dropping into a slight crouch as he turns, pointing at the camera. After the dubbed-over line, he straightens as he shoves the firearm into his holster. This silhouette visual remained for the run of the series. In later episodes, the teaser line was dropped; as seen in many of the episodes of the final two seasons' opening titles, when Paladin crouches and points his gun at the camera, first "RICHARD BOONE", and then "HAVE GUN – WILL TRAVEL" would appear as before, and Boone would reholster his gun as the words faded out. Due to the networks not always airing episodes in the order they were filmed, the omission of the voice-over dialogue was inconsistent for some of the episodes, as seen in the opening titles. Season six did have the most opening titles without the voice-over dialogue, especially as the season progressed, again as seen when the episodes opened.[17]

Release

[edit]

Broadcast history and ratings

[edit]
Further information: List of Have Gun – Will Travel episodes

September 14, 1957 – September 21, 1963: Saturdays at 9:30 pm[18]: 590 [19]: 363 

SeasonEpisodesOriginally releasedRankAverage viewership (in millions)
First releasedLast released
139September 14, 1957 (1957-09-14)June 14, 1958 (1958-06-14)414.1[20]
239September 13, 1958 (1958-09-13)June 20, 1959 (1959-06-20)315.1[21]
339September 12, 1959 (1959-09-12)June 18, 1960 (1960-06-18)315.9[22]
438September 10, 1960 (1960-09-10)June 10, 1961 (1961-06-10)314.6[23]
538September 16, 1961 (1961-09-16)June 2, 1962 (1962-06-02)2910.8[24]
632September 15, 1962 (1962-09-15)April 20, 1963 (1963-04-20)2910.5[25]

Home media

[edit]

All of the episodes were released on VHS by Columbia House. CBS DVD (distributed by Paramount) has released all six seasons of Have Gun – Will Travel on DVD in Region 1. Season six, volumes one and two were first released on May 7, 2013.[26]

On May 10, 2016, CBS DVD was to release Have Gun – Will Travel – The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1.[27]

In the second-season DVD, two episodes are mislabeled. On disk three, the episode titled "Treasure Trail" is actually "Hunt the Man Down", and on disk four, "Hunt the Man Down" is "Treasure Trail"; the "Wire Paladin" in each case refers to the other episode.[28]

DVD name Ep # Release date
Season 1 39 May 11, 2004
Season 2 39 May 10, 2005
Season 3 39 January 3, 2006
Season 4- Volume 1 19 March 2, 2010
Season 4- Volume 2 19 July 6, 2010
Season 5- Volume 1 19 November 30, 2010
Season 5- Volume 2 19 February 22, 2011
Season 6- Volume 1 16 May 7, 2013
Season 6- Volume 2 16 May 7, 2013
Complete Series 225 May 10, 2016

Awards

[edit]

The television show was nominated for three Emmy Awards:

  • Best Actor in a Leading Role (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series, for Richard Boone (1959)[29]
  • Best Western Series (1959)[30]
  • Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Series (Lead or Support), for Richard Boone (1960).[31]

In 1957, Gene Roddenberry received the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Script for the episode "Helen of Abajinian".[32]

Franchise in other media

[edit]

Radio show

[edit]
John Dehner

The Have Gun – Will Travel radio show broadcast 106 episodes on the CBS Radio Network between November 23, 1958, and November 27, 1960.[33] It was one of the last radio dramas featuring continuing characters and one of only a handful of American radio adaptations of a television series. John Dehner (a regular on the radio series version of Gunsmoke) played Paladin, and Ben Wright usually (but not always) played Hey Boy. Virginia Gregg played Miss Wong, Hey Boy's girlfriend, before the television series featured the character of Hey Girl. Unlike the small-screen version, this medium usually had a tag scene at the Carlton at both the beginning and the end of the episode. Initially, the episodes were adaptations of the television program as broadcast earlier the same week, but eventually, original stories were produced, including a finale ("From Here to Boston", "Inheritance", and "Goodbye, Paladin") in which Paladin leaves San Francisco, perhaps forever, to claim an inheritance back east. The radio version was written by producer/writer Roy Winsor.[33]

Books

[edit]

Three novels were based on the television show, all with the title of the show. The first was a hardback written for children, published by Whitman in 1959 in a series of novelizations of television shows. It was written by Barlow Meyers and illustrated by Nichols S. Firfires. The second was a 1960 paperback original, written for adults by Noel Loomis. The last book, A Man Called Paladin, written by Frank C. Robertson and published in 1963 by Collier-Macmillan in hardback and paperback, is based on the television episode "Genesis" by Frank Rolfe.

This novel is the only source wherein a name is given to the Paladin character, Clay Alexander, but fans of the series do not consider this name canonical. Dell Comics published a number of comic books with original stories based on the television series.[34][35][36] In 2000, Martin Grams, Jr. and Les Rayburn self-published the 500-page trade paperback, The Have Gun – Will Travel Companion, documenting the history of the radio and television series.[37]

Film

[edit]

In 1997, a film version of the television series was announced. John Travolta was named as a possible star in the Warner Bros. production, which was scripted by Larry Ferguson and to be directed by The Fugitive director Andrew Davis. The film was never made.[38]

In 2006, a Have Gun – Will Travel film starring rapper Eminem was announced to be in production, but the film does not hold an official confirmed release date. Paramount Pictures extended an 18-month option on the television series and planned to transform the character of Paladin into a modern-day bounty hunter. Eminem was expected to work on the soundtrack.[39]

Television reboot

[edit]

In August 2012, several venues announced that David Mamet was developing a reboot of the television series for CBS.[40][41]

In other television series

[edit]

In the television series Maverick, season two, episode 16, "Gun Shy", a send-up of the television series Gunsmoke, Marshal Mort Dooley, the marshal of Elwood, Kansas, comments that several strange people have been passing through his town lately, specifically referring to "that gunslinger who handed out business cards". A subsequent comedic Maverick episode titled "The Cats of Paradise" features a black-clad character obviously based on Paladin, albeit without using the name. Both episodes star James Garner.

In the 1962 Tom and Jerry cartoon "Tall in the Trap", Tom rolls into town on spurs with a card reading "Tall in the Trap" showing a mousetrap on a knight chess piece. In the third episode of the seventh season of Archer ("Deadly Prep," April 14, 2016) the titular character is seen cleaning his weapon as he sings the theme song from Have Gun - Will Travel.

Cultural influences

[edit]
  • Boon, a hit British Drama series, was heavily influenced by Have Gun – Will Travel. The series followed the adventures an ex-fireman who was invalided out of the service and became a modern-day hero. Of Have Gun – Will Travel's influence, co-creator Jim Hill said: "Boon had been derived from an American TV series from the 1950s that Bill Stair and I both watched and liked. It was called Have Gun – Will Travel – a troubleshooting cowboy answered distress calls. He was called Paladin and was played by the actor Richard Boone. We dropped the E and we had BOON – a modern-day trouble shooter on a motorbike instead of a steed." Boon ran from 1986 to 1992, with a special one-off episode in 1995.
  • The "Have...Will..." theme was used in the titles of several record albums, such as Have Trumpet, Will Excite! by jazz musician Dizzy Gillespie, Have Organ Will Swing by pianist/organist Buddy Cole, Have Organ Will Travel by organist George Wright, multiple albums named Have Guitar Will Travel, and others.
  • In a scene in Stand by Me, the main characters sing the show's closing theme song as a way of evoking that film's era (it is set in late 1959); songwriter Johnny Western successfully sued the producers for not securing his permission beforehand. This scene is spoofed in the "Stand by Me" segment of the Family Guy episode "Three Kings".
  • The Tom and Jerry cartoon "Tall in the Trap" (1962, directed by Gene Deitch) was a parody of Have Gun – Will Travel.
  • A feature of Frank Zappa's 1970 tour's performances was the "Paladin Routine", a brief improvised comedy sketch based on the Have Gun – Will Travel characters, culminating in a vocalization of the music from the series' opening-credit sequence. One such performance is documented on the bootleg album Freaks & Motherfu*#@%! (later released as part of Beat the Boots).
  • In the third season, episode three of Downton Abbey, aired January 6, 2013, in what appears to be an anachronism, the character Lady Cora tells her husband, "I'm American: have gun, will travel", but the general phrase "Have X will travel" does date back to the show's time period.[42]
  • In the 1972–74 series Hec Ramsey, set in New Prospect, Oklahoma, in 1901, Boone is an older former gunfighter turned forensic criminologist. At one point, Ramsey denies that in his younger days as a gunfighter, he worked under the name Paladin. The origin of this myth is Boone's remark in an interview, "Hec Ramsey is Paladin – only fatter." Naturally, he merely meant the characters had certain similarities: Ramsey, for his part, was practically buffoonish, imparting a measure of humor to Hec Ramsey missing from the sterner, more erudite Paladin.
  • In the two-part 1991 TV miniseries The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw, a poker game is played by the rules of "the late Mr. Paladin" in the Carlton Hotel where the recently deceased Paladin usually stayed; the film featured numerous cowboy actors from 1950s television series playing their earlier roles in cameo appearances three decades later, along with Claude Akins as President Theodore Roosevelt turning up at the game to assist in memorializing Paladin.
  • In the 1985 Star Trek novel Ishmael by Barbara Hambly, in which the Enterprise travels back in time, Spock plays chess against Paladin during a visit to San Francisco.
  • In the 2013 fan-created series Star Trek Continues episode "Pilgrim of Eternity", visual effects artist Doug Drexler played the part of Paladin in a Holodeck creation. Drexler cited the special specifications of Paladin's revolver to an impressed Captain Kirk (Vic Mignogna).
  • Paying homage to Boone's character, in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, the Paladin features an archetype named "Holy Gun", whose abilities are succinctly described as "Have Gun".
  • Desmond Bagley's 1968 novel The Vivero Letter has a moment when the protagonist/narrator, thinking about what he is getting into, ironically describes himself as an "adventurer at large – 'have gun, will travel'." Then he notes that he does not have a gun and said, "I doubted whether I could use one effectively, anyway."
  • Have Space Suit—Will Travel is a 1958 science fiction novel for young readers by American writer Robert A. Heinlein.
  • The US Navy's Strike Fighter Squadron 105 (VFA-105), nicknamed "Gunslingers", wears a unit insignia featuring a western-style revolver in a holster emblazoned with a gold knight chess piece (although unlike Paladin's holster, the horse faces forward).[43]

Τrademark infringement litigation

[edit]

In 1974, a rodeo performer named Victor De Costa won a federal court judgment against CBS for trademark infringement, successfully arguing that he had created the Paladin character and the ideas used in the show, and that CBS had used them without permission. For example, at his rodeo appearances he always dressed in black, called himself the "Paladin", handed out hundreds of business cards featuring a chess piece logo along with the phrase "Have gun will travel", and carried a concealed derringer pistol.[44] A year later, an appellate court overturned the lower court ruling on the basis that the plaintiff had failed to prove that likelihood of confusion had existed in the minds of the public—a necessary requirement for a suit over trademark infringement.[45] In 1977, De Costa was awarded a federal trademark for the Paladin character.[46]

De Costa kept pursuing his legal options, and in 1991—more than 30 years after his first lawsuit was originally filed—a federal jury awarded DeCosta $3.5 million from Viacom International, by then a CBS subsidiary, which has distributed the show's reruns in defiance of De Costa's registered trademark, ordering Viacom to pay DeCosta $1 million for his loss and $2.5 million in punitive damages.[47] Rhode Island District Judge Ernest C. Torres blocked the redistribution of the Paladin show by Viacom.[48]

In 1992, the jury award was reversed. The United States Court of Appeals ruled that because Mr. DeCosta had unsuccessfully sued in the past over the same issues, "the doctrine of 'collateral estoppel' bars his new claims." In other words, he was not allowed a second attempt to try the old, previously settled dispute. See the final legal case: Victor DeCosta, v. VIACOM, 981 F.2d 602, 604 (1st Cir. 1992).

De Costa died on 29 January 1993 at the age of 84. In the end, he received nothing.[49]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Richard Boone". Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  2. ^ Dunning, John. Tune In Yesterday: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, 1925–1976 (New York: Prentice Hall), 1976; ISBN 978-0139326165
  3. ^ Gould, Berni; Pascal, Milton; & Kolb, Ken. Have Gun – Will Travel, Episode 1/21, "The Bostonian", first aired February 1, 1958; retrieved November 6, 2017.
  4. ^ TV Acres – Weapons at a Glance, tvacres.com; accessed May 20, 2018.
  5. ^ "Have Gun Will Travel: Paladin's Real Name REVEALED!". YouTube. 16 July 2020.
  6. ^ a b Peter Orlick, The Museum of Broadcast Communications (Encyclopedia of Television) – Have Gun, Will Travel Archived 10 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine; accessed May 20, 2018.
  7. ^ Series co-creator Sam Rolfe would later write a script for the Roddenberry-created Star Trek: The Next Generation.
  8. ^ Studlar, Gaylyn (2015). Have Gun – Will Travel. Wayne State University Press. p. 140. ISBN 978-0814339770.
  9. ^ "Herrmann Music in Have Gun Will Travel and Other Classic CBS Television Series – The Bernard Herrmann Society". www.bernardherrmann.org. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  10. ^ Have Gun - Will Travel syndicated re-run aired season-one episodes, and DVD release.
  11. ^ Have Gun - Will Travel syndicated re-run aired seasons 2–6 episodes, and DVD release
  12. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Johnny Western - Topic (1 September 2015), The Ballad Of Paladin, retrieved 6 November 2018
  13. ^ Eric Partridge, Paul Beale (1986), A dictionary of catch phrases: British and American, from the sixteenth century to the present day, Routledge, ISBN 978-0415059169, retrieved 20 May 2018
  14. ^ "haver | Etymology of haver by etymonline". www.etymonline.com.
  15. ^ J. Daniel Gifford (2000), Robert A. Heinlein: a reader's companion, p. 98
  16. ^ Have Gun-Will Travel Seasons 1–2 aired episodes, and DVD release.
  17. ^ Have Gun-Will Travel Seasons 3–6 aired episodes, and DVD release.
  18. ^ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. New York: Ballantine Books. pp. 590–591. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  19. ^ McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present. New York: Penguin Books. p. 363. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  20. ^ "TV Ratings: 1957-1958". ClassicTVguide.com. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  21. ^ "TV Ratings: 1958-1959". ClassicTVguide.com. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  22. ^ "TV Ratings: 1959-1960". ClassicTVguide.com. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  23. ^ "TV Ratings: 1960-1961". ClassicTVguide.com. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  24. ^ "TV Ratings: 1961-1962". ClassicTVguide.com. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  25. ^ "TV Ratings: 1962-1963". ClassicTVguide.com. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  26. ^ "Have Gun Will Travel DVD news: Announcement for The 6th and Final Year, Volume 1 and The 6th and Final Year, Volume 2". TV Shows On DVD. 25 May 2007. Archived from the original on 16 May 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  27. ^ Richard Boone Stars in 'The Complete Series' 35-DVD Set Archived 24 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine, tvshowsondvd.com; accessed May 20, 2018.
  28. ^ "Paladin". Paladin. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  29. ^ "Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series Nominees / Winners 1959". Television Academy. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  30. ^ "Best Western Series Nominees / Winners 1959". Television Academy. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  31. ^ "Best Actor Nominees / Winners 1960". Television Academy. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  32. ^ Reginald, Robert (1979). Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature Volume II. Detroit: Gale. ISBN 978-0810310513.
  33. ^ a b Dunning, John (1998), On The Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, New York: Oxford University Press, p. 311, ISBN 0195076788
  34. ^ "Have Gun Will Travel – Comic Book Cowboys, by Boyd Magers". www.westernclippings.com. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  35. ^ Huxley, David (2018). Lone Heroes and the Myth of the American West in Comic Books, 1945–1962. Springer. ISBN 978-3319930855.
  36. ^ Sam Rolfe and Herb Meadow. Have Gun Will Travel Comics # 931, 983, 1044, 4, 6, 7.
  37. ^ Rollins, Peter C.; O'Connor, John E. (2005). Hollywood's West: The American Frontier in Film, Television, and History. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0813138558.
  38. ^ Michael Fleming (15 May 1997). "Krane Takes Bull by Horns". Variety. Retrieved 31 December 2007.
  39. ^ "Eminem to star in Have Gun – Will Travel film remake". CBC News. 14 June 2006. Archived from the original on 14 June 2007. Retrieved 16 February 2008.
  40. ^ Rose, Lacey (21 August 2012). "CBS, David Mamet Developing 'Have Gun – Will Travel' Reboot". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  41. ^ Tucker, Ken (22 August 2012). "David Mamet's 'Have Gun, Will Travel' reboot: Why it's a great idea". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  42. ^ "Have gun, will travel « The Word Detective". www.word-detective.com. July 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  43. ^ "VFA 105". airlant.usff.navy.mil. United States Navy. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  44. ^ Baker, Russell (17 April 1974). "Court Rules C.B.S. Pirated Paladin From a Cowboy". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  45. ^ "About Trademark Infringement". United States Patent and Trademarks Office. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  46. ^ "Paladin' creator dead at 84". UPI. 1 February 1993. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  47. ^ "First "Paladin' now has justice, will travel". Tampa Bay Times. 25 September 1991. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  48. ^ Laff, Charles A.; Saret, Larry L. (Winter 1976). "Further Unraveling of Sears-Compco: Of Patches, Paladin and Laurel & (and) Hardy". Loyola University Chicago Law Journal. 7 (1): 33–56. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  49. ^ "Have Gun, Will Travel". The Old Barx. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2021.


Bibliography

[edit]
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Have Gun – Will Travel.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Have_Gun_–_Will_Travel&oldid=1266641053"