A Man Called Shenandoah
| A Man Called Shenandoah | |
|---|---|
 Robert Horton in the title role. | |
| Genre | Western |
| Written by | Ed Adamson Robert C. Dennis Robert Hamner E. Jack Neuman Samuel A. Peeples Paul Savage Daniel B. Ullman |
| Directed by | David Alexander Murray Golden Tom Gries Harry Harris Nathan H. Juran Joseph H. Lewis Don McDougall Jud Taylor |
| Starring | Robert Horton |
| Opening theme | "Oh Shenandoah" |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 34 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Robert Hamner |
| Running time | 30 mins. |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | September 13, 1965 – May 16, 1966 |
A Man Called Shenandoah is an American western series that aired Monday evenings on ABC-TV from September 13, 1965[1] to May 16, 1966. It was produced by MGM Television. Some of the location work for the 34 half-hour black and white episodes was filmed in California's High Sierras and Mojave Desert.[2]
The series starred Robert Horton, who had costarred on Wagon Train from 1957 to 1962. He left that series, vowing never to do another television western,[1] but agreed to star in A Man Called Shenandoah because he felt the show would be a great opportunity for him as an actor.[3][4] The series is set in 1870 and portrays an amnesiac facing hardship and danger while trying to unravel his identity and his past.
Overview
Robert Horton plays a man who was shot and left for dead. In the premiere episode, two buffalo hunters find him out on the prairie and, thinking he might be an outlaw, take him to the nearest town in hopes of receiving reward money.[5] When he regains consciousness, he has no recollection of who he was, or why anyone would want to harm him. The doctor who treats his wounds gives him the name "Shenandoah," stating the word means "land of silence".
For the remainder of the series, Shenandoah roams the West in search of clues to his identity. He learns that he had been a Union officer during the Civil War, and comes to believe he had been married. The final episode, "Macauley's Cure", ends with Mrs. Macauley telling Shenandoah: "It's not always important who you are; it's always important what you are."
Among the guest stars on the series were Claude Akins, Ed Asner, Elisha Cook Jr., Jeanne Cooper, John Dehner, Bruce Dern, Elinor Donahue, Leif Erickson, Beverly Garland, Sally Kellerman, DeForest Kelley, George Kennedy, Martin Landau, Cloris Leachman, John McIntire, Martin Milner, Leonard Nimoy, Jeanette Nolan, Warren Oates, Joyce Van Patten, James Doohan, and Michael Witney.
Theme song
The show's theme song was the traditional American folk tune "Oh Shenandoah", with new, specialized lyrics written by Horton himself. Horton, who had performed in musical theater, also sang the song.[6] His recording became a Columbia single in 1965. It is from Horton's Columbia album The Man Called Shenandoah (Cs-9208, stereo; Cl-2408, mono; both 1965).
The series is surprisingly popular on Rhodesian Television (RTV) in central Africa, and the song, reworked by local talent Nick Taylor, reached Number 3 on the Rhodesian Broadcasting Corporation hit parade.[7]
Broadcast
When reruns of the series aired on Turner Network Television in the 1990s, only 29 of the 34 episodes were rebroadcast. Since 2017, A Man Called Shenandoah has aired in the United States on the GetTV network, as part of their Western-themed programming block.[8]
In February 2014, Warner Archive Instant offered all 34 uncut episodes as part of their streaming service.
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by [9] | Written by | Original air date [9] | Prod. code [9] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Onslaught" | Paul Wendkos | Unknown | September 13, 1965 | 8026 |
| 2 | "Survival" | Boris Sagal | Unknown | September 20, 1965 | 8001 |
| 3 | "The Fort" | Don McDougall | Unknown | September 27, 1965 | 8004 |
| 4 | "The Caller" | David Alexander | Unknown | October 11, 1965 | 8009 |
| 5 | "The Debt" | John English | Unknown | October 18, 1965 | 8032 |
| 6 | "Obion – 1866" | Harry Harris | Unknown | October 25, 1965 | 8029 |
| 7 | "The Verdict" | Thomas Carr | Unknown | November 1, 1965 | 8031 |
| 8 | "Town on Fire" | Nathan Juran | Unknown | November 8, 1965 | 8039 |
| 9 | "Incident at Dry Creek" | Joseph H. Lewis | Unknown | November 15, 1965 | 8028 |
| 10 | "The Locket" | Harry Harris | Unknown | November 22, 1965 | 8037 |
| 11 | "The Reward" | Nathan Juran | Unknown | November 29, 1965 | 8036 |
| 12 | "A Special Talent for Killing" | Harry Harris | Unknown | December 6, 1965 | 8047 |
| 13 | "The Siege" | Jud Taylor | Unknown | December 13, 1965 | 8046 |
| 14 | "The Bell" | David Alexander | Unknown | December 20, 1965 | 8022 |
| 15 | "The Young Outlaw" | Don McDougall | Unknown | December 27, 1965 | 8019 |
| 16 | "The Accused" | Byron Paul | Unknown | January 3, 1966 | 8035 |
| 17 | "Run, Killer, Run" | Nathan Juran | Unknown | January 10, 1966 | 8033 |
| 18 | "Rope's End" | Virgil Vogel | Unknown | January 17, 1966 | 8043 |
| 19 | "The Lost Diablo" | Jerry Hopper | Unknown | January 24, 1966 | 8045 |
| 20 | "A Long Way Home" | Lewis Allen | Unknown | January 31, 1966 | 8051 |
| 21 | "End of a Legend" | Jud Taylor | Unknown | February 7, 1966 | 8058 |
| 22 | "Run and Hide" | Tom Gries | Unknown | February 14, 1966 | 8048 |
| 23 | "The Riley Brand" | Jud Taylor | Unknown | February 21, 1966 | 8057 |
| 24 | "Muted Fifes, Muffled Drums" | Jud Taylor | Unknown | February 28, 1966 | 8062 |
| 25 | "Plunder" | Joseph H. Lewis | Unknown | March 7, 1966 | 8054 |
| 26 | "Marlee" | Jud Taylor | Unknown | March 14, 1966 | 8065 |
| 27 | "The Death of Matthew Eldridge" | Joseph H. Lewis | Unknown | March 21, 1966 | 8049 |
| 28 | "Aces and Kings" | Jud Taylor | Unknown | March 28, 1966 | 8067 |
| 29 | "The Imposter" "The Impostor" | Nathan Juran | Unknown | April 4, 1966 | 8068 |
| 30 | "An Unfamiliar Tune" | Tom Gries | Unknown | April 11, 1966 | 8060 |
| 31 | "The Clown" | Nathan Juran | Unknown | April 18, 1966 | 8070 |
| 32 | "Requiem for the Second" | Murray Golden | Unknown | May 2, 1966 | 8071 |
| 33 | "Care of General Delivery" | Nathan Juran | Unknown | May 9, 1966 | 8066 |
| 34 | "Macauley's Cure" | Murray Golden | Unknown | May 16, 1966 | 8072 |
DVD release
On May 8, 2018, Warner Bros. released A Man Called Shenandoah – The Complete Series on DVD for the very first time, via their Warner Archive Collection. This is a manufacture-on-demand (MOD) release, available through Warner's online store and Amazon.com.[10]
Reception
 | This section's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. (May 2018) |
"Unfortunately, stiff timeslot competition doomed Shenandoah after 34 half-hour episodes. CBS had the established Andy Griffith and NBC aired the popular Andy Williams. Even though Shenandoah was preceded from 8:30-9 by another Western, The Legend of Jesse James, it too faced insurmountable competition from Lucille Ball on CBS and Dr. Kildare on NBC. It seems Shenandoah’s search for his identity was as futile as ABC’s search for ratings and the series was cancelled on May 16, 1966, after 34 episodes, offering no resolution to Shenandoah’s search for truth.[11]
References
- ^ a b Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2003). "Man Called Shenandoah, A (Western)". The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present (8th ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. p. 730. ISBN 978-0-345-45542-0.
- ^ Summers, Neil and Crowley, Roger M. (2002). The Official TV Western Round-Up Book, The Old West Shop Publishing.
- ^ "A Man For All Seasons", in the Spring 1994 issue of Trail Dust.
- ^ Slotnik, Daniel E. (March 15, 2016). "Robert Horton, Handsome 'Wagon Train' Star Who Wanted More, Dies at 91". The New York Times. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
Mr. Horton said he accepted the part because he saw the show's story as more interesting than that of a typical western. "Basically it's a character study of a man in search of his identity," he told The Daily News of New York.
- ^ Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946 - Present (Seventh Edition), Ballantine Books, 1999
- ^ Eder, Bruce, liner notes for Small Screen Cowboy Heroes (AT 57474), Sony Music Distribution
- ^ Illustrated Life Rhodesia magazine, July 14, 1972
- ^ "getTV's Hot New Summer Schedule". GetTV. June 26, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
- ^ a b c From the United States Copyright Office catalog: "Public Catalog - Copyright Catalog (1978 to present) - Basic Search [search: "Man Called Shenandoah"]". United States Copyright Office. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
- ^ 'The Complete Series' of the 1965 Western is Coming from the Warner Archive
- ^ Magers, Boyd. "A Man Called Shenandoah" Western Clippings: Do You Remember?
External links
- 1960s American television series
- 1965 American television series debuts
- 1966 American television series endings
- Western (genre) television series
- American Broadcasting Company network shows
- Television series by Warner Bros. Television
- Black-and-white television programs
- English-language television programs
- Television series by MGM Television