Rawhide, I Still Watch

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Chuckie

Chuckie

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Did you know that the series was actually filmed a they drove the herd of 3,000 cattle up the trail. It was a working show. It was not your usual, same batch of cows riding past you in a loop.

The show involved a group of men on a cattle drive, originating from San Antonio, Texas, that headed up the Sedalia Trail to Sedalia, Missouri.

I was amazed to see that they actually did this. This was a true working program. So, even Clint Eastwood learned what it meant to be on a cattle drive.

Gil Favor, Eric Flemming died in a freak accident at the age of 41 when filming a movie in Peru as he fell out of a canoe and went over the edge of a waterfall, and they did not find him for 3 days. That is what ended the series. SAD. :cry:

But I found this to be so interesting and wondered if you all knew it was the real deal.
 
I am still glued to old Western Series as I find much comfort in the sound of childhood shows. Gunsmoke, Rawhide, Laramie, are sounds I would hear on the TV at my Grandparents house at night and I would lay on the floor in front of the TV. I would look up at my Grandaddy Carl's face and his mouth would be about half open as he was so into the show. Such a comforting thought and feeling as I watch them over and over again.
 
Those old timers really knew how to cowboy. They no long make that breed anymore; they truly had to be tough back then. Dad talks about gathering the Red desert in January, and not one single cowboy quit because of the cold. He broke ice cycles of the horse nose 12" long, rolled up newspaper to put in his boots trying to keep his feet warm. When they weened the calves they did it out in the open; one group when would take the calves one direction and the other group would take the cows the opposite direction, going as fast as they could. Dad said they would save their best horse for that day. There are a few that know how to move cows, but i am going to guess that most don't. Dad always got a bit upset when he seen all the cowboys at the back, and none riding the sides, or point.

One time when dad was working for Warren Livestock they had a bunch of two year old steers ready to move down the highway to the next pasture. The cowboys thought they would strike for higher wages; dad told them to get their saddles in the truck because they were done. He hauled them to Cheyenne, got them paid and he, his dog and old Red moved all those steers. Red rode point, the dog in the back and dad rode the sides. Every so often the dog had to come see dad, and he would tell ole Hap to get back to the back. Hap would get to the back, kept those steers marching like soldiers. Dad could send that dog out of his sight and Hap would bring anything to him. Then one day dad was pulling up to the fuel pump and dad ran him over, it was pretty icy that day, and the dog ran out in front of the truck. He was never able to find another dog like Hap, maybe you only get one real good dog in a lifetime.
 
We love to watch Gunsmoke. I had one good horse in my lifetime. She lived 40 years, still rideable at a walk. But then, she was ridden across wild country a whole lot to the ocean and back and in the Sierras. The cows I've got come when I sing to them, bags a swinging :)
 
@WFfarm, Yes I have. Often it will swap back and forth from two or three different herds. Herefords, to long horns and then a mix of dairy cattle mixed in as well.

I remember watching GunSmoke one day and I cannot locate the show again. But during the filming, a silver plane shines in the sky above the scene, and it slowly moves away. I got so excited when I saw that. Silly I know...... but it is out there. It was when they were riding out across the prairie, in a wagon. I often think Kitty and Chester were in the scene, but often I can forget exactly the right one. Keep your eyes out for it.
 
You know how they always had certain people that played the bad roles and it starts making you feel that they are mean in their personality. One that I always loved to see was John Dehner. He was tall and lanky and mostly shown in bad light. But I found an interview of him , and he seems so intelligent and not evil at all. Very kind. But I liked seeing the interview even though he covers a few subjects along with the Westerns he plays in. I wanted to share it. About 8:30 seconds long.
 
I realize actors are actors, but they do bring us a lot of entertainment in our life when we just sit down to relax and turn the tube on. One that I feel has a different personality was the man that always was shown as being mean and when he shot John Wayne in the movie, "Cowboys," I thought OK, he just went too far. I looked up an interview of him to see if he was just a great actor of being mean and off the wall. Bruce is different, but this is interesting.
 
Wow, I think differently of Bruce Dern now. I did not realize he was so much into our country. I think he may have been a more serious kind of person and maybe not a lot of fun and humor, but he stands behind the good of people. He is great at playing the evil characters he did play. Even thought he grew to wish that others did not see him that way. He made a good living at it. I like him better now......
 
CowboyRam said:
Those old timers really knew how to cowboy. They no long make that breed anymore; they truly had to be tough back then. Dad talks about gathering the Red desert in January, and not one single cowboy quit because of the cold. He broke ice cycles of the horse nose 12" long, rolled up newspaper to put in his boots trying to keep his feet warm. When they weened the calves they did it out in the open; one group when would take the calves one direction and the other group would take the cows the opposite direction, going as fast as they could. Dad said they would save their best horse for that day. There are a few that know how to move cows, but i am going to guess that most don't. Dad always got a bit upset when he seen all the cowboys at the back, and none riding the sides, or point.

One time when dad was working for Warren Livestock they had a bunch of two year old steers ready to move down the highway to the next pasture. The cowboys thought they would strike for higher wages; dad told them to get their saddles in the truck because they were done. He hauled them to Cheyenne, got them paid and he, his dog and old Red moved all those steers. Red rode point, the dog in the back and dad rode the sides. Every so often the dog had to come see dad, and he would tell ole Hap to get back to the back. Hap would get to the back, kept those steers marching like soldiers. Dad could send that dog out of his sight and Hap would bring anything to him. Then one day dad was pulling up to the fuel pump and dad ran him over, it was pretty icy that day, and the dog ran out in front of the truck. He was never able to find another dog like Hap, maybe you only get one real good dog in a lifetime.
Click to expand...
Oh gosh, I know running over Hap really hurt your Dad. That made me want to cry just reading about it. Thinking of that is hard. What a dog he had, but Hap will be waiting for your Dad when he goes up. All creation will be there.
 
They wuz maybe probably filming 2 shows at the same time that day the plane appears...

Out of the clear blue of the western sky comes Sky King, America's favorite flyin cowboy!

But Rawhide was filmed almost solely in Calif on Big Sky movie ranch and Iverson movie ranch and Tucumcari NM. Gunsmoke was filmed there too. They were working Movie ranches and never had more than a few dozen head of cattle there permanantly.
 
Chuckie said:
Did you know that the series was actually filmed a they drove the herd of 3,000 cattle up the trail. It was a working show. It was not your usual, same batch of cows riding past you in a loop.

The show involved a group of men on a cattle drive, originating from San Antonio, Texas, that headed up the Sedalia Trail to Sedalia, Missouri.

I was amazed to see that they actually did this. This was a true working program. So, even Clint Eastwood learned what it meant to be on a cattle drive.

Gil Favor, Eric Flemming died in a freak accident at the age of 41 when filming a movie in Peru as he fell out of a canoe and went over the edge of a waterfall, and they did not find him for 3 days. That is what ended the series. SAD. :cry:

But I found this to be so interesting and wondered if you all knew it was the real deal.
Click to expand...
It was what help mold Clint into the western actor, and Director he was…being around the real Deals like Rocky Shahan, and Steve Raines
 
Chuckie said:
Did you know that the series was actually filmed a they drove the herd of 3,000 cattle up the trail. It was a working show. It was not your usual, same batch of cows riding past you in a loop.

The show involved a group of men on a cattle drive, originating from San Antonio, Texas, that headed up the Sedalia Trail to Sedalia, Missouri.

I was amazed to see that they actually did this. This was a true working program. So, even Clint Eastwood learned what it meant to be on a cattle drive.

Gil Favor, Eric Flemming died in a freak accident at the age of 41 when filming a movie in Peru as he fell out of a canoe and went over the edge of a waterfall, and they did not find him for 3 days. That is what ended the series. SAD. :cry:

But I found this to be so interesting and wondered if you all knew it was the real deal.
Click to expand...
I didn't know it was the real deal,but I remember as a kid hearing he had died. I was so sad.
 
greybeard said:
They wuz maybe probably filming 2 shows at the same time that day the plane appears...

Out of the clear blue of the western sky comes Sky King, America's favorite flyin cowboy!

But Rawhide was filmed almost solely in Calif on Big Sky movie ranch and Iverson movie ranch and Tucumcari NM. Gunsmoke was filmed there too. They were working Movie ranches and never had more than a few dozen head of cattle there permanently.
Click to expand...
My first job in New Mexico was on the 4V ranch where Rawhide was filmed. Cool ranch, 48,000 acres bordering the north side of Conchas Lake and the Bell Ranch. 2,200 head of steers and 150 pair. Was a lot of work considering I got there in April and didn't get any help until September, a month before we shipped the steers.
 
Bob Kinford said:
My first job in New Mexico was on the 4V ranch where Rawhide was filmed.
Click to expand...
Did you meet Wishbone? He was from Tucumcari.

(Tucumcari was also the name of one of American Navy's 1st successful hydrofoil ships and among the 1st to use a gas turbine (jet) engine. An extremely fast and maneuverable vessel, all weather/high sea state capability was "over 40 kts/hr". I was familiar with it as it was part of course study for the new Spruance class destroyers in the late 70s and one of my classmates had served on Tucumcari off the coast of Vietnam in the early 70s.)
 
Bob Kinford said:
My first job in New Mexico was on the 4V ranch where Rawhide was filmed. Cool ranch, 48,000 acres bordering the north side of Conchas Lake and the Bell Ranch. 2,200 head of steers and 150 pair. Was a lot of work considering I got there in April and didn't get any help until September, a month before we shipped the steers.
Click to expand...
Bob, I think I am jealous!! ;) Of course in a great way. Wow, that must have put a lot of memories in your brain. So many people here that experienced the real deal, then some of us like me, just have small farms where land comes in patches, not the wide open plains like you speak of. So, it seems magical to me to hear the stories and see the films, and such. Just lots of dreams for people like me.
 

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