Have Gun, Will Travel
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Have Gun, Will Travel was a popular American television Western that aired from on CBS 1957 through 1963.
Have Gun, Will Travel was one of the few television shows to spawn a successful radio version. The radio series debuted on November 23, 1958. For radio Paladin was played by John Dehner.
The show followed the adventures of Paladin, a gentleman-turned-gunfighter (played by Richard Boone), who preferred to settle problems without violence, yet, when forced to fight, excelled. Paladin lived in the Carlton Hotel in San Francisco, where he dressed in semi-formal wear, ate gourmet food, and attended opera. When working, he dressed in black, wore a holster with a chess knight emblem, and carried a derringer under his belt.
Paladin was a former Army officer and a graduate of West Point. He was a polyglot, capable of speaking any foreign tongue required by the plot. He also had a thorough knowledge of ancient history and classical literature, and he exhibited a strong passion for legal principles and the rule of law. The show typically portrayed him as pretty much the only educated man this side of the Pecos.
Paladin charged steep fees for his services-- typically a thousand dollars a job. With this kind of money he was well-equipped; his custom-made six shooter (his main weapon) was perfectly balanced and had a rifled barrel. The large rifle strapped to his horse's saddle was rarely used, but the horse's head insignia embossed on that rifle's stock suggests that this weapon was as meticulously crafted as the six-shooter. The derringer Paladin hid under his belt saved his life countless times. Ever a man of refinement, Palladin even carried a few expensive cigars in his boot when out on adventure.
Paladin's great advantage over his adversaries was not his impressive equipment, or even his ability as a marksman (superior as this was). Paladin's edge was his rich education; he had an infallible ability to recognize ancient antecedents to his current situations. When the enemy was surrounding him, Paladin could usually make some insightful quip about General Marcellus and the siege of Syracuse, or something, and then pull a trick that put him on top. It was by virtue of this ability that Paladin rarely needed to actually shoot anybody; like a master chessman, he sought control of the board through superior position, not attrition.
The one other semi-regular character in the show was the Chinese belhop at the Carlton Hotel, cheerfully known only as Hey Boy. Even Paladin, clearly a cosmopolitan and culturally sensitive character (and a character in the hands of some clearly sensitive and sophisticated writers, at that), never bothers to learn or use Hey Boy's real name. Hey Boy was played by Kam Tong. Later episodes replaced him with the fetching Hey Girl, played by Lisa Lu. At risk of confusing the issue, it should be noted that in the 1957 episode "Hey Boy's Revenge," Lu appears playing Hey Boy's sister, Kim Li. In that episode we also learn that Hey Boy's name is Kim Chang. But Paladin still calls his friend Hey Boy anyway.
External links
- IMDb entry (http://imdb.com/title/tt0050025/combined)
- The Have Gun Will Travel TV Show (http://www.crazyabouttv.com/havegunwilltravel.html) page at Crazy About TV contains trivia, a description, a photo of Paladin, and an episodes list for the series.