Wagon Train

Wagon Train was a TV series that aired eight seasons and became number one in the Nielsen ratings.  It is the fictional adventure story of a large westbound wagon train making its way through the American Old West, from Missouri to California. 

The series was inspired by the 1950 film Wagon Master and the 1930 film The Big Trail, both featuring Ward Bond.  It also influenced the development of Star Trek, pitched as "Wagon Train to the stars" and launched in 1966.

Unlike the other westerns I’ve written about, the episodes revolve around the stories of guest characters portraying members of the massive wagon train or encountered by it.  Many starring roles were played by already famous actors such as Ernest Borgnine, Bette Davis, Jane Wyman, Ronald Reagan, Leonard Nimoy (better known as Spock), Lee Marvin, and Joseph Cotten. Episode titles routinely emphasize the guest characters, such as "The Willy Moran Story" and "The Echo Pass Story."

There were plenty of shootings in Wagon Train, but not as many as in the foregoing series, and I’ve been unable to produce a body count without watching each episode.  I’m guessing though that the body count of Indians exceeds the count of Whites. Indian lives didn’t matter unless it was a “magical Indian” who somehow helped the train get through his tribe’s territory.

 Next time, a conclusion to my miniseries on TV Westerns!