Wandering the West...with Cattle

[MarkBC]

No, this isn't a diatribe against grazing on public lands...not this time, anyway.
It's an appreciation of a semi-fable/fantasy story presented on 1950/60s TV.

I've watched a few episodes of the old TV western "Rawhide", as the Encore Westerns Channel has recently begun airing these 50-year-old reruns. I think I like the theme song (played at the opening and ending credits) as much/more than the show itself. Both verses are included in this YouTube clip:

Rawhide Theme Song

"...Don't try to understand 'em -- just rope, throw, and brand 'em..."
Man, that's poetry!

I'm old enough that I remember watching this show in the early '60s...man I'm old.

 

[highz]

Whenever I hear that song, I think of this

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=RdR6MN2jKYs

But, I do like some of the songs Frankie Laine sang for TV and movie westerns back in the day. I remember those days, too...

 

[ski3pin]

We were just singing this song the other day but could only remember the second verse. They just don't make TV shows like they just to. And now if we want to watch them we have to sit through a bunch of viagra, cialis, and lipator commercials. Mark, thanks for the walk down memory lane.

 

[simimike]

Moo. I don't remember that. I'm either to young or to old, I can't remember which.

Mike

 

[MarkBC]

We were just singing this song the other day but could only remember the second verse. They just don't make TV shows like they just to. And now if we want to watch them we have to sit through a bunch of viagra, cialis, and lipator commercials. Mark, thanks for the walk down memory lane.

Glad I could help!

The secret to tolerating -- and sometimes even enjoying -- commercial TV is to watch it post-broadcast via a DVR (aka "TiVo", or similar by different brand) so that commercials can be skipped through. I hardly ever watch commercial-laden channels "live" anymore.
Of course, there's very little worth watching anyway...even with >100 channels.

 

[ski3pin]

<snip>
Of course, there's very little worth watching anyway...even with >100 channels.

Isn't that true! We've decided that we are not adding more technology (i.e. DVR) and are just going to turn the thing off and go camping.

This is our answer if we need a golden oldie moment.

Rawhide

 

[Smokecreek1]

Isn't that true! We've decided that we are not adding more technology (i.e. DVR) and are just going to turn the thing off and go camping.

This is our answer if we need a golden oldie moment.

Rawhide


Clint Eastwood had to start somewhere! We had a dude ranch over here near Ravendale that as a part their package took the "dudes" on a trail drive! But times how have they changed- they had to drive them and overnight them on BLM land, so we helped them design the route and made them do an short EIS so they did not screw the environment and crap in the wrong place-made 'em bring environmentally sound hey along -no cheat grass/MDhead in it and stay in areas that were already screwed up! But we provided some staff to point out things to see along the route and to tell stories at night around the campfire! One time, the trail bass got lost out there, and BLM got to be " Trail Boss". After that, we started to show 'em the route first before the"Dudes" and cows started the drive! Don't know if they still are keeping up that tradition these days, but it was sort of fun!

Smoke

 

[MarkBC]

This is our answer if we need a golden oldie moment.
Rawhide

Yeah, I know people who have dropped cable TV service (though retaining cable Internet) and only use their TV for watching DVDs or streaming movies/shows.

The thing about how Rawhide is presented now -- like on that DVD cover from Netflix below, shows Eastwood as the featured star -- but he wasn't. Eric Fleming (as trail boss Gil Favor) topped the billing and the storyline.

I guess this revisionist view of TV history is called "marketing"

, based on Eastwood's later greater fame.

But I do agree with Netflix' characterization of the theme song!
(maybe followed by the theme songs of "Gilligan's Island" and "The Brady Bunch"...

)

 

[MarkBC]

OK, another great TV western theme song, an instrumental -- no lyrics:

The Virginian, Opening credits -- The Virginian, Ending credits
Really stirring, I think. Set in a minor key, which is perfect for the high prairie of Wyoming... French horns...with flutes and strings doing wild scales in the background...

(composed by Percy Faith)

 

[MarkBC]

OK, just one more great TV-western theme song. It only lasted one season, but I remember watching it:

Cimarron Strip

Maybe I spend too much time watching the Encore Westerns channel...

Maybe you WTW muscicians out there (you know who you are) could work up versions of these 3 western themes suitable for portable instruments around the campfire for a future Rally.

 

[ntsqd]

OK, just one more great TV-western theme song. It only lasted one season, but I remember watching it:

Cimarron Strip

Maybe I spend too much time watching the Encore Westerns channel...

Maybe you WTW muscicians out there (you know who you are) could work up versions of these 3 western themes for acoustic instruments around the campfire for a future Rally.

Not a surprise at all that the Cimarron Strip intro was shot in the Alabamas.