There used to be a fair amount of gunplay in old television shows. Heavy censorship meant that even married TV couples had to sleep in separate beds, but they could shoot at each other with reckless abandon, if the spirit moved them.
The question of the day was weapon choices for many old TV shows. The principal scenario was the Old West with a weekly firefight to keep things interesting for viewers. Some programs were based upon WW11 themes, but the recipe was the same: Somebody was going to get ventilated during the show.
The early TV programs were still subject to stricter violent image restrictions, so a graphic depiction of the real physical damage caused by firearms was prohibited. Most of us believed that a gunshot wound was little more than a scratch by 60s TV standards.
Anyhow, there were many examples of firepower available to TV viewers in the early days of television, so we would like to showcase five of TV’s most famous weapons.
One of the most interesting weapons was The Rifleman’s modified Winchester Model 1892 rifle. The lever action rifle provided a rapid-fire custom trigger release that allowed Lucas McCain an opportunity to shoot very fast and ask questions later. It also meant that the opening sequence to the program was a very intense moment as the rangy hero moved forward behind a spray of bullets.
Another modified Winchester rifle was owned by Josh Randall in the western series Wanted Dead or Alive. The king of ultra-cool Steve McQueen played the lead role in this program and he had a flair for the part.
He wore a leg holster to carry the shortened Winchester and he was able to draw the weapon as quickly as any fast gun with a pistol. And he looked cool doing it. He even wore larger calibre 44-70 bullets on his gun-belt, even though his rifle had smaller calibre 44-40 bullets.
One of the most interesting characters from televisions’ past was Paladin from Have Gun Will Travel. Paladin was a master of many weapons, but his primary weapon was an old favorite from the western; a Colt 45 handgun. The opening sequence had Paladin in an action pose that ended with the viewer staring down the barrel of his gun. It was a very impressive introduction to the show.
Paladin also carried a saddle-holstered Winchester lever-action rifle on his horse, and he was an expert marksman with the trusty weapon. A third Paladin choice was a derringer small bore handgun that added an element of concealed lethal surprise to his arsenal. This guy was a serious danger to any bad guy in his way.
A famous lawman from TVs past was Marshal Matt Dillon from Gunsmoke. Matt was a big man who could settle disputes with his fists or his Model 1873 Colt 45 single action handgun. The actual TV prop was a real Colt manufactured in 1895, so Matt was essentially period correct. The opening sequence was originally a showdown in the streets of Dodge where some idiot tests Matt’s draw. It was a very bad plan.
The final TV show for discussion is The Rat Patrol. Nothing says impressive like a Thompson 45 caliber machine gun mounted on a vintage Jeep. The show was all about WW11 desert action and the sight of a Jeep getting air time while a gunner blazed away at enemy forces was mighty impressive for young viewers.
All in all, it was a bygone (if not politically correct) TV era where the weapons were also television stars.
More of Jim Sutherland at mystarcollectorcar.com