The Road West

*The Road West*
The Road West
Genre	Western
Starring	Barry Sullivan
Opening theme	The Road West by Leonard Rosenman
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	29
Production
Executive producer	Norman Macdonnell
Running time	60 minutes
Original release
Network	NBC
Release	September 12, 1966 –; May 1, 1967

The Road West is an American Western television series that aired on NBC from September 12, 1966, to May 1, 1967.^[2]

Quick Facts Genre, Starring ...

Close

Ben Pride moves with his children Timothy, Midge, and Kip, his new wife Elizabeth, his father Tom, and his brother-in-law Chance from Ohio to Kansas during the 1860s. The show centers around the difficulties the family faces taming the land and homesteading.^[3]

Barry Sullivan as Ben Pride
Glenn Corbett as Chance Reynolds
Kathryn Hays as Elizabeth Pride
Andrew Prine as Timothy Pride
Brenda Scott as Midge Pride
Kelly Corcoran as Kip Pride
Charles Seel as Tom Pride

More information No., Title ...

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	"This Savage Land (Part 1)"	Vincent McEveety	Unknown	September 12, 1966 (1966-09-12)
2	"This Savage Land (Part 2)"	Vincent McEveety	Unknown	September 19, 1966 (1966-09-19)
3	"The Gunfighter"	Charles S. Dubin	Unknown	September 26, 1966 (1966-09-26)
4	"The Lean Years"	Unknown	Unknown	October 3, 1966 (1966-10-03)
After killing a man in self-defense, Corbett becomes hunted and flees to the family home. Guest stars: Elva Miller^[4]
5	"This Dry and Thirsty Land"	Bernard McEveety	Unknown	October 10, 1966 (1966-10-10)
6	"Long Journey to Leavenworth"	Unknown	Unknown	October 17, 1966 (1966-10-17)
Ben and his son agree to deliver an outlaw to prison for a fee. Guest stars: Geoffrey Horne, Robert F. Simon, John Pickard, Hal Baylor^[5]
7	"Ashes and Tallow and One True Love"	Unknown	Unknown	October 24, 1966 (1966-10-24)
8	"Piece of Tin"	Robert Totten	Unknown	October 31, 1966 (1966-10-31)
9	"Lone Woman"	Unknown	Unknown	November 7, 1966 (1966-11-07)
10	"Shaman"	Unknown	Unknown	November 14, 1966 (1966-11-14)
11	"To Light a Candle"	Paul Stanley	Unknown	November 28, 1966 (1966-11-28)
12	"Pariah"	Paul Stanley	Unknown	December 5, 1966 (1966-12-05)
13	"Have You Seen the Aurora Borealis?"	Unknown	Unknown	December 12, 1966 (1966-12-12)
14	"Power of Fear"	Unknown	Unknown	December 26, 1966 (1966-12-26)
15	"Reap the Whirlwind"	Unknown	Unknown	January 9, 1967 (1967-01-09)
16	"Beyond the Hill"	Unknown	Unknown	January 16, 1967 (1967-01-16)
17	"The Predators"	Harry Harris	Unknown	January 23, 1967 (1967-01-23)
18	"A Mighty Hunter Before the Lord"	Unknown	Unknown	January 30, 1967 (1967-01-30)
19	"No Sanctuary"	Unknown	Unknown	February 6, 1967 (1967-02-06)
20	"The Insider"	Unknown	Unknown	February 13, 1967 (1967-02-13)
21	"Road to Glory"	Unknown	Unknown	February 20, 1967 (1967-02-20)
22	"Fair Ladies of France"	Unknown	Unknown	February 27, 1967 (1967-02-27)
23	"Never Chase a Rainbow"	Unknown	Unknown	March 6, 1967 (1967-03-06)
24	"Eleven Miles to Eden"	Paul Henreid	Unknown	March 13, 1967 (1967-03-13)
25^[6]	"Charade of Justice"	Unknown	Unknown	March 27, 1967 (1967-03-27)
Ben regrets having a horse-thieving teenager arrested after a judge sentences him to hang. Guest stars: Tom Tryon as Sheriff Tom Platt, Kurt Russell as teenager Jay Baker and Jay C. Flippen as Judge Platt
26	"The Eighty-Seven Dollar Bride"	Paul Henreid	Unknown	April 3, 1967 (1967-04-03)
27^[7]	"A War for the Gravediggers"	Unknown	Unknown	April 10, 1967 (1967-04-10)
During a trip to buy cattle, Ben and Tim get involved in a political revolution in a small Mexican town. Guest stars: Michael Ansara as Serafin and Joe De Santis as Octaviano
28^[8]	"The Agreement"	Charles S. Dubin	Eric Stone and Dean Reisner	April 24, 1967 (1967-04-24)
After killing a woman's son who tried to commit a robbery, Chance faces the consequences from the boy's mother. Guest stars: James Gammon as Deputy Bramley, Virginia Gregg as Lavinia Bishop and Barbara Werle as Laura
29^[9]	"Elizabeth's Odyssey"	Anton Leader	Kathleen Hite	May 1, 1967 (1967-05-01)
Elizabeth and Chance come close to losing faith in humanity during a mercy errand, as they embark on a two day journal to Grimmer's farm. Guest stars: Albert Salmi as Hawes Leggett, Kay Kuter and Svea Grunfeld as Nester and his wife

Close

Executive producer Macdonnell regarded the show's storyline as being identifiable to the viewing audience, with an essential family unit comprising family members "bound to the other by either a true familiar relationship or by an intangible camaraderie". A core idea of the show was to present a realistic portrayal of the real struggles faced by settlers who traveled 'The Road West', with extreme temperatures in each of the summer and winter seasons.^[3]

The show's lead actor, Barry Sullivan, was marking his fourth series and described the show as being "a piece of pioneer literature".^[3] He had previously expressed that he would never star in a weekly television series again, although he warmed to the show when he began working closely with the cast and crew.^[10] Having spent long periods of time driving an old wagon for the show, Sullivan decided to take lessons and spent seven consecutive Saturdays in Antelope Valley, California perfecting the driving technique.^[11]

Production moved away from Kansas in 1967, with it reported that the shift in location was always the plan, although happened sooner than anticipated due to the show's future being at risk. Ratings struggled against other shows including Family Affair and The Felony Squad, while Seel's character Tom Pride was killed off to reduce costs.^[12]

Filming

Sullivan said in an interview that scripts for the show would be provided several weeks in advance, which allowed time to absorb the scripts in order to perfect their lines and character portrayals.^[10]

The show was highly anticipated by The Atlanta Constitution writer Paul Jones, who predicted that the show would "be the most successful new show of the television season", based on his opinion that there had not been a western show flop for considerable time and of his high rating for producer Norman Macdonnell.^[13]

[1]
Terrace, Vincent (2013). Television Introductions: Narrated TV Program Openings Since 1949. Scarecrow Press. p. 147. ISBN 9780810892507.
[2]
The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present. Ballantine Books. 2003. p. 100.
[3]
"NBC's The Road West offers family-unit adventure". Green Bay Press-Gazette. February 26, 1967. p. 100.
[4]
"Elva Miller Appears In Road West Episode". Anderson Herald. May 27, 1967. p. 24.
[5]
"Monday October 17 Evening". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 16, 1966. p. 586 – via Newspapers.com.
[6]
"Tom Tryon Has Guest Star Role In 'Road West'". Hartford Courant. March 26, 1967. p. 128.
[7]
"Mexican Revolt Provides Action Of 'Road West'". Hartford Courant. April 9, 1967. p. 168.
[8]
"Mother Tries To Defy Town On 'Road West'". Hartford Courant. April 23, 1967. p. 158.
[9]
"Mercy Errand is Described on 'Road West'". Hartford Courant. April 30, 1967. p. 154.
[10]
"Was Through with TV - He Changed His Mind". Sioux City Journal. December 4, 1966. p. 42.
[11]
"Sullivan Learns To Drive A Wagon". Biddeford Saco Journal. March 25, 1967. p. 10.
[12]
"Pride family feels threat of 'ace' Nielson's men". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. January 28, 1967. p. 19.
[13]
"No Tired Gun in Road West, A Sure Winner Coming Up". The Atlanta Constitution. August 2, 1966. p. 8.

Barry's Approach: Soft and Simple, The Akron Beacon Journal, September 4, 1966, page 66
A New Program in Gunsmoke's Mould, The Buffalo News, July 30, 1966, page 51
Traffic jam on the road west, Detroit Free Press, August 28, 1966, page 62

The Road West at IMDb

[1] [1]
Terrace, Vincent (2013). Television Introductions: Narrated TV Program Openings Since 1949. Scarecrow Press. p. 147. ISBN 9780810892507.

[2] [2]
The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present. Ballantine Books. 2003. p. 100.

[gbpg_26feb67-3] [3]
"NBC's The Road West offers family-unit adventure". Green Bay Press-Gazette. February 26, 1967. p. 100.

[4] [4]
"Elva Miller Appears In Road West Episode". Anderson Herald. May 27, 1967. p. 24.

[lat101666-5] [5]
"Monday October 17 Evening". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 16, 1966. p. 586 – via Newspapers.com.

[6] [6]
"Tom Tryon Has Guest Star Role In 'Road West'". Hartford Courant. March 26, 1967. p. 128.

[7] [7]
"Mexican Revolt Provides Action Of 'Road West'". Hartford Courant. April 9, 1967. p. 168.

[ep28-8] [8]
"Mother Tries To Defy Town On 'Road West'". Hartford Courant. April 23, 1967. p. 158.

[9] [9]
"Mercy Errand is Described on 'Road West'". Hartford Courant. April 30, 1967. p. 154.

[scj_4dec66-10] [10]
"Was Through with TV - He Changed His Mind". Sioux City Journal. December 4, 1966. p. 42.

[11] [11]
"Sullivan Learns To Drive A Wagon". Biddeford Saco Journal. March 25, 1967. p. 10.

[12] [12]
"Pride family feels threat of 'ace' Nielson's men". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. January 28, 1967. p. 19.

[13] [13]
"No Tired Gun in Road West, A Sure Winner Coming Up". The Atlanta Constitution. August 2, 1966. p. 8.

[2]

[1]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

The Road West

Filming

Wikiwand in your browser!

Overview

Cast

Episodes

Production

Reception

References

Further reading

External links