When I think of Wagon Train, I think of the great guest stars that populated every show. There were dozens of "A" listers (Bette Davis, Rhonda Flemming, Ernest Borgnine, Edward G Robinson, Katherine Ross, Ronald Reagan, Joan Fontaine, Claude Rains, Peter Falk, Franchot Tone, Ellen Burstyn, Dennis Hopper, Charles Laughton, Gloria DeHaven, Joan Blondell, Peter Lorre, John Wayne, James Caan, James Coburn, Lou Costello, Cliff Robertson, William Bendix, Shelly Winters, Rod Steiger, Dean Stockwell, Jane Wyman, Barbara Stanwyck, Carolyn Jones, Leslie Nielsen, Lee Marvin, Trevor Claire and Ricardo Montalban to name a few). Bette Davis and Rhonda Flemming each appeared three times in a variety of roles.
There were great "B" listers and superb character actors (Agnes Moorehead (Endora), Cesar Romero (the Joker), Elizabeth Montgomery (Samantha), Chuck Connors (Rifleman), Ryan O'Neil (Love Story), Robert Loggia (the Soprano's), Andy Devine (Twilight Zone), Angie Dickenson (Police Woman), Wally Cox (Underdog), Richard Deacon (Dick van Dyke), Dawn Wells (Gilligan), Russell Johnson (Gilligan), Hal Smith (Andy Griffith), Francis Bavier (Andy Griffith), Betty Lynn (Andy Grifith), Jack Cassidy (He and She), Ed Begley (12 Angry Men), James Gregory (Barney Miller), Robert Culp (I Spy), Don Grady (My Three Sons), Jay Silverheels (Tonto), James Whitmore (Twilight Zone), Archie Moore (Boxing Champ), Glenn Yarbrough (Singer), Yvonne Craig (Batgirl), Allen Hale Jr. (the Skipper), Fabian (Singer), Linda Evans (Dallas), Jay North (Dennis), Kim Darby (True Grit), Barbara Bain (Mission Impossible), Martin Landau (Mission Impossible), Ann B Davis (Brady Bunch), Annette Funicello (Singer), Warren Oates (Gunsmoke), Jack Albertson (Chico and the Man), Burgess Meredith (the Penguin), Nancy Reagan (First Lady), Joe Flynn (McHale's Navy), Dan Blocker (Bonanza), Bobby Darin (Singer), Cloris Leachman (Frau Blucher) Johnny Cash (Singer) and Leonard Nimoy (Spock) to name some of the hundred great "B" list stars).
This is not to minimize the contributions of Ward Bond, Robert Horton, John McIntire, Terry Wilson, Frank McGrath, Denny Miller, Robert Fuller and Michael Burns. Most were great actors/character actors in their own right, and deserve great credit for being able to work with the wide variety of guest stars that appeared each week.
Great casts and writing make for great shows, and this was a great cast (adequate to good writing). Only very rarely did a guest star fit poorly into the storyline, and the producers and directors integrated the guest stars into the show seamlessly. For someone who prefers science fiction and suspense to westerns, this is still one of my all-time favorite shows. Wagon Train can now be seen Tuesday through Saturday on MeTV. MeTV plays two episodes on Saturday; a 1 hour b/w show early in the morning, and a 1 1/2 hour color episode later in the day.
There were great "B" listers and superb character actors (Agnes Moorehead (Endora), Cesar Romero (the Joker), Elizabeth Montgomery (Samantha), Chuck Connors (Rifleman), Ryan O'Neil (Love Story), Robert Loggia (the Soprano's), Andy Devine (Twilight Zone), Angie Dickenson (Police Woman), Wally Cox (Underdog), Richard Deacon (Dick van Dyke), Dawn Wells (Gilligan), Russell Johnson (Gilligan), Hal Smith (Andy Griffith), Francis Bavier (Andy Griffith), Betty Lynn (Andy Grifith), Jack Cassidy (He and She), Ed Begley (12 Angry Men), James Gregory (Barney Miller), Robert Culp (I Spy), Don Grady (My Three Sons), Jay Silverheels (Tonto), James Whitmore (Twilight Zone), Archie Moore (Boxing Champ), Glenn Yarbrough (Singer), Yvonne Craig (Batgirl), Allen Hale Jr. (the Skipper), Fabian (Singer), Linda Evans (Dallas), Jay North (Dennis), Kim Darby (True Grit), Barbara Bain (Mission Impossible), Martin Landau (Mission Impossible), Ann B Davis (Brady Bunch), Annette Funicello (Singer), Warren Oates (Gunsmoke), Jack Albertson (Chico and the Man), Burgess Meredith (the Penguin), Nancy Reagan (First Lady), Joe Flynn (McHale's Navy), Dan Blocker (Bonanza), Bobby Darin (Singer), Cloris Leachman (Frau Blucher) Johnny Cash (Singer) and Leonard Nimoy (Spock) to name some of the hundred great "B" list stars).
This is not to minimize the contributions of Ward Bond, Robert Horton, John McIntire, Terry Wilson, Frank McGrath, Denny Miller, Robert Fuller and Michael Burns. Most were great actors/character actors in their own right, and deserve great credit for being able to work with the wide variety of guest stars that appeared each week.
Great casts and writing make for great shows, and this was a great cast (adequate to good writing). Only very rarely did a guest star fit poorly into the storyline, and the producers and directors integrated the guest stars into the show seamlessly. For someone who prefers science fiction and suspense to westerns, this is still one of my all-time favorite shows. Wagon Train can now be seen Tuesday through Saturday on MeTV. MeTV plays two episodes on Saturday; a 1 hour b/w show early in the morning, and a 1 1/2 hour color episode later in the day.