When it first aired on ABC in the fall of 1955, the western series
Cheyenne was not seen on a weekly basis, but instead in rotation with two other series based on prior Warner Bros. theatrical features:
Casablanca, starring
Charles McGraw in the
Humphrey Bogart role; and King's Row, with
Jack Kelly and
Robert Horton in the parts originated by
Robert Cummings and
Ronald Reagan. All three series were part of a quasi-anthology titled Warner Bros. Presents, represented the studio's first foray into TV production. As seen on TV,
Cheyenne bears little resemblance to the 1947 film on which it was purportedly bases. The title character, played by
Clint Walker, is Cheyenne Bodie, a taciturn frontier jack-of-all-trades who spent much of his childhood living with a Native American tribe. With this background, Cheyenne has little trouble finding work as an Indian interpreter, trail guide, ranch hand and trapper in the years following the Civil War. Also, thanks to his impressive physique and towering height (between 6'5" and 6'8", according to various studio press releases), Cheyenne is a handy man to have around whenever a bad guy has to be beaten up or a pretty gal has to be rescued. This is a far cry from the protagonist played by
Dennis Morgan in the 1947
Cheyenne movie, who was a professional gambler who tended to cagily play both sides down the middle until ultimately choosing to champion the "right" side. The first season's worth of
Cheyenne episodes run 45 minutes each, rather than 60; this was done to accommodate the weekly 10-minute "plug" for upcoming Warners feature films that originally concluded each telecast of Warner Bros. Presents (the most famous of these plugs was of course the one in which
James Dean appeared to promote his upcoming feature
Giant--and, ironically, to advise his fellow hot-rod enthusiasts to drive safely!) Beginning with "Mountain Fortress", the initial 15
Cheyennes find the leading character going on a map-making expedition with his pal Smitty (L.Q. Jones, who appeared this season on a semi-regular basis), protecting stagecoach and train passengers from outlaws and Indians, rescuing a family of Mexican aristocrats from marauding bandidos, and sinking up to his neck in quicksand in a test of courage with a Comanche chief. The most fascinating of the early
Cheyenne installments is "West of the River", which is nothing more nor less than a remake (with ample doses of stock footage) of the classic 3-D western movie
Charge at Feather River (1953). Guest stars appearing in the "first 15" include
Rod Taylor,
more]