Romance Wagon Train, Wagon Master Dies, She Takes Care of Her Family

Incredibly successful Western series about a group of pioneers heading out west after The American Civil War. The show lasted for 8 seasons (1957-62 on NBC, 1962-65 on ABC), thanks in part to the broad range of storylines that its Walking the Earth format provided. These days, however, information technology'due south more well-known for being the showtime 2 of those v famous words Factor Roddenberry used to pitch Star Trek: The Original Series.

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Provides Examples Of:

• Absentee Actor: A lot of episodes focused either on Major Adams (or, subsequently, Chris Unhurt) managing the various issues of the train or on Flint, out scouting and dealing with situations that had little to do with the train. This often led to ane or the other histrion being entirely absent from the story.
• Actor Existence Failure: Series star Ward Bond unexpectedly died of a centre attack in 1961, necessitating a change to John McIntyre as the new lead. Interestingly, no episode actually deals with Maj. Adams' (Bond's character) leaving/retiring/dying, so the adjacent episode is McIntyre's character taking over from a tyrannical replacement played by Lee Marvin.

• The Alcoholic: The title character of the very first episode, "The Willy Moran Story," is an old Ground forces buddy of Adams's who has been a drunk for a long time. Adams warns him non to drink on the train, merely it's hard for him to stop.
• All Animals Are Dogs: Caesar Augustus, a lion endemic past the championship character of "The Shadrack Bennington Story," plays fetch.
• As the Adept Book Says...: The title grapheme in "The Sam Garland Story" says, "'Wherever you go, I shall be with yous.' That's what the Good Book says, Mr. Hale."
• Bandito: Dan Romero in "The Luke O'Malley Story", an outlaw who threatens to kill the championship character, forcing him to flee in disguise.
• The Beastmaster: The title character of "The Ruth Marshall Story" has iv wolves that follow her everywhere and protect her.
• Beauty Is Never Tarnished: In "The Kitty Angel Story," the championship character (played by Anne Baxter) takes cares of an orphaned Native infant who turns out to have smallpox. She catches it, as well, and though both recover, it is revealed at the finish of the episode that her face up has been badly pockmarked by the disease.
• Belligerent Sexual Tension: Adams and the championship graphic symbol of "The C.L. Harding Story." He had given permission for a reporter to accompany the wagon train, simply was astonished when information technology turned out to be a woman. He reluctantly allows her to come up anyhow, but and so she gets the wives on the train to participate in a suffragette move. She and Adams spend the whole episode arguing, though it's clear to Charlie and C.50.'s assistant, Arletta, that they secretly care for each other. At the end of the episode, they argue even more, but then buss before going their separate ways.
• Berserk Push: Bruto in "The Alexander Portlass Story" hates being chosen a "brute" because of the word's association with Brutus. Brutus opposed Caesar just as Bruto spoke out against Emperor Maximilian of Mexico, for which his tongue was cutting out. Calling him "brute" reminds him of that.
• Bloodshot Ending: "The Sakae Ito Story." Ito loses his master's ashes and commits seppuku, only he unexpectedly earns the respect of the Comanche chief Sharp Knife, who declines to farther harass the railroad vehicle train and lets Adams, Charlie, and Nib go unharmed.
• Bodyguard Expose: In "The Countess Baranof Story," when the Countess decides she doesn't care about the country in Alaska she may have a claim to, Colonel Vasily tells her she'll claim it whether she wants to or not, considering he's a revolutionary and his side needs the money that tin can be gotten for the land.
• Bodyguard Trounce: In "The Countess Baranof Story," the Countess's bodyguard, Colonel Vasily, reveals he is in love with her.
• Brave Scot: Angus MacGregor in "The Annie MacGregor" story proves to exist this when he and other members of his carriage come up marching through a field, armed only with bagpipes and bayonets, and scare off an army of Indians.
• The Bus Came Back: Willy Moran from the get-go episode returns in the season 2 premiere, "Around the Horn".
• The Cameo: An onetime college football buddy of Ward Bond'due south showed upwards in "The Colter Craven Story": John Wayne. (The episode was directed by John Ford. The three of them went back decades.)
• Cat Fight: The title character of "The Kitty Angel Story" gets into a fight with a female Jerkass, and none of the men brand any effort to stop it. Charlie later excitedly tells Major Adams that the two women got into a "cat fight."
• The Cavalry: Shows up in "The Luke Grant Story" just as an Apache war political party is virtually to attack.
• The Primary'south Daughter: In "The Charles Avery Story," some soldiers are escorting a chief's daughter named Mokai (played past Oscar-nominee Susan Kohner) dorsum to her people with a peace treaty signed by the President. When they come nether assault and their mission is threatened, Flint agrees to aid them.
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: After Ward Bond died, Major Adams completely vanished from the story with no explanation.
• Comedic Spanking:
  • Flint does this to the championship character of "The Maggie Hamilton Story" afterwards he'due south had enough of her immaturity. (She was played by Susan Oliver, who was 27 or 28 at the time.)
  • Teenager (and teen centre throb) Barnaby West is threatened with information technology several times, and he ends upwardly across someone'due south genu on more than one episode equally a sort of lite-hearted Fanservice
• Continuity Snarl: In "The Captain Dan Brady Story" it'south stated that Red Deject was killed by the title character some years before. He then appears in the later episode "The Sam Darland Story." (He actually died peacefully at the historic period of 87 in 1909.)
• Cordon Bleugh Chef: Charlie. Everyone complains about Charlie's cooking (particularly Pecker), although he seems borderline competent and occasionally skillful. I of his major problems seem to be adding less-than-popular ingredients to his stews, like gopher or even buzzard. One episode had him brand birds nest soup out of an actual bird's nest.
• Cute Mute: The title character of "The Ruth Marshall Story" is a pretty young adult female (played by Luana Patten) who never speaks. Flint admits he'due south not sure if she can't speak at all, or can speak only chooses non to.
• A Day in the Limelight:
  • "The Jonas Murdock Story" is one for Neb Hawks (before he'due south promoted to the main cast when Ward Bond died). Murdock, one of the wagon trainers, violates a Native chief's order not to chase on his state. Adams confronts him about it and is accidentally seriously wounded. Murdock runs, forcing Charlie Wooster to take charge of the wagon railroad train while Bill goes later Murdock.
  • "A Homo Chosen Horse" is a rather extreme case in that the title character is only in that episode. He shows up, tells Major Adams the story of his life (adapted from a curt story past Dorothy M. Johnson, which was likewise made into a film starring Richard Harris in 1970), which has nothing to do with the carriage train, and then leaves.
• Death by Despair: About played straight in "The Shadrack Bennington Story", where a young boy who's existence taken to family along the route is so enamored with the eponymous graphic symbol that when Shadrack leaves the railroad train to go along on his business, the kid takes "ill" and nearly dies until Shadrack agrees to allow him come along with him as an adoptive son.
• Defrosting Ice Queen: Elizabeth (a very young Nurse Ratched, Louise Fletcher) in "The Tom Tuckett Story." She starts out telling Tom that she'll never love anyone (her aunt having taught her not to), but by the terminate she returns his love.
• Desert Skull: appears in the illustrated opening and closing credits shown seasons one through half dozen.
• Domestic Abuse: The title character of "The Emily Rossiter Story" (played past Oscar-winner Mercedes McCambridge) is married to an calumniating human being.
• Early on Installment Weirdness: Early on, Bill Hawks seemed to be but travelling with the train, not employed by Adams (and too seemed to be a bit of a Rabble Rouser).
• Even Evil Has Standards: In "The Mary Halstead Story," Tracey, leader of a gang of bandits, becomes obsessed with vengeance on Tommy Nichols for killing Earl, the previous leader of the gang. But when he finds him, Earl's mother, Mary Halstead, defends Tommy, proverb her son would listen to her and spare him. Tracey figures Earl would desire him to listen to Mary, so he does, and even guns downwards one of his own men who wanted to kill Tommy and Mary.
• Evil Stole My Faith: The championship grapheme of "The Luke Grant Story" was a preacher whose wife left him for another human, and then his congregation deserted him. After that, all he could meet were bad people who professed to faith, and so he turned away from God.
• False Ultimate Hero: In "The Captain Dan Brady Story," the title grapheme is a hero of the West and travels around with a "Wild W" prove. His main merits to fame was defeating the Sioux chief Red Deject in single combat. Only information technology's ultimately revealed that he's non that capable; he gives bad, outdated advice to several of the wagon trainers, and fifty-fifty his corking victory over Carmine Cloud wasn't as impressive as he makes it out to exist. He's not a bad guy, really, he just got caught up in the fame and fortune and doesn't even remember himself how much truth at that place is in some of his stories.
• The Glasses Gotta Go: A male example in "The Steele Family." Charity isn't particularly interested in the bookish Jeremiah until Adams gives him a quick "makeover," making him have off his jacket and necktie, mussing his hair, and leaving his glasses behind.
• A Handful for an Eye: In "The Estaban Zamora Story," the championship graphic symbol does this to a bandit leader so he and Flint can escape (right afterward telling the brigand that people in his country do this).
• Identical Stranger: In "The Frank Carter Story," Knuckles Shannon (a scout for the train) comes to a town where he learns he looks only like a former resident, Jason Carter. Just one man, a local attorney, knows Jason is dead, and he convinces Duke to pretend to be him in lodge to aid Carter's mother.

• It's Not Porn, It's Art: In "The John Augustus Story," the title graphic symbol's "indecent" relationship with a immature Chinese adult female is brought nether further suspicion based on various paintings and statues he has in his carriage. Nosotros never get a look at them, just it's heavily implied that they fall nether this trope.
• Karma Houdini: In "The Zeke Thomas Story," the title grapheme finds out that his offset married woman never died and his second wife, with whom he wants to spend the rest of his life, is meaning. He refuses to let his child be born a bastard (if his second marriage wasn't legal) and resolves to kill his beginning wife if she won't give him a divorce. He doesn't fifty-fifty care if he's hanged or sent to prison for it. She won't grant the divorce, not wanting to requite him up for good, but someone else conveniently kills her commencement. At episode's finish he and his second wife happily ride on with the wagon train, and the fact that he had resolved to murder a woman and, every bit far as we tin can tell, would have done it if Flintstone hadn't interfered carries no consequences.
• Lady Macbeth: In "The Captain Dan Brady Story," John Grey Cloud functions as a not-married variant. He and the title character are Heterosexual Life-Partners; Brady had killed John'due south father, the Sioux principal Red Cloud, and took care of him after that. John is constantly egging Brady on, encouraging him to commit underhanded deeds and stoking his ego. Information technology'southward actually a malevolent programme of John's. He knows Brady wasn't the corking hero everyone thinks he is, and is well past his prime. He wants Brady to brand a fool of himself because he hates Brady (and all white people, really).
• Luke, I Am Your Father: In "The Tracy Sadler Story", the championship grapheme has come up to the wagon railroad train looking for her twelve-yr-erstwhile son. Neither of them knows the other because she has been in jail for killing her husband, his father, his whole life, and he was raised past his paternal grandfather (who he thinks is his father).
• Maligned Mixed Wedlock: In "The John Augustus Story", the title character wins a young Chinese woman, Mayleen, in a poker game shortly before joining the railroad train. He doesn't meet whatsoever reason they can't travel together, merely many on the train are offended by the relationship, and it's eventually clear they won't find whatever peace unless they leave.
• The Matchmaker: Adams is forced into this role in "The Steele Family," when 4 cute sisters cause chaos among the men in the carriage train. Getting the girls married seems to be the only mode to calm everyone down.
• My Beloved Smother: In "The Steele Family", Jeremiah is definitely interested in Charity, simply he has a hard enough time getting her interested in him, and his mother'due south opposition to the match only makes things worse.
• My Greatest Failure: The title graphic symbol of "The Colter Chicken Story" (directed by John Ford) is a doctor and so haunted past his failure to save more men during the Civil War that he tin no longer perform surgery.
  • Major Adams helps him see past this with a story about a chronic failure who ends up revealed as Ulysses Southward. Grant
  • The title grapheme of "The John Darro" is a family man and Civil War veteran has guilt over deserting an attack.
• Narrative Profanity Filter: In "The Albert Farnsworth Story". the title character, feuding with an Irish gaelic family who is too travelling in the carriage train, chases abroad the family unit's daughter, then sends his orderly over to them, who says, "Colonel Farnsworth presents his compliments, sir, and requests you keep that muddied-nosed little Irish monster of yours in a suitable cage... I took the liberty of toning down the language."
• Neutral Female person: Mokai for almost of "The Charles Avery Story", until she helps out in a fight against Running Equus caballus and some of his beau braves.
• Noble Bigot: The title grapheme of "The Albert Farnsworth Story" is incredibly arrogant and racist towards only about anybody, including Irish gaelic and Native Americans, whom he calls "monkeys" to their faces. But he's also a military machine doctor who treats people who demand him, and obviously deeply cares nigh his orderly, Jeremy.
• Cypher Is Scarier: "The Prairie Story" shows what this sort of thing does to people on the prairie betwixt the E and West coasts of America, driving multiple women mad or nearly mad with fright and paranoia and loneliness.
• Obfuscating Stupidity: Miller, a sentinel Adams hires in "The Cathy Eckhart Story," turns out to be an undependable drunk, and comes under suspicion of murdering the title character and possibly even betraying the train to Kiowa natives. He's actually an Army Captain on a hole-and-corner mission to expose the traitor.
• Oops! I Forgot I Was Married: In "The Zeke Thomas Story", the championship grapheme and his new married woman, Maggie, are travelling westward with the train when Zeke encounters his kickoff wife, Violet. He had thought she was expressionless, and spent some time trying to observe out for sure, but admits to Maggie that once he cruel in love with her he just stopped caring whether he always found out what happened to Violet.
• Paranormal Episode: "Little Daughter Lost". Eight year old Robin Mercy Rossiter was a fellow member of the Donner Party, and passed away on Christmas eve over xx years previous. She is heard sobbing over several nights. Charlie Wooster and Barney West see her; Charlie tries to find a way to brand her realize she has passed abroad so she can join her mother in heaven. Counts equally a Tearjerker, only has a truly crowning moment of heartwarming at the end.
• Passed-Over Inheritance: In "The Naomi Kaylor Story," Bill Hawks comes to the ranch of John Kaylor to purchase some horses, only to discover that he has just died, leaving backside his widow, Naomi (Joan Fontaine), and daughter from his get-go marriage, Grace (Natalie Trundy). Naomi clearly does not mourn John, is carrying on with the ranch foreman, and expects to get the bulk of the estate (with a scrap set aside for Grace's dowry). When the will is discovered, information technology turns out Grace gets everything except for a stipend for Naomi — thirty silver dollars a month. (It seems John was well enlightened of his wife's adultery.)
• Press-Ganged: In "Around the Horn" (a rare non-"So-and-Then'due south Story" episode), Adams, Charlie, and Beak are in San Francisco, intending to requite up the railroad vehicle train business organisation and looking forward to sailing to Boston. Then they get shanghaied and forced to serve on a send sailing to New Orleans.
• Cherry-red Businesswoman: Earl "Laramie Kid" Halstead in "The Mary Halstead Story."
• Saw a Woman in Half: The championship character of "The Shadrack Bennington Story", in addition to being a Snake Oil Salesman, is also a Stage Wizard, and performs this pull a fast one on.
• Seppuku: In "The Sakae Ito Story", the title character is trying to get dorsum to Nihon to report the death of the prince to whom he was assigned as bodyguard. He tells Adams that he will commit suicide when he gets there in accordance with Japanese custom, much to Adams's cliffhanger. When the urn carrying the prince's ashes is stolen and later on destroyed, Ito, feeling that he has failed completely, goes ahead with the seppuku there in the American wilderness.
• Sibling Murder:
  • In "The John Cameron Story", three outlaw brothers spend a night with the railroad train, and the next morning a dissatisfied wife rides off with them. Her husband (the championship character) and Flint become after them, and by the time they catch upwardly, the brothers are killing each other over her.
  • At the start of "The Estaban Zamora Story", Flint comes across a dying man. We find out he was killed by his brother, Bernabe (Leonard Nimoy), simply a third brother urges Bernabe not to tell their male parent, Estaban (Ernest Borgnine), considering he will feel honor-bound to exact revenge.
• Sinister Minister: The preacher (played past Martin Landau) in "The Cathy Eckhart Story" murders the title character and betrays the train to hostile Natives.
• Ophidian Oil Salesman:
  • The title grapheme of "The Shadrack Bennington Story" sells "Dr. Bennington's Beneficent Balm," which supposedly cures the bends, dystrepsia, gout, and other ailments.
  • Jethro Creech, the villain of "The Baylor Crowfoot Story", spends about of the episode talking almost his personal philosophy of force (which amounts to bullying everyone around him and calling anyone who won't stand up for himself a coward). Then he calls a large meeting of everyone in the train and expounds on his views, before taking out a bottle of his "special tonic." He says this is a key component in achieving the force (and thus, success in life) he himself has, and can also cure "arthritis, rheumatism, headache, and consumption!" It seems that just about anybody who hadn't already dismissed his arguments realizes at this signal that he's zip more than a self-aggrandizing fraud.
• Spoiled Brat: The title character of "The Maggie Hamilton Story", who runs away from the carriage train and throws tantrums constantly.
• Starts with Their Funeral: "The Lita Foladaire Story" starts with the decease of the title grapheme, the wife of an old regular army friend of Adams. His investigation leads to numerous flashbacks to her life, after which he feels he knew her very well.
• Syndication Title: Major Adams, Trailmaster (Bond episodes); Trailmaster (post-Bond episodes).
• Terrifying Pet Store Rat: Flint describes the "wolves" in "The Ruth Marshall Story" as "the biggest wolves you ever saw," but they're actually just (non peculiarly big) huskies and German shepherds.
• Tomboy: Judy Rossiter in "The Emily Rossiter Story" wears pants and is a pretty good shot with a rifle. She'southward a flake of an Activeness Girl, too, and shoots 1 of the bad guys dead in the climax.
• Traumatic C-Section: A pregnant adult female in "The Colter Craven Story" needs one, simply the championship graphic symbol has lost his nerve for surgery.
• Villainous Rescue: In "The Sakae Ito Story", some thugs steal the possessions of the title grapheme because they're sure they volition be valuable. This includes the ashes of Ito's principal, so he sets off in pursuit. When he catches up to them, things look bad, considering he only has his katana and is facing four men with pistols. And so an arrow thuds into one thug'southward chest, and they are all surrounded by the Comanche that had been shadowing the wagon train the whole episode. The Comanche chief, Sharp Knife, is intrigued by the foreign Japanese man, then he orders the remaining thugs disarmed and gives them all tomahawks. Ito quickly dispatches the men, but they had already destroyed the urn with the ashes, so he kills himself later.
• Yamato Nadeshiko: "The John Augustus Story" has a Chinese adult female, Mayleen, who is an excellent melt and submissive, only is also very caring and loyal. She is really referred to, non-derisively, every bit a "Mainland china doll."
• You Are a Credit to Your Race: In "The Charles Avery Story", McCullough tells Private Cullen that Mokai "makes a existent pretty girl for an Indian".

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Source: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Series/WagonTrain

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