Trackdown

An obvious vehicle for Culp, "Trackdown" was on the cutting edge of the 'adult' western. Culp's character, Hoby Gilman comes off as a hip Texas Ranger-kind of a cross between Sunset Strips Kooky, and Dragnet's Joe Friday! By today's standards, routine, at the time it was must viewing.

Robert Culp is the most unique actor I've ever seen. He's one of the most believable characters--no matter what he portrays, from Trackdown to I Spy... Rarely does one see an actor with such natural finesse and brillance.

This show's character was a major departure for standard western characterizations of the late 1950's. And the individual solely responsible for that swing in characterization was the series star, Robert Culp.

Culp played the show's lead character, Texas Ranger Hobey Gillman, as a hip, cool dude; somewhat reminiscent of the then running top rated detective series, Peter Gunn.

Culp gave the character a cool walk 'hip-diddy' walk, and spoke his lines as though he'd taken his responses off the top of his head and, basically, without any thought whatsoever before doing so. He was even cool when someone had the drop on him, or when he outdrew the bad guy. He was just plain 'cool'.

Robert Culp sharpened this image during his tenure in his first television starring role and vehicle. He then deftly transferred it, intact, to the character Kelly Robinson in the 1965 TV espionage hit, "I Spy."

In that top rated series in which he starred with acting newcomer Bill Cosby, to this day, many fans of the show felt that it was Culp's acting demeanor that gave the show it's real appeal.

Unfortunately, Cosby's being the first Black in a television series in a lead role, stole the show from him. Cosby became the viewer draw.

Culp was initially hired to be the 'lead' star in the series, but in the last three years of its run, Cosby was the everyone talked about even though, clearly, he was not the veteran or polished actor Cosby was.

In the final two years, Cosby was even paid more for his participation than Culp was, which did not come out until some ten or more years after the series ended.

Regardless, the series was a good one for its time, even though now quite dated to a younger generation who know little of and care less about the 'Cold War' period of history.

Trackdown was a western that ran two seasonsn television and was a product of Dick Powell's Four Star Productions. It starred Robert Culp who got his first big break as an actor.

Culp played Texas Ranger Hoby Gilman and he was on roving assignment throughout the state of Texas. Culp dealt with assorted bad gius bringing them to justice.

Watching these haf hour episodes I liked the fact that even with the li,ited time it took to develop characters the plots were tigjht and the stories told. Culp was a man dedicated to enforcing law and justice.

A pity this did not run longer, but Robert Culpas destined for bigger and better things.

This, along with Wanted Dead or Alive, was one of the better written and scripted of the routine weekly western TV dramas that glutted late 1950s TV.

Robert Culp was unique in his character of Hobie Gilman. Gilman looked for the moral justice behind each situation he found himself in. It was not just 30 minutes of chase 'em and shoot 'em.

Interestingly, Steve McQueen got his first shot at a TV series by playing Josh Randall on an episode of Track Down. His spin off series Wanted Dead or Alive was also a unique series, and launched another great actor's career.

By today's standards, yes, most of the 1950s westerns were formulaic. But if you have the time to catch a group of them for comparison, Track Down stands out. Culp is a great actor, as subsequently shown in every piece of work he did later on.