Le grand Chaparral

This television series originally aired on NBC on Friday nights from 7:30 to 8:30 PM for almost its entire run. It ran right before another one of television's greatest programs, "The Name of the Game." I used to wonder if the reason I remembered this show with such admiration was due to the age that I was when the show originally ran, but recently seeing it again, I have to say that it stayed with me so long because it's just a fantastic show.

The show is centered around the character of John Cannon, played flawlessly by Leif (pronounced "Life") Erickson, and his brother Buck, played by Cameron Mitchell. Also in the cast were Linda Cristal as John's wife Victoria, Henry Darrow as Victoria's brother Manolito, and Mark Slade playing John's son Billy Blue Cannon.

When I was just a kid in grade school, my cousins and others I knew were tuned in to ABC's Friday night line-up, which was quite popular at the time. I couldn't tear myself away from this show though, and it's difficult to explain why without revealing too much about it. Let's just say that the stories were impeccably written and directed, doing much the same thing as Bonanza would do, alternating between high drama and humor. A good example of this is an episode entitled "The Firing Wall." If you ever get to see this series, keep an eye out for that episode. My personal favorite is an episode called "Champion of the Western World." Fun episode! The casting was perfect. Every regular cast member really seemed to like the characters they were portraying. Henry Darrow was outstanding in giving his character real depth and range of emotion. Cameron Mitchell also did some really fine work in this series. In fact, when you get right down to it, they all did!

I could go on about this show by using all the known adjectives, stupendous!, wonderful!, ect..., but if you're reading this, then you probably already share a certain amount of the same enthusiasm that I have for this show. If you're reading just out of curiosity however, then if you ever get the opportunity to do so, by all means, treat yourself to one of the finest programs that television has ever offered.

I recently watched recordings of this western and thoroughly enjoyed the shows. The cast was wonderful. But I was especially impressed with the talents of Henry Darrow and Cameron Mitchell. A couple of episodes showcase their comedic talents and are a scream. This western holds it own today - much better than Bonanza in my opinion. The writing was good and the location settings make for a much more realistic presentation. And the conflicts with the Apache and the whites are more historically presented. Some of the episodes are better than others, of course, but the series holds up well 40 years later. It's not on the level of Lonesome Dove but LD was a mini series and not episodic TV from the late 1960s. I do wish old westerns had refrained from false eyelashes and excessive makeup on the women. But this show is wonderful. Makes me want to see other work by Cameron Mitchell and Henry Darrow especially as they really did steal the show!

This show is one of the best TV shows I have ever seen, and definitely the best western.

This show is ahead of it's time in many ways. I wasn't even born when this show had it's original run but saw it on re-runs during the 80's and 90's and the show still held up to modern TV shows. Where most old TV shows tend to seem a bit dated 25-30 years down the track High Chaparral is still top quality viewing. The stories are well written and the acting is quite good.

The way that the Apache aren't just portrayed as mindless savages is also a very modern outlook. If the show is ever re-run again I will make a point to watch every episode.

Noble but flawed and very human heroes, credible villains, realistic story-lines and family dynamics. "High Chaparral" had high adventure, powerful drama, some of the funniest moments on television and tender romance. This series combined brilliant actors, writers, producers and directors. Together, they brought memorable characters, 1870s Arizona & Mexico to life. Thirty years after it aired, I still remembered episode plots and dialog. The remarkable thing is, so could many other fans!

People all over the world love High Chaparral -- its themes and characters are universally appealing. New generations of fans have discovered it in re-runs. Hopefully, remastered, uncut DVDs will be released soon -- this treasure should be preserved and enjoyed, not forgotten.

The High Chaparral was an excellent western. The show had it all-- superb acting, awesome writing, great storylines, characters that had a sense of humor, and gorgeous horses.

Cameron Mitchell was clearly outstanding as Buck Cannon. Never one to back away from a fight, Buck always came to the rescue when needed.

Henry Darrow also did a wonderful job of portraying Manolito Montoya.

Although other westerns were on the air longer than The High Chaparral, I loved this one more than the other ones that did run longer. The characters were more lovable and more believable.