Rango

After he was Ensign Parker, the bumbling assistant to Lt. McHale on MCHALE'S NAVY, Tim Conway found his television career hitting one of those troughs. A highly gifted comic, his first starring part was this series, RANGO, about a bungling Texas Ranger, who constantly got into the hair of his commanding officer Captain Horton (Norman Alden), and was accompanied by his assistant Pink Cloud (the native American played by Guy Marks). He usually bungled his way to beating the bad guys (just barely).

The name of Conway's character, Rango Starr, was (or course) a hit at the Beatle's drummer Ringo Starr. But there had been a popular "western" tune that was a best selling single (spoke-sung by Lorne Greene of BONANZA) called "RINGO". This explains the theme song of the show that was about this man who faced "danger", "this Texas Ranger, Rango, Rango, Rangooo!" But it was a poorly written series, despite the work of Conway, Marks, and Horton. None of the episodes are memorable at all (as compared to F-TROOP, BEST OF THE WEST, or even PISTOLS 'N' PETTICOATS). Interestingly Conway was to be luckier in Disney films in this period, frequently teamed with Don Knotts in movies like THE APPLE DUMPLING GANG. It was not until he became a regular with Carol Burnett (especially when teamed with fellow comic Harvey Korman, or when playing with Burnett as Miss Wiggins' boss, Tugboll) that Conway demonstrated his real gifts as a comic. RANGO, which I recall as a summer replacement show only, was just a brief side trip to real success.

Rango was one of those shows that you either loved or hated, no in between. It was ahead of it's times in the fact that it starred one of the great comedic minds of the 60's and 70's but apparently the writers had no clear idea of what to do with him. They tried to cash in on the success of F Troop by having Conway play the part of Ken Berry, who as we all remember, was the bumbling Captain who accidentally rode into command by accident and by the prodding of his brave family tree. Had Rango premiered before F Troop and had some better writing, perhaps we would all remember Rango, and F Troop would be relegated to the pile of "Also rans".

Okay, to be fair, there are people out there who will be laughing throughout at the overly silly jokes than run continuously through each episode. Tim Conway, as the bumbling marshal, is no Peter Sellers, but he handles slips and falls as good as the best of them; but I felt embarrassed for the co-stars who take the physical brunt of Conway's missteps.

The inane stories and ludicrous situations go too far, though it might have fit very well into the TV culture of the mid-'60s.

The show is saved by being only 30 minutes (or less, with commercials). I don't think anybody could take the pratfalls and canned or augmented laugher for an entire hour. I know I had trouble lasting 30 minutes.

I remember Rango from the year I started high school and this was when the trend began for my favorite series to get canceled.

I laughed so hard when I watched this (or anything on TV by Tim Conway)

and was surprised when it only lasted one season. the connection between Ringo and both Johnny Ringo (westerns) and Ringo Starr (music) was obvious to everyone back then because they were both very popular.

The show was some times silly and some times clever but always amusing.

Tim Conway had the amazing ability to make any script funny but didn't yet have the name recognition to attract an audience, at least that is what I assume since most people didn't learn about him until after they discovered him on the Carol Burnett Show which came a bit after Rango.

I was 13 when this show aired and don't recall much about it, but I have a vivid memory that whenever Rango was about to go do something a little dangerous, his horse would sit down on his butt and Rango had to coax and beg him into getting up.

It looked bizarre and hilarious! I wonder whatever happened to that horse... He should have gotten more work!

Tim Conway is been one of my favorite comedians and stole the scenes in "McHale's Navy". Rango and his other late 60's effort "Turn On", a "Laugh-In" rip-off which didn't even make it to the end of the first episode on some stations, needs to be re-aired just for the camp factor.