Trackdown

AMONG THE MOST popular subjects to center a Western on has long been stories of the highly storied Texas Rangers, incidentally, who were the first State Police department in the Country. We can and will name several series that find their roots in the organization.

STARTING WITH THE most fundamental and ancestral to all is THE LONE RANGER; which started out with the cold blooded massacre of a troop of Rangers. The sole survivor becomes the one who dons the mask. TALES OF THE Texas RANGERS, like the previously mentioned series was a kiddie show its origin on the radio also. We even have WALKER, Texas RANGER in more recent times.

SO, SOMEWHERE IN the middle, circa 1957-59, we were presented with, for our approval, TRACKDOWN. It starred a young Robert Culp as Ranger Hoby Gillman. He was sullen, humorless and all business. Mr. Culp played him that way to a tee, creating for us the impression that this was his own true personality.

THE SERIES' OPENING sported the Flag of the Texas Rangers vigorously blowing across our smallish, B & W TV screens. It was accompanied with opening theme, which we have long since forgotten. We do seem to recall that there was an announcer doing opening voice over.

EACH AND EVERY week, Ranger Gillman was out somewhere in solo force, looking for those who were wanted for previous High Misdemeanors and Felonies. In short, the Ranger was serving Arrest Warrants. HJe served many and did it far and wide.

OF PARTICULAR INTEREST is one episode which co-featured a Bounty Hunter, who struck an alliance with Hoby. This Boiunty Hunter was Josh Randall, portrayed by Steve McQueen. This is the most significant episode in the series; for it served as the Pilot for McQueen's starring in WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE.

NOW SCHULTZ, DON'T them network execs move in mysterious ways?

Hoby Gilman, the Texas Ranger played by Robert Culp, was dry and somewhat unfriendly, just like Robert Culp was in most of his roles. I always liked Robert Culp when I was a kid. Years later, as an adult, I found his characters in most roles were dry and a bit abrasive.

Texas Ranger Hoby Gilman usually expects the worst from people, and often he gets it. Sometimes people turn out to be good, which not only surprises Gilman, but sometimes they make him look like a jerk.

It is interesting that the writers would occasionally show up Gilman by making him look bad, but that was the Adult Western Genre that was popular in the 1950s. Have Gun Will Travel, and Gunsmoke also had the frequent Adult Western theme of realistic stories with unhappy endings.

The stories sometimes felt pretty long even though it was only a half-hour show. Because of Gilman's personality, it seemed like a lot of the stories were fated to live up to his expectations regarding the other characters. Gilman's attitude about people makes it harder to enjoy the stories now, when I watch them as an adult.

This show while not as well known as bonanza, gunsmoke, rawhide, or the rifleman may be the best of the classic TV westerns. In fact, as much as I like Richard Boone as a show I believe Trackdown is superior to have gun will travel. In thirty minutes you generally have a complex story, well acted, with some moral ambiguity to it. Of course Robert Culp makes the show work in a way few others could, but all in all one of the few fifties shows that still holds up sixty years later.

Trackdown, Wanted Dead or Alive, Gunsmoke, and Have Gun, Will Travel were my favorite television westerns during the 1950s. I have the DVDs of the last three but can no record of Trackdown being available?

Hoby Gillman is as an important part of my memory as Josh Randall, Matt Dillon, and Paladin. I remember being glued in front of the television set on Saturday night with my family all around, turning the rabbit ears in JUST the right direction to get the least amount of "snow". A bowl full of popcorn and a bottle of Dr.Pepper by my side, I rode the range with all of my idols. Through the miracle of cable and a DVD player I can experience this feeling once again and it's wonderful! Trackdown was on for three seasons, as I recall. Does anyone know if it's available?

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.