The Rough Riders

Even as all TV westerns were beginning to look and sound pretty much the same in 1958, here was one that dared to be different - perhaps too different, as it lasted only one season on ABC, in a late evening spot that attracted little attention. The premise was simple enough: immediately following the Civil War, two yankees - a no-nonsense officer (Kent Taylor, formerly TV's Boston Blackie and still sporting the same abrupt mustache) and a large, mean-looking but easygoing sergeant (Peter Whitney) team up with an elegant looking southerner (Jan Merlin) and head west together, looking for a fresh start. Ordinarily, a series like this would begin with a pilot which set the stage for how the three came together in the first place, though that was not the case here. We were more or less thrown into the situation and asked to fend for ourselves. What most qualified the show as an original was that, other than the opening shot of the three riding over a hill together while a narrator spoke in voice-over about this being the beginning of the legend that would lead, half a century later and miles away, to the charge on San Juan Hill, most of the series took place not in easily identifiable western settings - prairies, mountains, towns, deserts, etc. - but in thick swamps, where the trio appeared to have bogged down. It wasn't until nearly halfway through the season that they ever even wandered into a town that looked at all like those seen in other western TV shows of the time. This lent ROUGH RIDERS a unique aura, for the trio almost seemed like that couple in Twilight Zone - you know, the one that kept trying to drive or travel by train out of a small town but always ended up right back where they had begun? Supposedly these three were headed west, but week after week, we'd seen them pass the same bog, ride under the same moss covered tree, as if they had somehow become disconnected from all the other similar western series then taking place. none of the scripts particularly stood out as strong - all the shows seemed variations on the same theme, with character - and the relationships of the three characters - taking precedence. Until cancellation time, of course. Not that this was a whole lot better than most oaters on the small screen at that time - but is sure was different!

Not so much a review as a correction. Lieutenant Kirby's first name was Cullen not Colin. Jan Merlin says it quite clearly in The Ransom of Rita Renee.

A rebel sergeant teams up with 2 yankees after the war and ride around the west together as frontier troubleshooters. Pretty dismal fare really. Merlin's character wore his six shooters backwards - I always wondered how a guy could draw fast with his guns on backwards. I see why this program was cancelled early.

After the end of the Civil War, three war-weary veterans – intrepid, quietly authoritative ex-Union Captain James Flagg, big, jack-of-all-trades Tennessee woodsman and former Union Sergeant Buck Sinclair, and dashing, sunny-natured ex-Confederate cavalryman Lt. Colin Kirby – form their own small Band of Brothers and head west toward California. Their adventures along the way are reminiscent of a sort of pre-automobile "Route 66."

The trusting, brotherly relationship of the three vets is very appealing, with the two younger men looking up to Capt. Flagg as their natural leader. Sinclair and Kirby have an enjoyable, "Hoss and Little Joe"-like teasing relationship. Sinclair good-naturedly grouses that the irrepressible Kirby, who has gone fishing, is so lucky that, should there be only 3 fish in the river, "he'll catch two and the third will trip on a rock and flop at his feet."

The writing is well done for a 1950s western series, with humor, emotion, and lots of action. There does not seem to have been any real pilot to the series explaining why two ex-Yanks are partnered with an ex-Reb (who, when the two Yanks introduce themselves as "formerly of the Union army," makes a point of clarifying that he is "NOT formerly of the Union army"). However, in a later episode, Kirby explains that the two Union vets at one point saved his life, he came to trust them, and now they head west with common purpose.

It's a shame this series did not last longer, for it's an interesting show with fairly complex lead characters and a unique premise (but terrible theme music). The three lead actors were well-known character actors: urbane Kent Taylor, gentle giant Peter Whitney, and a very young, high-energy Jan Merlin. Merlin, a native New Yorker, spoke his role with an easy, authentic Southern accent that never slipped, and he was completely believable as a dashing Virginia cavalryman.

To me, the most appealing aspect of this series was the relationship of the three veterans, which seemed genuinely trusting and full of brotherly affection. Easy humor between the men was evident in every episode, despite typical western, shoot-'em-up action and a limited filming locale that seemed to indicate the men were constantly riding the same circle of trails. But the appealing writing held sway: in one episode, daring Lt. Kirby objects to Capt. Flagg's cautious flanking approach to an outlaw enclave. Kirby says when he'd been part of General Jeb Stuart's Cavalry, they'd have charged, full speed, directly at their opponents. When told that he and (the long-departed) Jeb Stuart are welcome to go ahead and charge the outlaws head-on, Kirby pauses, thinks better of his reckless plan, then shrugs and cheerfully announces that "Ol' Jeb's decided to charge down that road all by hisself." How can you not chuckle?

I loved this old series, and got a chuckle out of the comment of the backwards guns, many of the old time western stars wore their guns backwards. They sometimes crossed their arms to draw. I wish, this series would show up on cable sometime. Being from Texas my favorite character was Lt Kirby,loved his blonde hair, and smart Aleck persona. I remember Jan Merlin from Tom Corbett Space Cadet too, I've followed his career over the years, IMO, he is one of the best character actors around, and he seemed to really enjoy playing the wise guy or the bad guy. Cole Younger, Gunfighter, was another one of my favorites! I've noticed his name pop up on Amazon, seems he has turned to writing.