Lancer

Lancer has been compared to Bonanza. But I did not find it to be anything like Bonanza. It definitely had its own style and the characters were varied and interesting in their personalities. Lancer was down to earth in its approach to each problem presented in the episodes. Each character was flawed in some way, which made them more interesting. There was humor in the show, but the show was not clownish. There was believable drama, not stereotypical scenarios that were boring and unsatisfying. The father let his sons be themselves and treated them with respect and dignity. The fact that they had not been together as a family for many years was a major factor in a much more interesting interaction between the characters. Each character, whether in a leading role or not, had his own unique style of presenting the role in a believable way. I especially enjoyed Paul Brinegar. It was very disappointing to me when the show went off the air and I am always looking for it to reappear on the channels which feature reruns of older shows.

Widower Murdoch needs his sons to return home to help him protect the ranch - but he needs detectives to find them! Scott, the elder, is a city boy brought up by his maternal grandpa in refined Boston following the death of his mother in childbirth. Johnny is a gunfighter south of the border, the result of a liaison with a Mexican beauty who hid her son from his father. What will lure them to a different life of cattle ranching in the west? How will these different men get on together? Throw into the mix a pretty young ward and a host of guest appearances and the outcome is a sensational TV western series with great scripts, strong performances and superb plot lines that truly shape out character as well as move the story along.

What about 'Lancer' was not to love, especially for prepubescent elementary school girls? It was a story about a ranch and featured a grumpy patriarch, a cute female 'ward' and two gorgeous, non-threatening young men, one dark, one fair.

Johnny, the son of a Mexican serving-wench, was my favorite.

My friends and I were so crazy about 'Lancer' it was a frequent subject of our conversations for most of the week, and the ONLY topic of conversation on Tuesdays (anticipation of that night's episode) and Wednesdays (the aftermath.) Fancying myself a writer even back then, I would write stories about 'Lancer,' the first of which introduced my pals and I as new 'wards' of the Lancer family. My friend Penny, the artist, illustrated the stories. We made probably the first and only 'Lancer' graphic novel. I'd give anything to have those stories back..... It's nice to visit this page and discover that 'The Lancer-ettes' and I were not the show's only fans.

This was a great show that unfortunately wasn't provided the budget that it deserved to stay on the air. Wayne Maunder and James Stacy had the type of chemistry that made you feel as if they really were brothers. Andrew Duggan played an excellent Murdoch Lancer. Oh, how I loved to hate him.!!!! Loved watching this show with my sister. Wayne Maunder was my favorite as Scott!!!

"Lancer" was one of the most excellent western-adventure series to come out of the late 1960's. This was a great show that unfortunately wasn't provided the budget that it deserved to stay on the air,due to the powers to be over at CBS. This was a western that was compared to "Bonanza" and "The High Chapparral",but it offer a lot more. Produced by Alan A. Armer("The Fugitive","The Untouchables",and "The Invaders"),under the executive in charge of production William Self for 20th Century-Fox Television and Kent Productions,this was a series that ran for two seasons on CBS-TV,producing 51 episodes all in color that was on the air for September 24,1968 until May 19,1970.

"Lancer" was an impressive series with great writing and direction along with stunning photography not to mention exciting western action and adventure. "Lancer" was about a man Murdoch Lancer(played by Andrew Duggan,who was a less wholly admirable patriarch than Lorne Greene's Ben Cartwright of Bonanza),who emigrated from Scotland in the mid-1800's,owns and operates a 100,000 acre ranch where he raises cattle and horses. When land pirates kill his foreman and seriously wounded him,he sends for his two sons whom he hasn't seen in years. Scott Lancer(played by Wayne Maunder),was the educated older son and was a veteran of the Union Army(who served in a cavalry unit during the war and rose to the rank of Lieutenant while serving under General Phil Sheridan). The youngest son Johnny Lancer(James Stacy)was a half-hispanic gunslinger who was also known as Johnny Madrid. Johnny's mother was Murdoch's second wife-a Mexican woman named Maria. Johnny,unlike Scott,was born at Lancer and spent approximately the first two years of his life there. For reasons known only to herself Maria deserted her husband and left Lancer with Johnny in the company of strangers,according to Murdoch's ward,Teresa O'Brien(Elizabeth Baur). The brothers knew nothing about each other's existence until they are "introduced" to each other by Teresa when they arrive on the same stage in Morro Coyo. After a rough start the boys,along with their father Murdoch and Teresa eventually become a close-kint family and share the trials and tribulations of cattle ranching and the occasional visitor from the past-either Johnny's past as a gunfighter,or Scott's past as a soldier or scion of Boston society or Murdoch's own past.

This series was compared to "Bonanza",but was a lot more. It was more down to earth in its approach to solving each problem in some of the episodes. It was brilliant western drama at its finest. The father let his sons be themselves and treated them with dignity and respect. And it shows in some of the episodes,with some of the best writing in a western drama ever presented. Also on board this series was Paul Brinegar,formerly the cook Wishbone on another CBS-TV western series "Rawhide",also appeared as Jelly Hoskins,a series regular.

The guest star roster included on this series were Joe Don Baker,Ellen Corby,Dub Taylor,Jack Elam,Sam Elliott,Bruce Dern,along with actor/director Ron Howard(as Ronnie Howard from the Andy Griffith Show),Cloris Leachman,Scott Marlowe,Stefanie Powers(The Girl From U.N.C.L.E),Frank McHugh,along with Lloyd Haynes(Room 222),Vic Tayback(Griff and later on for Alice),and Manuel Padilla,Jr.(aka Jai from the TV-series Tarzan).

Don't miss the best episodes from this series from season one:(the 1968-69 season)"The Pilot Episode:The High Riders","Death Bait","Glory","Yesterday's Vendetta","The Measure of a Man",and "The Devil's Blessing".

Also the best episodes from its second and final season:(the 1969-70 season)"Blind Man's Buff","Legacy","Cut The Wolf Loose","Shadow of a Dead Man","Blue Skies for Willie Sharpe","The Lion and the Lamb","The Rivals",and the final episode of the series "Lifeline". After CBS canceled this series in the Spring of 1970,the network repeated all 51 episodes in the summer of 1971 as a replacement. The summer replacement was for the variety-series "The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour" which the western "Lancer" replaced.