Laredo

One of television's most lighthearted looks at the Old West was the series Laredo. It involved three Texas Rangers who to use the description of John Wayne in Fort Apache, would fight over cards and women and liquor, but would share the last drop of water in their canteens on a desert. They also shared a common trait of always trying to put one over on their captain who was played by Philip Carey.

Our three heroes were played by Neville Brand, William Smith, and Peter Brown. Brand who played many a villain on the big screen and was probably best known before Laredo for playing Al Capone in Robert Stack's The Untouchables discovered his vein for comedy. His career took a similar turn to his fellow character actor Jack Elam in that way. Brand as Reese was loud, brawling, and braggadocious. William Smith who later on played some really nasty villains was the brawny one who was raised among the Indians. Peter Brown who had already had one TV western under his belt with Lawman, played the good looking one in the cast to attract a few women to this testosterone driven western.

Later on Claude Akins and Robert Wolders joined the cast as the brawling and the handsome one, but it was not the same without the original three. Laredo only lasted two seasons with public tastes changing from westerns and cast changes as well. But the episodes which were done with a heavy comic flavor are fondly remembered.

If you like such things as John Wayne's McLintock and the Cheyenne Social Club with James Stewart and Henry Fonda, you'll find Laredo to your taste. Don't expect any sophisticated dialog here, just a lot of belly laughs as outlaws meet justice at the end of every episode.

I thought that bloke looked a bit like Clint Eastwood but it was someone else.

"Laredo" featured Peter Brown, William Smith, and Neville Brand as a male bonding trio of Texas Rangers portrayed tongue-in-cheek as a combination Dead End Kids go Western and AWOL members from Sergeant Bilko's platoon. As conditions warranted they could also become a trio of Dirty Harrys whom Philip Carey as Captain Parmalee would let loose to track down, catch, and sadistically interrogate the suspects of some crime of the wild west. It really was a fun show which could even be interpreted to be a kind of predecessor to and portrayal of the Texas Rangers Call and McCray of "Lonesome Dove" before they got old.

The Texas Rangers of "Laredo" were introduced in an episode of "The Virginian" where they proved enough of a hit to earn their own series that ran for two seasons on NBC. It was a fun, frequently rowdy hour that was a favorite in my youth. The fine cast was headed by Neville Brand as the older Reese Bennett whom the other Rangers often patronized and made the butt of their jokes. Peter Brown was the calm, compassionate but still deadly Chad Cooper, and William Smith was Joe Riley, a half-Indian as quick with a knife as he was with a gun. Philip Carey rounded out the cast as Captain Parmallee, who frequently found the actions of his charges less than commendable. In the final season, European Robert Wolders was added to the cast as the flamboyant Eric Hunter, whose wardrobe might have raised eyebrows in the Hollywood of the 1960s, and would have certainly gotten him killed in the Old West if he hadn't been so handy with a gun himself. Claude Akins also began to make frequent appearances at that time as a Ranger named Cotton, a character bearing many similarities to Reese Bennett, and it appears Akins was put on the payroll only to fill in for Brand whose drinking sometimes made him unavailable. All in all, a memorable show that also had a brief flirtation with the big screen. In 1968, a year after its cancellation, several episodes from the first season were stitched together to make "Three Guns for Texas" which was released to theaters with "The Counterfeit Killer," a Jack Lord starrer that originally appeared on NBC's Bob Hope's Chrysler Theater. A year later, the series's pilot also had a brief theatrical run under the title "Backtrack."

Laredo,along with the High Chaparral,were two of the best western series ever produced.The rangers of Laredo stood out from the other TV western series casts in a number of ways.They liked a good fight.Not just to impose justice but because these guys enjoyed brawling,on duty and off.They loved to set one another up for a practical joke,they made mistakes,could be full of themselves,and try to pull fast ones on their Captain.Not perfect,but very human.Through it all they were also loyal to one another and risked their lives without hesitation for their buddy.They could break the law if need be in order to enforce it.The show had loads of humor and never took itself too seriously.That was not commonplace with most TV westerns.The cast was outstanding!From the bellowing Neville Brand,brawny William Smith,smooth Peter Brown,worldly Robert Wolders,and stern Philip Carey,they all shared a wonderful chemistry.The second season of the series brought new and cooler outfits for some of the cast.Peter Brown's Chad Cooper role now wore a blue double breasted shirt,just what one would expect of a lady's man.William Smith's Joe Riley could be found in a distinctive buckskin shirt that remains a favorite of mine.His having lived among the Indians made it seem logical he would prefer such a top.Robert Wolders Eric Hunter's numerous fancy duds had to be seen to be believed.Somehow that even made sense to me.His character was European,cultured & educated,possibly of royal background.His tastes would lean towards the elegant.The theme music is rousing & memorable.It was a show that should have continued for more than its 2 seasons.