CHEYENNE
This INSP favorite made television history as the first hour-long western. It also introduced brawny cowboy actor Clint Walker to the world as the jack-of-all-trades loner Cheyenne Brodie, a drifter who travels from town to town, seeking truth and justice.
After his parents were killed by Indians, 10-year-old Bodie was raised by the Cheyenne until he set out on his own at age 18. Life among the Indians has blessed him with survival skills as well as a compassionate understanding of their way of life.
Brodie is a gentle giant of a cowboy who roams from town to town, confronting injustice, righting wrongs, and finding action and adventure around every bend. Cheyenne stays true to his high morals and is the epitome of a Western hero. Plot lines range from cattle drives to gunslingers, tough cowboys to mysterious strangers, and a host of romantic prospects.
Like many other productions during the so-called Golden Age of television, Cheyenne proved to be a stepping-stone for future stars Dennis Hopper, George Kennedy, James Garner, Richard Crenna and Michael Landon. But with his 6-foot-6 frame, 48-inch chest and 32-inch waist, Walker measured up against the best of them.
This classic American Western that spawned 108 episodes was one of the highest-rated shows on television from 1955-1963. It was also the first in a long line of Warner Brothers original series from producer William T. Orr.