"The Guns of Will Sonnett" was a two season Western series on the ABC television network from September, 1967 to September, 1969. Oddly, it aired on Fridays from 9:30 - 10:00 PM until May of 1969 before moving to Monday evenings from 8:30 to 9:00 to wrap up the second season. In hindsight, that was probably a way to phase out the show by placing it in a less favorable time slot.
The premise was kind of familiar, sort of like the ones used by shows like "Branded" and "The Texan". The protagonists, Will Sonnett (Walter Brennan) and his grandson Jeff (Dack Rambo) generally opened each story by riding into some old Western town on the search for their respective son and father, Jim Sonnett (Jason Evers). It struck me as somewhat amazing that in virtually every story, just about everyone they encountered somehow knew and feared the name of Jim Sonnett as a notorious and dangerous gunslinger, with a reputation that ranged the far West. From the perspective of present day, Jim had to have matched the notoriety and reputation of someone like Jesse James or Billy the Kid, although that probably presses the point. To a lesser degree, the name of Will Sonnett often resonated with the locals that the two men came across.
That the Sonnett's were lightning fast with their guns was established in the very first episode - 'Ride the Long Trail'. In that one, guest star Claude Akins made the mistake of challenging the Sonnett's attempting to cross some range land they were patrolling. It always appeared that Brennan's quick draw was faster than anyone else's around, and he himself claimed that he was faster than son Jim or grandson Jeff. That doesn't seem likely for a seventy year old geriatric, but if you watched the show you would have to agree with Will's 'No brag, just fact' declaration each time out.
The show had a long list of well known character actors and guest stars, folks like Myron Healey, Strother Martin, Jack Elam, Royal Dano, James Best, Dean Stanton and Richard Devon to name a few. Many, like Healey and Dano appeared as different characters in multiple episodes. Of those who went on to greater celebrity, you'll catch actors like Jack Nicholson, Cloris Leachman, Dennis Hopper, and Joan Blondell in special guest appearances. One of the more outlandish characters was portrayed by Charles Grodin in the second episode of the series titled 'Hot Shot Gunslinger'. Yup, the hot shot was Grodin, who didn't fare well in a shootout with Jeff Sonnett while grandpa was laid up with his arm in a sling.
My review of the series here takes in the first full season, with the controversial Jim Sonnett making occasional appearances while just missing his family members. In one notable episode titled 'Alone', Will Sonnett carries on an imaginary conversation with son Jim while hallucinating from a gunshot wound. He effectively makes amends with Jim for not being around all that much while Jim was growing up, which led to Jim's disillusionment and going off on his own. It's an effective story to further the premise of the series.
Now as I've mentioned in other reviews, I've never really come across a Western I didn't like, and I liked this one well enough, but it was not one of your top tier Westerns like "Gunsmoke" or "Rawhide". The stories were generally run of the mill and were kind of forgettable after the fact. Watching today, the fun for me is seeing who shows up in the guest spots, which applies to any of these old time series. Still, it's not a bad little show providing hours of enjoyment if you pick up both of the seasons offered by Timeless Video. "No brag, just fact".
The premise was kind of familiar, sort of like the ones used by shows like "Branded" and "The Texan". The protagonists, Will Sonnett (Walter Brennan) and his grandson Jeff (Dack Rambo) generally opened each story by riding into some old Western town on the search for their respective son and father, Jim Sonnett (Jason Evers). It struck me as somewhat amazing that in virtually every story, just about everyone they encountered somehow knew and feared the name of Jim Sonnett as a notorious and dangerous gunslinger, with a reputation that ranged the far West. From the perspective of present day, Jim had to have matched the notoriety and reputation of someone like Jesse James or Billy the Kid, although that probably presses the point. To a lesser degree, the name of Will Sonnett often resonated with the locals that the two men came across.
That the Sonnett's were lightning fast with their guns was established in the very first episode - 'Ride the Long Trail'. In that one, guest star Claude Akins made the mistake of challenging the Sonnett's attempting to cross some range land they were patrolling. It always appeared that Brennan's quick draw was faster than anyone else's around, and he himself claimed that he was faster than son Jim or grandson Jeff. That doesn't seem likely for a seventy year old geriatric, but if you watched the show you would have to agree with Will's 'No brag, just fact' declaration each time out.
The show had a long list of well known character actors and guest stars, folks like Myron Healey, Strother Martin, Jack Elam, Royal Dano, James Best, Dean Stanton and Richard Devon to name a few. Many, like Healey and Dano appeared as different characters in multiple episodes. Of those who went on to greater celebrity, you'll catch actors like Jack Nicholson, Cloris Leachman, Dennis Hopper, and Joan Blondell in special guest appearances. One of the more outlandish characters was portrayed by Charles Grodin in the second episode of the series titled 'Hot Shot Gunslinger'. Yup, the hot shot was Grodin, who didn't fare well in a shootout with Jeff Sonnett while grandpa was laid up with his arm in a sling.
My review of the series here takes in the first full season, with the controversial Jim Sonnett making occasional appearances while just missing his family members. In one notable episode titled 'Alone', Will Sonnett carries on an imaginary conversation with son Jim while hallucinating from a gunshot wound. He effectively makes amends with Jim for not being around all that much while Jim was growing up, which led to Jim's disillusionment and going off on his own. It's an effective story to further the premise of the series.
Now as I've mentioned in other reviews, I've never really come across a Western I didn't like, and I liked this one well enough, but it was not one of your top tier Westerns like "Gunsmoke" or "Rawhide". The stories were generally run of the mill and were kind of forgettable after the fact. Watching today, the fun for me is seeing who shows up in the guest spots, which applies to any of these old time series. Still, it's not a bad little show providing hours of enjoyment if you pick up both of the seasons offered by Timeless Video. "No brag, just fact".