Westerns have been popular on film since Edward S. Porter produced "The Great Train Robbery" in 1903, and on TV since Clayton Moore starred in "The Lone Ranger" in 1949.
On television they have always been compulsive viewing for children and adults all over the World. The sight of one's favourite cowboy charging around on his trustee steed, shooting his gun, and beating up bad guys have enthralled cinema goers and television viewers of all ages - boys and girls, grown up men and women alike.
There are few basic plots for most Western stories: Bad guys rob a town bank - sheriff chases after them; bad guy comes into town to seek vengeance on the man who put him in prison - sheriff chases him off; small farmers terrorised by ruthless land owners - sheriff protects the farmers; bad guys try to spring their boss out of jail - sheriff stops them; sheriff escorts gang boss to prison - bad guys try to stop him.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, television script writers seemed run out of story lines and television Westerns became like soap operas, love stories, comic yarns and morality tales - not quite what the hard-line Western viewer wanted to see.
In 1962, "The Dakotas" changed all that. It brought the business of "good guys" chasing after "bad guys" back to the small screen. It was the first intelligently written and sensibly produced Western ever to be seen on British Television - the Brits loved it.
I remember my parents allowing me to stay up late on a Saturday night to watch it, and it was the most talked about TV series at my school. The adventures of Frank Ragan, J.D. Smith, Del Stark and Vance Porter thrilled many children and adults alike. Everyone was saying: "Did you see 'The Dakotas' on Saturday night?". Even the teachers were saying that.
It is a pity that the series ended so abruptly, because I am sure it would have continued to enthral lovers of good Westerns for many years on.
On television they have always been compulsive viewing for children and adults all over the World. The sight of one's favourite cowboy charging around on his trustee steed, shooting his gun, and beating up bad guys have enthralled cinema goers and television viewers of all ages - boys and girls, grown up men and women alike.
There are few basic plots for most Western stories: Bad guys rob a town bank - sheriff chases after them; bad guy comes into town to seek vengeance on the man who put him in prison - sheriff chases him off; small farmers terrorised by ruthless land owners - sheriff protects the farmers; bad guys try to spring their boss out of jail - sheriff stops them; sheriff escorts gang boss to prison - bad guys try to stop him.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, television script writers seemed run out of story lines and television Westerns became like soap operas, love stories, comic yarns and morality tales - not quite what the hard-line Western viewer wanted to see.
In 1962, "The Dakotas" changed all that. It brought the business of "good guys" chasing after "bad guys" back to the small screen. It was the first intelligently written and sensibly produced Western ever to be seen on British Television - the Brits loved it.
I remember my parents allowing me to stay up late on a Saturday night to watch it, and it was the most talked about TV series at my school. The adventures of Frank Ragan, J.D. Smith, Del Stark and Vance Porter thrilled many children and adults alike. Everyone was saying: "Did you see 'The Dakotas' on Saturday night?". Even the teachers were saying that.
It is a pity that the series ended so abruptly, because I am sure it would have continued to enthral lovers of good Westerns for many years on.