A Man Called Shenandoah

A Man Called Shenandoah is an American western series that aired Monday evenings on ABC-TV from September 13, 1965[1] to May 16, 1966. It was produced by MGM Television. Some of the location work for the 34 half-hour black and white episodes was filmed in California's High Sierras and Mojave Desert.[2]

A Man Called Shenandoah
Robert Horton in the title role.
GenreWestern
Written byEd Adamson
Robert C. Dennis
Robert Hamner
E. Jack Neuman
Samuel A. Peeples
Paul Savage
Daniel B. Ullman
Directed byDavid Alexander
Murray Golden
Tom Gries
Harry Harris
Nathan H. Juran
Joseph H. Lewis
Don McDougall
Jud Taylor
StarringRobert Horton
Opening theme"Oh Shenandoah"
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes34
Production
ProducerRobert Hamner
Running time30 mins.
Production companies
Release
Original networkABC
Original releaseSeptember 13, 1965 (1965-09-13) 
May 16, 1966 (1966-05-16)

The series starred Robert Horton, who had costarred on Wagon Train from 1957 to 1962. He left that series, vowing never to do another television western,[1] but agreed to star in A Man Called Shenandoah because he felt the show would be a great opportunity for him as an actor.[3][4] The series is set in 1870 and portrays an amnesiac facing hardship and danger while trying to unravel his identity and his past.

Overview

Robert Horton plays a man who was shot and left for dead. In the premiere episode, two buffalo hunters find him out on the prairie and, thinking he might be an outlaw, take him to the nearest town in hopes of receiving reward money.[5] When he regains consciousness, he has no recollection of who he was, or why anyone would want to harm him. The doctor who treats his wounds gives him the name "Shenandoah," stating the word means "land of silence".

For the remainder of the series, Shenandoah roams the West in search of clues to his identity. He learns that he had been a Union officer during the American Civil War, and comes to believe that he had been married. The final episode, "Macauley's Cure", ends with Mrs. Macauley telling Shenandoah: "It's not always important who you are; it's always important what you are."

Among the guest stars on the series were Claude Akins, Ed Asner, Elisha Cook Jr., Jeanne Cooper, John Dehner, Bruce Dern, Elinor Donahue, Leif Erickson, Beverly Garland, Sally Kellerman, DeForest Kelley, George Kennedy, Martin Landau, Cloris Leachman, John McIntire, Martin Milner, Leonard Nimoy, Jeanette Nolan, Warren Oates, Joyce Van Patten, James Doohan, and Michael Witney.

Theme song

The show's theme song was the traditional American folk tune "Oh Shenandoah", with new, specialized lyrics written by Horton himself. Horton, who had performed in musical theater, also sang the song.[6] His recording became a Columbia single in 1965. It is from Horton's Columbia album The Man Called Shenandoah (Cs-9208, stereo; Cl-2408, mono; both 1965).

The series is surprisingly popular on Rhodesian Television (RTV) in central Africa, and the song, reworked by local talent Nick Taylor, reached Number 3 on the Rhodesian Broadcasting Corporation hit parade.[7]

Broadcast

When reruns of the series aired on Turner Network Television in the 1990s, only 29 of the 34 episodes were rebroadcast. Since 2017, A Man Called Shenandoah has aired in the United States on the GetTV network, as part of their Western-themed programming block.[8]

In February 2014, Warner Archive Instant offered all 34 uncut episodes as part of their streaming service.

Episodes

No.TitleDirected by[9]Written byOriginal air date[9]Prod.
code[9]
1"The Onslaught"Paul WendkosStory by: E. Jack Neuman
Teleplay by: Norman Katkov
September 13, 1965 (1965-09-13)8026
2"Survival"Boris SagalE. Jack NeumanSeptember 20, 1965 (1965-09-20)8001
3"The Fort"Don McDougallSam RossSeptember 27, 1965 (1965-09-27)8004
4"The Caller"David AlexanderDaniel MainwaringOctober 11, 1965 (1965-10-11)8009
5"The Debt"John EnglishJack TurleyOctober 18, 1965 (1965-10-18)8032
6"Obion – 1866"Harry HarrisRobert C. DennisOctober 25, 1965 (1965-10-25)8029
7"The Verdict"Thomas CarrDaniel B. UllmanNovember 1, 1965 (1965-11-01)8031
8"Town on Fire"Nathan JuranRobert HamnerNovember 8, 1965 (1965-11-08)8039
9"Incident at Dry Creek"Joseph H. LewisAntony EllisNovember 15, 1965 (1965-11-15)8028
10"The Locket"Harry HarrisSamuel A. PeeplesNovember 22, 1965 (1965-11-22)8037
11"The Reward"Nathan JuranRobert C. DennisNovember 29, 1965 (1965-11-29)8036
12"A Special Talent for Killing"Harry HarrisRobert HamnerDecember 6, 1965 (1965-12-06)8047
13"The Siege"Jud TaylorRobert C. DennisDecember 13, 1965 (1965-12-13)8046
14"The Bell"David AlexanderTerence MaplesDecember 20, 1965 (1965-12-20)8022
15"The Young Outlaw"Don McDougallFrank GruberDecember 27, 1965 (1965-12-27)8019
16"The Accused"Byron PaulStory by: Herman Groves
Teleplay by: Joseph Calvelli & Herman Groves
January 3, 1966 (1966-01-03)8035
17"Run, Killer, Run"Nathan JuranPaul SavageJanuary 10, 1966 (1966-01-10)8033
18"Rope's End"Virgil VogelDaniel B. UllmanJanuary 17, 1966 (1966-01-17)8043
19"The Lost Diablo"Jerry HopperSamuel A. PeeplesJanuary 24, 1966 (1966-01-24)8045
20"A Long Way Home"Lewis AllenRobert HamnerJanuary 31, 1966 (1966-01-31)8051
21"End of a Legend"Jud TaylorRobert HamnerFebruary 7, 1966 (1966-02-07)8058
22"Run and Hide"Tom GriesRobert C. DennisFebruary 14, 1966 (1966-02-14)8048
23"The Riley Brand"Jud TaylorCharles HoffmanFebruary 21, 1966 (1966-02-21)8057
24"Muted Fifes, Muffled Drums"Jud TaylorRobert HamnerFebruary 28, 1966 (1966-02-28)8062
25"Plunder"Joseph H. LewisDaniel B. UllmanMarch 7, 1966 (1966-03-07)8054
26"Marlee"Jud TaylorAdrian SpiesMarch 14, 1966 (1966-03-14)8065
27"The Death of Matthew Eldridge"Joseph H. LewisEd Adamson & Paul SavageMarch 21, 1966 (1966-03-21)8049
28"Aces and Kings"Jud TaylorRobert HamnerMarch 28, 1966 (1966-03-28)8067
29"The Impostor"Nathan JuranDaniel B. UllmanApril 4, 1966 (1966-04-04)8068
30"An Unfamiliar Tune"Tom GriesTheodore Apstein & Tony BarrettApril 11, 1966 (1966-04-11)8060
31"The Clown"Nathan JuranEd AdamsonApril 18, 1966 (1966-04-18)8070
32"Requiem for the Second"Murray GoldenRobert HamnerMay 2, 1966 (1966-05-02)8071
33"Care of General Delivery"Nathan JuranStory by: Robert C. Dennis
Teleplay by: Ed Adamson
May 9, 1966 (1966-05-09)8066
34"Macauley's Cure"Murray GoldenEd AdamsonMay 16, 1966 (1966-05-16)8072

Home media

On May 8, 2018, Warner Bros. released A Man Called Shenandoah – The Complete Series on DVD via their Warner Archive Collection. This is a manufacture-on-demand (MOD) release, available through Warner's online store and Amazon.com.[10]

Reception

"Unfortunately, stiff timeslot competition doomed Shenandoah after 34 half-hour episodes. CBS had the established Andy Griffith and NBC aired the popular Andy Williams. Even though Shenandoah was preceded from 8:30-9 by another Western, The Legend of Jesse James, it too faced insurmountable competition from Lucille Ball on CBS and Dr. Kildare on NBC. It seems Shenandoah’s search for his identity was as futile as ABC’s search for ratings and the series was cancelled on May 16, 1966, after 34 episodes, offering no resolution to Shenandoah’s search for truth.[11]

References

  1. Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2003). "Man Called Shenandoah, A (Western)". The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present (8th ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. p. 730. ISBN 978-0-345-45542-0.
  2. Summers, Neil and Crowley, Roger M. (2002). The Official TV Western Round-Up Book, The Old West Shop Publishing.
  3. "A Man For All Seasons", in the Spring 1994 issue of Trail Dust.
  4. Slotnik, Daniel E. (March 15, 2016). "Robert Horton, Handsome 'Wagon Train' Star Who Wanted More, Dies at 91". The New York Times. Retrieved May 27, 2018. Mr. Horton said he accepted the part because he saw the show’s story as more interesting than that of a typical western. "Basically it’s a character study of a man in search of his identity," he told The Daily News of New York.
  5. Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946 - Present (Seventh Edition), Ballantine Books, 1999
  6. Eder, Bruce, liner notes for Small Screen Cowboy Heroes (AT 57474), Sony Music Distribution
  7. Illustrated Life Rhodesia magazine, July 14, 1972
  8. "getTV's Hot New Summer Schedule". GetTV. June 26, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  9. From the United States Copyright Office catalog: "Public Catalog - Copyright Catalog (1978 to present) - Basic Search [search: "Man Called Shenandoah"]". United States Copyright Office. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
  10. 'The Complete Series' of the 1965 Western is Coming from the Warner Archive
  11. Magers, Boyd. "A Man Called Shenandoah" Western Clippings: Do You Remember?
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