The Virginian

Background of the Show

"The Virginian" was a classic novel written in 1902 by Owen Wister, and was the basis for the TV show of the same name. In this book we were introduced to a strong, silent type of cowboy who was tough and dangerous, but also gallant. And we learned about the Code of the West, the ironclad rules of honor and conduct that the cowboy lived by. By the time The Virginian became a TV show, this code was the standard followed by all of our cowboy heroes.

"The Virginian" was also produced 3 times as a motion picture; the most well-known was the version that starred Gary Cooper and Walter Huston in 1929.

Here's a interesting sidelight to the original pilot.

All About the Show

The Virginian first aired in 1962 and ended in 1971. And here's an interesting fact - it was the first 90-minute Western series on TV! Actually it was more like a weekly movie feature.

There weren't any gimmicks to this show. It was one of the leading "adult Westerns" and relied mostly on its strong cast and guest stars to provide solid performances which they did very well for the 9 years that it was on TV.

James Drury played the part of The Virginian, who never revealed his real name! He was a mysterious fellow of few words who was always around forcing law and order on eveyone who needed it. The show was set in the Wyoming Territory in the 1890's.

All the action took place on or around the Shiloh Ranch which had various owners during the run of the show. But the guy who never changed was (yep, my favorite!) Trampas (played by Doug McClure) - the Shiloh's wild, young cowhand.

Only James Drury and Doug McClure were in the show all 9 years. Because of the nature of this Western drama, there was a long list of characters that changed over the years. These included -

Judge Henry Garth - played by Lee J. Cobb from 1962 - 1966

Steve - played by Gary Clarke from 1962 - 1964

Molly Wood - played by Pippa Scott from 1962 - 1963

Betsy Garth - played by Roberta Shore from 1962 - 1965

Randy Benton - played by Randy Boone from 1964 - 1966

Emmett Ryker - played by Clu Gulager from 1964 - 1966 & then again from 1967 - 1968

Belden - played by L.Q. Jones from 1964 - 1967

Jennifer Garth - played by Diane Roter from 1965 - 1966

John Grainger - played by Charles Bickford from 1966 - 1967

Stacy Grainger - played by Don Quine from 1966 - 1968

Elizabeth Grainger - played by Sara Lane from 1966 - 1970

Sheriff Mark Abbott - played by Ross Elliott from 1966 - 1970

Clay Grainger - played by John McIntire from 1967 - 1970

Holly Grainger - played by Jeanette Nolan from 1967 - 1970

David Sutton - played by David Hartman from 1968 - 1969

Jim Horn - played by Tim Matheson from 1969 - 1970

Col. Alan MacKenzie - played by Stewart Granger from 1970 - 1971

Roy Tate - played by Lee Majors from 1970 - 1971

Parker - played by John McLiam from 1970 - 1971

Want to see some great still pictures of James Drury and other cast members from "The Virginian"? Click on the center button in the video box below

What Happened to the Actors?

After "The Virginian" TV series ended in 1971, James Drury appeared in a few movies including "The Virginian" TV movie in 2000. He also starred in another TV series in 1974, "Firehouse", which was a short-lived adventure show about firemen encountering various disasters each week. It ran for only 7 months.

James Drury was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City in 1991. He has since been a businessman, in the oil and natural gas business in Houston, TX.

My favorite from "The Virginian", Doug McClure, appeared mostly in commercials for Hamms Beer throughout the 1970's and '80's but did also star in the situation comedy "Out of This World" from 1987 to 1991.

Doug McClure died from lung cancer on February 5, 1995 at the young age of 59.