RAWHIDE-A ROLLING, ROLLING, ROLLING, CLASSIC REVIEW

Great stories were told about the old west over the years. As the television and the movie audience became demanding of well told tales to base their entertainment around, production companies scoured the library for books that were not only exciting with adventures, but were believable enough to keep the attention span for as long as they could. It had to be a story capable of producing a scene which entangled shady characters and problems along the way. Such a story told was that by a cattle drover named George C. Duffield. Duffield had written his diary about his adventures around the year of 1866. He was a drover herding cattle from Texas, north to Sedalia, Kansas. This gave a place to run into all types of trouble as the cowpokes worked their ponies across the open plains driving thousands of cattle to the stockyards.

In 1959, CBS produced an hour long western series with the main topic being the cattle drive. Rawhide became a big success with unique dilemmas to stop or stall the cowhands on their route. It’s a continuous cattle drive headed by trail boss, Gil Favor (Eric Fleming) and his young ramrod Rowdy Yates (Clint Eastwood). Throw in a fun loving character like Wishbone (Paul Brinegar) as their cook and Pete Nolan (Sheb Wooley) as their scout for a truer than life adventure as they dust your television screen week after week. Other cast members include Jim Quince (Steve Raines) and Simon Blake (Raymond St. Jacques). The Simon Blake character was a late comer to the cast of favorites. It was a success as the character’s present honored the African-American cowboy seldom seen in a western.

The story was all surrounding the drovers pushing a herd north for a group of ranchers out of Texas. They had only a verbal agreement as to them receiving payment and for many ranchers this was their only source of lively hood. The ranchers fully trusted Gil Favor to keep his end of the bargain without written receipts. The group of drovers often had interest in much of the herd for themselves as they rounded up mavericks for their own profits. Such things as rustlers, stampedes, and the company of unexpected guests with circumstances made some drives a little behind schedule as they headed north.

Season one begins with Incident of the Tumbleweed. The drovers assist in guarding a prison wagon traveling with them. Prisoners plot to escape and a beautiful woman prisoner has her husband trailing them to cause even more chaos along the trail.

The last episode in season eight was aired Dec. 7, 1965 with Crossing at White Feather. A trail guide named Jonas is seen as a slacker to Rowdy when he finds excuses to avoid leading them through rugged terrain involving river rapids. Rowdy finds himself dangling from a cliff after Jonas is spooked by a rattle snake. Excitement is high as the final episode brings the drive to a halt.

With 217 episodes of dusty trails and adventure Rawhide produces quality entertainment with a well liked array of guest stars known for their talents. Such guest as Claude Akins, John Ireland, Jack Lord, John Anderson, Lee Van Cleef, Robert Blake, Neville Brand, Dan Duryea, James Drury, J. D. Cannon, Dick York, Barbara Eden, Dorothy Green, Beverly Garland, Kathryn Card and many more created a show well loved by the western fans. It became an excellent platform to bring stardom to the cast and extra attention to the list of guest stars. Eric Fleming was given writing credits for a couple episodes and Clint Eastwood soared to fame as a western hero after Rawhide.

Sadly, Eric Fleming was a victim in a canoe accident in 1966 and left us at a young age while working on the set of a jungle film in Peru. Most of the cast are gone now but their memories live on as Rawhide is still being played on such channels as Encore Westerns.

Clint Eastwood is still amazing his fans with his fine talent and will be celebrating his eighty second birthday in May. Join him at http://www.clinteastwood.net/welcome/ and also visit his fan pages on Facebook.

1st verse:
Rolling rolling, rolling rolling rolling.
Keep moving moving moving, though they're disapproving, keep those doggies moving, rawhide.
Don't try to understand em,
just rope, throw and brand em,
soon we'll be living high and wide.
My heart's calculating,
my true love will be waiting,
be waiting at the end of my ride.

Chorus:
Move em on, head em up, head em up, move em on, move em on, head em up, rawhide.
Cut em out, ride em in, ride em in, let em out, cut em out, ride em in, rawhide...
..rawhide.

2nd verse
Rolling rolling rolling
Though the streams are swollen
Keep those doggies rolling, rawhide
Through rain and wind and weather
Hell-bent for leather,
Wishing my gal was by my side
All the things I'm missing,
Good vittles, love and kissin,
Are waiting at the end of my ride

Chorus:
Move em on, head em up, head em up, move em on, move em on, head em up, rawhide.
Cut em out, ride em in, ride em in, let em out, cut em out, ride em in, rawhide...
..rawhide.