Among the highlights for old school Western fans of Get TV's Saturday Western block is 1958's Cimarron City, which starred George Montgomery (doubling as a producer, as his company co-produced the show with Revue) and John Smith, among others. Three weeks in, Dan Blocker, still better known for Bonanza, which came after Cimarron had been cancelled, joined the cast as Tiny, a ranch hand.
So why did it fail? It aired opposite CBS' 1-2 punch of Have Gun...Will Travel & Gunsmoke. Enough said. Didn't help that the 3rd lead, Audrey Totter, left the show because the writers didn't create enough storylines where she would be the lead.
Here's "Beast of Cimarron", with Dan Blocker.
Rating: B.
2 comments:
Your reference to Dan Blocker may require a clarification.
Bonanza didn't start up until after Cimarron City ended in 1959, thus Blocker couldn't be "still better known" for the former.
Indeed, given the two series's common control by NBC, it might be safely inferred that Blocker's tenure on Cimarron may have played a part in securing the Bonanza gig for him.
A small rewrite should fix it up.
Noted, and article edited. Thank you.
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