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The High Chaparral
Back: Mark Slade, Linda Cristal,
Leif Erickson, Cameron Mitchell, Henry Darrow One of the most successful westerns on television was The High Chaparral. It was the name given to the ranch owned and operated by the Cannon family in the Arizona Territory during the 1870's. Stubborn, determined Big John Cannon (Leif Erickson) was the patriarch of the family, and his driving ambition to establish a cattle empire in the rugged, Apache-infested land was the thrust of the entire show. To help him, he had his younger brother Buck (Cameron Mitchell), who could out-drink, outshoot, outfight, and when motivated, outwork any man alive. Big John's son Billy Blue (Mark Slade) was a young man in his early 20's, whose mother was killed in the very first episode. After his first wife's death, John married Victoria Montoya (Linda Cristal), daughter of Don Sebastian Montoya (Frank Silvera), and heiress, along with her brother Manolito (Henry Darrow), to the Don's extensive cattle holdings south of the border. Manolito comes to the Cannon ranch and becomes a permanent part of the household. In the very first episode, Buck and Blue ride into Tucson and hire the ranch hands, led by Sam Butler (Don Collier), who is the ranch foreman and who becomes John Cannon's "left arm of the High Chaparral." Vaquero (Rudolfo Acosta) is also acquired in the first episode as household help. There were cast changes, most notably in the fourth season with the disappearance of Blue Cannon and Don Sebastian Montoya (who died in real life) and the addition of Wind (Rudy Ramos) and Don Domingo Montoya (Gilbert Roland). Ira Bean (Jerry Summers) disappeared at the end of the first season, and both Reno (Ted Markland) and Vaquero disappeared at the end of the second season. All the rest of the cast, including bunkhouse boys Joe Butler (Bob Hoy) and Pedro Carr (Roberto Contreras), remained for all four seasons. Don Collier played the ranch foreman Sam Butler. His television brother Joe was played to perfection by his real-life good friend Bob Hoy, a well-known Hollywood stuntman. Through the course of the storylines, Sam becomes mentor to both Blue and Wind. It is Wind, the half-Pawnee, half-white youth in the bunkhouse who seems to try his patience the most, possibly because Wind was adrift in the desert before coming to the ranch, and he was accustomed to doing things his own way. Always, Sam is loyal and fair and is a strong person. Several of the episodes were "Sam episodes," which showcased Don's incredible emotional and acting range. "The Firing Wall" from Season One, "Follow Your Heart" from Season Two, "Lady Fair" from Season Three, and "A Matter of Survival" from Season Four give the best background on the character of Sam. Throughout all episodes, he is brother, mentor, champion, and friend to every member on the ranch. Please read The High Chaparral disclaimer
Be sure to visit these other High Chaparral related sites:
The High
Chaparral Web Site Interested in joining in lively and interesting discussions with others who love The High Chaparral and the Old West? Join the HCDG (High Chaparral Discussion group) - an e-mail Yahoo group - by following this link and signing up: http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/hcdg/
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Theme from "The High Chaparral" by David Rose