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The Young Riders
Standing: Stephen
Baldwin, Travis Fine, Josh Brolin, Ty Miller, Gregg Rainwater
The Young Riders first aired on ABC on Thursday evening, 20 September 1989, in an episode called simply enough, Pilot, which is now known as The Kid. Emerging from his bath in a horse trough, a grizzled, old codger named Teaspoon Hunter addresses his recruits, telling them that the Pony Express extends 2,000 miles from St. Joe, Missouri, all the way to Sacramento, California. He warns that they will ride 75 miles a day like the gates of hell had opened behind them, taking the mochilla filled with letters on to the next Way Station along the route. Once their specific route was finished, they would be free to get drunk, angry, or tree the town in typical Old West fashion. The setting for this series is Sweetwater, Wyoming Territory. The year is 1860, just prior to the Civil War and the advent of the telegraph, and none of the riders look like they are cut out to be frontier mailmen. In point of fact, the entire series takes a great deal of liberties with historical fact, but it is a great series and was highly acclaimed by fans and critics alike. The riders that Teaspoon comes to love like his own children are Billy Cody, who will grow up to become Buffalo Bill, Jimmy Hickok, the future U.S. Marshal better known as Wild Bill, bald-headed Ike, Kiowa Indian Buck Cross, Lou, who is a female dressing as a male to get and keep the job, and a fast-gun known simply as The Kid. They all swear to uphold their duties, their friendships and their loyalties, as they face the perils and problems of Indians, bandits, and romance along the trail. With the Civil War on the horizon, some liberties are taken in that department, but basically, the riders are good folks righting any wrongs they encounter in their daily lives. In the Third Season, the entire crew moves to Rock Creek on the Nebraska border, which allows the introduction of more civilized tales. Originally, this series was intended to showcase Ty Miller in the role of The Kid, a young drifter with a deep code of moral ethics. From the outset, he is the subtle leader, and when challenged by Jimmy Hickok in the pilot, his cool, level-headedness earn him the respect of all the riders, including Jimmy. His exemplary courage and resourcefulness is carried throughout the story line. In all three seasons, Don Collier was the owner of the general store, William Tompkins. Without anyone telling him, he discovers Lou is a girl. He gets to know and respect all the riders, as they ride into town for supplies, and he generally gets along well with all of them. When the riders move to Rock Creek, he moves right along with them, expanding his store. The series had no real chance of remaining on the air because of the way it was shifted all over the place. It started out on Thursday nights, moved to Saturday nights the next season, then changed timeslots on Saturday, and for the last few episodes, it shifted back into a Thursday night lineup. Fans had a hard time keeping up with it. Cast members came and went, most notably after the First Season with the marriage of the marshal and the ranch mother, but new members were added to boost the ratings. The last episode was telecast on 22 July 1992. Some material was condensed from The Official TV Western Book Volume 4 by Neil Summers, 1992.
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