A knight without armor in a savage land, Paladin (Richard Boone) was a unique gunfighter. A highly educated and well-traveled man, Paladin enjoyed the finer things in life, and always preferred peaceful solutions over violent confrontations.
But if no peaceful resolution was possible, Paladin was a lethal marksman. Have Gun - Will Travel was a huge hit in its day, thanks in part to its writers Gene Roddenberry (Star Trek), Bruce Geller (Mission: Impossible, and Harry Julian Fink (Dirty Harry).
Making its debut on September 14, 1957, the half-hour show ranked no. 4 in the ratings for its entire first season, which ran almost completely uninterrupted (minus a one-week preemption) until June of 1958--a punishing schedule unheard of in present-day television. (It ranked even higher in subsequent seasons, holding the no. 3 spot, behind Gunsmoke and Wagon Train.) Richard Boone was perfectly cast in the lead role of Paladin, a cultured gunslinger whose West Point education, impeccable style, literate sophistication, and distinguished Civil War service made him unique among Western heroes, and the prototype for many dashing figures to follow. Based in San Francisco's ritzy Carlton Hotel, he scans newspapers to locate trouble throughout the wild West, then cagily markets his services (via his legendary calling card, "Have Gun--Will Travel") as a hired gun, moral arbiter, voice of reason, and reluctant killer of badmen. Understanding the complexities of frontier justice, Paladin (whose full name is never revealed) could turn on those who hired him if he suspected dubious motivations. He wore black, but he traveled in an ethical gray zone.
Cast and Characters
Richard Boone as Paladin
Kam Tong as Hey Boy
Lisa Lu as Hey Girl
Hal Needham as Bartender
Edward Faulkner as Ben
Harry Casey, Jr. as Ben Murdock
Roy Barcroft as Flannigan
Hank Patterson as Hank
Peggy Rea as Cookie
Robert Stevenson as Clemenceau
Horse: Rafter
Broadcast History, Episode Guide & TV Schedule First Telecast: September 14, 1957 Last Telecast: April 20. 1963
View the Have Gun - Will Travel Episode Guide Number of Seasons: 6
Number of Episodes: 225
Original Network: CBS
Original Primetime TV Schedule:
September 1957 - April 1963, CBS, Saturday 9:30-10:00pm
Theme Song Lyrics and Opening Credits
"Ballad of Paladin" by Johnny Western, Richard Boone, and Sam Rolfe
Performed by Johnny Western
Have Gun Will Travel reads the card of a man.
A knight without armor in a savage land.
His fast gun for hire head's the calling wind.
A soldier of fotune is the man called Paladin.
Paladin, Paladin Where do you roam?
Paladin, Paladin, Far, far from home.
He travels on to wherever he must;
A chess knight of silver is his badge of trust.
There are campfire legends that the plainsmen spin
Of the man with the gun,
of the man called Pa-l-l-l-l-a-din
A knight without armor in a savage land, Paladin (Richard Boone) was a unique gunfighter. A highly educated and well-traveled man, Paladin enjoyed the finer things in life, and always preferred peaceful solutions over violent confrontations.
But if no peaceful resolution was possible, Paladin was a lethal marksman. Have Gun - Will Travel was a huge hit in its day, thanks in part to its writers Gene Roddenberry (Star Trek), Bruce Geller (Mission: Impossible, and Harry Julian Fink (Dirty Harry).
