Season 8 • Episode 26
LatestThe series' final episode begins and ends with the two characters who stayed with it from beginning to end, as Charlie tells Hawks about his earlier days working for trading post operator Jarbo Pierce. Jarbo, once a wild, hard-drinking man, had become a minister, though he could still take on any man who tried to fight him. When his younger brother Adam arrived at the post Jarbo found himself at odds with him as Adam preferred the wilder ways of life and didn't understand Jarbo's concerns for the Indians he traded with, and began working with a man who wanted to use ...
The series initially starred veteran movie supporting actor Ward Bond as the wagon master, later replaced upon his death by John McIntire, and Robert Horton as the scout, subsequently replaced by lookalike Robert Fuller a year after Horton had decided to leave the series. The series was inspired by the 1950 film Wagon Master directed by John Ford and starring Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr. and Ward Bond, and harkens back to the early widescreen wagon train epic The Big Trail starring John Wayne and featuring Bond in his first major screen appearance playing a supporting role. Horton's buckskin outfit as the scout in the first season of the television series resembles Wayne's, who also played the wagon train's scout in the earlier film.
Acting
Ward Bond's gruff paternal authority before John McIntire's calmer takeover.
Production
Massive location shooting that made TV feel cinematic weekly.
Writing
Rotating guest stars meant fresh prestige drama every episode.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Wagon Train helped kill the theatrical Western by proving the genre worked better as weekly serialized comfort food.
Robert Horton left after season 5 because he was furious about not getting top billing over the wagon itself — seriously.
US
