I decided to pull this thread up out of the mothballs and dust it off because I wanted to write a little homage to my favorite classic TV Western The High Chaparral.
I ask everyone’s indulgence for the length.
Over the past few weeks, the wife and I have been making our way through the entire series. Being quite a bit younger than myself, this was her first viewing and I was both delighted and surprised by the fact that she absolutely loved it.
What I think sets this one apart from the majority of the Golden Age TV westerns was not only the fantastic set up and the memorable characters but the fact that it was an ongoing saga. Sure, like most westerns, it was primarily composed of stand alone episodes but, unlike most westerns, what happened the prior week or prior season wasn’t (for the most part) forgotten as the series carried on.
In the very beginning of the show, we see the Cannon family arriving at a run down ranch that would become known as “The High Chaparral” and from there we watch them go from struggling to just keep the ranch afloat to patriarch “Big John” Cannon (Leif Erickson) becoming a wealthy and influential man in the territory over the course of the next few seasons. This just wasn’t something seen in the typical TV western.
Spoilers ahead
Not long after arriving at the ranch, John’s wife is killed in an Indian raid. He quickly comes to the conclusion that if they have any hope of surviving that he must form an alliance with rich cattleman Don Sebastian Montoya (Frank Silvera) whose massive hacienda lies across the border in Mexico. A deal between the two is eventually brokered but only after John agrees to seal the deal by marrying Montoya’s daughter Victoria (the gorgeous Linda Cristal) who is 20 years John’s junior. As the show progresses we watch a relationship born out of necessity become one based on love and respect as John eventually puts the ghost of his wife to rest and wholeheartedly accepts Victoria as his wife. This just wasn’t a typical western plot in the late 60s.
The other characters in the show are all tremendous and includes Mark Slade as the son “Billy Blue” Cannon, a kind hearted sensitive soul that “Big John” rides rough shod over as he tries to turn him into a man. Then there is Manolito Montoya (Henry Darrow), Victoria’s brother and heir to the Montoya dynasty. Unfortunately, Manolito wants no part of what is expected of him and lives his life in the bars and brothels along the border. On any other show, he might have been a likable bad guy and, as a matter of fact, the first time John meets him, Manolito at first saves him from being killed by an Apache then promptly steals his horse. “Mano” though ends accompanying his sister to The High Chaparral.
Finally, there is Minnesota Clay himself, Cameron Mitchell, playing Big John’s brother Buck who has lived a bit of a questionable life himself. His hard drinking, hard partying, poker playing lifestyle stands in direct contrast to his brother’s stern straight forward, hard working lifestyle. In many ways, Manolito and Buck are more like brothers than Buck and John and some of the best episodes revolve around the trouble the pair get into when they head out for some hard drinking and womanizing. This just wasn’t something often done by the heroes in TV westerns of that period.
This group of diverse family members is about as dysfunctional as it gets and the house is often filled with raised voices, and some outright fights, that produces some truly humorous moments amongst all the gunfights and Apache troubles. On a personal note, when Victoria begins screaming at whoever has dared to raise her ire in Spanish, it brings a smile to my face as it reminds me of my dear late Latina aunt who would often unleash those tirades on my poor uncle.
By modern standards, there really is nothing out of the ordinary about such a well crafted story but for the period of U.S. television in which it aired, it is well outside the box and ahead of its time. And, as even my wife acknowledged, due to the subject matter of this show, it still holds up well to this day.
I could actually go on for quite some time about other characters and aspects of this show that were unique and truly stood out in that era of television but I don’t want to ramble on forever. Suffice it to say, in case anyone who has muddled through this rant can’t tell, this is hands down my favorite classic western.
