by Victoria K.

Created on: May 26, 2009   Last Updated: August 13, 2009

There have been a few notable references to the city of Wichita, Kansas in movies and pop culture.

First and foremost, the movie "Wichita", released on July 3rd, 1955 which chronicles the adventures of Wyatt Earp in the early days of Wichita. Ex-Buffalo Hunter and entrepreneur Wyatt Earp arrives in the lawless cattle town of Wichita, Kansas. His gunfighter skills make him the perfect candidate for Marshal but refuses the job to help bring law and order to the town.

Next, "Wichita Town", a short lived western tv series appeared on television at a time when westerns crowded the airwaves. Included a decent minded lawman played by Joel McCrea and his young deputy played by Jody McCrea. For one thing, though the father and son team of the McCreas were featured, they didn't play father and son, though they were an older and younger man in a father-son style relationship. Second, though the characters' names were fictional, they were supposed to be Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson. (Young Jody's character's name was even "Ben Masters," allowing for a hint at the historicity they had to suggest rather than admit owing to the fact that Hugh O'Brian and Alan Dinehart had already done the story of that friendship over at ABC on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp. Perhaps that helps explain why Wichita Town never caught on - there was a sense of deja vu to it all, which doesn't mean that it wasn't good, only that it arrived a little late in the TV western game. Apparently, McCrea had wanted to play Earp on TV. One of his best B+ westerns of the mid-fifties was Wichita Town, in which he played Earp and Keith Larson (later in such TV westerns as Brave Eagle and Northwest Passage) was young Masterson. That film opened in theatres only months before the ABC Earp/Masterson series premiered. So McCrea backed off and then gave it a noble try with this one-season wonder. If hardly a classic of its type, this was a highly watchable variation on what then was an all too common theme, with McCrea bringing a certain substance to the role that most of the young cowboy stars then on the air couldn't come close to.

Most people remember this popular film from1987, "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" was a gut busting film starring Steve Martin as Neal Page, a suburban businessman trying to get home in time for Thanksgiving with his family. When his plane is diverted to Wichita due to heavy snow elsewhere he finds himself partnering up with shower curtain salesman Del Griffith, played by the late, great John Candy. However Del is not Neal's immediate first choice for travelling partner and the two soon find that one misfortune after another wears their patience very thin.

These are only a few of the popular references to Wichita in film and television. Besides the claim the Wichita is the actual birthplace of rock and roll, the cinema has been kind to this small town with a big heart. You'll be sure to see more references in the future as this once western town continues to grow.

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