by Edward Schultz

Created on: July 03, 2007

"Have Gun will Travel reads the card of a man,
A knight without honor in a savage land."

Thus began one of the most popular "adult" western TV series of the 1950's and 60's. This was the story of a mysterious gunslinger known only as "Paladin." Headquartered in San Francisco, Paladin was a dandy - a man of culture, education, and wit. He smoke the finest cigars, drank the choicest wines, escorted the most beautiful women, and quoted the classics at a tip of his bell-crowned top hat. Each week, as he perused the San Francisco newspaper, Paladin would find an interesting article about someone in need of his assistance, and he would send them his business card. With a large white chess knight in the background, his card read: Have Gun Will Travel, Wire Paladin, San Francisco.

The man in fancy clothes transformed into a black-clad, pistol-packing gunman for hire. But this gunman was not nasty, crude, evil or quick to kill. Paladin always made it very plain that he preferred not to shoot, but when forced to, he was a deadly shot. This "knight without honor" almost always got his man (or woman) and never celebrated the death of an adversary.

"Have Gun" premiered in September of 1957. With 225 episodes under its belt, the series finally ended in April of 1963.

The star of this show was actor Richard Boone. Gravel-voiced, not especially handsome, Boone had a presence that was at once inspiring and intimidating. He had a penetrating look in his eyes that told you he meant business.

Why was Paladin such an iconic hero? He was one of television's first anti-heroes. He was, at the same time, a good guy, but one who also walked in the shadows. He knew the law, respected it, but sometimes circumvented it in order to bring about justice. He represented the best in life. He was a cultured gentleman. (As a preteen boy, I began to read Shakespeare because I wanted to be able to quote him the way Paladin did.) But, he would also unleash a fierce force (represented by his gun) that could bring swift justice.

In an episode entitled "Genesis" while encountering an adversary, Paladin is named: "In the books there's a name for a man like you. A Paladin. That's a gentleman knight in shiny armor and all armed with a cause and righteousness and a fine pointed lance...."

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