Have Gun - Will Travel

In trouble? Situation desperate? Need the best man for the job? Then you want Paladin.

Richard Boone stars in "Have Gun - Will Travel" as Paladin. He is only known by the card that he sends to potential clients that simply said "Have Gun - Will Travel. Wire Paladin, San Francisco." The image on the card was that of a chess piece - the knight.

Unlike other popular western TV shows during the fifties and sixties, "Have Gun - Will Travel" starred only one person from week to week - Richard Boone. The other famous western television shows of the time, like Gunsmoke, had ensemble casts.

Paladin led two lives. He lived in San Francisco in a posh hotel and had all the trappings of a well-to-do gentleman. But, he made his living as a gunslinger who could use his wits and his gun very effectively in the most difficult situations.

Bounty Hunter, Detective, Courier, Bodyguard ...whatever the need, Paladin is the best man for the job.

• "Have Gun - Will Travel" was one of the first western TV shows of its time to appear on television before becoming a radio show. Many of the westerns that aired during the 1950s originated on radio. However, because of the enormous popularity of "Have Gun - Will Travel" the producers decided to make it into a radio show, too.

• One of the writers for the "Have Gun - Will Travel" was Harry Julian Fink. Fink wrote 13 episodes for "Have Gun - Will Travel" and later went on to write the John Wayne westerns Big Jake and Cahill U.S. Marshall.

• Ida Lupino was the first woman to ever direct a western TV show. The first TV western she directed was the episode The Man Who Lost for "Have Gun - Will Travel." (This episode is available in this DVD set.) Ida Lupino directed seven episodes for the "Have Gun - Will Travel" TV show. A woman of many talents, she also became famous as an actress.

• What is a paladin? A paladin was originally used to describe one of the 12 knights who were part of King Charlemagne's court. The word evolved over time to stand for anyone "who champions a noble cause." It's appropriate for Richard Boone in "Have Gun - Will Travel" because he fancies himself a man of gallantry who comes to the aid of people in dire need of his service.