September 13, 1965 (1965-09-13) – May 16, 1966 (1966-05-16)
A Man Called Shenandoah is an American Western television series that aired Monday evenings on ABC-TV from September 13, 1965[1] to May 16, 1966. It was produced by MGM Television. Some of the location work for the 34 half-hour black and white episodes were filmed in California's Sierra Nevada and Mojave Desert.[2]
The series starred Robert Horton, who had costarred on Wagon Train from 1957 to 1962. He left that series, vowing never to do another television western,[1] but agreed to star in A Man Called Shenandoah because he felt the show would be a great opportunity for him as an actor.[3][4] The series is set in 1870 and portrays an amnesiac facing hardship and danger while trying to unravel his identity and his past.
Overview
Robert Horton plays a man who was shot and left for dead. In the premiere episode, two buffalo hunters find him out on the prairie and, thinking he might be an outlaw, take him to the nearest town in hopes of receiving reward money.[5] When he regains consciousness, he has no recollection of who he was, or why anyone would want to harm him. The doctor who treats his wounds gives him the name "Shenandoah," stating the word means "land of silence".
For the remainder of the series, Shenandoah roams the West in search of clues to his identity. He learns that he had been a Union officer during the American Civil War, and comes to believe that he had been married. The final episode, "Macauley's Cure", ends with Mrs. Macauley telling Shenandoah: "It's not always important who you are; it's always important what you are."
The show's theme song was the traditional American folk tune "Oh Shenandoah", with new, specialized lyrics written by Horton himself. Horton, who had performed in musical theater, also sang the song.[6] His recording became a Columbia single in 1965. It is from Horton's Columbia album The Man Called Shenandoah (Cs-9208, stereo; Cl-2408, mono; both 1965).
The series is popular on Rhodesian Television (RTV) in central Africa, and the song, reworked by local talent Nick Taylor, reached Number 3 on the Rhodesian Broadcasting Corporation hit parade.[7]
Broadcast
When reruns of the series aired on Turner Network Television in the 1990s, only 29 of the 34 episodes were rebroadcast. Since 2017, A Man Called Shenandoah has aired in the United States on the GetTV network, as part of their Western-themed programming block.[8]
In February 2014, Warner Archive Instant offered all 34 uncut episodes as part of their streaming service.
Story by : Robert C. Dennis Teleplay by : Ed Adamson
May 9, 1966 (1966-05-09)
8066
34
"Macauley's Cure"
Murray Golden
Ed Adamson
May 16, 1966 (1966-05-16)
8072
Home media
On May 8, 2018, Warner Bros. released A Man Called Shenandoah – The Complete Series on DVD via their Warner Archive Collection. This is a manufacture-on-demand (MOD) release, available through Warner's online store and Amazon.com.[10] A Blu-ray presentation of the entire series was released by Warner Archive Collection on November 2, 2024.[11]
Reception
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As Boyd Magers noted, "stiff timeslot competition doomed Shenandoah after 34 half-hour episodes... and the series was cancelled on May 16, 1966, after 34 episodes, offering no resolution to Shenandoah’s search for truth."[12]
References
^ abBrooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2003). "Man Called Shenandoah, A (Western)". The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present (8th ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. p. 730. ISBN978-0-345-45542-0.
^Summers, Neil and Crowley, Roger M. (2002). The Official TV Western Round-Up Book, The Old West Shop Publishing.
^"A Man For All Seasons", in the Spring 1994 issue of Trail Dust.
^Slotnik, Daniel E. (March 15, 2016). "Robert Horton, Handsome 'Wagon Train' Star Who Wanted More, Dies at 91". The New York Times. Retrieved May 27, 2018. Mr. Horton said he accepted the part because he saw the show's story as more interesting than that of a typical western. "Basically it's a character study of a man in search of his identity," he told The Daily News of New York.
^Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946 - Present (Seventh Edition), Ballantine Books, 1999
^Eder, Bruce, liner notes for Small Screen Cowboy Heroes (AT 57474), Sony Music Distribution
^Illustrated Life Rhodesia magazine, July 14, 1972
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