Marry Me, Marry Me 'Way Out In Laramie . . . Or Not (Part One)

Laramie (1959-1963) is one of my all-time favorite Western TV shows. The series starred Robert Fuller as Jess Harper, a man with a shady past, and John Smith as Slim Sherman, a respectable rancher who runs a relay station for a stage line out of Laramie, Wyoming. 
Robert Crawford Jr., Hoagy Carmichael, Spring Byington, Stuart Randall, and Dennis Holmes are also regulars at various points in the show.

One of the best and most fun things about Laramie is the interaction between all of the main characters, especially when it concerns the glaring differences between Slim and Jess. 

Laramie

Laramie was one of the most popular family Westerns on TV during the time it ran on NBC (Sept. 1959 - May, 1963; 124 episodes), and was an even bigger hit in foreign countries such as Germany and Japan.  
The show had several different directors, including Lesley Selander, Bill Witney, and Joe Kane. 



Cast:

John Smith . . . as Slim Sherman
Robert Fuller . . . as Jess Harper
Robert Crawford, Jr. . . . as Andy Sherman
Hoagy Carmichael . . . as Jonsey
Spring Byington . . . as Daisy Cooper
Dennis Holmes . . . as Mike Williams
Stuart Randall . . . as Sheriff Mort Corey
Eddy Waller . . . as Mose




Laramie DVDs on Amazon.com

 

  Season One              Season Two                 Season Three                  Season Four




Setting:
      
     Twelve miles west of Laramie, WY, on the Sherman Ranch during the first few years of the 1870s.  The ranch is also a relay station for the Overland Stage Co.



Story:

     Stories focus on either Slim or Jess, both Slim and Jess, or the sometimes the other characters.  
     A well-used storyline revolves around someone who either once saved Slim or Jess's life, or had their life saved by Slim or Jess, coming around with a request for a favor ("hide me from the law," "I need fifty dollars," etc.).
     Slim and/or Jess frequently venture away from Laramie.  For example, Slim and Jess head up the Lolo Trail in "Fugitive Road"; Jess goes to Mexico in "Run to Tumavaca"; Jess goes to Billings, MT, in "The Fatal Step," and Slim does a bit of traveling in "The Road to Helena."  Colorado and other parts of Wyoming are visited most often.



Characters:

Slim Sherman 
     Slim Sherman is one of the two main characters of Laramie.  He is honest--perhaps to a fault--and sometimes hot-headed.  He's big and tall (John Smith was 6'2"), with blue eyes and dark blonde hair, and meant to be in his late twenties or early thirties.
     Slim's parents both passed away many years ago, leaving Slim and his younger brother, Andy, alone except for Jonsey.  The story of how Matt and Mary Sherman died is told in an episode in season four called "The Last Battleground."
     Slim fought for the North during the War.



Jess Harper
     Jess Harper is the exact opposite of Slim Sherman; instead of being an honest rancher, he is a drifter who goes by instinct and feelings, even if it means slighting what other people call "right."  Instead of being hot-headed, he has a smoldering temper that can be dangerous, especially if someone he loves is in jeopardy.
     Dark-haired, blue eyed Jess is a couple years younger and a couple inches shorter than Slim.
     Jess lost most of his family in a fire set by an outlaw named Bannister.  Episodes that focus on Jess's family history include: "Fugitive Road" (season one), "Men of Defiance" (season one), and "Shadow of the Past" (season four).
     Jess fought for the Confederacy during the War.



Andy Sherman
     Slim's little brother, Andy, is a young teenager who is somewhat of a dreamer; he occasionally butts heads with Slim, who is doing his best to give Andy the good rearing that their parents could not give him, but sometimes Slim tries too hard.  Andy likes Jess right from the start, and would rather grow up to be more like Jess than Slim.
     At the end of the first season, Andy leaves to go to school in St. Louis, although he appears in a few episodes of season two, including "Ride the Wild Wind," in which he has more screen time than Slim and Jess.
   


Jonsey
     Jonesy was played by Hoagy Carmichael, composer of such well-known jazz tunes as  "Georgia On My Mind," "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening," and "Stardust."
     Jonesy is the middle-aged (Carmichael was around 60 years old) sort-of-handyman/housekeeper for the Sherman household.  But he's mostly there to say, "Now, Slim . . . ." when Slim needs reined in.
     "Jonesy" was only in the first season, and then he takes Andy to school in St. Louis and is never mentioned again.  In real life, Carmichael just had better things to do (like play golf and write music) so he let go of the part. 
     


Daisy Cooper
      Daisy is in the third and fourth seasons.  She arrives at the Sherman ranch ("Ladies Day," season three, episode two) quite by accident; she thinks she has bought a store in Sherman, WY, but no such place exists!  Someone cheated her, but everything turns out for the best when she decides to stay on at the ranch and take care of Mike.
     In her seventies, Ms. Cooper is a widow, who also lost her son during the War Between the States.  She was a medical nurse for the Union, and her medical knowledge, along with her general wisdom, comes in handy on the ranch.
     

  
  Mike Williams
      Mike is orphaned when his parents are killed by Indians, near Laramie.  He is found by a group of traveling entertainers and brought to the Sherman ranch ("Dragon at the Door" season three, episode one).  Mike is in the third and fourth seasons.




Sources:

http://robertfuller.info/careertv/laramie.html

http://laramierelaystation.com/index

Lentz III, Harris M., Televison Westerns Episode Guide, MacFarland & Co., 1997 

The Lawless Eighties (1957)

Starring . . .

Buster Crabbe
John Smith
Marilyn Saris
Ted de Corsia
Anthony Caruso
John Doucette
Frank Ferguson
Sheila Bromley
Walter Reed
Robert 'Buzz' Henry
Will J. White
Robert Swan
Don C. Harvey
Harry Lauter



Plot Summary:

One man lives by the Bible, another lives by the gun . . . .  Which way will work in the end?

     William Van Orsdel (Smith) is a young missionary-preacher, just arriving in Sioux Indian country.  Before he has a chance to preach even one sermon, he is caught up in an Indian uprising—an Indian uprising fueled by white men dressing up as Sioux.
     The bad guys decide right away that "Brother Van" knows too much, and they try to kill him, but he is rescued by a gunfighter named Linc Prescott (Crabbe).
     And Prescott also finds himself involved in the uprising -- very personally involved.  He gets a job working for the man behind it all, Grat Bandas (Ted de Corsia), before he realizes just what is going on.
     Linc finds himself falling for a rancher's daughter (Marilyn Saris), who returns the feelings, but she knows he is working for Bandas, who is generally disliked because of the other men in his employment.
     As the gunfighter and the preacher work together to stop the uprising, they learn some important lessons about fighting.  

"Brother Van"

"Linc Prescott"

"Grat Bandas"

Bandas' men

Produced by . . .

Rudy Ralston

Directed by . . . 

Joe Kane

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



This movie was based on the biography of William Wesley Van Orsdel -- aka Brother Van, who was a Methodist minister in Montana from 1872 until his death in 1919.

Here are a couple biographies available on "Brother Van":

Brother Van: Montana Pioneer Circuit Rider by Robert W. Lind

Brother Van by Stella Wyatt Brummitt (click here for ebook/google-book version)


And a couple online articles . . .

Wikipedia

Montana Moments blog -- "Brother Van's Love Story"


The real Brother Van's love story kind of reminds me of Linc Prescott's in the movie -- except the ending, of course.

And isn't it ironic how similar John Smith's real name is to William Wesley Van Orsdel?  John Smith was born as Robert Errol Van Orden, and had his name legally changed to John Smith, so he could be "the only John Smith in the business!"

John Smith Bio/credits

John Smith
Born:  March 6, 1931 (as Robert Van Orden) (in Los Angeles, CA)
Died:  January 25, 1995
Spouse(s):  Luana Patten (1960 - 1964, divorced)
Child(ren): 1 daughter
Parents:  Earl Van Orden, Margaret Van Orden
Height: 6'2"

Movies:
    1944
        Going My Way (uncredited)
    1945
        The Bells of St. Mary's (uncredited)
        Bells of Rosarita (uncredited)
    1950
        A Woman of Distinction (uncredited)
    1951
        The Guy Who Came Back (uncredited)
    1952
        Carbine Williams (uncredited)
    1953
        The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (uncredited)
        Battle Circus (uncredited)
    1954
        The High and the Mighty
    1955
        Desert Sands
        We're No Angels
        Wichita
        Seven Angry Men
    1956
        The Women of Pitcairn Island
        Friendly Persuasion
        Rebel in Town
        Hot Rod Girl
        Quincannon, Frontier Scout
        The Bold and the Brave
        Ghost Town
    1957
        The Crooked Circle
        The Lawless Eighties
        The Kettles on Old MacDonald's Farm
        Fury at Showdown
        Tomahawk Trail
    1958
        Sea Divers (TV Movie)
        Handle with Care
    1959
        Island of Lost Women
    1964
        Circus World
    1966
        Waco
    1971
        Will to Die
    1972
        Justin Morgan Had a Horse  (see TV Shows > Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color)

TV Shows:
    About Faces
         - Episode dated March 7 (1960) (as himself)
    Adam-12
         - Citizens All (1972)
    Alfred Hitchcock Presents
         - A Night with the Boys (1959)
    Cimarron City (regular)
    Colt .45
         - Gallows at Granite Gap (1957)
         - Point of Honor (1958)
    Conflict
         - The Money (1957)
    Crossroads
         - The Singing Preacher (1956)
    Emergency!
         - Hang-Up (1972)
         - Crash (1972)
    Father Knows Best
         - Never the Twain (1956)
    The Ford Television Theatre
         - The Tryst (1954)
    Frontier
         - Paper Gunman (1955)
    General Electric Theater
         - The Rider on the Pale Horse (1954)
    The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show
         - Gracie's Old Boy Friend, Dan Conroy, Comes to Town (1954)
    Gunsmoke
         - Cholera (1956)
    Here's Hollywood
         - Episode #1.53 (1960)
    Hondo
         - Hondo and the Eagle Claw (1967)
    I Spy
         - Tag, You're It  (1968)
    Laramie (regular)
    The Loretta Young Show
         - Thanksgiving in Beaver Run (1953)
    Marcus Welby, M.D.
         - Hell Is Upstairs (1974)
         - Calculated Risk (1975)
    Men of Annapolis
         - Ship's Log (1957)
         - The Irwin Brown Story (1958)
    Mike Hammer
         - Letter of the Weak (1958)
    The Millionaire
         - The Story of Lucky Swanson (1956)
    My Little Margie
         - Campus Homecoming (1953)
         - Mr. Uranium (1955)
    Our Miss Brooks
         - The Novelist (1954)
    Police Woman
         - The Chasers (1975)
   Project U.F.O.
         - Sighting 4009: The French Incident (1978)
    The Rounders
        - It's the Noble Thing to Do (1966)
    Schlitz Playhouse
         - The Hasty Hanging (1958)
    Stories of the Century
         - Sontag and Evans (1955)
    Telephone Time
         - The Immortal Eye (1958)
    The Virginian
         - Dark Corridor (1968)
         - Gun Quest (1970)
    Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
         - Justin Morgan Had a Horse: Part 1 (1972)
         - Justin Morgan Had a Horse: Part 2 (1972)
        (note: these episodes also ran as a feature-length film)
    Wire Service
         - The Comeback (1957)


Other Film Work: (shorts, documentaries, etc.)
    1954
        A Star Is Born World Premiere (TV Short) (as himself)





Regular Shows:


Cimarron City  (Sept. 1958 - Apr. 1959, 26 episodes)

     George Montgomery starred as Mayor Matt Rockford.  John Smith co-starred as Lane Temple, one of the town's lawman, and Audrey Totter co-starred as Beth Purcell, owner of Cimarron City's hotel.  Also appearing regularly were Dan Blocker (as Tiny Budinger) and Stuart Randall (as Sheriff Art Simpson/Sampson).
     The shows were very much adult-oriented, focusing on dramatic plotlines, with little action involved.  Episodes revolved around at least one of the three main characters.

Cimarron City on DVD:

Complete Series 





Laramie (Sept. 1959 - May 1963, 124 episodes)

     In Laramie, John Smith's character, Slim Sherman, owned a ranch and operated a stagecoach relay station just outside of Laramie, WY.  In the first episode, a drifter (Robert Fuller) named Jess Harper happens onto the ranch -- and never leaves.
     In the first season, Robert Crawford, Jr. and Hoagy Carmichael are regulars; Crawford playing Slim's younger brother, Andy, and Carmichael playing handyman Jonesy. 
     Later, in the third and fourth seasons, elderly Spring Byington and young Dennis Holmes join the Sherman household --  "Mike" is an orphan taken in by Slim and Jess, and "Daisy" is their new housekeeper.
Eddy Walker, as stagedriver Mose, and Stuart Randall, as Sheriff Mort Cory, were semi-regulars.

Laramie on DVD:

Season One
Season Two 
Season Three 
Season Four






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Movie/TV credit information is taken from Internet Movie Database, unless otherwise noted, and is updated and corrected if needed.