For the first time, NBC Universal and TMG bring you the complete, uncut first season of Wagon Train, one of America's most enduring and sought after TV westerns of all time. Direct from the NBC vaults, these 39 episodes have been re-mastered and presented on 10 dual layer DVDs in this special collector's edition.
Inspired by the classic western film Wagonmaster, directed by John Ford (The Searchers, Stagecoach), Wagon Train debuted on Wednesday, September 18, 1957 on the NBC Television Network. The ensemble acting, wonderful scripts and great western scenery soon made Wagon Train a fixture in American homes on Wednesday nights, as millions of Americans of all ages tuned in to NBC for great family entertainment.
Ward Bond, who starred in Wagonmaster, recreated his role from the film as Major Seth Adams. He was joined by costars Robert Horton as Head Scout Flint McCullough, Frank McGarth as the cook Charlie Wooster, and Terry Wilson as Assistant Wagon master Bill Hawks, who all brought their skills as horsemen as well as wonderful actors to the show, giving Wagon Train a special, western flavor.
Each well crafted episode focused on a personal story of courage and perseverance of not just the main cast, but of the westward-bound emigrants as they made the perilous journey by Conestoga wagon from the banks of the Mississippi to California's Pacific shores, in the face of great odds. Their heart-warming (and sometimes heartbreaking) sagas tell the tale of how the American West was truly won, by hard-warming and determined people driven by the promise of freedom and prosperity in the new land, and by those who saw them through the harshest of landscapes to the promised land that beckoned them.
Joining the cast each week were some of Hollywood's brightest stars in guest roles, including Ernest Borgnine (The Willy Moran Story), Sterling Hayden (The Les Rand Story), Agnes Moorehead (The Mary Halstead Story), Keenan Wynn (The Luke O'Malley Story), June Lockhart (The Sarah Drummond Story), Debra Paget and Nick Adams (The Marie Dupree Story), and many, many more.
This 10 DVD collector's edition of Wagon Train - The Complete First Season, including all 39 episodes, is sure to please both fans of the original broadcast, and newcomers who are seeing it for the first time. As Major Adams says as he leads his charges westward and they roll their Conestoga wagons out onto the prairie, WAGONS HO!
Disc 1
The Willy Moran Story Original Air Date 9/18/1957
In St. Joseph, Major Adams hires Willy Moran, an alcoholic he served with during the Civil War, as a driver on the train going west, stipulating that Willy stay sober on the trip. A young widow takes an interest in Willy, and he strives to redeem himself.
Guest Stars: Ernest Borgnine, Marjorie Lord and Andrew Duggan
The Jean LeBec Story Original Air Date 9/25/1957
Jean LeBec, a gifted violinist, escorts the daughter of a once wealthy southern family to California. When he uses his violin as a stake in a poker game to raise money for the trip, he is accused of cheating and kills a man in self defense.
Guest Stars: Ricardo Montalban, Joanna Moore and Grant Withers
The John Cameron Story Original Air Date 10/02/1957
Julie Cameron, the flirtatious wife of a retired banker from Philadelphia, either runs off or is abducted by three men who join the train for a night. When her husband goes after them, Flint follows, knowing Cameron won't survive the wilderness alone.
Guest Stars: Michael Rennie, Carolyn Jones, Jack Elam and Claude Akins
The Ruth Owens Story Original Air Date 10/09/1957
Traveling west with her young daughter and teacher-husband, Ruth Owens' checkered past creates whispers among the other emigrants. When her brother Jimmy catches up with the train, a traveler making insinuations about Ruth lures him into a fight to the death.
Guest Stars: Shelley Winters, Dean Stockwell and Kent Smith
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Disc 2
The Les Rand Story Original Air Date 10/16/1957
Charlie is badly injured, and Major Adams sends Flint to the nearest town to find a doctor. What he finds instead are unwelcoming townspeople and a parolee lying in wait to kill the doctor he blames for the death of his wife.
Guest Stars: Sterling Hayden, Sallie Brophy and Eduard Franz
The Nels Stack Story Original Air Date 10/23/1957
Nels Stack, a former Confederate officer and pacifist is confronted by another former Rebel who thinks Stack is a coward. When Indians raid the train's remuda, they leave behind a badly injured old man. Stack refuses to abandon the man, antagonizing many of the travelers.
Guest Stars: Mark Stevens, Joanne Dru and Kevin Hagen
The Emily Rossiter Story Original Air Date 10/30/1957
When her husband is killed on the way to California, Emily Rossiter remarries to provide support for her daughter, but she doesn't realize that her new husband is a tyrant as a stepfather and a ruthless bandit leader to boot.
Guest Stars: Mercedes McCambridge, Susan Oliver, John Dehner and Robert McQueeny
The John Darro Story Original Air Date 11/06/1957
Civil War veteran John Darro is worshipped as a hero by his son and wife. But when news of the massacre of a wagon train reaches Major Adams, the identity of the coward who refused to defend the train's passengers points to the limping John Darro.
Guest Stars: Eddie Albert, Margo, Edgar Buchanan and Kim Charney
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Disc 3
The Charles Avery Story Original Air Date 11/13/1957
The Major dispatches Flint to accompany soldiers escorting a Chief's daughter, Mokai, who is carrying a peace treaty from Washington to her village. Flint suspects the leader of the company, Lt. Charles Avery, has more on his mind than delivering the peace treaty.
Guest Stars: Farley Granger, Chuck Connors, Susan Kohner, Bing Russel and Eddie Little Sky
The Mary Halstead Story Original Air Date 11/20/1957
An elderly and ill woman, Mary Halstead is traveling west to find the son she abandoned as a child. When a young man is found left for dead on the trail, Mary sees a likeness to her own son, and forms a bond with him. But in his story lies the truth about Mary's son.
Guest Stars: Agnes Moorehead, Walter Coy, Jack Lambert and Tom Pittman
The Zeke Thomas Story Original Air Date 11/27/1957
Flint and traveler Zeke Thomas, looking for a watering hole, find a hostile town instead, whose Mayor and townspeople demand an unreasonable price for the use of their water. In the confrontation that ensues, Thomas discovers that the wife he thought was dead is the Mayor's mistress.
Guest Stars: Gary Merrill, Janice Rule and K.T. Stevens
The Riley Gratton Story Original Air Date 12/04/1957
When Riley Gratton disappears after selling worthless land to the travelers, Major Adams goes in pursuit of the con man to get back the traveler's stolen money.
Guest Stars: Guy Madison, Karen Steele, Gregory Walcott and James Westerfield
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Disc 4
The Clara Beauchamp Story Original Air Date 12/11/1957
Clara Beauchamp, the alcoholic wife of an officer commanding a Cavalry outpost. insults a Native American chieftain who threatens retaliation on the wagon train as retribution for the insult and for the killing of a young Indian brave.
Guest Stars: Nina Foch, Sheppard Strudwick, Richard Garland and Monte Blue
The Julie Gage Story Original Air Date 12/18/1957
Julie Gage is a very strong-willed, independent woman traveling alone on the wagon train. Concerned about her, Major Adams tries to pair her with several single men, One of them takes ill, and Julie agrees to tend to his health when no one else will.
Guest Stars: Anne Jeffreys and Robert Sterling
The Cliff Grundy Story Original Air Date 12/25/1957
While hunting buffalo for the train, Flint's old friend Cliff Grundy is severely injured, and Flint and another man stay behind the train to care for him. But when the other man learns the location of a gold claim from Grundy, he deserts Flint and Grundy without water or food in hostile Indian territory.
Guest Stars: Dan Duryea, Don Durant, Russell Johnson and Harry Harvery, Jr.
The Luke O'Malley Story Original Air Date 1/01/1958
A gambler fleeing a notorious Mexican bandit joins the train posing as a parson, a masquerade Major Adams soon sees through. The gambler must try to convince the Major and the other travelers he is not an outlaw himself.
Guest Stars: Keenan Wynn, Mary Murphy, Carlos Romero and Reba Waters
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Disc 5
The Jesse Cowan Story Original Air Date 1/08/1958
Jesse Cowan, a Civil War veteran, rides after the wagon train to take revenge on the Beal family whom he holds responsible for the death of his own family.
Guest Stars: George Montgomery, Lee Van Cleef, Olive Carey, Malcolm Atterbury and Penny Edwards
The Gabe Carswell Story Original Air Date 1/15/1958
Legendary scout Gabe Carswell has lived with the Arapahos for many years, fathering a son, Little Elk. Little Elk deeply resents the white man and the threat to the Indian way of life, and when the wagon train crosses Araphos land, plans an attack on the train.
Guest Stars: James Whitmore, Scott Marlowe, Frank DeKova and Thomas B. Henry
The Honorable Don Charlie Story Original Air Date 1/22/1958
Major Adams has promised to escort the socialite Julie Wharton safely to California, and when an aging lothario, Don Charlie, focuses his attention on her, the Major fears the worst.
Guest Stars: Cesar Romero, Virginia Grey, Diane Brewster, Hal Baylor and Ray Kellogg
The Dora Gray Story Original Air Date 1/29/1958
While Investigating an Indian raid on a sodbuster's farmhouse, Flint and Bill Hawks find evidence of gun-running. Following a trail from the farmhouse, FLint finds Doc Lockridge and Dora Gray camped with a wagon full of new army rifles.
Guest Stars: Linda Darnell, John Carradine, Mike Connors, Dan Blocker and X. Brands
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Disc 6
The Annie MacGregor Story Original Air Date 2/05/1958
The MacGregor's are a group of Scottish settlers headed west with kilts, bagpipes and a strong sense of tradition. When a young Annie McGregor falls in love with an American, old ways and new bring the McGregor's into conflict with their follow travelers.
Guest Stars: Jeannie Carson, Tudor Owen, Richard Long and Kevin Hagen
The Bill Tawnee Story Original Air Date 2/12/1958
Fear and distrust pervade the train when Major Adams allows Bill Tawnee, the highly decorated Sioux scout and Civil War participant, to join the western bound travelers with his wife and baby.
Guest Stars: McDonald Carey, Frank Cady, Morgan Woodward and William Fawcett
The Mark Hanford Story Original Air Date 2/26/1958
When Mark Hanford returns from college in the east to find his father engaged to a young woman on the wagon train, and his own Native American mother dead, he plots revenge on his father.
Guest Stars: Tom Tryon, Onslow Stevens, Kathleen Crowley and I. Stanford Jolley
The Bernal Sierra Story Original Air Date 3/12/1958
Bernal Sierra joins the wagon train looking for two thieves who killed a guard and stole a cache of gold intended to help free Juarez, Sierra's leader.
Guest Stars: Gilbert Roland, Dorothy Adams, Louis Jean Heydt and Lane Bradford
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Disc 7
The Marie Dupree Story Original Air Date 3/19/1958
A wagon train is a very close society, and it doesn't take much to rock the boat. So when beautiful Marie Dupree uses her womanly wiles to play one man against another for her affections, there will be the devil to pay.
Guest Stars: Debra Paget, Nick Adams, Robert Lowery and Dorothy Provine
A Man Called Horse Original Air Date 3/26/1958
A remarkable story of strength and courage emerges when the wagon train comes across a white man dressed as an Indian caring for an elderly and sick woman.
Guest Stars: Ralph Meeker, Michael pate, Celia Lovsky, Joan Taylor and Jorie Wyler
The Sarah Drummond Story Original Air Date 4/02/1958
Taking shelter from a storm, Flint McCullough takes refuge with a couple who are in a bitter dispute. Hoping to repay their hospitality, Flint tries to help them find an end to their discord.
Guest Stars: June Lockhart, Gene Evans, William Talman and Debbie Hengen
The Sally Potter Story Original Air Date 4/09/1958
Two men on the wagon train, Joe Trumbull and his nephew Matt, fall for the same gal when Sally Potter joins the travelers. The relationship between Joe and Matt grows dangerous as they vie for her attention.
Guest Stars: Vanessa Brown, Martin Milner, Lyle Bettger and Johnny Crawford
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Disc 8
The Daniel Barrister Story Original Air Date 4/16/1958
Daniel Barrister refuses medical treatment for his seriously injured wife, putting his faith in the Lord to bring her back to health. Major Adams sends Flint into a nearby town for help when she develops an infection, but Flint finds the town quarantined with an outbreak of smallpox.
Guest Stars: Charles Bickford, Roger Smith, Allan Lane and Sarah Selby
The Major Adams Story Pt. 1 Original Air Date 4/23/1958
This is the story of Major Seth Adams' life before becoming Wagonmaster, including his life before the Civil War, his injuries in that war, his ill-fated romance with Ranie Webster, and his early friendship with Charlie Wooster and Bill Hawks.
Guest Stars: Virginia Grey, Irene Windust, Douglas Kennedy and Kay Stewart
The Major Adams Story Pt. 2 Original Air Date 4/30/1958
Retiring from the U.S. Army after the war, and learning that Ranie married another man, Major Adams signs on as Wagonmaster on trains bound for California. years later he and Ranie, now a widow, meet again on such wagon train. Anxious to start life anew with his old love, Adams finds himself in competition with a former Confederate officer and a relentless suitor for her affections.
Guest Stars: Virginia Grey and Douglas Kennedy
The Charles Maury Story Original Air Date 5/07/1958
Maury's Marauders are a band of die-hard ex-Confederates who prey on wagon trains heading west. Major Adams agrees when a company of union soldiers offer to accompany the train, but he becomes deeply suspicious when their leader befriends a woman traveler who hates Yankees.
Guest Stars: Wanda Hendrix, Charles Drake, House Peters, Jr. and George Keymas
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Disc 9
The Dan Hogan Story Original Air Date 5/14/1958
Passing through the town of Sweet Sabbath, Major Adams recognizes Dan Hogan, a fighter he once managed who has become a man of peace. Unable to take the job of sheriff because he won't carry a gun, Hogan must face down the town bully, or lose his life.
Guest Stars: Jock Mahoney, John Larch, Rachel Ames, Tom Greenway and Richard Cutting
The Ruttledge Munroe Story Original Air Date 5/21/1958
Ruttledge Munroe, a young drifter picked up by the wagon train, helps to defend the train from robbers, but when he offers to protect Ruth Hadley and her baby, she becomes suspicious that he has come to wreak revenge on Major Adams.
Guest Stars: John Barrymore, Jr., Mala Powers, William Tannen and Helen Brown
The Rex Montana Story Original Air Date 5/28/1958
A Wild West Show joins the wagon train, led by the legendary Rex Montana, whose reputation for adventure and bravery comes under a cloud of doubt as the Major and Flint take his measure.
Guest Stars: Forrest Tucker, James Dunn, Kristine Miller, Peter Whitney and Myron Healey
The Cassie Tanner Story Original Air Date 6/04/1958
Major Adams gets a surprise when Flint rescues Cassie Tanner from an Indian attack, and invites her to join the train. An outspoken and forthright woman, Cassie sets her sights on the Major, deciding that he is the man for her.
Guest Stars: Marjorie Main and George Chandler
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Disc 10
The John Wilbot Story Original Air Date 6/11/1958
Major Adams and Flint McCullough argue about who works harder, and switch jobs to each
prove their point. Their experiment comes to an end when a traveler with a limp is accused of
being John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of Abraham Lincoln.
Guest Stars: Dane Clark, Robert Vaughn, Audrey Dalton and Tyler McVey
The Monty Britton Story Original Air Date 6/18/1958
As the wagon train crosses the arid southern desert, their supply of water runs
dangerously low, and when Flint doesn't return from scouting for a source of water, Major
Adams goes after him, and finds Flint delirious and the water hole poisoned
Guest Stars: Ray Danton, Claude Akins, Mona Freeman and John Hoyt
The Sacramento Story Original Air Date 6/24/1958
The wagon train finally arrives in Sacramento, and Flint offers to take Maxwell Revere and
his daughter Julie to the land they bought sight unseen back East. It turns out to be
worthless swamp, and after helping them locate a fertile homestead, Flint goes after the Con-man.
Guest Stars: Dan Duryea, Linda Darnell, Marjorie Main, Margaret O'Brien, George Chandler,
Reed Hadley and Harry Stevens
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