The Road West
| The Road West | |
|---|---|
 Barry Sullivan as Ben Pride | |
| Genre | Western |
| Written by |
Richard Fielder Bernard C. Schoenfeld |
| Directed by |
Vincent McEveety Paul Stanley |
| Starring |
Barry Sullivan Kathryn Hays Andrew Prine Glenn Corbett Brenda Scott Kelly Corcoran Charles Seel |
| Theme music composer | Leonard Rosenman |
| Composer(s) | Leonard Rosenman |
| Country of origin | USA |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 29 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Norman Macdonnell |
| Running time | 60 mins. (approx) |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | September 12, 1966 – August 28, 1967 |
The Road West is an American Western television series that aired on NBC from September 12, 1966 to May 1, 1967 for twenty-nine episodes with rebroadcasts continuing until August 28. The hour-long series, sponsored by Kraft Foods, aired in the 9 p.m. Eastern Monday time slot opposite The Andy Griffith Show and Family Affair on CBS and the crime drama Felony Squad and the prime time soap opera Peyton Place on ABC.[1] Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall originally alternated with the series as monthly specials.
Cast and premise
The Road West stars Barry Sullivan as Benjamin "Ben" Pride, the patriarch of a pioneer family in Kansas. The series also stars Kathryn Hays as Elizabeth Pride, Ben's second wife; Andrew Prine as Ben's 30-year-old son, Timothy "Tim" Pride, and Brenda Scott as the daughter, Midge Pride. Prine and Scott, who played brother and sister in the series, had been briefly married in real life prior to the debut of the program. Other cast members were Kelly Corcoran as son Kip Pride; Glenn Corbett as Chance Reynolds, Elizabeth's brother; and Charles Seel as Tom Pride, Ben's father and the grandfather of the family.[2]
The Prides left Springfield, Ohio where the family had lived for several generations and moved west shortly after the American Civil War. Ben, a widower, marries Elizabeth Reynolds, played by Hays, who is twenty-one years his junior and only three years older than stepson Tim, played by Prine.
Notable guest stars
The Road West featured some well-known guest stars. In the two-part premiere episode entitled "This Savage Land", George C. Scott appeared as Jud Barker; Roy Roberts as Dr. Reynolds; John Drew Barrymore as Stacey Daggart and Rex Holman as India. James Gammon and Barbara Anderson each appeared in two episodes, as Deputy Virgil Bramley and Barbara. Other notable guest stars include Michael Ansara, Wendell Corey, Michael Constantine, Katharine Ross, Jack Dodson, Strother Martin, Keenan Wynn, Gena Rowlands, Kurt Russell, Tisha Sterling, Jay C. Flippen, Tom Tryon, Cloris Leachman, Gavin MacLeod and John M. Pickard and Rex Trailer as Burr.
Episodes
| Episode # | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1-1 | "This Savage Land (Part 1)" | September 12, 1966 |
| 1-2 | "This Savage Land (Part 2)" | September 19, 1966 |
| 1-3 | "The Gunfighter" | September 26, 1966 |
| 1-4 | "The Lean Years" | October 3, 1966 |
| 1-5 | "This Dry and Thirsty Land" | October 10, 1966 |
| 1-6 | "Long Journey to Leavenworth" | October 17, 1966 |
| 1-7 | "Ashes and Tallow and One True Love" | October 24, 1966 |
| 1-8 | "Piece of Tin" | October 31, 1966 |
| 1-9 | "Lone Woman" | November 7, 1966 |
| 1-10 | "Shaman" | November 14, 1966 |
| 1-11 | "To Light a Candle" | November 21, 1966 |
| 1-12 | "Pariah" | December 5, 1966 |
| 1-13 | "Have You Seen the Aurora Borealis?" | December 12, 1966 |
| 1-14 | "Power of Fear" | December 26, 1966 |
| 1-15 | "Reap the Whirlwind" | January 9, 1967 |
| 1-16 | "Beyond the Hill" | January 16, 1967 |
| 1-17 | "The Predators" | January 23, 1967 |
| 1-18 | "A Mighty Hunter Before the Lord" | January 30, 1967 |
| 1-19 | "No Sanctuary" | February 6, 1967 |
| 1-20 | "The Insider" | February 13, 1967 |
| 1-21 | "Road to Glory" | February 20, 1967 |
| 1-22 | "Fair Ladies of France" | February 27, 1967 |
| 1-23 | "Never Chase a Rainbow" | March 6, 1967 |
| 1-24 | "Eleven Miles to Eden" | March 13, 1967 |
| 1-25 | "Charade of Justice" | March 27, 1967 |
| 1-26 | "The Eighty-Seven Dollar Bride" | April 3, 1967 |
| 1-27 | "A War for the Gravediggers" | April 10, 1967 |
| 1-28 | "The Agreement" | April 24, 1967 |
| 1-29 | "Elizabeth's Odyssey" | May 1, 1967 |