Have Gun, Will Travel: The Fifth Season, Vol. 2 [3 Discs] (1961)

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Although the TV Western craze of the late '50s was running out of gas by the early '60s, several of the best Westerns remained firmly entrenched on network television. One of these was the "thinking man's Western," Have Gun, Will Travel, which launched its fifth season on CBS in the fall of 1961. Back in the saddle is Richard Boone as mysterious, erudite gun-for-hire Paladin, whose fees were almost as high as his ethics. Also returning for occasional appearances is Kam Tong as Paladin's erstwhile valet Hey Boy, after a year's absence (necessitated when Kam Tong accepted a regular role on the short-lived adventure series The Garland Touch). The fifth season opener "The Vigil" offers a full-blooded villainous performance by a pre-stardom George Kennedy. Other noteworthy guest stars this season include Harry Carey Jr. (in the episode "The Revenger"), Charles Bronson (in "Ben Jalisco"), Hans Conried (playing a Don Quixote wannabe in "A Knight to Remember"), and William Conrad (portraying a lovable boozer in "The Man Who Struck Moonshine"). While Have Gun, Will Travel had dropped from the higher ratings rungs during its fifth season, the series still had a strong following, encouraging CBS to give it one final go-round during 1962-1963. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi