Wagon Train
The Bob Stuart Story
TV Flash files “The Bob Stuart Story” as the first listed hour of season 8 — Wagon Train (1957–1965) on NBC/ABC, season 8, episode 1, aired 1964-09-20, 60 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S08E01: listed hour 259 of 284 in the Wagon Train guide, first listed hour of season 8. It aired 1964-09-20 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “The Last Circle Up” (S07E32). Next is “The Hide Hunters” (S08E02).
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
Wagon train scout Cooper Smith was once shot in the back by retired Marshal Bob Stuart. Cooper must now escort Stuart and his wife Janice to the train. Thomas Lance and his younger brother Keith are also on the train. They, too, seek revenge for a brain injury inflicted by Stuart.
Viewer FAQ
Where does The Bob Stuart Story sit in the Wagon Train guide?
S08E01 is listed hour 259 of 284 — first listed hour of season 8, season 8 episode 1.
When did Wagon Train S08E01 air?
The Bob Stuart Story aired 1964-09-20 and is listed at 60 minutes.
Where should I start?
Start in the Ward Bond era, when the wagon master is the monument, then sample the John McIntire handoff if you want the continuity drama.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Wagon Train is a moving town of guest stars: the prairie as anthology stagecoach, Ward Bond then John McIntire after a mid-run death. Watch it now as the late-1950s ratings giant behind Gunsmoke — migration myth as weekly guest-star theater, trail dust as a continuity problem the network actually had to solve.
The work is a convoy that is also a guest list. *Wagon Train* (NBC then ABC, 1957–1965) turns the prairie into an anthology stagecoach: 284 episodes, eight seasons, Ward Bond as Major Seth Adams until his death in 1960, John McIntire taking over as Christopher Hale, Robert Horton as Flint McCullough, Frank McGrath as Charlie Wooster. Hollywood names drop into the convoy. Semi-anthology structure. The west isn't won; it is episodically negotiated. That is the form.
Filed against
- Ward Bond as Major Seth Adams
Ward Bond’s Major Seth Adams drove Wagon Train as a moving town of guest stars — the prairie as anthology stagecoach, late-1950s ratings giant behind Gunsmoke, migration myth as weekly theater. Trail dust as a continuity problem the…
- Robert Horton as Flint McCullough
Robert Horton's Flint McCullough scouted Wagon Train as a moving town of guest stars — prairie as anthology stagecoach, Ward Bond then John McIntire after a mid-run death, late-1950s ratings giant behind Gunsmoke. TV Flash files him as…
- John McIntire as Christopher Hale
John McIntire’s Christopher Hale took Wagon Train after a moving-town anthology needed a new wagon master — 1950s catalog prairie as guest-star stagecoach, then Naked City stretching the gravel into eight million stories. TV Flash files…
- Frank McGrath as Charlie Wooster
Frank McGrath cooked the trail as Charlie Wooster on Wagon Train — prairie as anthology stagecoach, Ward Bond then John McIntire, a moving town of guest stars. Late-1950s ratings giant behind Gunsmoke. TV Flash files him as catalog wagon…