It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

In watching numerous episodes of Have Gun-Will Travel, I noticed that the producers endowed Paladin with an almost encyclopedic knowledge of wine, music, food, literature, etc. In fact, I'd have to say that Paladin's experiences paralleled -- and, in fact, far exceeded -- those of the cinematic James Bond when it came to recognizing and defining the intellectual and physical hallmarks of what is euphemistically referred to as "the good life." For example, in just a few episodes I've watched Paladin: • Identify, while blindfolded, a French wine not only by type but also the location in the vineyard of the grapes from which it was made. (In one episode he also identified several different American whiskeys by taste, which is an even bigger stretch because I recall a whiskey expert noting that the worst whiskey we have today is better than the best stuff they had back in the Old West.)• Quote extensively and accurately from Shakespeare, the classics (Homer, Aristotle), and the Bible, as well as legal statutes and rulings.• Reference numerous cultures he encountered during long trips to Europe and Asia.• Discern the different scents in a perfume bottle.• Display a proficiency in several languages, including Chinese and French.Of course, these facilities gave the character part of his appeal -- the ability to adapt himself to every situation, no matter how difficult or foreign it would be for the rest of us less experienced mortals.I would welcome a Have Gun-Will Travel movie, but the television episodes were only a half hour each, which dictated a taut, to-the-point script (half-hour dramas were very prevalent in the '50s). How do you translate that brevity to, say, a two-hour movie without losing or exaggerating, those elements that made the television show so successful? And, like the casting of James Bond, who do you pick to portray this multifaceted man of adventure and erudition?

Hi. I listened to two episodes of the radio version this morning. They were heyboy's revenge, and Winchester quarantine. In the former, we learn heyboy's real name. Although I wonder why he couldn't have been called by his real name. I'm guessing calling the character Heyboy would be seen as pretty un pc these days. I did notice that in the radio version he was played by a white actor (ben wright) who was English and had a talent for accents and in the TV version by an Asian actor Kam Tong. In Bonanza they had an Asian actor playing hop sing (Victor Sen Yung) whereas in movies (correct me if I'm wrong here) white actors were still playing orientals, Indians etc. Does this mean that TV was more progressive in it's outlook than radio or movies? I have done very little research, so am prepared to be shot down for that comment. In the second episode Paladin helps out an Indian who has been educated in the ways of the white man. The character and his wife are treated with dignity. When i think of John Dehner, and Richard Boone, I think of them primarily as villainous characters; Dehner in TV series and Boone in movies. so it's interesting to me at least, that their most famous roles was as good guys. Dehner did mention in The story of Gunsmoke, that he much preferred his time on Gunsmoke than he did on HGWT. Oh, by the way, I used to think the character's name was Will Travel :) M

"Have Gun, Will Travel" was a half hour adult western that ran for six very successful seasons on CBS television on Saturday evenings at 9:30 pm, immediately preceding "Gunsmoke". Richard Boone was expertly cast as Paladin, a loner who was very fast with either his gun or his fists but probably even faster with his wit and intelligence. This western was different from all the rest (and there were many) of the western series televised during the mid-to-late '50's in that the hero, Paladin, was a West Point trained, highly educated character who just happened to be quick with the gun and utilized violence only as a last resort. Paladin's services as a detective/bodyguard/courier were available to anyone who requested them and were able to pay for them. Paladin would accept these job offers but always took the moral high ground, often turning on the very person(s) who may have hired him if their cause was not just and honorable. "Gunsmoke" may have run longer but "Have Gun, Will Travel" was simply the best.

In 1974, a Portuguese(!) cowboy from Rhode Island(!) named Victor De Costa won a federal court judgment in his second suit against CBS for trademark infringement, successfully litigating his assertion that he had created the Paladin character and the ideas used in the show -- which were somehow stolen by HGWT's producers. (Rather dubious since HGWT's original concept was that of a modern day globe-trotting detective.) He claimed he began billing himself as Paladin after an Italian man stood up at a horse show and called him a "paladino." He claimed he'd adopted the phrase "Have Gun, Will Travel" after someone shouted it at him while he was on a bucking bronco. At his appearances he always dressed in black, he handed out hundreds of HGWT business cards, and he even carried a concealed derringer. The physical resemblance between Mr. De Costa and Richard Boone was nothing less than striking.Although monetary damages were not immediately awarded, De Costa stood to gain a tidy sum, as court testimony indicated that HGWT had made more than $14 million for CBS (a titanic amount in the 1950's-60's), plus millions more in product licensing. A year later, a court of appeals overturned the lower court, ruling that the plaintiff had failed to prove that the public had been deceived -- i.e., there had been no likelihood of confusion in the minds of the public -- a necessary requirement for a suit over trademark infringement. However, De Costa kept pursuing his legal options, and in 1991 -- more than 30 years after his first lawsuit was originally filed -- he was awarded over 3 million dollars after quietly trademarking the Paladin character and business card in the late 70's. Unfortunately, Mr. De Costa passed away at the age of 83 before he could receive a single penny.(hgwt.com)