Cimarron Strip is an excellent Western adventure series. Starring Stuart Whitman as Marshall Jim Crown, this 90-minute TV show had the largest budget of any television show up until that time. Set in the year 1888 in the sprawling, wide open West, it features the saloons, the gunfire, the cattle, the railroads, the "Western towns", the stagecoaches, and all the ingredients necessary for a great Western television show.
It has a stellar cast of guest stars; some episodes include 2, 3, or even 4 easily-recognized leading actors from Hollywood movies or popular television shows. (One interesting quirk about the co-stars on Cimarron Strip is that at least 7 of the actors from the movie, "Cool Hand Luke", appear as guests during the series).
Like most TV Westerns of the 1960's, Cimarron Strip contains historical discrepancies, like six-shooter pistols that fire more than six shots, white actors playing the role of Indians, and Army uniforms that are not correct for the era. One glaring issue with Cimarron Strip is that the real Cimarron Strip - part of today's Oklahoma Panhandle - does not contain any mountain ranges. But the show (which was filmed in California) contains many scenes set in the high mountains. However, those mistakes can be easily ignored, as you enjoy some very good scripts, beautiful scenery, and great acting by Stuart Whitman and his guest stars.
So why did Cimarron Strip only run for one season? Why was it cancelled after the first run? A number of reasons are obvious:
The first reason was the 90-minute format. The "long show" had worked for the Virginian, and for one season of Wagon Train. But by 1967, when Cimarron Strip appeared, the viewing public had become accustomed to 30 minute or 60 minute shows. 90 minutes was just too long for many people. And, quite frankly, there are several episodes of Cimarron Strip (actual running time about 75 minutes) where the story and the action begin to drag. A good example is the episode, "The Blue Moon Train", where Marshall Crown takes a painfully long time searching a ghost town for the kidnapped Francis. A second reason was the competition from other TV networks. It is hard to over-estimate the enormous popularity of "Batman", "Daniel Boone, "The Flying Nun", "Ironside", and "Bewitched", which were running on other networks in the same time slot as Cimmaron Strip. Another detriment to the show was the regular supporting cast. With total respect to actors Percy Herbert, Randy Boone, and Jill Townsend, their characters were simply not in the league of "Miss Kitty", "Festus", and "Doc". A stronger supporting cast might have kept Cimarron Strip higher in the ratings.
A major challenge for the series was "Western Fatigue". By 1967, television studios had produced dozens of Western series, with hundreds of total episodes (there were 26 Westerns television shows playing in the year 1959 alone!). The Western genre was saturated; it was approaching the end of its life span. Had Cimarron Strip appeared a few years earlier, it might have fared better in the ratings.
After 23 episodes, on March 7, 1968, Cimarron Strip came to its end. The final episode was "The Greeners", featuring Mark Lenard as a homesteader (Lenard was prominent in the Star Trek franchise, once as a Romulan Commander, and later as Spock's father, Sarek). Cimarron Strip can be frequently seen on reruns on various networks, including TBS, TNT, and The Western Channel. It was released as a DVD set in May of 2014. Regrettably, the reels have not been properly remastered; the video quality of the DVD set is only average.
Cimarron Strip, with its exciting theme music, and impressive list of guest stars, was a Western TV show produced by and starring Stuart Whitman as Marshall Jim Crown, set in the year 1888. The 23 episodes average 75 minutes each, they are quite enjoyable.
It has a stellar cast of guest stars; some episodes include 2, 3, or even 4 easily-recognized leading actors from Hollywood movies or popular television shows. (One interesting quirk about the co-stars on Cimarron Strip is that at least 7 of the actors from the movie, "Cool Hand Luke", appear as guests during the series).
Like most TV Westerns of the 1960's, Cimarron Strip contains historical discrepancies, like six-shooter pistols that fire more than six shots, white actors playing the role of Indians, and Army uniforms that are not correct for the era. One glaring issue with Cimarron Strip is that the real Cimarron Strip - part of today's Oklahoma Panhandle - does not contain any mountain ranges. But the show (which was filmed in California) contains many scenes set in the high mountains. However, those mistakes can be easily ignored, as you enjoy some very good scripts, beautiful scenery, and great acting by Stuart Whitman and his guest stars.
So why did Cimarron Strip only run for one season? Why was it cancelled after the first run? A number of reasons are obvious:
The first reason was the 90-minute format. The "long show" had worked for the Virginian, and for one season of Wagon Train. But by 1967, when Cimarron Strip appeared, the viewing public had become accustomed to 30 minute or 60 minute shows. 90 minutes was just too long for many people. And, quite frankly, there are several episodes of Cimarron Strip (actual running time about 75 minutes) where the story and the action begin to drag. A good example is the episode, "The Blue Moon Train", where Marshall Crown takes a painfully long time searching a ghost town for the kidnapped Francis. A second reason was the competition from other TV networks. It is hard to over-estimate the enormous popularity of "Batman", "Daniel Boone, "The Flying Nun", "Ironside", and "Bewitched", which were running on other networks in the same time slot as Cimmaron Strip. Another detriment to the show was the regular supporting cast. With total respect to actors Percy Herbert, Randy Boone, and Jill Townsend, their characters were simply not in the league of "Miss Kitty", "Festus", and "Doc". A stronger supporting cast might have kept Cimarron Strip higher in the ratings.
A major challenge for the series was "Western Fatigue". By 1967, television studios had produced dozens of Western series, with hundreds of total episodes (there were 26 Westerns television shows playing in the year 1959 alone!). The Western genre was saturated; it was approaching the end of its life span. Had Cimarron Strip appeared a few years earlier, it might have fared better in the ratings.
After 23 episodes, on March 7, 1968, Cimarron Strip came to its end. The final episode was "The Greeners", featuring Mark Lenard as a homesteader (Lenard was prominent in the Star Trek franchise, once as a Romulan Commander, and later as Spock's father, Sarek). Cimarron Strip can be frequently seen on reruns on various networks, including TBS, TNT, and The Western Channel. It was released as a DVD set in May of 2014. Regrettably, the reels have not been properly remastered; the video quality of the DVD set is only average.
Cimarron Strip, with its exciting theme music, and impressive list of guest stars, was a Western TV show produced by and starring Stuart Whitman as Marshall Jim Crown, set in the year 1888. The 23 episodes average 75 minutes each, they are quite enjoyable.