A Man Called Shenandoah

I would compare this show to Branded. It was a quest western vehicle for an established western star. Both Horton and Chuck Connors were huge stars and easily able to carry the leading roles. It was an interesting time in the life of the TV western. Most of the 50s shows were gone except Bonanza and Gunsmoke, and the new shows were these quest westerns or lavish productions like The Big Valley/High Chaperel/Virginian.

When Robert Horton got done with Wagon Train, he starred in this short-lived t.v. show. It was a Western about a guy who gets shot in the head, gets amnesia and wanders around the West trying to remember who he is.

I barely remember this show, but remember liking it.

It was one of those shows like The Fugitive, or The Guns of Will Sonnett that would give a little hope of finding what the point of what the show was about but would fall just short at the end and dash all your hopes. In Horton's case, it would be finding a clue or almost remembering who he was and then losing it.

It didn't last too long. Perhaps the premise didn't allow for enough development of plot and character.

It's too bad it was only on a season. I had a slight recollection of watching the show when I was 10 years old. Recently, I managed to get a hold of about 18 episodes from someone selling it on the internet.

The show was excellent. A little darker (emotionally speaking) than most Westerns, Robert Horton plays it excellently as a man who has lost his memory and is searching for his history throughout the country. It's the typical Kerouac-ish theme of roaming the country, that was found in so many episodes in the 60s. The plots are good. Horton is good. And the theme song, besides the Bat Masterson theme song, is the best one ever, and I believe Horton sang it himself.

While the theme and darkness somewhat resembles the Fugitve, robert horton was no David Janssen. And in the Fugitive, one got more of a sense of desperation; after all, Kimble was running for his life. What's the worst that happened if Shenandoah didn't find what he was looking for? He still had a good life. That's what subtracted somewhat from the show - the idea that "so what, he lost his memory".

But still, had the show lasted more than a year, other ideas could have been developed. It's a very good original theme, with lots of open space to work with. Not sure why the show didn't go beyond a year, but it's a shame. It was quality, and could have improved even further.

I have just discovered this show via GetTV. I had never seen or heard of this show; my family did not own a television in 1965.

"A Man Called Shenandoah" only lasted one season. I would guess that this was due to it being on ABC (a poor third in television ratings at the time), and coming near the end of the run of Western shows on television. The show may have also suffered by having somewhat more adult themes than most other Westerns, although that never seemed to hurt "Gunsmoke"…

At any rate, Horton is excellent as a man who has lost his memory due to being shot in the head (a grazing shot, one would assume). He wanders to various places in the West, searching for clues to his identity. While we initially know nothing about Shenandoah's past, we find him to be a competent man of great integrity who finds interesting situations wherever he goes.

While lasting only one season, shows produced more episodes back then. There were 34 episodes made, although apparently about five are lost. Watchers will recognize many of the guest stars; in just a few episodes, I have seen Sally Kellerman, Leonard Nimoy, George Kennedy, and John Dehner.

It's too bad that the show only got one season. While amnesia has been long used as a gimmick in movies and television, I thought it worked in this show. Perhaps eventually, the producers would have let him find out about his past and moved on to other conflicts.

He roams the West meeting all types of people and geting into all types of danger. I watched a few episodes recently and they were well written and intelligent.

I've concluded that he can never find out who he is because he no longer exixts. He's in Hell.