I never cared much for "Wagon Train" when I was younger, because the only ones that were shown were from the 90-minute season. (A 90 minute episode does not sit well with a boy with a short attention span...) There was a show on called "Trailmaster" that I never bothered watching because it usually conflicted with something else I wanted to see.
As an adult, though, reruns of the hour-long episodes on RTN and Encore Westerns grew on me fast. So imagine my surprise in adulthood to discover that "Trailmaster" WAS the original "Wagon Train" shows in rerun!
That said, I enjoyed all the hour-long shows no matter who was in them because of one constant. Watching one today, it grew on me just how important Frank McGrath's portrayal of beleaguered cook Charlie Wooster was to the overall chemistry. Seth Adams could be replaced by Chris Hale as the brains, Robert Horton could (sort of) be replaced by Robert Fuller as the brawn...but Charlie Wooster was the heart of the train! As Charlie Wooster, McGrath brought a warmth to the show in his acceptance of almost everyone as well as his habit of championing people who had been wronged. (Not to mention Wooster wasn't a bad guy to have on your side if things got physical; he could brawl with the best of them!)
As an adult, though, reruns of the hour-long episodes on RTN and Encore Westerns grew on me fast. So imagine my surprise in adulthood to discover that "Trailmaster" WAS the original "Wagon Train" shows in rerun!
That said, I enjoyed all the hour-long shows no matter who was in them because of one constant. Watching one today, it grew on me just how important Frank McGrath's portrayal of beleaguered cook Charlie Wooster was to the overall chemistry. Seth Adams could be replaced by Chris Hale as the brains, Robert Horton could (sort of) be replaced by Robert Fuller as the brawn...but Charlie Wooster was the heart of the train! As Charlie Wooster, McGrath brought a warmth to the show in his acceptance of almost everyone as well as his habit of championing people who had been wronged. (Not to mention Wooster wasn't a bad guy to have on your side if things got physical; he could brawl with the best of them!)