Johnny Ringo

This rather average western rode into the sunset after one season. As another reviewer said this was the height of the television western era and the airwaves were filled with them. Dick Powell's Four Star Production Company gave us Johnny Ringo.

What I remember best was Don Durant as Johnny Ringo having a pistol that fired seven shots, a shotgun shell came from a barrel beneath the one where the six bullets in the revolving chamber came from. That was one handy gimmick especially to those who were counting Ringo's shots before facing him down. When I saw the first Dirty Harry movie where Clint Eastwood dares the punk to try his luck, I immediately thought back to the short lived Johnny Ringo series. I still do whenever I see Clint as Harry Callahan.

Ringo got far better than he deserved in this series, in real life he was something of a punk himself in the outlaw trade. He was found shot to death at the age of 32, probably done in by Wyatt Earp and/or Doc Holiday.

Don Durant went nowhere after this series, but Mark Goddard played a young trick shot artist who became Ringo's deputy. He of course went on to Lost in Space if you consider that a step up.

Still Johnny's seven shooter was quite something to see.