A Man Called Shenandoah
1965 - United StatesAfter five years in Wagon Train, Robert Horton was given his own starring vehicle in this Western about a man who is looking for his lost past. The series was set in the 1870's and told of a man who is wounded during a gunfight. The shock of the attack and a night spent freezing in the snow brought on amnesia.
Discovered by two bounty hunters, the mystery man is taken to the nearest town where they hope to claim a reward for him. However, the man is not on a wanted list and no one knows who he is. He is given the name Shenandoah, told that his age is 34 and warned by doctors not to search for his past. So he sets off through the territories of Colorado and New Mexico - to search for his past. The series came about after executive producer Jack Neuman had done some research into the subject of amnesia, and discovered that in the 1870's it was possible for anyone with such a condition to go on searching for the rest of their lives. Said Neuman at the time; "The methods for retracing a man's steps in those days were very crude. It wasn't until 1891 that a practical system of clarifying fingerprints was evolved." The series screened in the USA in 1965 and found its way to Britain the following year where it was only shown sporadically through the ITV network.
Published on January 2nd, 2019. Written by Laurence Marcus for Television Heaven.
