Herrmann Music in Have Gun Will Travel and - Film Score Rundowns

horn/2 clarinets/bass clarinet/bassoon play the descending legato initial quarter notes F-
D-A to (Bar 2) G# half note decrescendo.
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“Gold & Brimstone” June 20, 1959 ** C-
The Second Season seems to have ended in a wimper compared to the good loud
wail of the opening episode. The story is about a rather crazy old man and his concerned
son worried about their mine and threatening claim jumpers. What they find at the end of
the story is worth far more than gold.
-Chapter 2 from 5:18 to 6:29: Collector’s Item cue. Scene: Paladin investigates
the old mine.
-Chapter 3 from 4:52 to 5:49: “The Waiting” (Western Suite) Cue # 460, Bars 3-8,
13-14, 29-33.
-Chapter 4 from :00 to :48: “Lead-In F” (Police Force) Bars 1-10 (not end Bar
11).
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SEASON THREE
The best seasons as a whole were the first and second seasons. The quality of the
episodes starts slowly to lessen somewhat but not too appreciably. The appearance of
Richard Boone as Paladin starts to deteriorate a bit as well: he looks older, heavier, a bit
more tired, and dresses a bit sloppily. He no longer wears that characteristic tie that
makes him look streamlined. He is not aging well, and too fast (and he’s only in his early
Forties!). I’ve noticed that stunt men are doing more scenes for him—some such wild
stunts as well that it’s laughable! His physical peak appearance matured around the time
he did Beneath the Twelve Mile Reef thru the first season of HGWT.
The Third Season is admirably noted, however, for being the first HGWT season
to use original scores (starting with Wilbur Hatch) and including interesting scores by
Lyn Murray (such as “Hatchet Man”) and, in later seasons, Fred Steiner, etc.
Unfortunately, Herrmann never did another original score for the series. Now if he had
then that would indeed have been quite fascinating! I wonder if he was ever approached
to do another original score but declined? He did three Gunsmoke scores, incidentally.
“First, Catch A Tiger” September 12, 1959 *** B-
This is another moody episode directed by Ida Lupino in a rather stage style. It’s a
mystery piece with Paladin wondering who Fred Horn is in Mordain, Wyoming. If you
like an intense, very serious drama, then you should like this episode.
-Chapter 2 from :33 to :59: “The Newspaper” (HGWT). Scene: Paladin reads
“Fred Horn Strikes Again” in the newspaper.
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