The 1950’s and 60’s were the golden age of television westerns on American TV. From the famous to the unknown, many actors started their careers playing bit parts and lead roles on television westerns. In 1967, an actor near the end of his career came back to television when The Guns of Will Sonnett appeared on television. Walter Brennan was one of the most credited actors in Hollywood movie history when he signed on to play the title role of Will Sonnett in a series about a grandfather who searches for his son with the help of his grandson. Here are some things you may not have known about The Guns of Will Sonnett.

1. The TV series that Walter Brennan had starred in for two seasons prior to The Guns of Will Sonnett for CBS Television had been seen as a failure and cancelled, it was called The Tycoon.

2. In The Guns of Will Sonnett, the grandson Jeff was played by Dack Rambo. Rambo also later appeared in three different episodes of one of the most popular TV westerns ever, Gunsmoke. He would continue to appear in more television series and some movies before dieing of AIDS in 1994.

3. The Guns of Will Sonnett was the first television show produced by the duo of Aaron Spelling and Danny Thomas. Spelling would go on to produce such non-Western fare as The Mod Squad, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Dynasty, Beverly Hills 90210, and more.

4. In one 1967 episode titled “A Son For A Son”, the role of Tom Murdock was played by now legendary Hollywood actor Jack Nicholson.

5. Unlike many television series that feature the main plot line of a search for a character, in The Guns of Will Sonnett they actually resolve the quest by the end of the series.

Though short lived, lasting only two television seasons, The Guns of Will Sonnett is well remembered in the hearts of television western fans. The series focused on the bonding of the grandfather and grandson and the relationship they have. Though rarely a lead actor, few actors are more synonymous with the western genre of film and television than Walter Brennan and he truly shines in his role here. The Guns of Will Sonnett goes down as one of the better TV westerns of all time.