User Reviews

John Carradine had appeared in a first season episode of Ward Bond's WAGON TRAIN "The Dora Gray Story," and on Nov 23 1960 made a second in "The Colter Craven Story," one of the show's highlights due to its director being Oscar-winner John Ford, his 1950 "Wagon Master" inspiring the series (delivering 72 minutes of film in six shooting days, 15 of which was not used), and a special guest cameo from none other than John Wayne himself, billed as 'Michael Morris' in the role of General William Tecumseh Sherman, whom he would play again two years later in "How the West Was Won." Popular series star Ward Bond, surrounded by old friends at his career peak, sadly passed away prior to its broadcast, though the show itself survived for another four years with John McIntire his replacement. The part of Colter Craven was played by Ford regular Carleton Young, whose most famous role involved uttering the eternal line from "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance": 'when the legend becomes fact, print the legend.' Craven is unfortunately more in tune with the bottle than with his patients, which is perfectly fine with Frank McGrath's Charlie Wooster, but on one occasion shows off his bedside manner by setting the broken leg of a young boy. A more serious matter rears up when an imminent birth puts the lives of both mother and child in danger, Craven unwilling to trust his unsteady hands with a surgeon's knife. At this point, Ward Bond's Major Seth Adams reminisces about his wartime experience alongside Ulysses Simpson Grant (Paul Birch), who overcame his own alcoholic tendencies to win the war between the states. We only see John Wayne's General Sherman in silhouette, identified by his unmistakable voice, as Grant promotes Adams to Major on the spot (Ford later claimed he was surprised by Wayne's presence on the set). John Carradine appears in one early scene, as wealthy landowner Park Cleatus, greedily daring to charge the parched wagon train $25 a barrel to use his well, so Adams has to settle for each animal being watered for 20 cents a head. Other Ford regulars include Ken Curtis ("The Last Hurrah," "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance") as Carradine's son, Willis Bouchey as Grant's father, and Jack Pennick strutting his stuff in uniform for General Grant. John himself remained absent for the rest of WAGON TRAIN's run, though son David made one of his first TV appearances in 1963's "The Eli Bancroft Story."