"Have Gun, Will Travel" Busy Shooting Three Films Here

Bishop became "Booneville" this week as a crew of some 60 experts hit this area to begin shooting films 
for a series of "Have Gun, Will Travel" television productions starring Richard Boone as Paladin.  The 
series is a favorite in this area, seen locally over CBS outlets.

Main headquarters for the cast and crew have been at the Town House Motel and Hacienda Motel.

Shooting conditions have been excellent, as far as locations, sunlight and weather are considered, 
Howard Joslin, associate producer for the CBS series, stated.

"It's the best sunlight we've had all year." Joslin beamed, "and this is important when you're on a 
tight budget to produce fims."

Boone is being supported in the major acting roles by Patrick Knowles and Peter Whitney.  In the third 
film to be made in the present stay in the Bishop area, young Ivan Dixon, a star of the recent "Raisin 
in the Sun" New York stage show, will be featured.

Andrew V. McLaglen is directing the first two films of the current series, and Boone, who has directed 
many of his own series, will direct the third.  Shooting will continue into next week.

McLaglen is the son of the famous actor, the late Victor McLaglen.

Most of the crew was flown to Bishop airport from southern California, and some of the executives have 
been commuting through the week.

Joslin had high praise for outstanding cooperation from motels,  cafes, and various other businesses 
and services in Bishop.

"We couldn't have asked for better cooperation." He stated, "Everyone has been wonderful, and we 
certainly appreciate it."

Joslin had high praise, too, for his hard-working crew, which is now in its fourth-year as a working 
unit.  They arise at 5 a.m. and work feverishly through the day, changing locations often, and working 
as much as possible to take advantage of the sunlight conditions.

There are many choice locations in this area, Joslin stated, that the company has been having a bit of difficulty which spots to use in the series of three shows, and which to save for other series they 
expect to do in this area.

Our setup here is ideal, Joslin admitted, as everything is so close and handy.  This is important when 
time can be saved from extensive traveling, and having the cast and crew scattered over a wide area.

The major local fly in the ointment has been the avid curiosity of local residents who have visited 
the location sites, disturbing the crews, ruining sound tracks, and otherwise delaying the shooting 
schedules, by creating conditions incompatible with the script the camera work.

Tentative plans call for Boone to address an assembly at Bishop Union high school, possibly Tuesday of 
next week.  Other appearances may be made locally, and it is hoped that folks will confine their 
curiosity to these occasions, and no on location.

Main credit for bringing the company to Bishop for the series goes to Carl and Clare Andre of Pioneer Hardware, Bishop.  The Andres both have working in films for many years, and have cooperated in making necessary arrangements for the local locations, and services.

In one scene this week, horses were to swim the Owens River, East of Bishop.  When preliminary 
arrangements were made, the water level was too low, and requests for more water were discouraging.  
But, when it came time to shoot the scene, days later, so much water was running down the river that 
the current was almost too swift for the horses.

Joslin stated that tentative plans call for returning to this area next year to shoot considerable more 
of the "Have Gun Will Travel" series.

"We may be able to shoot 10 separate shows here," he commented.  "We've seen numerous top locations."

Joslin stated that when the Have Gun series shot in this are to appear on television this paper will be notified weeks in advance so that local residents can see the completed product.

Typical of the local cooperation was the Golden State Café.  The crew's caterers from southern California arrived to find they had forgotten dishes and silverware.  The Golden State came to the rescue to solve 
that little problem forthwith.

The Inyo Register
Bishop, Inyo County, California
Thursday, September 15, 1960 - Page 1

Transcribed by Pat Houser for Inyo County GenWeb, September 13, 2004