James drury the virginian biography books

But young Jim never imagined he would portray the role of the unnamed cattle ranch cowboy himself decades later in a long-running western TV series in the s.

Timothy drury

He was making a ton of money from the series, then just quit. He did an interview saying he thought the show was terrible and wished he could buy up all the film and turn it into banjo picks! But he died unexpectedly during season 6. We finished the show on a Friday night about midnight and it was a bitterly cold evening. It turned into pneumonia and he died Sunday morning.

They did very well and John was perfect in every scene I ever saw him do. The final ninth season saw major overhauls including a new name and theme, and Stewart Granger was brought in. And then there was Doug McClure, playing fellow ranch hand Trampas. A villain in the original book and movie, the writers transformed him into a high-spirited and often comedic character in the series.

He became my best friend and I still miss him terribly — you couldn't ask for a better co-star.