Series Description

The Guns of Will Sonnett TV show was a 30 minute western action series on ABC about an old ex-Army scout and his grandson who travel the old west in search of their son/father, respectively, who was being pursued by bounty hunters and murderers.

Cast

Walter Brennan .... Will Sonnett
Dack Rambo .... Jeff Sonnett
Jason Evers .... James "Jim" Sonnett

Theme Song

Title: "The Guns Of Will Sonnett"

Spoken By: "Walter Brennan"

We searched for a man named Jim Sonnett.
And the legends folks tell may be true;
Most call him gunman and killer.
He's my son, who I hardly knew.

I raised Jim's boy from the cradle,
Till the day he said to me,
"I have to go find my father."
And I reckon that's how it should be.

So we ride, Jim's boy and me.

Trivia

Dack Rambo was one of the most popular guest stars on the series, "Fantasy Island (1978)", having appeared on six episodes!

Will Sonnett's horse was named, "Marauder".

Walter Brennan left military service at the end of World War One and made a huge fortune in the real estate business. A few years later, however, the market crashed and he nearly went bankrupt! In order to survive, he took bit parts in films for a few bucks and eventually became a star! He was the first actor to ever win a third Oscar! He still holds the record as the only one to have three Academy Awards as "Best Supporting Actor"! Walter nearly always played the role of the hero's sidekick. In addition to his acting success, he also had four songs that made it onto the top 100 list and one, "Old Rivers" made it to number five on the charts. In 1970, he was inducted inot the "Hall of Great Western Performers" of the "National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum".

Jeff Sonnett purposefully avoided his father and his son because he wanted to keep them safe from all of the people who were trying to kill or capture him.

Will Sonnett would often tell people something he'd done during his Army scouting days or something else that might appear to be bragging and then he'd say, "No brag, just fact". That became a "catchphrase" that he would say over and over again throughout the series and became very commonly used by the general public.

Walter Brennan had a "squeaky" voice and was missing teeth. This added to his unique personna on the screen and made his characters more believable. Rumors were that his voice was caused by exposure to nerve gas during World War One and that his teeth had been kicked out by a mule on his ranch. Walter is probably best remembered for his role as lovable but cantankerous "Grandpa Amos McCoy" on the series, "The Real McCoys" which ran for six seasons and 224 episodes!

The final episode of the Guns of Will Sonnet was broadcast six months after the previous episode. The series had been canceled without anything being resolved. Grandpa and grandson had not found dad. In an unusual move, ABC filmed a "wrap-up" episode that made fans very happy! All three reunited, grandpa took a job as the Sheriff of an old western town, and the other two became his deputies.

Episodes List With Original Air Dates

Season 1

1. Ride the Long Trail (9/8/1967)
2. A Bell for Jeff Sonnett (9/15/1967)
3. A Grave for James Sonnett (9/22/1967)
4. The Natural Way (9/29/1967)
5. Of Lasting Summers and Jim Sonnett (10/6/1967)
6. Message at Noon (10/13/1967)
7. A Son for a Son (10/20/1967)
8. Meeting at Devil's Fork (10/27/1967)
9. First Love (11/3/1967)
10. The Favor (11/10/1967)
11. Ride the Man Down (11/17/1967)
12. The Turkey Shoot (11/24/1967)
13. And a Killing Rode into Town (12/1/1967)
14. Find a Sonnett, Kill a Sonnett (12/8/1967)
15. Sunday in Paradise (12/15/1967)
16. The Secret of Hangtown Mine (12/22/1967)
17. The Hero (12/29/1967)
18. What's in a Name? (1/5/1968)
19. End of the Rope (1/12/1968)
20. And He Shall Lead the Children (1/19/1968)
21. Look for the Hound Dog (1/26/1968)
22. Stopover in a Troubled Town (2/2/1968)
23. Alone (2/9/1968)
24. The Sins of the Father (2/23/1968)
25. The Warriors (3/1/1968)
26. A Fool and His Money (3/8/1968)

27. Reunion (9/27/1968)
28. The Trap (10/4/1968)
29. Chapter and Verse (10/11/1968)
30. Pariah (10/18/1968)
31. Joby (11/1/1968)
32. The Straw Man (11/8/1968)
33. A Difference of Opinion (11/15/1968)
34. Home Free (11/22/1968)
35. Guilt (11/29/1968)
36. Meeting in a Small Town (12/6/1968)
37. The Fearless Man (12/13/1968)
38. Where There's Hope (12/20/1968)
39. Join the Army (1/3/1969)
40. Time Is the Rider (1/10/1969)
41. Robber's Roost (1/17/1969)
42. Trail's End (1/31/1969)
43. A Town in Terror - Part 1 (2/7/1969)
44. A Town in Terror - Part 2 (2/14/1969)
45. Jim Sonnett's Lady (2/21/1969)
46. The Trial (2/28/1969)
47. One Angry Juror (3/7/1969)
48. The Sodbuster (3/14/1969)
49. The Man Who Killed James Sonnett (3/21/1969)
50. Three Stand Together (9/16/1969)