About the TV show

Have Gun — Will Travel was a popular American Western television series that aired on CBS from 1957 through 1963. It was the #4 show in the Nielsen ratings in its first year and #3 for the next three years, and was one of the few television shows to spawn a successful radio version. The radio series debuted in 1958.

The show followed the adventures of Paladin, a gentleman-turned-gunfighter (played by Richard Boone on television, and by John Dehner on radio), who preferred to settle problems without violence, yet excelled when forced to fight. Paladin lived in the Carlton Hotel in San Francisco, where he dressed in semi-formal wear, ate gourmet food, and attended opera. In fact, many who initially met him mistook him for a dandy from the East. When working, he dressed in black, used calling cards and wore a holster which carried characteristic chess knight emblems, and had a Derringer under his belt.

The knight symbol is in reference to his name — possibly a nickname or working name — and his occupation as a champion-for-hire. The theme song of the series refers to him as "a knight without armor." In addition, Paladin drew a parallel between his methods and the chess piece's movement: "It's a chess piece, the most versatile on the board. It can move in eight different directions, over obstacles, and it's always unexpected."

Paladin was a former Army officer and a graduate of West Point. He was capable of speaking any foreign language required by the plot, had a thorough knowledge of ancient history and classical literature, and exhibited a strong passion for legal principles and the rule of law.

Paladin — whose real name was never revealed — took on his role by happenstance, a backplot revealed in the first episode of the final season. To pay off a gambling debt, he was forced to hunt down and kill a mysterious gunman named Smoke, who was played by Boone himself without his moustache and with grey-white hair. Smoke gave the Paladin character his nickname, facetiously calling him "a noble paladin." The question turned out to be doubly ironic, as Smoke hinted in his death scene that he was not a criminal gunfighter, but a protector of the helpless. Paladin adopted Smoke's black costume and killed the man who had hired him.

Paladin charged steep fees for his services — typically $1000 per job. With this kind of money, he was well-equipped; his custom-made six-shooter (his main weapon) was perfectly balanced and of excellent craftsmanship. The large rifle strapped to his horse's saddle was rarely used, but the horsehead insignia embossed on that rifle's stock suggests that this weapon was as meticulously crafted as the six-shooter. The Derringer that Paladin hid under his belt saved his life countless times. A man of refinement, Paladin even carried a few expensive cigars in one of his boots when on a mission.

Another of his peculiarities was to decide early in the show whether he would kill, or merely wound, his opponent. He made this decision as a judge imposes sentence, based on the opponent's crimes and character.

In the final episode of the radio show, Paladin returns to the East to claim a family inheritance. In the 1972-1974 series Hec Ramsey set at the end of the 19th century Boone stars as an older former gunfighter turned early forensic criminologist. Ramsey at one point sayid that in his younger days as a gunfighter, he worked under the name Paladin.

Paladin's great advantage over his adversaries was not his impressive equipment, or even his superior marksmanship; his edge was his rich education. Paladin had an infallible ability to relate ancient antecedents to current situations. When the enemy was surrounding him, Paladin could usually make some insightful quip about General Marcellus and the siege of Syracuse or something similar; and then use this insight to his advantage. Like a chess master, he sought control of the board through superior position, and only killed as a last resort.

Paladin was based on an actual 1950s performer in state fairs who dressed in the same all-black outfit, distributed business cards saying "Have Gun - Will Travel," and looked like Richard Boone.

When the television series debuted, the real Paladin received a phone call from his sister wanting to know why he hadn't told her he was going to be on television. The resemblance between Paladin and Richard Boone was so great that it had fooled Paladin's own sister.

Paladin sued the studio that produced the series but initially lost in a Los Angeles court. His heirs reopened and eventually won the case decades later, after the real Paladin had died.

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Other Traveling

The Bob Hope book Have Tux, Will Travel is often parodied in cartoons and films, and those parodies are often mistaken as spoofs of the television and radio series.

The Three Stooges' first film was titled Have Rocket, Will Travel; though the working title of the film was Rocket and Roll It.

In the TV show, Will Traveler, the main characters stop at a bookstore called "Have Book — Will Travel" due to the name having similarities with their friend.

Robert A. Heinlein wrote a 1958 science fiction novel Have Space Suit—Will Travel.

An episode of Sanford and Son was called "Have Gun-Will Sell."

Bawdy comedienne Belle Barth had a routine about Paladin's prostitute wife, whose business card read "Have crack, will shack, 'til the schmuck with the gun gets back."

(most info from Wikipedia)