90 Classic Western TV Show Trivia Questions and Answers (Gunsmoke, Bonanza & More)

The TriviaTalent Team · 7 min read

Pull up a chair and listen for it — the slow jingle of a spur, the creak of a saloon door, a lone guitar over a wide valley at dusk. For a stretch of the 1950s and ’60s, the frontier lived right in the living room, and on some nights nearly every channel you turned to had a man in a hat facing down trouble.

Here are 90 questions on the marshals, trail bosses, gamblers, and ranching families who rode through those evenings. The answer follows each one, so settle in and see how many you can still name without checking.

Gunsmoke: The Long Watch Over Dodge City

1. On which network did Gunsmoke run for its entire TV life?

CBS.

2. In what year did the TV series first premiere?

1955.

3. How many seasons did it run — a record for a live-action primetime series?

Twenty.

4. Roughly how many episodes were filmed over that run?

About 635.

5. In which Kansas town is the show set?

Dodge City.

6. Who played the steady U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon?

James Arness.

7. Before television, Gunsmoke was a radio hit. Who voiced Matt Dillon there?

William Conrad.

8. Amanda Blake played which beloved Long Branch saloon proprietor?

Miss Kitty (Kathleen Russell).

9. Milburn Stone played which gruff town physician?

Doc (Galen) Adams.

10. Dennis Weaver played which limping deputy in the early years?

Chester.

11. Ken Curtis took over in 1964 as which scruffy, whiskery deputy?

Festus Haggen.

12. In roughly which decade is the show set?

The 1870s.

13. Which crime drama finally passed Gunsmoke’s 20-season record in 2019?

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Bonanza and the Ponderosa

14. On which network did Bonanza air?

NBC.

15. What is the name of the Cartwright family ranch?

The Ponderosa.

16. Near which Nevada silver-rush town is the ranch set?

Virginia City.

17. The Ponderosa sits on the shore of which lake?

Lake Tahoe.

18. Who played the widowed patriarch, Ben Cartwright?

Lorne Greene.

19. Which actor played the youngest son, “Little Joe”?

Michael Landon.

20. Dan Blocker played which big, good-natured middle son?

Hoss.

21. What was Hoss’s actual given first name on the show?

Eric.

22. Pernell Roberts played which eldest son, trained as an architect?

Adam.

23. In what year did Bonanza premiere?

1959.

24. Bonanza was the second-longest-running TV western. Which show ran longest?

Gunsmoke.

The Lone Ranger Rides

25. On which network did The Lone Ranger TV series debut in 1949?

ABC.

26. Which actor is most identified with the masked role?

Clayton Moore.

27. Who played his loyal companion, Tonto?

Jay Silverheels.

28. What is the name of the Lone Ranger’s white horse?

Silver.

29. Finish the signature cry: “Hi-Yo Silver, ___!”

“Away!”

30. The Ranger’s bullets were famously cast from which metal?

Silver.

31. What does Tonto call the Lone Ranger?

“Kemo sabe.”

32. The thrilling theme is the finale of which classical overture?

Rossini’s William Tell Overture.

33. The character began back in 1933 on radio in which city?

Detroit.

34. What surname is given for the Lone Ranger?

Reid.

35. In the origin story, the Ranger’s mask was cut from what?

His dead brother’s vest.

On the Trail: Rawhide and Wagon Train

36. Rawhide followed a cattle drive out of Texas, bound for which Missouri town?

Sedalia.

37. Which future movie legend played trail hand Rowdy Yates?

Clint Eastwood.

38. Eric Fleming played which no-nonsense trail boss?

Gil Favor.

39. Who belted out the show’s famous theme song, “Rawhide”?

Frankie Laine.

40. On which network did Rawhide air?

CBS.

41. Wagon Train rolled from St. Joseph, Missouri, toward which California city?

Sacramento.

42. Ward Bond played which gruff wagon master?

Major Seth Adams.

43. When Bond died during the run, which actor took over as wagon master Chris Hale?

John McIntire.

44. Robert Horton played which buckskin-clad scout?

Flint McCullough.

45. Wagon Train began on NBC and later moved to which network?

ABC.

46. Roughly how many episodes did Wagon Train make over eight seasons?

About 284.

Gunfighters and Ranchers for Hire

47. In The Rifleman, who played widowed rancher Lucas McCain?

Chuck Connors.

48. What was the first name of McCain’s young son?

Mark.

49. Which actor played that son?

Johnny Crawford.

50. The Rifleman is set in which New Mexico Territory town?

North Fork.

51. McCain’s rapid-fire trademark weapon was a modified rifle of which make?

Winchester.

52. In Have Gun – Will Travel, what is the gun-for-hire’s name?

Paladin.

53. Which actor played Paladin?

Richard Boone.

54. Paladin’s calling card bore the image of which chess piece?

The knight.

55. In which city did Paladin make his home, at the Hotel Carlton?

San Francisco.

56. Who sang Paladin’s theme, “The Ballad of Paladin”?

Johnny Western.

57. The title character of The Virginian went by what actual name?

None — his real name was never revealed.

58. Who played the Virginian?

James Drury.

59. Doug McClure played which rowdy ranch hand?

Trampas.

60. The Virginian was notable as TV’s first western of what unusual episode length?

Ninety minutes.

61. The show was based on a 1902 novel by which author?

Owen Wister.

Mavericks and the Barkleys

62. The brothers at the heart of Maverick made their living how?

As traveling poker players (gamblers).

63. Which actor played smooth-talking Bret Maverick?

James Garner.

64. Jack Kelly played Bret’s brother. What was that brother’s name?

Bart.

65. Which future James Bond actor joined later as Cousin Beau Maverick?

Roger Moore.

66. On which network did Maverick air?

ABC.

67. Maverick stood out for gently poking fun at the genre. What tone did that give it?

Comedic and satirical.

68. In The Big Valley, who played iron-willed matriarch Victoria Barkley?

Barbara Stanwyck.

69. The Barkley ranch sat near which California town?

Stockton.

70. Lee Majors played which Barkley son, born out of wedlock?

Heath.

71. Linda Evans played the Barkley daughter. What was her name?

Audra.

72. True or false: Barbara Stanwyck won a 1966 Emmy for the role.

True.

73. How many seasons did The Big Valley run?

Four.

74. On which network did The Big Valley air?

ABC.

Singing Cowboys and Secret Agents

75. What was the name of Roy Rogers’s famous palomino horse?

Trigger.

76. Roy’s wife and co-star was which actress and singer?

Dale Evans.

77. Which song, written by Dale Evans, closed every episode?

“Happy Trails.”

78. Roy’s German shepherd, the “Wonder Dog,” was called what?

Bullet.

79. Sidekick Pat Brady drove a temperamental Jeep named what?

Nellybelle.

80. On which network did The Roy Rogers Show air?

NBC.

81. The Wild Wild West blended the western with which other genres?

Spy and science fiction.

82. Robert Conrad played which dashing Secret Service agent?

James West.

83. Ross Martin played his master-of-disguise partner. What was his name?

Artemus Gordon.

84. The agents traveled the frontier in a luxurious private what?

Railroad car (the Wanderer).

85. Their recurring nemesis was the diminutive Dr. ___.

Loveless (Miguelito Loveless).

86. Which actor played Dr. Loveless?

Michael Dunn.

87. The show was set during whose presidency?

Ulysses S. Grant’s.

88. Creator Michael Garrison pitched the series as “James Bond on ___.”

Horseback.

89. On which network did The Wild Wild West air?

CBS.

90. Gunsmoke, Rawhide, and Have Gun – Will Travel all aired on which single network?

CBS.

Frequently asked questions

Which classic western ran the longest on TV?

Gunsmoke, hands down. It rode for 20 seasons on CBS, from 1955 to 1975, and held the record for the longest-running live-action primetime series until Law & Order: SVU matched and passed it in 2019.

What’s the difference between Bonanza and The Big Valley?

Both are ranching-family sagas, but Bonanza follows a widowed father and his three sons on the Ponderosa near Lake Tahoe, while The Big Valley centers on a widowed mother, Victoria Barkley, holding a California ranch together with her grown children. Think father’s west versus mother’s west.

Are these good questions to read aloud in a group?

They are. Most of these names and horses sit deep in the memory and come back the moment someone says them out loud. For more small-screen nostalgia, try our old TV show trivia for seniors or our classic TV trivia questions and answers.

Where can I check these facts?

Every answer here is drawn from the reputable sources listed just below.

Sources

Still got the frontier in you? Play our trivia quizzes and see how fast you can draw.