The Rounders was a 17-episode western-style situation comedy about two cowboys on the fictitious J.L. Ranch in Texas. It starred Ron Hayes as Ben Jones and Patrick Wayne, a son of John Wayne, as Howdy Lewis. The M-G-M television series aired on ABC from September 6, 1966, to January 3, 1967. The program was loosely based on a 1965 film of the same name, The Rounders, starring Glenn Ford and Henry Fonda, set near Sedona, Arizona, rather than Texas. Chill Wills, a native Texan and formerly of CBS's Frontier Circus, appeared as the shady ranch owner, Jim Ed Love. Janis Hansen co-starred as Ben's girlfriend, Sally, and Bobbi Jordan played Howdy's girlfriend, Ada. Jason Wingreen appeared as Shorty Dawes, and Walker Edmiston as Regan. Character actors Strother Martin and J. Pat O'Malley appeared as "Cousin Fletch" and "Vince", respectively. James Brown, formerly the lieutenant on The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, played "Luke". Selected episodes with notable guest stars include: "A Horse on Jim Ed Love", series premiere with Harry Carey, Jr.; "It's a Noble Thing to Do", with John Smith, formerly Slim Sherman on NBC's Laramie; "Don't Buffalo Me", with Jay Silverheels, formerly Tonto of The Lone Ranger, as John Tallgrass; "The Moonshine Still Shines"; "It Takes Only One to Suffer"; "The Scavenger Hunt" with Zsa Zsa Gabor as Ilona Hobson; "Some Things Are Not for Sale"; "Four Alarm Wing Ding", with Dick Haynes as a sheriff; "Horse of a Different Cutter" with Andy Devine as Honest John Denton and Strother Martin as Cousin Fletch; "Polo, Anyone?", with Jay C. Flippen as Kenny Fahrbush; "Efficiency Is for Experts", and "What Elephants?", the series finale, in which Ben and Howdy try to hide an elephant in plain sight.
18 episodes total
Status
Ended
First Aired
1966
Rating
4.0/10
2 votes • HD
People
Episodes
Episode 1 • Sep 06, 1966
Episode 2 • Sep 13, 1966
Jim Ed plans to buy unpredictable Old Fooler and make a fortune selling the critter to a rodeo—but the horse has other ideas abut the transaction.
Episode 3 • Sep 20, 1966
Jim Ed is using a remote-control device as a training dogie in hopes of turning the ranch plugs into first class cutting horses—and ending Old Fooler's cow-horse career.
Episode 4 • Sep 27, 1966
Jim Ed hires Noble Vestry, the world's best cowboy, to show Ben and Howdy what cow-punching really means.
Episode 5 • Oct 04, 1966
Jim Ed begins his job as temporary sheriff by trying to smash a moonshiner's illegal still.
Episode 6 • Oct 11, 1966
Ben and Howdy stand to make a tidy sum if they can find—and corral—a buffalo for Jim Ed.
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