The Virginian

Starring: James Drury, Doug McClure, Lee J. Cobb, Roberta Shore
First Aired: September 19, 1961
Number of Seasons: 9
Estimated Production Cost: $330,000 per episode*

The Virginian was one of the most popular Westerns of its time, and it continues to be so now. In the last season, the show has renamed The Men from Shiloh to better reflect its setting. The ranch foremen played by Lee J. Cobb, Doug McClure, and James Drury were the stars of the show. Those who enjoy Western books may recognize the premise of this drama, which is set in the West. The program was partially based on Owen Wister’s novel The Virginian, A Horseman of the Plains, which was published in 1902. The show was filmed in a number of different sites in California, including the Iverson Movie Ranch, Bronson Canyon, and Lone Pine, among others. The show Laredo was a spin-off of the original series.

The Virginian

The Time Tunnel

Starring: Robert Colbert, James Darren, Lee Meriwether
First Aired: September 9, 1966
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $500,000 pilot episode*

In addition to being one of the most expensive concerts ever produced, The Time Tunnel was also one of the most elaborate. The pilot episode of the show, which had a total of thirty episodes, had a $500,000 production cost, which was covered by the production companies Irwin Allen and Kent. The Time Tunnel was a time-traveling television program that was one of the first science fiction shows to be broadcast in color. This particular episode aired in 1966 and was shown on ABC. Fox stepped in later to cover the cost of the production, but the second season was never shown. If you want to learn more about The Time Tunnel, you should read Martin Grams Jr.’s biography of the show.

The Time Tunnel