Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Playlists
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Television»Drama
    Drama TV Shows - 1970s 3 Mins Read

    How the West Was Won

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    1 9 7 6 – 1 9 7 9 (USA)
    1 x Pilot
    28 x episodes

    Mountain man Zeb Macahan (James Arness) returns to the Macahan family farm in Manassas, Virginia but when the civil war comes too close to home, his sister in law, Kate (Eva Marie Saint) convinces her husband Tim Macahan (Richard Kiley), to pack up their family, including sons Luke (Bruce Boxleitner) and Josh (William Kirby Cullen) and daughters Jessie (Vicki Schreck) and Laura (Kathryn Holcomb), and move out west to Oregon.

    Once out west the family learn that the first battle of the war is likely to occur at Bull Run, near the home of Zeb and Tim’s parents. Tim returns to Virginia to warn his parents.

    When Tim does not return, Luke rides back east to look for him but finds his grandparents were killed by artillery fire that struck their home during the Battle of Bull Run and that his father was involuntarily conscripted into the Union Army.

    Arriving in Tennessee, Luke is also unwillingly conscripted into the Union Army and is wounded during the battle of Shiloh. He finds his mortally wounded father at an aid station. After all of Luke’s platoon is killed, he returns west to find his family.

    Things are quiet for a time until a bounty hunter named Grey arrives to arrest Luke for desertion, pursuing Luke for months until Kate shoots him dead to protect her son.

    In the second season, Kate dies herself, in a barn fire. Her wealthy widowed sister Molly Culhane (Fionnula Flanagan) arrives from Chicago to reunite with her only remaining family.

    A former southern sheriff, Martin Stillman (Ed Lauter), begins to pursue Luke for vengeance and hires gunmen who torture and nearly kill Josh while pursuing Luke. Stillman is eventually killed by Zeb in a gunfight.

    Luke is forced to spend most of the rest of the series fleeing pursuit while gaining a reputation as a skilled gunfighter.

    He eventually rescues Judge Rensen (Warren J. Kemmerling) who offers to seek a pardon for Luke’s past activities in Missouri. Unfortunately, the judge is murdered before the trial can conclude and Luke flees once again, accompanied by brother Josh.

    Indian tribal wars, gold robbery, land grabs, bounty hunters, kidnapping, rustling, cattle drives across harsh country, stagecoach crashes, slavers, attacking bee swarms, pirate raids on riverboats and assorted bandits and villains – How The West Was Won had it all, and the epic miniseries has been acclaimed as one of the best western productions of all time.

    Zeb Macahan
    James Arness
    Luke Macahan
    Bruce Boxleitner
    Laura Macahan
    Kathryn Holcomb
    Josh Macahan
    William Kirby Cullen
    Jessie Macahan 
    Vicki Schreck
    Molly Culhane
    Fionnula Flanagan
    Major Drake
    Peter Hansen
    Hillary Gant
    Elyssa Davalos
    Sherrif Gant
    Ken Curtis
    Kate Macahan
    Eva Marie Saint
    Martin Grey
    Anthony Zerbe
    Erika Hanks
    Britt Lind
    Orville Gant
    Lloyd Bridges
    Tommy Gant
    Kristopher Marquis
    Satangkai
    Ricardo Montalban
    Col. Jerrod Flint
    Richard Basehart
    Beth
    Vera Miles
    Stone Hand
    Joshua Gallegos
    One Wolf
    Ivan Naranjo
    Tap Henry
    Slim Pickens
    Deek Peasley
    Harris Yulin
    Judge Rensen
    Warren J. Kemmerling
    Martin Stillman
    Ed Lauter
    Doreen
    Kay Lenz
    Francis Britten
    Eric Braeden
    Frank Grayson
    Jared Martin
    General Sheridan
    Ramon Bieri
    Timothy Macahan
    Richard Kiley

    Episodes

    Pilot | Provost Marshal | Erika | Bowie John Christie | Buffalo Story | Mormon Story | Interlude | Orville Gant | Amnesty | Cattle Drive | Robber’s Roost | Deek | The Judge | Gold | Brothers | Secrets | The Hearing | The Posse | The Gunfighter | The Rustler | The Enemy | The Innocent |  Hillary | L’Affaire Riel | The Scavengers | The Forgotten | Luke | China Girl | The Slavers

    Related Posts

    • Luke's Kingdom
      Luke's Kingdom
      1 9 7 6 (UK/Australia) 13 x 60 minute episodes In…
    • Oregon Trail, The
      Oregon Trail, The
      1 9 7 7 (USA) 14 x 60 minute episodes In…
    • War of Darkie Pilbeam, The
      War of Darkie Pilbeam, The
      1 9 6 8 (UK) 3 x 60 minute episodes A…
    • Hawkeye
      Hawkeye
      1 9 9 4 - 1 9 9 5 (USA)…
    • Wildside
      Wildside
      1 9 8 5 (USA) 6 x 60 minute episodes Five…
    • Codename
      Codename
      1 9 7 0 (UK) 13 x 50 minute episodes This…
    • Stagecoach West
      Stagecoach West
      1 9 6 0 - 1 9 6 1 (USA) 38…
    • Over There
      Over There
      1 9 7 2 - 1 9 7 3 (Australia) 25…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleDevil’s Playground, The (1976)
    Next Article Wilderness Road

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    You May Also Like
    • City Beneath The Sea
      1 9 6 2 (UK) 7 x 25 minute episodes This ABC children’s […]
    • Confessions Of A Window Cleaner (1974)
      The first of four saucy comedies adapted from the best-selling […]
    • Fuzz, The
      1 9 7 7 (UK) 7 x 30 minute episodes This short-lived police […]
    • Goodtime Girls
      1 9 8 0 (USA) 13 x 30 minute episodes The year is 1942. […]
    • Stars and Garters 
      1 9 6 3 – 1 9 6 6 (UK) Traditional pub entertainment […]
    • Graham Bond Organisation, The
      Graham Bond initially made an impact on the British jazz scene […]
    Twitter Feed
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2022 Nostalgia Central
    • About
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.