Information
Theme music
FAQs
Diary of a trailboss [TOP]
One of the sources for Rawhide was a diary written by George C. Duffield in 1866. In that year Duffield drove cattle from Texas to Iowa. His diary covers the period from February 17th of 1866 to November 7th of the same year. Duffield's entry for November 6th reads, "Got Home sick & tired & glad to get to rest." Gil Favor probably felt the same at the end of a drive. You can download the diary here (Adobe PDF, 1.1 MB).
A history of the series, by Philip Lindley [TOP]
Television and the home entertainment revolution of the 80's and 90's have made permanently accessible to us their accumulated wealth. Viewers over a certain age ... say forty, have not forgotten and could never abandon the feelings stirred by the small-screen recreations of America's frontier history - the Wild West - and the list of favourites in a popular poll would be likely to contain the same few titles. Among them would be "Rawhide", the brainchild of a man called Charles Marquis Warren. Read more.
Eric Fleming's death by drowning [TOP]
This article is an eye-witness account of Eric Fleming's drowning, recounted by actor Nico Minardos to a certain Dean Gautschy three weeks after the event. Nico Minardos, who almost drowned himself, was co-starring with Eric Fleming in the movie they were filming, "High Jungle," in Peru. It's fascinating reading, and it brings home the sadness of Eric's pointless, accidental death.
At any rate, this article was retyped by Catharina, a drover on the classics discussion list, from a scanned document that was difficult to read, so it's possible that small errors have crept into the text. We don't know where the piece was published, so cannot provide proper attribution.* But my thanks to Catharina and those from whom she got the piece, Hennie and Shirley.
(*UPDATE: The articles seems to have appeared in the January, 1967 edition of Screenland Magazine.)
Lyrics to the Rawhide theme song: [TOP]
(With thanks to Cathi Iuliano for having typed in much of this.)
Keep movin', movin', movin',
Though they're disapprovin',
Keep them dogies movin', rawhide.
Don't try to understand 'em,
Just rope 'em, throw, and brand 'em.
Soon we'll be livin' high and wide.
My heart's calculatin',
My true love will be waitin',
Be waitin' at the end of my ride.
Move 'em on, head 'em up,
Head 'em up, move 'em on,
Move 'em on, head 'em up, rawhide!
Cut 'em out, ride 'em in,
Ride 'em in, let 'em out,
Cut 'em out, ride 'em in, rawhide!
The ending lyrics are:
Keep rollin', rollin', rollin',
Though the streams are swollen,
Keep them dogies rollin', rawhide.
Through rain and wind and weather,
Hell bent for leather,
Wishin' my gal was by my side.
All the things I'm missin',
Good vittles, love and kissin',
Are waiting at the end of my ride.
Move 'em on, head 'em up,
Head 'em up, move 'em on,
Move 'em on, head 'em up, rawhide!
Cut 'em out, ride 'em in,
Ride 'em in, let 'em out,
Cut 'em out, ride 'em in, rawhide!
RAWHIDE!!!
Lyrics with guitar chords: [TOP]
Click here for lyrics to the Rawhide theme with the guitar chords provided.
Hear the theme song! [TOP]
rawhide.wav (825.4K)
rawhide.mp3 (406.8K)
What is the origin of the derogatory term "jasper" we hear so often on the show? [TOP]
Corwyn Edwards writes: "Yesterday on the way to work I stopped into a library branch and looked up Jasper in the unabridged dictionary. One entry for the name said: 'fellow, guy.' The source for this defintion was: 'from the name Jasper.' It then used an example quoted from an author named Ross Santee, and gave no date of origin. Looking up the meaning of the name in another book I find either 'a precious stone' or a 'form of Casper.' Casper, in turn, is a form of Gaspar, the traditional name for one of the three wise men who followed the star of Bethlehem (of course the Bible gives neither name nor number to the wise men.) Gaspar is probably from the Persian name for treasure. None of this explains how it came to be a derogatory reference. I have considered it being a euphemism for another 'J' word, but am not convinced. More likely, I think it may have its origin in some literary character, although I can think of none."
What's the deal with the "remuda"? Is it Spanish? And does it mean the place where the horses are kept or the string of horses itself? [TOP]
Corwyn Edwards provides a response: "REMUDA is a spanish word referring to the herd of horses used by the cowboys on the trail drive. The meaning of the spanish word REMUDA is "change" or "replacement". The man in charge of the REMUDA is known as the Wrangler. The remuda, of course, allowed the cowboys to alternate horses during the day so as not to overwork them."
Dogies: [TOP]
Corwyn Edwards provides even more information: "Although most people know that 'dogies refers to cattle, many don't know the specific definition. A dogie is a motherless calf. Perhaps they are called dogies because of the puppy-like behavior of an orphaned calf in following a person about. Incidentally, a maverick is any unbranded, motherless calf--but that's another story."
Mavericks: [TOP]
Corwyn Edwards, font of considerable information and of amusing prose, continues: "Mavericks are the namesake of early Texas settler Samuel Augustus Maverick. Maverick was born in Pendleton, South Carolina, in 1803, and graduated from Yale University before moving to Texas. He was involved in the Texas war for independence in 1835-36, and, unknown at the time, his life was spared when he was elected a delegate to represent the garrison defending the Alamo at the convention which framed the Texas Declaration of Independence. Samuel Maverick was one of the 59 men to sign that document. Samuel Maverick died in San Antonio in 1870. Maverick county Texas is named in his honor.
"Texas legend has it that Samuel Maverick refused to brand his cattle, then claimed any unbranded calf he found as his own. Eventually any unbranded calf became known as a Maverick calf.
"The true story may be a little more pedestrian, but still interesting. There are several versions of the actual origin. The most likely one has Maverick reluctantly entering the cattle business by accepting a herd in payment for a debt. The cattle were generally neglected between the late 1840's and mid 1850's, when his unbranded cattle began roaming the Texas coastal region. The area residents began referring to any unbranded calf as a Maverick calf. In 1856, Maverick sold his herd, and the buyer roamed the region claiming all unbranded cattle as "Maverick's". This expression caught on locally, and then spread throughout Texas after the war between the states, when large herds of unbranded cattle were scattered across the Texas plains.
"The state of having no brand--signifying no owner--came to represent an independence free of obligation. After maverick became a synonym for an unbranded calf, it began to refer to a person displaying extreme independence."
Beyond the Sun: [TOP]
Here are the lyrics to the song Rowdy sang in The Pitchwagon.
Beyond The Sun
(by Russ Garcia and Lenny Adelson)
Beyond the sun over the mountains,
There's a place my heart's longing to be
Beyond the sun over the mountains,
There's a face my eyes hunger to see
The long, long road
Seems like an endless thing,
Somewhere, someplace,
There is a home.
Beyond the sun over the mountains
There are lonely arms, waiting for me.
Filming locations: [TOP]
(This information is culled shamelessly from comments made by the learned members of our Rawhide discussion list.)
The majority of the "outside" scenes in Rawhide were filmed at Iverson's Ranch--located in what is now called the Simi (pronounced see-mee) Valley--in California. If the cast went "on location," it was usually to Red Rock Canyon (also an LA location) or to Sonora. There is a website that has some pics of Iverson's Ranch at: http://employees.oxy.edu/jerry/iverson.htm.
Where and when were the drives? [TOP]
(This information is likewise culled from comments made by the members of our Rawhide discussion list.)
The first drive ended in Sedalia, Missouri. As the seasons passed, they made several more drives, and there were episodes about arriving at the railhead town--The Big Blowout (2/10/61) and The Lost Herd (10/16/64) are two of them--and about starting up a new drive--The Sendoff and The Long Shakedown (10/6/61 and 10/13/61).
As for dates, based on internal evidence, and things like dates on tombstones, the drives made it into 1870 a least. At least one season the drive was on the Goodnight-Loving Trail.
Theme music
FAQs
- Jasper
- Remuda
- Dogies
- Mavericks
- Lyrics to Beyond the Sun
- Filming locations
- Where and when were the drives
Diary of a trailboss [TOP]
One of the sources for Rawhide was a diary written by George C. Duffield in 1866. In that year Duffield drove cattle from Texas to Iowa. His diary covers the period from February 17th of 1866 to November 7th of the same year. Duffield's entry for November 6th reads, "Got Home sick & tired & glad to get to rest." Gil Favor probably felt the same at the end of a drive. You can download the diary here (Adobe PDF, 1.1 MB).
A history of the series, by Philip Lindley [TOP]
Television and the home entertainment revolution of the 80's and 90's have made permanently accessible to us their accumulated wealth. Viewers over a certain age ... say forty, have not forgotten and could never abandon the feelings stirred by the small-screen recreations of America's frontier history - the Wild West - and the list of favourites in a popular poll would be likely to contain the same few titles. Among them would be "Rawhide", the brainchild of a man called Charles Marquis Warren. Read more.
Eric Fleming's death by drowning [TOP]
This article is an eye-witness account of Eric Fleming's drowning, recounted by actor Nico Minardos to a certain Dean Gautschy three weeks after the event. Nico Minardos, who almost drowned himself, was co-starring with Eric Fleming in the movie they were filming, "High Jungle," in Peru. It's fascinating reading, and it brings home the sadness of Eric's pointless, accidental death.
At any rate, this article was retyped by Catharina, a drover on the classics discussion list, from a scanned document that was difficult to read, so it's possible that small errors have crept into the text. We don't know where the piece was published, so cannot provide proper attribution.* But my thanks to Catharina and those from whom she got the piece, Hennie and Shirley.
(*UPDATE: The articles seems to have appeared in the January, 1967 edition of Screenland Magazine.)
Lyrics to the Rawhide theme song: [TOP]
(With thanks to Cathi Iuliano for having typed in much of this.)
Keep movin', movin', movin',
Though they're disapprovin',
Keep them dogies movin', rawhide.
Don't try to understand 'em,
Just rope 'em, throw, and brand 'em.
Soon we'll be livin' high and wide.
My heart's calculatin',
My true love will be waitin',
Be waitin' at the end of my ride.
Move 'em on, head 'em up,
Head 'em up, move 'em on,
Move 'em on, head 'em up, rawhide!
Cut 'em out, ride 'em in,
Ride 'em in, let 'em out,
Cut 'em out, ride 'em in, rawhide!
The ending lyrics are:
Keep rollin', rollin', rollin',
Though the streams are swollen,
Keep them dogies rollin', rawhide.
Through rain and wind and weather,
Hell bent for leather,
Wishin' my gal was by my side.
All the things I'm missin',
Good vittles, love and kissin',
Are waiting at the end of my ride.
Move 'em on, head 'em up,
Head 'em up, move 'em on,
Move 'em on, head 'em up, rawhide!
Cut 'em out, ride 'em in,
Ride 'em in, let 'em out,
Cut 'em out, ride 'em in, rawhide!
RAWHIDE!!!
Lyrics with guitar chords: [TOP]
Click here for lyrics to the Rawhide theme with the guitar chords provided.
Hear the theme song! [TOP]
rawhide.wav (825.4K)
rawhide.mp3 (406.8K)
What is the origin of the derogatory term "jasper" we hear so often on the show? [TOP]
Corwyn Edwards writes: "Yesterday on the way to work I stopped into a library branch and looked up Jasper in the unabridged dictionary. One entry for the name said: 'fellow, guy.' The source for this defintion was: 'from the name Jasper.' It then used an example quoted from an author named Ross Santee, and gave no date of origin. Looking up the meaning of the name in another book I find either 'a precious stone' or a 'form of Casper.' Casper, in turn, is a form of Gaspar, the traditional name for one of the three wise men who followed the star of Bethlehem (of course the Bible gives neither name nor number to the wise men.) Gaspar is probably from the Persian name for treasure. None of this explains how it came to be a derogatory reference. I have considered it being a euphemism for another 'J' word, but am not convinced. More likely, I think it may have its origin in some literary character, although I can think of none."
What's the deal with the "remuda"? Is it Spanish? And does it mean the place where the horses are kept or the string of horses itself? [TOP]
Corwyn Edwards provides a response: "REMUDA is a spanish word referring to the herd of horses used by the cowboys on the trail drive. The meaning of the spanish word REMUDA is "change" or "replacement". The man in charge of the REMUDA is known as the Wrangler. The remuda, of course, allowed the cowboys to alternate horses during the day so as not to overwork them."
Dogies: [TOP]
Corwyn Edwards provides even more information: "Although most people know that 'dogies refers to cattle, many don't know the specific definition. A dogie is a motherless calf. Perhaps they are called dogies because of the puppy-like behavior of an orphaned calf in following a person about. Incidentally, a maverick is any unbranded, motherless calf--but that's another story."
Mavericks: [TOP]
Corwyn Edwards, font of considerable information and of amusing prose, continues: "Mavericks are the namesake of early Texas settler Samuel Augustus Maverick. Maverick was born in Pendleton, South Carolina, in 1803, and graduated from Yale University before moving to Texas. He was involved in the Texas war for independence in 1835-36, and, unknown at the time, his life was spared when he was elected a delegate to represent the garrison defending the Alamo at the convention which framed the Texas Declaration of Independence. Samuel Maverick was one of the 59 men to sign that document. Samuel Maverick died in San Antonio in 1870. Maverick county Texas is named in his honor.
"Texas legend has it that Samuel Maverick refused to brand his cattle, then claimed any unbranded calf he found as his own. Eventually any unbranded calf became known as a Maverick calf.
"The true story may be a little more pedestrian, but still interesting. There are several versions of the actual origin. The most likely one has Maverick reluctantly entering the cattle business by accepting a herd in payment for a debt. The cattle were generally neglected between the late 1840's and mid 1850's, when his unbranded cattle began roaming the Texas coastal region. The area residents began referring to any unbranded calf as a Maverick calf. In 1856, Maverick sold his herd, and the buyer roamed the region claiming all unbranded cattle as "Maverick's". This expression caught on locally, and then spread throughout Texas after the war between the states, when large herds of unbranded cattle were scattered across the Texas plains.
"The state of having no brand--signifying no owner--came to represent an independence free of obligation. After maverick became a synonym for an unbranded calf, it began to refer to a person displaying extreme independence."
Beyond the Sun: [TOP]
Here are the lyrics to the song Rowdy sang in The Pitchwagon.
Beyond The Sun
(by Russ Garcia and Lenny Adelson)
Beyond the sun over the mountains,
There's a place my heart's longing to be
Beyond the sun over the mountains,
There's a face my eyes hunger to see
The long, long road
Seems like an endless thing,
Somewhere, someplace,
There is a home.
Beyond the sun over the mountains
There are lonely arms, waiting for me.
Filming locations: [TOP]
(This information is culled shamelessly from comments made by the learned members of our Rawhide discussion list.)
The majority of the "outside" scenes in Rawhide were filmed at Iverson's Ranch--located in what is now called the Simi (pronounced see-mee) Valley--in California. If the cast went "on location," it was usually to Red Rock Canyon (also an LA location) or to Sonora. There is a website that has some pics of Iverson's Ranch at: http://employees.oxy.edu/jerry/iverson.htm.
Where and when were the drives? [TOP]
(This information is likewise culled from comments made by the members of our Rawhide discussion list.)
The first drive ended in Sedalia, Missouri. As the seasons passed, they made several more drives, and there were episodes about arriving at the railhead town--The Big Blowout (2/10/61) and The Lost Herd (10/16/64) are two of them--and about starting up a new drive--The Sendoff and The Long Shakedown (10/6/61 and 10/13/61).
As for dates, based on internal evidence, and things like dates on tombstones, the drives made it into 1870 a least. At least one season the drive was on the Goodnight-Loving Trail.
