Jim Bowie (Scott Forbes) is riding along a road in Louisiana when he stops for a drink of water. Suddenly, a bear emerges and moves toward him. Efforts to scare the bear away fail and he resorts to his flintlock rifle. It misfires. The bear is on him and he has to fight it off with an inadequate knife. Determined to get a better knife, he makes his way to a blacksmith he knows, Sam Black. There are obstacles to overcome and villains to trounce before Black can forge the blade. By the end of this pilot episode, Jim has the first Bowie Knife.
Having premiered in 1955, this series coincides with Disney's Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier (1955). As the second most famous Alamo defender, he was a natural subject for a series. The show paints him as a traveling hero in the mode of many 50s Westerns. However, this Bowie is unlike the true Bowie. Jim Bowie was a slave smuggler and a land speculator who didn't always have the deed for the land he sold. He settled down somewhat when he came to Texas, marrying into a prominent family. Of course, that happens outside the time period of the show.
Being a half-hour show, the story is basic and told by the numbers. The villains are bad, the heroes are good, and justice is done. The soundtrack has a men's choir vocalizing a heroic tune in the background of every scene. Behold the heroic riding of his horse, the heroic tethering of his horse, the heroic entry into the saloon! The theme song likewise lionizes him:
Adventurin' man, Adventurin' man.
Jim Bowie! Jim Bowie!
He roamed the wilderness unafraid
From Natchez to Rio Grande!
With all the might of his gleaming blade
He fought for the rights of man!
Jim Bowie! Jim Bowie!
He was a bold adventurin' man!
Jim Bowie! Jim Bowie!
Battled for right with a powerful hand!
His blade was tempered and so was he!
Indestructable steel was he!
Jim Bowie! Jim Bowie!
He was a fighter, a fearless and mighty adventurin' man!
This is just the sort of show I might have enjoyed as a kid. It lasted only 2 seasons, but they pumped out the shows in those days. There are 76 episodes, many of which are available on YouTube.
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