DAY 95 - COUNTING DOWN TO THE 50TH

Good Morning, Class of '64

Sometimes it gets right peaceful on a trail drive. You're travelin' easy in pretty country, with a trail broke herd actin' gentle as lambs.  Weather's fine, air's fresh, sun's warm. That's when I begin to worry. Somethin's bound to happen. And out of all the bad things that might be, it usually turns out to be the kind of trouble you least expect. 

My name's Gil Favor, trail boss.

Rawhide
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rawhide_%28material%29
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/rawhide
A hide or animal skin that has not been exposed to tanning.
1. untanned skin of cattle or other animals.
2. a rope or whip made of rawhide.

Paul Brinegar the cook, Clint Eastwood the ramrod, Eric Fleming the trail boss - Rawhide

We grew up with TV westerns, and we've grown old with Clint Eastwood. He moved on to more exciting things, and he had small beginnings elsewhere, but our awareness of him came from his portrayal of Rowdy Yates on Rawhide. 

Many Friday evenings were spent watching cattle being driven up the Sedalia Trail (later Chisholm) and wondering what the outcome of the latest "incident" would be for the trail boss, Mr. Favor, and his ramrod, Rowdy. Wishbone, the cook, could give you a little chuckle when he had a part to play, but it was Rowdy (Clint) who could steal the show. He was fine looking all those years ago, and he still is today, even if he is in his eighties.

Did you know he has seven children from five different women who have shared his life? Clint Eastwood has been very productive, behind and in front of the camera and on and off the screen. No doubt there will be a few entertainers among them.

Clint Eastwood - Ramrod

Eric Fleming - Trail Boss

 Rawhide
American Western series starring
Eric Fleming and Clint Eastwood.
Aired for eight seasons on the CBS on
Friday nights, from January of 1959 to
September of 1965, before moving to
Tuesday nights from September of 1965
until January of 1966, with a total 
of 217 black-and-white episodes.
The fifth-longest-running 
American television Western.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rawhide_%28TV_series%29

Rawhide TV Pilot (full episode)

Frankie Laine - Rawhide

Intro to Rawhide

Frankie Laine - Rawhide 
(Original 1958 Single Version)  

Rollin', rollin', rollin'.
Rollin', rollin', rollin'.
Rollin', rollin', rollin'.
Rollin', rollin', rollin'.
Rawhide!
Hah! Hah!

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 out, head 'em up,
Head 'em up, move 'em on.
Move 'em out, head 'em up:
Rawhide.

Cut 'em out, ride 'em in,
Ride 'em in, cut 'em out,
Cut 'em out, ride 'em in:
Rawhide!
Hah! Hah! 
 

Movin', movin', movin',
Though they're disapprovin',
Keep them dogies movin', rawhide.
Don't try to understand 'em,
Just rope an' throw an' brand 'em.
Soon we'll be living high and wide.

My heart's calculatin',
My true love will be waitin':
Waitin' at the end of my ride.

Move 'em out, head 'em up,
Head 'em up, move 'em on.
Move 'em out, head 'em up:
Rawhide.

Cut 'em out, ride 'em in,
Ride 'em in, cut 'em out,
Cut 'em out, ride 'em in:
Rawhide!

(Rollin', rollin', rollin'.)
(Rollin', rollin', rollin'.)
Hah!
(Rollin', rollin', rollin'.)
Hah!
(Rollin', rollin', rollin'.)
Rawhide.
Hah!
Rawhide!

 

It sounds simple when you start out:
Get the herd to Abilene.
Before you're halfway there,
the cattle are the least of your worries.
I know.
Gil Favor, trail boss.

There's money in beef, but it doesn't come easy. There's a market for all the steers you can raise. But it's a thousand miles away. You get top prices only for top cattle. Pushin' the herd up the trail is only half the job. You've gotta get in there in good shape. It takes tough men workin' long hours for low wages, starin' trouble in the face at every bend in the trail.
I'm one of 'em.
Gil Favor, trail boss.

It takes three things to make a trail drive:
cattle, horses and men.
And some say two because a man without
a horse is no man at all.
There are mornin's when I think a horse
without a man would be better.
I should know men by now, but I keep learnin'.
I'm Gil Favor, trail boss.

Ridin' herd over a long trail may be a headache, but I can tell you it's never boresome, even when it's goin' smooth. There's plenty of sweet grass, blue skies, clear spring water. You ride lazy, thinkin' of what you left behind, dreamin' of what's ahead. Ridin' easy doesn't come often on a drive. When you're pushin' three thousand head and twenty hands, there's always something about to happen. Whatever it is, and whenever it comes up, I gotta meet it. That's my job.
I'm Gil Favor, trail boss.

A human bein' can take a lot of punishment.
You find that out real quick when you drive cattle.
You head along a thousand miles of dust,
you cuss the day that man ever decided to eat beef. 

We're tryin' to bring it to the market:
Sedalia, Missouri. We don't always like what 

we have to do to get there. But that's part of my job.
My name's Gil Favor, trail boss.