Yes, there were. During season 5, NBC and Revue experimented with color, with a handful of season 5 episodes in color, in hopes of getting audience attention. However, NBC decided instead it would be more profitable to cancel the show altogether.
When NBC canceled the series after season 5 it moved over to ABC. After a lackluster season 6, in an apparent attempt to boost ratings, it was expanded to 90 minutes and filmed in color starting in season 7. Then in an attempt to save money, the show went back to B&W for the 8th, and final, season. This may be the only show in TV history to start filming in color and then go back to B&W.
For a number of years, the 90-minute color episodes were the only ones in syndication as "Wagon Train". The hour-long shows were initially packaged for syndication as "Trailmaster".
When NBC canceled the series after season 5 it moved over to ABC. After a lackluster season 6, in an apparent attempt to boost ratings, it was expanded to 90 minutes and filmed in color starting in season 7. Then in an attempt to save money, the show went back to B&W for the 8th, and final, season. This may be the only show in TV history to start filming in color and then go back to B&W.
For a number of years, the 90-minute color episodes were the only ones in syndication as "Wagon Train". The hour-long shows were initially packaged for syndication as "Trailmaster".
In its first season (1957-58) it finished in 23rd place, a respectable position for a new show. For its next three seasons it finished #2, trailing only Gunsmoke. Then in its fifth season it finished #1, beating out Bonanza and Gunsmoke. And then NBC cancelled it! ABC, desperate for good programming, picked it up for the 1962-63 season, and even though it was in the same time slot (Wednesday at 8:00) it finished in 25th place, which for ABC was great, since only it and Ben Casey finished in the top 25. It was all downhill after that, even when they switched to color, and it ended after 8 seasons in August 1965.
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- How many seasons does Wagon Train have?8 seasons
- How many episodes does Wagon Train have?284 episodes
- When did Wagon Train premiere?September 18, 1957
- When did Wagon Train end?May 2, 1965
- How long are episodes of Wagon Train?1 hour and 15 minutes
- What is the IMDb rating of Wagon Train?7.5 out of 10
- Who stars in Wagon Train?
- Who wrote Wagon Train?
- Who directed Wagon Train?
- Who was the producer of Wagon Train?
- Who was the composer for Wagon Train?
- Who was the executive producer of Wagon Train?
- Who was the cinematographer for Wagon Train?
- What is the plot of Wagon Train?Stories of the journeys of a wagon train as it leaves post-Civil War Missouri on its way to California through the plains, deserts, and Rocky Mountains.
- Who are the characters in Wagon Train?Amos, Barnaby West, Ben Campbell, Bill Hammond, Bill Hawks, Billy Clanton, Billy Taylor, Broken Nose, Cassie Tanner, Charlie Wooster, and others
- What is the Wagon Train theme song?"Wagon Train Theme"
- What genre is Wagon Train?Western
- How many awards has Wagon Train been nominated for?12 nominations
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