“Rawhide” was once filmed in Tucumcari area

“Rawhide,” the TV western that helped launch the long career of Clint Eastwood, used the Route 66 town of Tucumcari, N.M., as a base to film five episodes in 1959, according to a story in the Quay County Sun.

If you have fuzzy memories of “Rawhide,” this might jolt your brain:

The Sun reports:

Actors and technicians arrived in Tucumcari on Aug. 10, 1959, for six weeks of work, the Tucumcari Daily News reported.

The show’s stars included Eastwood, Eric Fleming and Sheb Wooley. Guest stars also popped in and out of town for brief appearances.

The paper reported scenes were filmed at three Quay County ranches. The cast and crew, about 65 in all, were seen regularly around town and became regular patrons at Del’s Restaurant.

An autographed photo of Eastwood once hung on Del’s wall. A number of longtime Tucumcari residents gave their memories of the production to the newspaper.

On a side note, Wooley was born in the Route 66 town of Erick, Okla., and has a street named after him.

The Sun also reported that Jimmy Stewart stayed in town for a couple of days during a snowstorm. Brenda Lee, Morgan Freeman, Willie Nelson and, most recently, Paul McCartney spent some time in Tucumcari.

5 thoughts on ““Rawhide” was once filmed in Tucumcari area

  1. IF my 80 year old brain remembers correctly, “RAWHIDE” followed
    “Route 66” on Friday nights. Yeah, Clint Eastwood played the part of Rowdy Yates. Awww, man, those were really great days with great TV shows.

    1. You’re close, Ross, but it was the other way ’round… From 1960 to 1963, “Rawhide” came on at 7:30, followed by “Route 66” on CBS. And then you could switch over to ABC to watch “77 Sunset Strip.”
      We could catch Rowdy, Buz, and Kookie all in one night!

      As you say, that was really great TV back in the day.

      1. You mean Wishbown–not Kookie. By the way, Wishbone (Paul Brinebar) was born in Tucumcari.

  2. There is no question about it. There will never ever be classic television like it was back then!! There was no nudity, cuss words,
    and no one displaying graffic violence..Lets face it. It was good clean television at its best……Bruce Denton

  3. Rodney: No, I don’t mean Wishbone. I was talking about the cool guys that starred on each of those shows… Rowdy (Clint Eastwood), Buz (George Maharis), and Kookie (Edd Byrnes). They made Friday night “cool”!
    Thankfully, as I write this, those actors are all still with us.

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