"The kind-hearted hunter" Topic

Anyone know why Josh Randall almost never collects a bounty in Wanted Dead or Alive. Was it because they didn't want him to profit from hunting down people or did they do it to keep the formula like other series. For example in Bonanza none of the Cartwrights love interests made it past an episode usually. If they lived (and shocking number didn't) you could bet they would either be shipped to live with an aunt and attend a "Lady's School" back east.

Thanks,
ALV

Gamer

I've seen the entire series, and you're right, seeing Josh actually receive money wasn't typical. Until this series "bounty hunters" had always been portrayed as mercenary and/or sneaky types who were willing to shoot people in the back or at least kill them rather than take them in alive for the bounty. Josh Randall was portrayed as being an honest guy with a sense of justice. He would never kill a man if he could take him in alive and he would certainly never shoot a man in the back. If he was seen taking money in *every* episode that would reinforce his image as a mercenary rather than an agent of the law. What's more, if I remember correctly, many of the shows had Josh in situations that didn't involve bounty hunting. That allowed the writers to flesh out his character and include socially relevant and humorous plots. You'll notice that Paladin in Have Gun, Will Travel doesn't always take the money that's owed to him either, or instead gets his money in some "twist" in the plot. If he was only interested in the money he wouldn't take many of the jobs that he did. The idea was to show him as a "knight" rather than a mercenary. In short, both Randall and Paladin are actually "lawmen" who work outside the law.

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