Walker, Texas Ranger

Walker, Texas Ranger
Walker, Texas Ranger
Grant Walker, Texas Ranger
The Walker, Texas Ranger title card (from 2000) features star Chuck Norris.
Format Crime drama/Action
Created by Christopher Canaan
Albert S. Ruddy
Leslie Greif
Paul Haggis
Starring Chuck Norris
Clarence Gilyard
Sheree J. Wilson
Noble Willingham
Nia Peeples
Judson Mills
Theme music composer Tirk Wilder
(Seasons 1, 2-8)
Jerrold Immel (Season 2, last used on "Tiger's Eye")
Opening theme "Eyes Of The Ranger"
Performed by Chuck Norris (Mid season 2-8)
Composer(s) Jeff Sturges
John E. Davis
Christopher Franke
Velton Ray Bunch
Jerrold Immel
Craig Huxley (with Immel; uncredited)
Peter Bernstein ("The Big Bingo Bamboozle")
Christopher L. Stone
Ron Ramin
Kevin Kiner
Gary S. Scott
Larry Brown
Richard Band
Country of origin United States
Language(s) English
No. of seasons 8
No. of episodes 203 (including TV movie).[1][2] (List of episodes)
Production
Camera setup Single-camera
Super 16mm
Running time 42–46 minutes
Production company(s) Cannon Television
(1993)
Top Kick Productions
(1993-1998)
Norris Brothers Entertainment
(1998-2001)
The Ruddy Greif Company
(1993-2001)
CBS Productions (now CBS Television Studios)
(1993-2001)
Distributor Columbia Pictures Television (now Sony Pictures Television)
(1993-1996)
Columbia TriStar Television (now Sony Pictures Television) (1996-2001)
Broadcast
Original channel CBS[3]
Audio format Dolby Surround 2.0
Original run April 21, 1993 (1993-04-21) – May 19, 2001 (2001-05-19)

Walker, Texas Ranger is an American television action crime drama series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis, and starring Chuck Norris as a member of the Texas Ranger Division.[4] The show aired on CBS in the spring of 1993, with the first season consisting of three pilot episodes. Eight full seasons followed from September 25, 1993 to May 19, 2001. It was broadcast in over 100 countries, and has since spawned a made-for-television movie, entitled Trial By Fire. The movie ended on a cliffhanger, which, as of 2011, has not yet been resolved. The series was originally conceived on August 6, 1987. DVD sets of all seasons have been released (with the three pilots packaged with the first regular season). At various times since 1997, reruns of the show have aired, in syndication, on the USA Network and Action in Canada. As of September 13, 2010, the series is shown on WGN America.

The show was known for its moral values. For example, the characters refrained from the use of drugs, and they participated in community service. Martial arts were displayed prominently as the primary tool of law enforcement and occasionally as a tool for Walker and company to reach out to the community.[5][6] The show has gained a following for its camp appeal.

Contents

Background

The show was initially developed by executive producer Allison Moore and supervising producer J. Michael Straczynski when the series was still being produced by Cannon Television. While Straczynski had to depart to get his new series Babylon 5 on the air, executive producer David Moessinger remained to finish developing the series. The show is centered on Cordell Walker (Norris), a Dallas-Fort Worth–based member of the Texas Rangers, a state-level bureau of investigation.[7] Walker was raised by his paternal uncle, a Native American named Ray Firewalker (Floyd Red Crow Westerman). Cordell prior to joining the Rangers served in the Marines' elite recon unit during the Vietnam War. Both Cordell and Uncle Ray share the values characteristic of Wild West sheriffs.[8]

His partner and best friend is James "Jimmy" Trivette (Clarence Gilyard), a former Dallas Cowboys player "Go Long T" who takes a more modern approach.[9] Walker's young partner grew up in Baltimore and used football as his ticket to college education. He was dropped from the team after he tore up his shoulder in a major game, which led to his career in the Rangers (often making references to watching the "Lone Ranger" and how C.D. Parker mentored him as a Rookie Officer). Trivette also works inside the office using computers and cellular phones to collate information of the people who have been taken into custody. Walker also works closely (and shares a mutual attraction) with Alexandra "Alex" Cahill (Sheree J. Wilson), a Tarrant County Assistant District Attorney, who on occasion puts up a frown if Walker does not obtain results in time. He also gets advice on cases from C.D. Parker (Gailard Sartain (pilot season), Noble Willingham (seasons 1–7)), a veteran Ranger (later inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame) who worked with Walker until retiring to operate a small restaurant and bar called "CD's Bar and Grill", a restaurant widely known in the series for its chili. In Season 7 two rookie Texas Rangers, Sydney Cooke (Nia Peeples) and Francis Gage (Judson Mills), are assigned under Walker and Trivette's command.

Cast & Characters

  • Chuck Norris as Texas Ranger Sgt. Cordell Walker, a modern-day Ranger who believes in the Code of the Old West and is a martial arts expert. He is the show's main protagonist.
  • Clarence Gilyard as Texas Ranger Sgt. James "Jimmy" Trivette, Walker's partner and best friend.
  • Sheree J. Wilson as Tarrant County D.A. Alexandra "Alex" Cahill-Walker, whom Walker dates for a while and ends up marrying.
  • Noble Willingham as retired Texas Ranger Captain C.D. Parker, Walker's buddy and ex-partner who owns a bar/restaurant in Fort Worth,,Texas.
  • Nia Peeples and Judson Mills as Texas Rangers Sydney "Syd" Cooke and Francis Gage, two rookie Rangers who join Walker in seasons 7 and 8.
  • Floyd Westerman as Ray Firewalker who raised Walker after his parents died.

Nielsen Ratings

The show was quite successful in the ratings for much of its run.

  • 1993–94: 11.74 million #32
  • 1994–95: 11.20 million #30
  • 1995–96: 12.30 million #18
  • 1996–97: 11.00 million #20
  • 1997–98: 14.40 million #21
  • 1998–99: 14.40 million #15
  • 1999–00: 12.20 million #31
  • 2000–01: 10.30 million #39

DVD releases

CBS DVD (distributed by Paramount) has released all seasons on DVD in Region 1, the last set being released on March 9, 2010.[10] The final season was released first, followed seasons 1 through 7 in order. The Complete 1st Season contains the three pilot episodes and the first full season being labeled as just the first season. This has confused some fans, as the seasons are wrongly numbered. Seasons 1–6 have been released in regions 2 and 4.

DVD Name
Eps
Release dates
Region 1
Region 2
Region 4
The Complete 1st Season [11] 26 June 13, 2006 October 2, 2006 October 12, 2006
The Complete 2nd Season 21 January 23, 2007 March 8, 2007 April 12, 2007
The Complete 3rd Season 26 June 12, 2007 December 4, 2007 January 10, 2008
The Complete 4th Season 26 February 19. 2008 May 28, 2008 July 31, 2008
The Complete 5th Season 25 July 1, 2008 October 21, 2008 October 2, 2008
The Complete 6th Season 23 January 13, 2009 February 19, 2009 March 5, 2009
The Complete 7th Season 25 March 9, 2010 N/A March 3, 2011[12]
The Complete Final Season 24 June 14, 2005 N/A March 3, 2011[13]
Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial By Fire 1 N/A January 2, 2007 N/A

Spin-offs and merchandise

Television movies

CBS broadcast the television movie Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire, produced by Paramount Network Television (now CBS Television Studios), on October 16, 2005. Chuck Norris, Sheree J. Wilson and Judson Mills reprised their roles, and Clarence Gilyard shot a cameo for the movie but was not featured due to the filming's conflict with a long-planned family vacation. To fill the void, Judson Mills, who was not in the original script, returned to reprise the role of Francis Gage. Nia Peeples, who played the role of Sydney Cooke for Seasons 8 and 9, was also not featured in Walker's return to prime-time television. The explanation given was that producers decided not to follow much of the original Walker Texas Ranger series, as to give the movie a fresh look. Even the show's original opening credits with the theme "Eyes of a Ranger" performed by Chuck Norris, was absent from the TV movie.

Although the return of Walker Texas Ranger did not garner the ratings CBS had hoped for, indications were that CBS was green-lighting future Walker Texas Ranger "movie of the week" projects. But as of spring 2006, both CBS and the Norris camp have been silent as to the future of the franchise, leaving many to wonder if it will return. Trial by Fire ended with Sheree J. Wilson's character the victim of a courthouse shooting, leaving many viewers to believe that there would be a follow-up movie.

When they announced their fall 2006 prime-time schedule, CBS said that they would no longer be producing "Sunday Night Movie of the Week" projects, which severely impaired any hopes of Walker's return to television in the foreseeable future.[citation needed]

On May 15, 2007, CBS announced its fall line-up, but this did not include the return of the "Sunday Night Movie of the Week."

Sons of Thunder

Most episodes were based on true stories. A short-lived series, Sons of Thunder, featured recurring character Carlos Sandoval, who resigns from his post with the Dallas police and teams up with childhood friend Trent Malloy (a protégé of Walker's) to start a private investigation firm.[14]

Novels

Three Walker, Texas Ranger books, written by James Reasoner, were published by Berkley Publishing Group in 1999. The books are now out of print.

  1. Walker, Texas Ranger (1998, ISBN 0-425-16815-8)
  2. Hell's Half Acre (1999, ISBN 0-425-16972-3)
  3. Siege on the Belle (1999, ISBN 0-425-17112-4)

Notable guest stars

Year/s Actor Character/s played Episode title Year of appearance
1993 Luis Guzmán Gomez "Storm Warning" 1993
1993 Judith Hoag Lainie Flanders "Family Matters" 1993
Brian Thompson Leo Cale
1993 M.C. Gainey Tingley "She'll Do to Ride the River With" 1993
2000 Craig "The Bachelor Party" 2000
1994 Giovanni Ribisi Tony Kingston "Something in the Shadows: Part 1",
"Something in the Shadows: Part 2"
1994
Tom Virtue Peter Needham
1994 Tobey Maguire Duane Parsons "The Prodigal Son" 1994
1994 Carli Coleman Georgia Douglas "Silk Dreams" 1994
1994 Bryan Cranston Hank "Deadly Vision" 1994
1994 James Morrison Ned Travis "Mustangs" 1994
1994 Danica McKellar Laurie Maston "Stolen Lullaby" 1994
Ray Wise Garrett Carlson
1995 Doris Roberts Elaine Portugal "The Big Bingo Bamboozle" 1995
1995 Marshall Colt Lt. Lee Corbin (his last acting role) "Whitewater, Part 1" 1995
1995 Dirk Benedict Blair "Case Closed" 1995
1996 Carlos Machado Himself "Rodeo" 1996
1997 Officer #1 "Sons of Thunder" 1997
Orderly "Forgotten People"
1999 Rodgers "Fight or Die" 1999
1996 Clifton Collins Jr. Fito "El Coyote: Part 1",
"El Coyote: Part 2"
1996
1996 Robert Englund Lyle Eckert "Deadline" 1996
1996 Burt Young Jack Belmont "Lucky" 1996
1997 "Small Blessings" 1997
1996–1997 Rod Taylor Gordon Cahill "Redemption" 1996
"Texas vs. Cahill" 1997
2000 "Wedding Bells", Parts 1 and 2 2000
1997 Terry Kiser Charlie Brooks "Mayday"
"Last Hope"
"Iceman"
1997
1997 The Iceman "Iceman" 1997
1997–1999 Marco Sanchez Detective Carlos Sandoval
1997–1999 James Wlcek Trent Malloy
1997 Mila Kunis Pepper "Last Hope" 1997
1997 John Amos Pastor Roscoe Jones "Sons of Thunder" 1997
1997 Haley Joel Osment Lucas Simms "Lucas: Part 1",
"Lucas: Part 2"
1997
Mackenzie Phillips Ellen Simms
1997 Gwen Verdon Maisie Whitman "Forgotten People" 1997
1999 "Mind Games" 1999
1997 David Gallagher Chad Morgan "Brainchild" 1997
Paul Gleason Dr. Harold Payton
1997 Randolph Mantooth James Lee Crown "Rainbow's End" 1997
1997 Dan Lauria Salvatore Matacio "A Father's Image" 1997
1997 Kyla Pratt Kyla Jarvis "The Neighborhood" 1997
1998 "Rowdy" Roddy Piper Cody "The Crusader" Conway "The Crusader" 1998
Randy Tallman
1998 Paul Winfield Pastor Roscoe Jones "The Soul of Winter" 1998
Collin Raye Himself
1998 Danny Trejo Joe Lopez "Circle of Life" 1998
1999 Jose Rodriguez "Rise to the Occasion" 1999
1998 Lila McCann Kelly Wyman "Eyes of a Ranger" 1998
Michael Peterson Himself
1998 Tobin Bell Karl Storm "The Wedding: Part 1 & 2" 1998
1998 RuPaul Bob "Royal Heist" 1998
1998 Camilla Belle Cindy Morgan "Code of the West" 1998
1998 Lee Majors Sheriff Bell "On the Border" 1998
1999 Deion Sanders Himself "Rise to the Occasion" 1999
Special Witness
Gary Busey Donovan Riggs "Special Witness"
1999 James Remar Keith Bolt "The Principal" 1999
1999 Judy Herrera Rachel Falcon "Team Cherokee: Part 1",
"Team Cherokee: Part 2"
1999
1999 Michael Greyeyes Brian Falcon "Team Cherokee: Part 1",
"Team Cherokee: Part 2"
1999
1999 Robert Mirabal Tall Bear "Team Cherokee: Part 1",
"Team Cherokee: Part 2"
1999
1999 John Schneider Jacob Crossland "Jacob's Ladder" 1999
1999 Rex Linn Leland Stahl/Lester Stahl "Way of the Warrior" 1999
1999 Randy Savage Whitelaw Lundren "Fight or Die" 1999
Frank Shamrock The Hammer
1999 Lane Smith Reverend Thornton Powers "Power Angels" 1999
1999 Scott Weinger Bradley Roberts "Full Recovery" 1999
1999 Frank Stallone B.J. Ronson,
Frank Bishop
"Tall Cotton" 1999
2001 "Saturday Night" 2001
2000 David Keith Cliff Eagleton "The Day of Cleansing" 2000
Sammo Hung Sammo Law
2000 Deron McBee Luke Warley "Black Dragons" 2000
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa Master Ko
Mako Edward Song
2000 Tzi Ma General Nimh "The General's Return" 2000
2000 Christopher B. Duncan Defense Attorney Lime "The Bachelor Party" 2000
2000 Mark Cuban Groomsmen "Wedding Bells: Part 1",
"Wedding Bells: Part 2"
2000
2000 Tom Bosley Minister "Wedding Bells: Part 1",
"Wedding Bells: Part 2"
2000
2000 Ernest Borgnine Eddie Ryan "The Avenging Angel" 2000
2000 Michael Ironside The Chairman "Winds of Change",
"Lazarus",
"Turning Point",
"Retribution"
2000
T.J. Thyne Wallace 'The Wizard' Slausen
2000 Dionne Warwick Dionne Berry "Faith" 2000
2000 Barbara Mandrell Nicole Foley "Showdown at Casa Diablo, Pt. 1" 2000
2000–2001 Robert Fuller Ranger Wade Harper "Matter of Principle" 2000
"The Final Show/Down" 2001
2001 Hulk Hogan Boomer Knight "Division Street" 2001
Francis Capra Ace
2001 Ryan Bittle Harley "Reel Rangers" 2001
2001 Laura Bailey Roberta "Saturday Night" 2001
2001 Mercedes McNab Heather Preston "6 Hours" 2001
2001 Josh Holloway Ben Wiley "Medieval Crimes" 2001
2001 Sting Grangus "Unsafe Speed" 2001
2001 Carlos Bernard Raoul 'Skull' Hidalgo "Without a Sound" 2001
2005 Mitchel Musso Josh Whitley "Trial by Fire" 2005
2005 Selena Gomez Julie "Trial by Fire" 2005

Companies

The series began with Cannon Television, but after the folding of Cannon, CBS assumed production responsibilities, and is the ancillary rights holder for this series. Other companies, as seen below, have also been involved with the series production and/or distribution.

Production Companies
Amadea Film Productions
Cannon Television (1993)
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)
Columbia Pictures Television (1993–2001)
Columbia TriStar Television (2001)
The Rudy Grief Company
Topkick Productions (1993–1998)
Norris Brothers Entertainment (1998–2005)
CBS Productions (1995–2001)
CBS Entertainment Productions (1993–1995)
CBS Broadcast International
Distributors
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1993–2001) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
Columbia TriStar Domestic Television (2001–2002)
FX (????) (Italy) (TV)
Italia 1 (????) (Italy) (TV)
Paramount Home Entertainment (2006–) (Germany) (DVD)
Paramount Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD) (season 5)
Sony Pictures Television (2002–)
TF1 (2004) (France) (TV)
TV2 (2000–2006) (Hungary) (TV)
UFA Film- und Fernseh GmbH (1993) (Germany) (all media)
Other Companies
Redman Movies and Stories grip and lighting equipment
Rex Post additional adr recorded at

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Elder, Robert K (April 26, 2007). "Pop Cultural Timeline: Chuck Norris 'Facts'". Chicago Tribune. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2007-04-26/features/0704250618_1_delta-force-norris-tears-cure-cancer-chuck-wagon. Retrieved 2011-01-02. 
  2. ^ Farhi, Paul (January 2, 2006). "Tough Love: Norris Fans Board the Chuck Wagon". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/02/AR2006010200282.html. Retrieved 2011-01-03. 
  3. ^ "Chuck Norris' `Walker' Doing Well For Cbs". Chicago Tribune. January 29, 1994. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1994-01-29/entertainment/9401290198_1_walker-dr-quinn-cbs-entertainment. Retrieved 2010-08-30. 
  4. ^ Berkow, Ira (May 12, 1993). "AT DINNER WITH: Chuck Norris; When That 97-Pound Weakling Grows Up". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/12/garden/at-dinner-with-chuck-norris-when-that-97-pound-weakling-grows-up.html?scp=5&sq=chuck%20norris&st=cse. Retrieved 2010-08-08. 
  5. ^ Weinstein, Steve (March 17, 1996). "Chuck Norris Proves To Cbs He's A 'Competitive Guy'". The Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1996-03-17/news/tv-47833_1_chuck-norris. Retrieved 2010-08-23. 
  6. ^ Du Brow, Rick (May 14, 1994). "Walker Marks a Year of Fighting Injustice on CBS : Television: Despite controversy over TV violence, Chuck Norris' action series beat the competition in its time slot and helps the network ensure its top spot.". The Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1994-05-14/entertainment/ca-57729_1_chuck-norris. Retrieved 2010-12-29. 
  7. ^ King, Susan (April 18, 1993). "At Home on a New Range : CHUCK NORRIS: KARATE CHAMP TURNED SERIES STAR?". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1993-04-18/news/tv-24102_1_chuck-norris. Retrieved 2011-01-01. 
  8. ^ Smith, Steven Cole (April 21, 1993). "Lone Wolf Rides Again". Chicago Tribune. (Original: Fort Worth Star-Telegram). http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1993-04-21/features/9304210021_1_tv-crew-chuck-norris-walker. Retrieved 2010-10-27. 
  9. ^ Jicha, Tom (21 April 1993). "Chuck Norris Plays Dirty In Tv Debut". Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Florida). http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1993-04-21/features/9302070343_1_walker-violence-chuck-norris/2. Retrieved 2011-01-01. 
  10. ^ http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Walker-Texas-Ranger-Season-7/13114
  11. ^ This season DVD set is made up of the episodes from the pilot season in addition to the episodes of the first regular season, which has also been referred to as Season 2
  12. ^ http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/817759
  13. ^ http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/817760
  14. ^ Johnson, Steve (March 5, 1999). "STANDING IN PLACE FROM CHUCK NORRIS, ANOTHER MARTIAL ARTS BEAT-'EM-UP". Chicago Tribune. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1999-03-05/features/9903050308_1_serial-killer-cop-chuck-norris. Retrieved 2010-12-15. 

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