High Chaparral Cameron Mitchell Articles

One of the classic coups of all time was getting Cameron Mitchell to appear in a television series, let alone a Western to be filmed in the heat of the Arizona desert. The veteran actor was enjoying tremendous popularity at the time as a movie actor, and most movie stars shunned television work on the presumption that a weekly appearance on the small screen would "over-expose" them to their audience. Fortunately for The High Chaparral fans, Cameron Mitchell looked upon his film career as a job. He was neither too proud nor too "over-exposed" for anything which promised a means to provide for his family.

Cameron managed to get a seat next to David Dortort on one of his trips to Tucson when the show was being planned and by the end of the flight had convinced him that he could play Buck Cannon. History was made on that trip, and fans everywhere were the better for it. Cameron not only brought his wealth of experience to the set, he brought his humor, love of kids, and fondness for animals. He gave some of the best performances of his career as Buck Cannon. There are many stories told of his practical jokes and ad-libs on the set.