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Paradise
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| Main Characters:
Ethan Allen Cord: Lee Horsely |
Other Characters: Derick Nielson: Anthony
Addabbo |
Paradise
debuted on CBS on October 27, 1988 and finished 56
episodes later on May 10, 1991.
Lee Horsley,
previously of Matt Houston, was cast in the lead as gunfighter Ethan Allen Cord
living in Paradise, an 1890’s mining town in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Australian actress Sigrid Thornton played Amelia Lawson, the owner of the town
bank and Cord’s love interest.
Dehl Berti
portrayed John Taylor, an Indian Shaman and was Cord’s friend and sometimes
mentor to Cord and the members of his young family. Cord’s late sister
has died and sent her four children to live with him, unbeknown to him.
The other roles were portrayed by: Jenny Beck as Clare, the eldest child
and only girl. Matthew Newmark is
Joseph, the oldest boy. Brian Lando
as Ben and Michael Patrick Carter is George the youngest.
Cord was
originally a loner, hiring his gun out to whoever paid the highest, but with the
responsibility of caring for his young niece and nephews now upon him, decides
to raise cattle and farm instead. Trouble
still follows him, even though he is no longer interested in gun fighting for a
living.
Quite a number
of ‘old’ western stars appeared on the show, William Smith, Robert Fuller
(Jess Cooper, Laramie; Cooper Smith, Wagon Train), Jack Elam, Buck Taylor, Chuck
Connors (The Rifleman), Gene Barry (Bat Masterson), Hugh O’Brien, Don Stroud,
and Pernell Roberts (Adam Cartwright, Bonanza) to name a few.
The majority
of filming took place on Disney Location Ranch in Placerita Canyon Newhall
California , with additional scenes for episodes filmed at notable western
locations such as Vasquez Rocks and other familiar locations.
The series
began with Cord being shot and waking up to find his niece and nephews tending
to him.
The final
episode of the series, now called Guns of Paradise, ended with Sheriff Cord
sending his family out of town, while he prepared to meet his old arch enemy in
one final gunfight to determine who was the fastest on the draw.
(Text and photos by Sandy Sturdivant)
