Tinseltown Talks columnist Nick Thomas interviewed actor James Drury.
Although today’s television landscape is littered with so-called reality programing, Westerns dominated the airways in the 1960s. One of the most popular was “The Virginian,” which ran for nine seasons on NBC from 1962-1971 and starred James Drury as the unnamed, mystery foreman of the Shiloh ranch, set in Medicine Bow, Wyo.
Drury celebrated his 80th birthday in April and, far from retiring, says plans are in progress to resurrect his tough but honorable cowboy character in a new show for kids that combines live-action and animation.
“It’s called ‘Billy and the Bandit,’ aimed at 8- to 10-year-olds, but adults can enjoy it, too,” said Drury from his home in Houston. “Billy is the great-great-grandson of ‘The Virginian’ and confined to a wheelchair. He is told tales of the old West by his grandfather, played by me, and fantasizes about Western adventures as he falls asleep. All kinds of stories come out of that.”
With the pilot script completed, and cast and crew beginning filming, Drury said a Kickstarter fundraiser is in progress to assist with costs associated with the live-action sequences, animation and postproduction.
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