Cimarron Strip Opening Credit

[delpoz01]

DEAR YOUTUBE FRIENDS:The greatest TV opening scene music and film-CIMARRON STRIP. The horse riding run scene is the greatest ever. Maybe the horse is kinda frightened by the shooting helicopter/plane flying by. Mr Stuart Whitman is perfect as the US Marshall. Favorite TV western.At that time (1950-1980), made for TV films used to be made by highly and unmatcheable talented actors,directors, crewmen.Pity it's all over.Now movies are very bad.Thanks for uploading.WE MISS THEM SO MUCH.Ademar

[muskratist]

He seemed to ride a horse kind of like a chopper-hands high and leaning back. He always had the wide open spaces to himself-I think he got so rich........he bought the west.

[nycolas1712]

EXCELLENT.

[MrPirstel]

Loved this theme song. May be a stretch to call this one of the greatest westerns ever. One of my favorites though.

[MrAzrancher]

The show was OK at best, like stuart whitman but he did not know how to ride a horse at all. This was when TV westerns where beconing horse-operas and going down hill. Earlier shows like High Chaparel, Gunsmoke (the blk-wht) versions were much better I thought.

[Footsniffer51]

@MrAzrancher Well that's what makes this country great: Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Now granted Cimmaron Strip wasn't even on par with Gunsmoke or say, the Rifleman but it served its purpose. Stuart Whitman did a credible job as "Jim Crown".

[baraxor]

@MrAzrancher

By the time CS premiered tv westerns were already going the way of the non-Spaghetti western movie, victims of over-saturation and a maturing baby-boom generation that by and large was indifferent towards the genre.

[MaxxTheMerciless]

Probably one of the best, if not the best, western ever on television.

[Sandiforty]

i always love this theme

[hebneh]

That's an amazingly smooth helicopter shot, considering that stabilizers/steadicams hadn't been invented yet, when it was filmed.

In 9th grade (fall of 1968) I got to be friends with Jill Townsend's youngest brother, and he told me she was starring in this TV series - and I'd never seen it, or even heard of it. And watching this opening clip on YouTube just now, over 40 years later, is the first time I ever have seen anything from the show.

[baraxor]

@hebneh

That's pretty cool! You friend's dad was Robert Townsend who had been the CEO of Avis who helped develop the "when you're #2, you try harder" campaign that took a bite out of Hertz, and who wrote "Up the Organization"

[hebneh]

@baraxor In addition, Jill Townsend's sister became one of "Nader's Raiders" at this same time - they were high school-age girls who did investigating for him, and reported on conditions in nursing homes to a Congressional panel. And as you wrote, their father was getting a lot of publicity then too, for his book which exposed how big corporations functioned, as seen by an insider.

[HappyJack01]

Well, at least the horse looks like he knew what he was doing! Go look at some clips of Ben Johnson if your wondering what a rider is supposed to look like on a horse.

[flipwiggins]

@HappyJack01 Ol' Ben Johnson was always one of my favorites...especially when ridin' beside the Duke!

[noonebutone]

One of the best western TV shows . I used to watch this show when I was 6 and I still remember the introduction soundtrack. Very nice music and the actor is agreat rider so is the desert beyond. Brings nice memories.

[Maverick81734]

i love this show. thanks for posting it stuart Whittman was a real good actor . I had forgotten this show for the longest while. so thank you for putting this on.

[S0lidState]

looks like the Sierra Nevada Strip to me,,lol

[nycolas1712]

Excellent. 

[Lurking99]

NOBODY can sit a horse like Whitman; NO BODY.

[Debra355]

The first episode was great. 'Battleground'. Jim Crown's on a train being hazed by Telly Savalas & cronies. Dulcey's sitting across from JC trying to figure out what he is. She's written down some things. Crosses off parson when he gives her this sultry look. The train hazing is aborted & JC has a rifle pointed at Warren Oates. Jim picks up Dulcey's paper & reads out loud, 'Gunfighter,lawyer,gambler'. He looks at her smiles & says 'No, Miss. Marshall" And the theme song begins. Awesome

[Debra355]

I know what you're all saying about how he sits. Usually you lean back like that when you're going down hill. Here it may have something to do with keeping the horse in check for the camera angle or maybe just the way the man sits a horse. Trust me. Whitman is no stranger to horsemanship. Check out the closing credits posted by spudtv. He giddyups in that!

[rustyoltimer]

I was 18 in '67, and I had the biggest crush on Dulcy (Jill Townsend)!

[TheSpelldoctor]

The theme brings back alot of good memories. Stuart Whitman rocked,as Marshal Jim Crown. But it's the theme I remember best. I had just gotten the training wheels off my bike. And this was the music I was humming as I was riding. Good sweet days!! Oh by the way...who did write the theme?

[Juliaflo]

@TheSpelldoctor Maurice Jarre

[martialstax]

I just discovered this show via Netflix and I love it. But I'm wondering about that shot in the opening. I'm guessing it's a helicopter shot, but why doesn't the wind from the blades kick up dust around Stuart?

[44032]

Nice music and a good show. But I keep wondering if he's going to fall off of that horse!

[hanoc101]

Ah the 60s when there was more than a million and a half westerns on at one time.

[larrybusch1865]

Damn, I love watching this serie, just something about Stuart and his black gun belt.

damn good show.

[MrManuel6]

Superbe série de mon enfance

[Marcos2797]

Wonderful!

[wolverine1635]

Who rides a horse like that...LOL

[fred5399]

@wolverine1635 You are so right . I wanted that horse as achild. I knew even then any horse that would allow a non riding person like that on his back without kicking the hell outta him. was a horse worth having..I remember my father seeing ths intro and saying "what is that man doing on a horse it sure ain't riding"

[Lurking99]

@wolverine1635 A superb rider with a great seat. I suspect Whitman has ridden English. At any rate, he is the epitome of equestrian athleticism.

[melollylolly]

stuart whitman was so cute

[mqblues]

If you're going to have a tv western it's got to have a big theme -- and the music combined with the aerial camerawork at the Alabama Hills outside of Big Pine CA makes a great intro. I miss shows like this.

[elvisivan1]

As I look at the opening scene, listen to the music, all of a sudden my thoughts come back to the best western I have ever saw when I was a kid (now 61). There he is Marshall Jim Crown coming to my rescue. He was my hero then. Just re-lived all these episodes again on netflix. Wow, just had a Cimarron Strip week-end. Wherever you are Stuart Whitman (81 yrs young), your just as tall in the saddle as John Wayne (my other hero).THANK YOU FOR THIS WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE I HAD WHEN I WAS A KID!

[gtpmmk]

Loved the show but.....No man EVER looked bigger on a horse. I mean LOOK at him!! He's HUGE! Me and my friend at the time use to crack up wondering if that poor horse had to carry him every show.

That opening has always been entrenched my mind. Thank's for the visual cause I cant stop laughing. The horse looks like it want to say "Get off me!!"

[river2walk]

Ha!...your right about that!....Whitman does look huge....I never noticed it before....he looks like the hulk on a horse!....but he was a good actor although somehow he never made it big.....until in later years that is when he went into the property game and he's now worth over ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS!....a bit more than a marshals pay!

[gtpmmk]

A bit more indeed! Good info I never new that. Glad to know he got his due.

[FTWEVERYONE]

Only one season and I NEVER tire of watching these episodes once a week.

Whitman OWNED the show,lock,stock and barrell,and it seemed he had ANYONE he wanted to appear on the show,i even think he had "no-show" buddies he paid and they got their name in the credits and residuals. Royal Dano for example was on the show in a prevelant character,then on 1 episode was an extra AND credited.

[tarheeltiger23]

why is it that after watching this open i want to get on a horse and ride the plains?

[buddydog1956]

@tarheeltiger23 Hilarious!!! I feel like ridin' Too!

This was one of my favorite when I was a kid.....dont know... but there was something a/b Stuart Whitman that was ultra cool! LOL!

[adebarde1]

The theme tune was the best part of this. One of the most boring westerns next to the Virginian.

[Cindylover1969]

Theme music by Maurice Jarre. THE Maurice Jarre ("Doctor Zhivago," "Lawrence of Arabia").

[edybeast]

I didn't know that. Very cool. Jarre also did that very cool theme for "Firefox".

[Juliaflo]

Let's not forget 'Dr. Zhivago'.

[whiskeyify]

FYI everyone, according to one website I went to they said it was cancelled due to high production costs.

My guess is that since it was all filmed outdoors that was why. Now days we have these shows that are filmed entirely inside a studio lot.

[whiskeyify]

makes you wonder why this only lasted 1 year, but then you had shows like the Big Valley that were around a lot longer.

I always thought Big Valley was more of a soap opera then a western.

[whiskeyify]

I used to watch re-runs of this on sat mornings here in los angeles. A great show, I remember one where he is supposed to be chasing "Jack the Ripper". (that crazy killer in england, around the turn of the centrury).

[ridgerunner72160]

They always had such great theme songs to shows back in the '50s to the '80s or '90s. Now they don't even have theme songs. Just more crappy ads hawking junk for erectile dysfunction or other crap.

[MrAtwoodLMason]

One of the best Western series of all time-no question about it!!

Jim Crown was THE man.

I loved the opening camera shot of Crown riding through the desert.  Talk about long range lenses.!! Fabulous.

[rayssonation]

"Cimarron Strip" was television's second 90-minute western and it lasted one season on CBS from 1967 until 1968.

However,CBS reaired "Cimarron Strip" in repeated episodes(all 26 episodes) from 1968 until 1971. These episodes aired during the summers of 1968 thru 1971.

Produced by Phillip Leacock and John Manley(of Gunsmoke).

[rayssonation]

"Cimarron Strip" was television's second 90-minute western that lasted one season on CBS and was brought back in repeats until 1971. It was however,CBS' answer to The Virginian and was produced by the same people who brought you "Gunsmoke".

[Debra355]

One of - if not THEE greatest - TV theme Song... I Spy was good... The Virginian was up there and High Chapparell.. maybe 3rd...but it was Cimarron Strip by a TV Land mile ... And movie themes?? Maurice Jarre again.. Lawrence of Arabia.. awesome....

[07Nick07]

@Debra355 - I Agree with all your choices. I add the theme to Mannix also. In today's market they do away with many theme songs to get a few more commercial moments. Sad...

[zippy830]

I know that area pretty well and all I got to say is, Where the Hell is he going ? That direction is nothing but snakes and indians.

[Debra355]

All I know is that it wasn't into my back yard... and even today I sure as hell wish it had been...

[lincdakota]

Me, too, sister. I've been trying to get a backyard like that now for most of my life...probably mainly because of this great opening scene.

[doglips1958]

@zippy830 There's an old miner's shack up in those hills that they turned into a brothel!!!LOL

[pennyfritz]

i had a crush on the cute blond

[dogiehogan]

Weird: on the first 12 Belgian & Dutch DVD-releases 'U.S. marshal' Jim Crown is translated into 'sheriff' Jim Crown....

[charby12100]

I want to marry Stuart Whitman. That's it.

[Lurking99]

@charby12100 You can't have him. He's mine! I saw him first. LOL

[skirts365]

After all this time it's as I remembered. Monsieur Paul Regret from New Orleans ("The Comancheros") resurfaces in a series. Most notable aspect? The way Whitman is TILTED SO FAR BACK as he rides. Gee.

[springcreekcolo]

I was 9 or 10 when this show aired. I discovered girls thanks to Jill Townsend. I will always have a major crush on her. Thanks Jill

[Stratajamo]

This was excellent tv show ,we had just got our first color television.

[TheCatgirl6]

Sorry; that previous comment was meant for you, Juliaflo--thought I was replying directly to you.

[moonchildiva]

I could watch this over & over cos Stuart Whitman is SO HOT! I've been watching this show on Saturdays at 9:45 am on Encore Westerns. One of my favorite parts of the week! Breakfast with Whitman, sigh!! They don't make men like that anymore!! AND he just had his 80th birthday! Rock on, dude.

[TheCatgirl6]

Me too, moonchildiva! And I love the opening theme--the sixties and early seventies were a great era for great tv themes and rugged men. Rock on, indeed!

[Juliaflo]

The opening vamp of the theme still sets my senses afire after 42 years.

(Uh-uh, DON"T try to figure out my age, LOL. Hope you had a happy holiday.)

[TheCatgirl6]

LOL--I won't tell if you don't! Hope yours was happy as well.

[mackafeist2]

Same here - he's also my Saturday morning breakfast guest. Ooh, Yes! Love the opening credits shot.. Sigh.

A DVD of the series is available..

And, have you read his bio on IMDb?

There's also an official Cimmaron Strip site.

[flipwiggins]

I was in the second grade in 67 when this came out, and Dulcey (Jill Townsend) was my first girlfriend.....at least in my second grade mind. Great show. Thanks for posting it.

[MrAtwoodLMason]

I loved this show and I was always amazed by the camera shot during the opening theme song. That was one powerful camera lense.

[mackafeist2]

I'm also amazed by the camera work during the opening (and closing) theme. One question - do you know if there's a name for that camera lens situation when the sun seems to strobe through a series of circles?

[susannreno]

Rest in peace, Maurice Jarre.

[Mond1961]

Childhood memories take it again on tv

[Benajah59]

When I was a kid I loved this show.

[wademanshe]

Stuart Whitman was so fine riding his horse, I think the horse's name was Socks. He was so good in this series. So very handsome.

[modmusik]

This was one of the first TV themes I played on my sax when I was supposed to be practicing my scales. That's how I learned to play by ear and transpose music. My Mom would get so pissed when if played Mannix, It Takes A Thief, Hawaii 5-0, Mission Impossible, etc. Great memories. I fell in love with Dulcey, I was only 10 years old.

[SupportingActor]

Great show, too bad it only ran one season. Whitman was excellent!

[ranran19701]

This is the shit.

[jache77]

i'm a retired u.s. marshal. i went through a lot catching "outlaws" the same as in in old days!

[brwnlady]

Elmer Bernstein. I was shopping, heard a promo for a movie called Far From Heaven. Loved the score, knew it had to be from someone "old school." Learned it was Elmer Bernstein. He was nominated but did not win an Academy Award. He should have won. They don't make scores for movies or television worth a damn anymore.

[nycolas1712]

Yes !!! ....Congratulations...(Star 5)

[susannreno]

Television's greatest ever theme music. Once heard, never forgotten.

[rohansrider]

How come the quality of Cimarron Strip is so good, especially the one with James Stacy talking to Stuart Whitman. What medium was used to produce this for YOu Tube? Has Lancer or Cimarron ever been put onto DVD?

[saishutu]

This clip is from a digital cable broadcast recorded on a DVD recorder. I tried various import settings to get the best quality I could manage given YouTube's automatic conversions. Cimarron is available on DVD via CreateSpace / Amazon, but I have found the transfers to be a little blurry and/or oversaturated. Hopefully some day Stuart Whitman Corp. will release them to get a proper remastering.

[mrFalconlem]

@saishutu They are available in Britain, higher quality as they were mastered for PAL. Not sure how many episodes, but seen an advertisement on choicesuk for at least two.

[KixePBS01]

Yep. Helicopter shot- also starting with a "Zoomar" lens at the start (Unusual decision as they risked a 'shaky shot') you can see the Background compression from the longer focal length. Also midway through there is a tiny amount of blow-by dust at the bottom of frame from the rotor wash. I always loved this theme & memorized it- Who wrote it?

[spacepatrolman]

mauric jarre wrote it also the professionals dr.zhivago

[susannreno]

And Lawrence of Arabia as well.

[jache77]

great show, handsome dude! thanks for the memories!

[waverly2468]

Check out the DVD of the movie "Murder Inc." (1960) which features May Britt and Stuart Whitman before he became known for mostly cowboy roles. I remember that this short-lived series was 90 minutes, but it did not have the longevity of the other 90 minute Western, "The Virginian".

[leviguy501]

What a terrific opening sequence - all done in one shot with a great rousing theme. YOu just knew you were in for a treat with this series!

[Laceykat66]

Let's not forget about the theme songs.

Westerns produced the overall best music on television.

[Juliaflo]

YOU SAID IT.

Today, the theme songs are largely neglected.

[VirginiaPatriot]

The theme songs and the quality are neglected today. Mostly borderline porn and poor acting with trendy "shaking camera" crap.

[neukerts]

The way he rides that horse..mmmm...makes me wanna be the horse...

[pkcowgirl]

This is still one of my favorite shows, nothing compares to the writing and quality of acting. Stuart Whitman at his finest, and still so handsome. Great opening theme and I must disagree with some other comments, he is riding correctly....good horsemanship.

[Lurking99]

@pkcowgirl You said it, sister! These people have been watching actors doing it WRONG for so long when they see a good equestrian they think he is doing it incorrectly, LOL!!

[Rachel721601]

TV shows don't even have opening themes anymore, much less terrific ones like Cimarron Strip did. What a shame that it's become all about how many stupid commercials they can air instead of quality of the show.

[wolverine1635]

I loved the show and theme, but come on, who rides a horse like that???? Lol

[drywitt]

The insurance company must've been thrilled about having the star of the show make this spectacular ride.

[jache77]

there is always an asshole whom does not like the series! i'm sick of these assholes!

[mausolos8]

Funny. I only remember Jill Townsend!

[jache77]

i loved this western. stuart whitman was so handsome!

[brwnlady]

One of the best opening and closing western scores. Score is by Maurice Jarre. Also, the cinematography on the opening and closing was equally fantastic. Love those long shots.

[ranran19701]

yeah real violins and horns and cymbals. Not computer generated trash. Great.

[54spiritedwill54]

one of the best openings for a tv show

[biffarone]

Cimarron Strip first aired for one season in 1967 and CBS reran it as a Summer replacement series in 1971. Mt favorite episode in this series had Joseph Cotton as the Guest Star. Encore Westerns reruns this show on Saturday mornings. It is a shame that a show as good as this was didn't last long. I really thought the opening with the Badge and then Stuart Whitman riding a horse with that great music playing was awesome. When Gunsmoke dropped the opening gunfight they did a similar opening.

[JayH7745]

They should have asked Dean Martin and John Wayne to be guest stars on this show from time to time. GREAT SHOW! I record it now on TiVo so I can see it. I missed it during the first run for some reason. I love it now!

[mrbearrr]

Lone Pine Peak in the background, and for a brief second, Mt whitney, recessed further back. Snow on the range. But is it early snow in late autumn, or or late snow in mid Spring? The light tells me spring.

But what did the Marshall always call the girl...was it cupcake or muffin or what? I can't remember. Thanks for posting. Simpler times for sure.

[RandyAKing]

Biscuit

[Lurking99]

@mrbearrr Biscuit! You can watch the entire series on Netflix. :)

[river2walk]

Great! This sure brings back some great memories and what a pity the show was cancelled, because of Stuart Whitman you say? Well, ole' Stuart might have been too busy with his business interests which it seems always came before his acting career, from the mid-sixties on at anyrate. Back in 1998 Stuart Whitman was thought to be worth at least "One Hundred Million Dollars"! He was a far better businessman than actor although I always liked him myself, thanks a million for posting a great clip!

[RubyWraith]

Nobody looked better ridin' on a horse. I still get weak in the knees.

And that music kicks ass.

[nycolas1712]

Que saudades !! assistia aqui no Rio de Janeiro na Tv Tupi canal 6, eu , meu queridos pais e irmãos! e numa televisão em preto e branco da marca Semp. Sua última aparição foi na mesma Tv Tupi em 1976. Parabéns pelo video.

[mschiavi]

A great theme song, and the only better horse riding sequence is in the movie, "The Man from Snowy River."

My ratings on western themes:

1) The Virginian

2). Cimmaron Strip

3). The Big Valley

4). Bonanza

5). Lancer

6). The Rifleman

7). The High Chapparal

[naderxxxx]

how right you are. VIRGINIAN theme is my favorite best, too. i'd go for THE HIGH CHAPPARAL as second best.

[fromthesidelines]

This was supposed to be CBS' equivalent of "THE VIRGINIAN". It didn't help that "CIMARRON STRIP" appeared opposite NBC's "DANIEL BOONE" on Thursday nights at 7:30pm(et). That, along with Whitman's insistance on "perfection" and inflating the show's budget [which is why only 23 episodes were produced, instead of the standard 26 at the time], eventually scuttled it after one season...

[billdev2007]

wow, thanks for uploading this great western theme tune.

[aswanage]

Gunsmoke was out and playing many years before this show!!

[njdramaguy99]

This show was produced by the same team as "Gunsmoke", since there was a tie-in to it from Gunsmoke during the 1965 season. Stuart Whitman's character was Matt Dillon's platoon mate during the Civil War. They both entered the US Marshall service after the war.

[RandyAKing]

I never heard of this Crown Dillon connection. Are you making it up?

[njdramaguy99]

Yes. I used to work at CBS Studio Center back in 1979 in the props department. A number of the directors and crew from "Gunsmoke" were still working there and it was always brought up that "CS" was a better written show than "Gunsmoke", but Stuart Whitman wanted too much control over the show and his demands on perfection caused the show to run over budget. Thats' why it was cancelled after only one year.

[Lurking99]

@njdramaguy99 Wow, thanks for that insight. All I can say is that Cimarron Strip is STILL known as the "lavish" western, and Whitman should have been listened to. Sometimes "demands of perfection" can pay off big in the long-term.

[WhiteCamry]

@njdramaguy99 ,

So it was neither a "sequel" nor or a "prequel" but, rather, an equal.

[aswanage]

Hell he did ride that good!!

[AGENORPE]

Tinha 8 anos quando assisti a esta série, esta abertura, nuncaca me saiu da mente, acredito que seja o melhor tema já feito para uma série de TV, é pura inspiração.

[BarkingSands]

Heh. As a kid I didn't know how amazing this shot was. But I did want to change my name to Dulcey.

[RandyAKing]

I am so glad to read the comments on this opening shot. It is breathtaking, even by today's standards. I often wonder how long it took to film it, how many times, and how it was done. A helicopter? With nothing blowing around? And the timing. Just perfect! I'd say it is one of the best openings ever, while Hawaii Five 0 does come to mind.

[spacepatrolman]

I dont think it was a helicopter they have a dolly or vehicle with a high boom like a crane

[VirginiaPatriot]

No way pal, that's a chopper. Goes too high at the end to be a boom. Plus, constructing a camera rail on a downhill like that would be WAY expensive. Cheaper and better to use a copter.

[ranran19701]

the crane would still be flipping over going down the hill 35 years later.

[swimgymnyc]

this is great-- and YES, the continuous shot is AMAZING. listening to the theme song makes one "hear" where the theme for DALLAS came from. wonder if it's the same composer. anybody know??

[bearfedway]

The "Cimarron Strip" theme was written by Oscar-winning composer Maurice Jarre ("Lawrence of Arabia", "Dr. Zhivago").

[spacepatrolman]

jarre used an acoustic guitar in the intro crown used a special revolver with a hammer that sticks out and auutomaticaly cocks when drawn

[actionsub]

Nope, not the same composer. Jerrold Immel wrote the Dallas theme.

[THEHUNGRYVEGETARIAN]

I agree, that the theme music is great, but it's that one uncut single camera shot, that seems to be right next to him, in the beginning, but moments later, the camera pulls back, and continues to pull back. Clearly, the unedited camera shot was done with a helicopter. Simply un-f***ingbelievable!!! Another You Tube gem!!!

[VirginiaPatriot]

Now replace that with an illegal alien drug runner, a sombrero, and a mariachi accordion, and you have today's southwest.

[jache77]

if you do not like this series. go back to the fucking border!

[bearfedway]

Giving credit where credit is due, composer Maurice Jarre (Lawrence of Arabia, Dr. Zhivago) wrote the theme song to Cimarron Strip.

[VirginiaPatriot]

It was as good an opening and theme song as you'll ever see. Very well done show too, and good to see on Encore Westerns.

[allen362002]

he knows how to ride a horse,he leans back in the saddle and lets the horse do the work,i seen a lot of actors call themselves riders but they bounce in the saddle.

[lebow1]

one of the best openings for a tv show

[DelGue60]

It was 40 years ago this past month that CIMARRON STRIP debuted on CBS. I was in the second grade at the time. It was always one of my favorites. I believe that the theme music is the best of any t.v. westerns. Thanks for posting it.