Walker, Texas Ranger

Walker, Texas Ranger was an American action/drama television series that aired on CBS from April 1993 to May 2001. It has since spawned at least one made-for-television movie, and DVD sets of the first and final seasons have been released.

The show was known for its emphasis on values, such as participation in community service and refraining from the use of drugs. Martial arts are shown prominently as the primary tool of law enforcement and occasionally as a tool for Walker and company to reach out to the community. Although it remained popular throughout much of its run, it was often criticized for being unrealistic, melodramatic, and sappy. The show had developed somewhat of a cult following for its campy style and recent surge of popularity of Chuck Norris.

Overview

The show stars Chuck Norris as Cordell Walker, a Dallas-based member of the Texas Rangers, a state-level bureau of investigation. Walker was raised by a Native American named Ray Firewalker (played by Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman from 1993-94), served in the Marines in the Vietnam War, and shares the values of sheriffs in the Wild West. One episode reveals that Walker was once engaged to a woman who was killed by the suspect of an investigation.

His partner is James Trivette (played by Clarence Gilyard), a former Dallas Cowboys player who takes a more modern approach. Walker also works closely (and shares a mutual attraction) with Alexandra "Alex" Cahill (played by Sheree J. Wilson), a Tarrant County Assistant District Attorney. He also gets advice on cases from C.D. Parker (played by Noble Willingham), a longtime Ranger who worked with Walker until retiring to operate a small restaurant and bar.

Structure

Walker, Texas Ranger was known for formulaic plots characteristic of television shows in previous decades. Deus ex machina was used liberally and in each episode, especially towards the climactic scenes in which Walker and his posse would arrive at the scene just in time to stop the culmination of the antagonist's plans.

Recurring elements

Several other elements and scenarios appeared frequently on the series:

Walker performing a roundhouse kick to the antagonist's head as a final move that usually incapacitates the victim immediately. The shot of Walker kicking his adversary is then rapidly repeated, twice, from different angles.
The kidnapping of Alex Cahill.
Walker taking part in undercover operations, with the aim of getting evidence to convict the antagonists' leader.
The antagonists' leader attempting to leave town or temporarily close down their illegal operations to avoid being arrested by Walker or his associates.
Walker talking to or interacting with animals — staring them down to prevent them from attacking, directing them to do complex tasks, or using their knowledge for his benefit.
A vacationing Walker (or an associate) inadvertently stumbling upon an illicit enterprise that requires Walker's intervention and the ultimate destruction of said enterprise; the climax often comes just before Walker returns to his post in Dallas.
Dual plotlines involving a legendary Texas Ranger of the Old West, Hayes Cooper (also played by Norris). Other Walker regulars have performed dual roles in these episodes, although some were only able to appear in them just once.
The scheming of previously defeated villains plotting revenge on Walker for their past defeats, often resulting in the harassment of those close to Walker prior to Walker agreeing to meet for a 'final showdown' of sorts. These 'final showdowns' recur as the villains plan the same schemes again in future episodes, or when another villain schemes a similar plan in retaliation for the defeat of his associate.

Changes over the years

Over the years the show ran, many changes were made:

In the first episode of the pilot season "One Riot, One Ranger" which was two hours (later condensed into two parts) the role of C.D. Parker was played by Gailard Sartain. Noble Willingham joined the cast at the beginning of the second season (the first regular season).
In early episodes, Ranger Walker drove a GMC Sierra truck, and in later episodes, he drove a Dodge Ram, which was outfitted with "Hide-A-Way" strobe lights in its headlights and tail lights.
In early episodes, Ranger Trivette drove a red Pontiac Firebird, then after the pilot season, he drove a silver Dodge Stealth, and in later episodes, he drove a black Ford Mustang.
In early episodes, Walker's weapon was a revolver,and in later episodes, his weapon was a .40 magnum.
After much criticism for the amount of violence shown in the show over the years, the number of violent acts in each episode was reduced.
An increased use of Christian symbolism and family issues, sometimes focusing on children with Walker assisting them through a crisis. This has also included Alex opening up the H.O.P.E (Help Our People Excel) Center during the seventh season, which lasted for the remainder of the show.
For the last two seasons, two young characters, Rangers Sydney Cook (played by Nia Peeples) and Francis Gage (played by Judson Mills), were added to the cast.
Mid-eighth season, Noble Willingham left the show to pursue a career in Congress. As a result, all episodes after his removal from the opening credits only included references to his character C.D., who would never appear again (this also includes the references to C.D.'s death).
In the eighth season finale ("Wedding Bells"), Cordell Walker weds Alex Cahill (who became Alex Cahill-Walker from that point on).
In the last episode of the series, Cordell Walker and Alex Cahill-Walker have a daughter named Angela.

Influences

The series may well have been inspired by the 1983 theatrical movie Lone Wolf McQuade, which cast Chuck Norris in the role of a Texas Ranger and martial arts expert named J.J. McQuade. This film was a landmark in Norris' career because it gave him a distinctive character rather than the generic good guy he usually played. The character of McQuade was a rogue cop who did not work well in regular law enforcement structures. He was also divorced and, as his name suggested, was rather anti-social.

While the character of Walker is almost certainly patterned on McQuade, the edginess of the character was toned down considerably.

Rerun broadcasts

As of March 2006, two cable channels — USA Network and the Hallmark Channel — are broadcasting the show multiple times a day. Since the Hallmark Channel is a 'family-friendly' channel, the channel has been known to make edits to remove potentially offensive content, as well as to remove episodes that reference rape (namely the ones with the more direct references), pornography, or Satanism from the lineup.

Spin-offs and merchandise

DVD releases

DVD Name	Release dates
DVD Name	Region 1	Region 2	Region 4
The Complete 1^st Season	June 13 2006	N/A	N/A
The Complete Final Season	June 14 2005	N/A	N/A

Television movies

CBS broadcast the television movie "Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire" 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 as the character of Francis Gauge. Nia Peeples, who played the role of Sydney Cook for seasons 8&9, also was 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 opening credits with the theme "Eyes of a Ranger" performed by Chuck Norris, was absent.

Although the movie did not garner the type of rating CBS would have hoped for, because of football running into overtime, the network gave a few more Walker TV movie projects the go-ahead; a definite timetable has not been set.

Sons of Thunder

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 protegé of Walker's) to start a private investigation firm.

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.

Walker, Texas Ranger (1998, ISBN 0425168158)
Hell's Half Acre (1999, ISBN 0425169723)
Siege on the Belle (1999, ISBN 0425171124)

Trivia

In a two-episode crossover arc split between fellow CBS series Martial Law and Walker, Walker helps Sammo Law (played by Sammo Hung) take down a hate crimes leader who murdered another Texas Ranger; Law then comes to Texas to help recapture the leader after his escape.
Every major character (including Walker) has been hospitalized.
Only two antagonists, Victor La Rue and Caleb Hooks, return to get revenge on Walker in later episodes.
After Walker got a Dodge truck, the "bad" characters began using GMC models of cars, while the "good" characters used Dodges or Chryslers.
KC HiLites can be seen on Walkers pickup truck.
Actors Richard Norton and Marshall R. Teague appeared in several episodes as different antagonists; notably, Teague is in both the original pilot episode and the series finales.
Songwriter Tirk Wilder penned the theme song "Eyes of the Ranger," performed by Norris. Guest star Lila McCann sings the song in the episode of the same name.
Chuck Norris reportedly tried to convince CBS to keep the show running after his decision to quit, retitling the show simply "Texas Rangers" and focusing on the remaining characters, but the network was only interested in keeping the show if he stayed.
Walker Texas Ranger is the only successful martial arts themed show. It was never cancelled during its run.

In popular culture

In 2004, Late Night with Conan O'Brien introduced the "Walker, Texas Ranger Lever," a device that allowed host Conan O'Brien to play a clip from the show (presented out of context, for humorous effect) any time he wanted without paying royalties. The device was a comment on NBC's merger with Universal Studios, which was said to own the rights to Walker. (In reality, Universal only had the rights to air episodes of the show, which is owned by CBS and distributed by co-producer Sony Pictures Television.)

The segment has been credited with jump-starting the Chuck Norris craze and creating enough interest in producing a Walker TV movie.

Popular Actors That Were Guest Stars on Walker Texas Ranger

1994- Giovanni Ribisi {Tony Kingston- Something in the Shadows: Part 1 (1994), Something in the Shadows: Part 2 (1994)}
1994- Tobey Maguire {(Duane Parsons- The Prodigal Son (1994)}
1994- Bryan Cranston {Hank- Deadly Vision (1994)}
1995- Doris Roberts {Elaine Portugal- The Big Bingo Bamboozle (1995)}
1996- Clifton Collins Jr. {Fito- El Coyote: Part 1 (1996), El Coyote: Part 1 (1996)
1997-1999 Marco Sanchez
1997- Mila Kunis {Pepper- Last Hope (1997)}
1997- Haley Joel Osment {Lucas Simms- Lucas: Part 1, Lucas: Part 2}
1997- David Gallagher {Chad Morgan- Brainchild}
1998- Kyla Pratt {Kyla Jarvis- The Neighborhood (1997)}
1998- Paul Winfield {Pastor Roscoe Jones- The Soul of Winter (1998)}
1998- Michael Peterson {Himself- Eyes of a Ranger (1998)}
1998- Lee Majors {Sheriff Bell- On the Border (1998)}
1999- Deion Sanders {Himself- Rise to the Occasion (1999), Special Witness (1999)
1999- Scott Weinger {Bradley Roberts- Full Recovery (1999)}
1999,2001- Frank Stallone {B.J. Ronson,Frank Bishop - Saturday Night (2001),Tall Cotton (1999)}
2000- Christopher B. Duncan {Defense Attorney Lime- The Bachelor Party (2000)}
2000- Ernest Borgnine {Eddie Ryan- The Avenging Angel (2000)}
2000- Michael Ironside {The Chairman- Winds of Change (2000), Lazarus (2000), Turning Point (2000), Retribution (2000)}
2000- T.J. Thyne {Wallace 'The Wizard' Slausen- Retribution (2000), Turning Point (2000),Lazarus (2000),Winds of Change (2000)}
2001- Hulk Hogan {Boomer Knight- Division Street (2001)

International

In France, the show is still shown on TF1 every sunday afternoon.
In Germany, the show is still shown on RTL II at night.
In Japan, the show is still shown on Super Channel.
In Estonia, the show is still shown on Kanal 2 at night.

External links

Walker, Texas Ranger | Walker, Texas Ranger

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