Classic TV: Before Steve McQueen Was the Biggest Movie Star in Hollywood He Was on TV in ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’

Steve McQueen is a Hollywood movie legend, there's no doubt about that.

With starring roles in classic's like 'Bullitt' and 'Papillon', Steve McQueen is among the greatest names in moviedom.

But before Steve McQueen was, well, Steve McQueen, he was Josh Randall in the TV Western 'Wanted Dead Or Alive'.

While the series doesn't rank up there with 'Bonanza' or 'Gunsmoke' in the conversation of best all-time TV Westerns, it did run for three successful seasons, 1958-1961, on CBS.

McQueen's character was a Confederate Civil War veteran turned bounty hunter after the war.  The kind of 'twist' to the show was the fact that Josh randall was a bounty hunter with a soft heart.  In other words, he was a good guy.

McQueen became among the very first television star's to cross over from TV to movie stardom.  And he did it in a mighty big way.

Oh, and a final note:  You can catch 'Wanted Dead Or Alive' weekends on METV, along with 'The Rifleman', 'Wagon Train' and other classic Westerns.

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