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Robert Horton may have been a Western star, but he was a city boy at heart
Here's why the Western star would have rather picked Broadway over the frontier!
For Wagon Train fans, star Robert Horton may have appeared rugged and rebellious on the Western, but in real life, Horton would have traded his cowboy hat for city life any day.
While he was going on adventures with a large westbound wagon train through the American frontier from Missouri to California, in real life he was a theater kid who spent time on Broadway.
According to a 1965 interview with the Daily News, the rugged Old West actor talked about how he'd rather be struggling on the old dusty trail than struggling on Broadway, which he felt was the harder job of the two.
"Yes, TV can be exhausting," Horton said. "But New York theater has a far more dictatorial schedule. In Hollywood, unlike here in Manhattan, you get up around 5:30 a.m. and go to bed around 10:30 p.m. But remember, you also have two days off a week."
While New York may have been a harder place to make a stake, according to Horton, he liked LA's weather better because of the year-round mild temperatures, outdoor swimming pools and laid-back way of life. However, he'd never trade New York for LA, and he'd never take the Old West over it, either.
"I still prefer to make my permanent home right here in New York," Horton said. "Why? Because here you have the feeling that you are more in the mainstream of life; you have a keener sense of living."
So, when it came to Wagon Train and starring in a Western, there was a lot this actor had to learn, including how to ride a horse.
"When I went into Wagon Train, I was determined to become a good horseman, and I did," Horton said.
While he loved the city, he also loved the Western. And while he may have had dreams of returning to New York, he wanted to see Wagon Train through after his character became a fan favorite. He wasn't ready to put down the cowboy hat just yet.
"Certainly I intend to come back to Broadway theater, but now I'm primarily interested in this series," Horton said. "Today an actor must be versatile. He should not only be on the stage, but in television, the movies and, if he can, also sing."
He was an actor who could do it all. Now, where would you rather hang your hat: LA, New York or the Old West? There are no wrong answers... unless Robert Horton is in the room.
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