The Virginian aired on NBC from 1962 to 1971 for a total of nine seasons and 249 episodes, making it the third-longest running Western series in television history behind Bonanza and Gunsmoke.

The Virginian was loosely based on Owen Wister’s novel of the same name, and starred James Drury as the no-nonsense foreman of Shiloh Ranch who’s real name is never revealed. Doug McClure played his top hand, Trampas.

The Virginian is set on Shiloh Ranch in Medicine Bow, Wyo., in the late-1880s, but the show itself was filmed in California.

“We shot 71 minutes and 30 seconds per episode,” recalls Drury of the grueling shooting schedule. “That equaled 12 to 15 pages of script a day. We made a show in eight days and occasionally worked at five separate unit sites, and if necessary I worked all five daily. I would ride my horse from set to set.”

Today Drury’s schedule is packed with public appearances in celebration of the show’s 50th anniversary this year. (His official schedule is posted at thevirginian.net.)

Timeless Media Group, which has already restored and released the first five seasons of The Virginian on DVD, recently released the final season, “The Virginian: The Men from Shiloh” and is working on digitally remastering seasons six through eight. Call 1-800-547-6014 or visit www.timelessvideo.com for ordering information.

“Everyone was a consummate professional,” says Drury of his co-stars. However, they also liked to have fun; the cast and crew often played good-natured jokes on each other to relieve stress from the daily grind.

“One time I came running down the street of the set with a fire hose and soaked everyone in sight,” recalls Drury with a laugh.

Several notable guest stars also appeared on The Virginian, including George C. Scott and a young Robert Redford.

“But two of my favorites were Bette Davis and Joan Crawford,” says Drury. “Bette Davis would visit and take me and my wife out to dinner all the time. That was until Joan Crawford was a guest star. As soon as that happened, she never spoke to us again.”

With all of those episodes, it’s hard to pick a favorite, but Drury mentions one standout in particular: “One of my personal favorites was ‘The Mountain of the Sun’ guest starring Delores Hart as a missionary on a quest to Mexico to bring the word of God to a violent tribe. While it was a fascinating story itself, the remarkable thing was that soon afterward, art became life as Delores actually became a nun. She is now an abbess.”

Drury also served as a volunteer Deputy Sheriff in Los Angeles County for 18 years, and quips that between that and shooting The Virginian, “I’ve fallen off of every rock in the San Fernando Valley.”