A top-rated Western ran six years with only one on-screen shooting
Evidence
However, in the view of television storytellers, nonviolent resolutions are unthinkable, especially in the Western genre. In point of fact, such conflict resolutions are not only conceivable. They are doable. For example, the Western series Wyatt Earp, which enjoyed a six-year run at the top of its time slot, included only one shooting, which was a reenactment of the historic fight at the OK Corral (Senate Hearings, 1962). Consistent with the historical character, Wyatt Earp was portrayed as a police officer on the Western frontier who dealt with troublemakers in a mindful way. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 855
Categorization
Category: Factual Claims
- CANDY: Wyatt Earp ran six years at the top with just one shooting scene - a fun counter to the myth that Westerns require gunfights.
- ADDENDUM: Could support the ‘Grafting & Growth’ piece’s spirit - but more directly resonates with myth-vs-reality debunking of frontier lawlessness, in the vein of the Bonanza material next to it.