Matthew McKenzie

Creeds, Codes and Cowboy Commandments Matthew McKenzie

Early television programming featured plenty of action heroes on the small screen, but none more popular than the "B-Western" cowboy hero! Topping a list of such heroes would be Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Hopalong Cassidy, and the Lone Ranger. Other popular cowboy heroes to hit the 1950's television airwaves included the likes of Wild Bill Hickok, the Cisco Kid, Annie Oakley, and many more - including one who literally took to the air, Sky King!But why did the cowboy hero choose to get involved in other folks' problems? They claimed to fight for justice, but whose sense of justice were they seeking to uphold? They claimed to fight for what was "right" - but how did they determine what was "right"? What made them "right" in their actions? Why did they have any authority to admonish others about right and wrong? In Creeds, Codes, and Cowboy Commandments, the author explores the moral basis that provided the foundation and motivations for these TV cowboy's on-screen actions - and how they managed to establish themselves as a "hero" in the minds of their TV audience.