I wrote this post for another website years ago...but it's worth visiting again. And yes, Paladin and we are still buddies.
We've been in good company lately, riding the Western backcountry with Paladin. (Hanging out in luxury San Francisco hotels, too.) In case you're not familiar with this knight errant, Paladin was a gun-for-hire in the American television show, Have Gun Will Travel. Richard Boone starred in this long-running series (1957-63) on CBS. His trademark was a knight embossed on his holster ("the most dangerous piece on the chessboard," Paladin says), and a business card prominently featured in each episode. Paladin quotes Shakespeare and the classics, appreciates fine food and wine (when he's not out in the boonies living on beans and coffee, that is), and shoots straight -- no matter what.
After multiple episodes of Have Gun Will Travel, I realized some of Paladin's lessons were good for life, too:
*An expert is worth his hire. "I can get three guns for your price," one of Paladin's clients announces. "Quality is not quantity," Paladin retorts. This hired gun charges a hefty fee for his services - $1000 or more, and that in the 1870s! If you're good at what you do, charging more makes sense.
Our oldest daughter, in college and paying her way via dogsitting, learned this when she was featured on her sponsor site, Rover.com. Suddenly her services were even more in demand, and at a higher price.
When I began teaching and lecturing (my other jobs, besides writing and appraising), a teacher friend urged, "Double your fee." I was afraid groups couldn't afford my services, but the truth was a surprise -- I was busier than ever. My higher price confirmed to them, at least, that I was worth it.
*Give your word -- and keep it. Paladin expects loyalty, both from his friends and himself. In spite of obstructions -- 'bad guys,' stormy weather or whiny females -- Paladin finishes the job, and does it well. He may grab a smooch or shoot the local tough in the process, but that just makes the plot more fun.
*Work hard, play hard. Does the latest job demand travel for days in the heat and dust, a teeth-rattling ride in a stagecoach, arguing with a hostile crowd, or a showdown on main street? Whatever it is, Paladin accomplishes it, an nobly. Between gigs, he retreats to his suite at the Hotel Carlton in San Francisco for hot baths, fine wine and tickets to the opera. (Okay, a lot of flirting with pretty girls, too.) A thousand bucks, after all, covers a lot of playtime at post-Civil War prices.
*A good education comes in handy. Paladin is well-read, from Cicero to Keats. (Another lesson: education is lifelong, not just classes.) He speaks more than one language, and understands several different cultures. He needs it: he has to get along with everyone from English aristocrats to Apache warriors. Which brings us to another lesson --
*The great ones are versatile. Not only is Paladin equally capable of fighting with a variety of weapons, riding a horse up a steep canyon, and analyzing great whiskies -- so are the actors and actresses in Have Gun Will Travel episodes. A number are famous now, including Charles Bronson, June Lockhart, James Coburn and Martin Balsam. Even more interesting: the really good ones appear more than once, as different characters. (Did they honestly think we wouldn't notice?) It isn't just the actors; a number of the episodes were authored by people who went on to fame elsewhere. Those names include Gene Roddenberry (Star Trek), Bruce Geller (Mission Impossible) and Harry Julian Fink (Big Jake, Ice Station Zebra...and the Dirty Harry movies).
Good lessons, all. And if you like cowboy Westerns, the research is so much fun!
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