Union Suit Fans in the Limelight

12/01/2022

Cabin Fever, Part One

After my October 25th union suit posting of my cabin adventure in the Canadian wilderness and my mentioning a favorite actor and his DVD, Escanaba in Da Moonlight, I received the following email:

Chris, not long ago I watched The Westerner, a TV show back in the 1960's on Grit. The one I saw was called "Line Shack" or something like that. It had Robert Culp and Brian Keith in it. It was about a bunch of men holed up in a cabin playing cards and drinking whiskey in only their union suits. Drinking through the night, the inebriated men got on each others nerves. So the ending had a shootout after one of them strapped on a six-shooter over his long white underwear like those you are wearing, then stepped outside and had it out with Brian Keith.

That show reminded me of you and your friends at your cabin wearing only your union suits.* Hope you boys didn't get on each others nerves and took a shot at each other! Take a look at that show. It was pretty entertaining.

.... Chase (Monroe, Louisiana)

Well, Chase, the NBC Televison Network 1960's western, The Westerner, starring Brian Keith as Dave Blassingame, was actually titled "Line Camp," Season 1, Episode 10. Guest stars were Robert Culp (Prescott) and Slim Pickens. As you mentioned, it didn't turn out none too well....

After finding the body of a West Texas cowboy who had been thrown from his horse and killed, Dave Blassingame (Keith) hooked up with other ranch hands. They didn't for a minute believe his story as to how their pal died. In fact, they were down right suspicious of him being the killer...

But Dave blended in anyway. And after a hard day's work, he relaxed in the bunk house, mending his socks, talking with some of the men, trying his best to avoid trouble...

The following night, Dave who had avoided trouble about as long as he could and wearing only his long underwear, found himself in a fistfight with one of the other cowboys, a foreshadow of what was to come...

The foreman broke up the fight, suggesting the men cool off. Dave, trying to be accommodating, grabbed his coat, pulled it on over his union suit underwear and went for a walk...