Hgwt 1960 08 14 (91) Father O'toole's Organ Rt 2 (extnd Viva)

# Have Gun Will Travel: Father O'Toole's Organ, Part 2

When Paladin rides into a small frontier town where a humble priest fights to keep his church alive, listeners discovered that the fastest gun in the West sometimes serves a gentler purpose. In this August 1960 broadcast, "Father O'Toole's Organ, Part 2," the mysterious gunslinger with the business card must navigate a moral quandary far more complex than any quick-draw showdown. The stakes are spiritual and financial—a beloved organ sits in danger, and only Paladin's cunning intellect and code of honor can resolve the competing claims of faith, community, and justice. This extended Viva version stretches the drama across nearly a full hour of radio time, allowing the narrative to breathe with the character development and dialogue nuance that made Have Gun Will Travel stand apart from typical shoot-em-up westerns.

Created by producer Sam Rolfe and writer Herb Meadow, Have Gun Will Travel captured the tail-end of radio's golden age while simultaneously launching one of television's most respected dramas. The show's genius lay in its sophisticated adult storytelling—Paladin was no conventional hero, but a morally ambiguous gunslinger who thought as much as he shot. By 1960, as television had already begun claiming audiences from the radio, CBS knew that listeners tuning in expected intelligence, psychological complexity, and stories that challenged rather than merely entertained. This particular episode, with its focus on a priest's dilemma and an organ's fate, exemplifies why the show maintained its devoted following even as the medium itself faced obsolescence.

Slip on those imaginary spurs and journey back to a time when radio drama meant something sacred. This August evening in 1960, Paladin awaits you—and Father O'Toole's organ needs a hero who understands that sometimes the truest gunslinger solves problems with his mind.