THE LAWLESS YEARS Clu Gulager stars as "The Immigrant" then joins Rob Word for a wild interview! WOW

Clu Gulager's fantastic appearance for our conversation on A WORD ON WESTERNS was not just wild, but honest, heartwarming and very, very funny. There was never, and will never be, anyone quite like Clu. He was born November 16, 1928 in Holdenville, Oklahoma and died August 5, 2022 in Los Angeles at the age of 93.
Clu Gulager was always magic on screen, mesmerizing audiences from the beginning of his career making westerns to his evolution as a horror movie icon. Never slacking in any performance. For this special episode premiering on his birthday, we present one of Clu’s earliest roles. It’s from 1959 on THE LAWLESS YEARS, a series following the hit show THE UNTOUCHABLES and based on a New York City cop set in the Roaring ‘20s and starring James Gregory. In “The Immigrant,” the second episode of the series, Clu becomes involved with the mob trying to get rid of an illegal gun. Clu played Tommy Pavlock, the young innocent. His mother, the veteran actress Virginia Christine. Shepherd Sanders plays Puggy and silent movie comedy star Snub Pollard is visible as a milkman. You'll see that Clu is mesmerizing. The casting agents took notice.
In 1959 he also guest starred on BLACK SADDLE, WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE, HAVE GUN, WILL TRAVEL, LAW OF THE PLAINSMAN, RIVERBOAT and LARAMIE. And, if that wasn’t enough, he gave a breakout performance as Vincent “Mad Dog” Coll on THE UNTOUCHABLES.
Following “The Immigrant,” we will present our interview with Clu.
We were lucky to have him join me for an A WORD ON WESTERNS conversation and look back at some of his work. The interview is from January 20, 2016, before moving our show to the Wells Fargo Theater, when we were still taping shows inside the Autry Museum's coffee shop. Intimate? Yep, it sure was. Devilish actor Clu Gulager exposes backlot shenanigans, hijinks with co-stars, tips on acting, music from the love of his life and even gets around to discussing his classic portrayal of Billy the Kid in his series THE TALL MAN (1960-62). It’s all done in front of a jam-packed room of fans, film buffs and friends.
Turns out that the Oklahoma born and bred actor, rancher, philosopher and filmmaker is first cousin to another Oklahoman, Will Rogers. He got his nickname from his father, named after the clu-clu birds near his home. Clu's also a big fan of The Cowboy himself, Gene Autry. As a matter of fact, when Clu was starring in his first TV series, THE TALL MAN, his stand-in for the run of the show was the son of Smiley Burnette, Autry’s movie sidekick. Following THE TALL MAN, Clu was cast by his friend, Universal’s Frank Price, as Sheriff Emmett Ryker on THE VIRGINIAN, appearing in over 100 episodes of that classic series.
Clu’s charismatic performances have brought him a legion of fans. He’s worked in all genres, and left an indelible mark on several classics, including Lee Marvin’s killer companion in director Don Siegel’s THE KILLERS and seducing Cybill Shepherd on a pool table in Peter Bogdanovich’s THE LAST PICTURE SHOW. He’s had strong character roles in movies with John Wayne, McQ, Chuck Norris, A FORCE OF ONE, and a string of horror classics, including RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD and NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET Part 2. In Quentin Tarantino’s love poem to the movies, ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD, Clu is the book store man. Look fast!
Through his entire, long career, Clu kept his raucous, infectious sense of humor, which he happily shared for this unforgettable conversation.
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