A Word on Westerns: Classic TV Westerns with writer D.C. Fontana

[Marshal Halloway]

Writing under the non-gender identifying name D.C. Fontana, Dorothy Fontana (March 25, 1939-Dec 2, 2019) left a lasting legacy as a well-known television writer of science fiction.


Her work on the original "Star Trek" brought her to the attention of that series many fans.  Surprisingly, Dorothy's first television work was on TV's "The Tall Man," where she joined the ranks of a growing number of female TV western writers like Katherine Hite, Gerry Day and Margaret Armen.


Some of her other TV western writing includes: "Lancer," "The Big Valley," "Wild, Wild West," "The Road West," "The High Chaparral," "Here Come the Brides," and "Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years," her last western.


Originally, Dorothy was employed by producer/writer Samuel A. Peeples as a script reader for "The Tall Man" (1960-62).  Dorothy's conflict driven character stories appealed to him and he bought several stories and teleplays for this, and his later series, "Lancer."


While working on the busy Paramount lot for another writer/producer, Gene Roddenberry, Dorothy also sold several stories to that studio's hit western, "Bonanza."


Following her work on "Star Trek" (12 episodes),  she kept busy with multiple writing and producing jobs on an array of science fiction series, including: "Star Trek: The Next Generation," "Logan's Run," "Buck Rogers," "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and "Babylon 5."


This is the conclusion of an interview with Dorothy from Jan 16, 2018. She was a delight and returned to be an audience member several more times when we taped A WORD ON WESTERNS, which was always a thrill for us and her many fans. She is missed.

[Capt Quirk]

Gene Roddenberry pitched Star Trek as "a wagon train to the stars", so it really doesn't come as a surprise that his best writer worked on westerns. I just never realized how many things she worked on, that were a part of my childhood.

[Deacon Henry]

Wow great site. Thanks for posting.

[Coal Creek Griff]

Every Saturday I watch Arizona Ghostriders and every Sunday I watch A Word on Westerns. Great videos.

CC Griff

[DB Books]

I watch A Word on Westerns & Aridzona Ghostriders on Youtube. I thought it was cool that Fontana wrote episodes of Star Trek as well as Bonanza and another show or two we watched during family time at home in those days. Cool. 

[Rube Burrows]

I enjoy the heck out of Rob Word's videos. The stories are great. He really knows just about everything there is to know about Hollywood westerns also.