Roger Moore became James Bond, but before that, he was a cowboy. Before 007, Moore played Beau Maverick on the hit ABC western “Maverick,” stepping in for James Garner after Garner quit the show after three seasons.
Moore took over as Beau, the cousin of brothers Bret (Garner) and Bart Maverick (Jack Kelly), for 15 episodes across Season 4. He appeared first in the premiere, “The Bundle from Britain,” as a Civil War veteran who spent time in England. The move came at the behest of Jack Warner, who had grown fond of Moore after he starred in the short-lived ABC series “The Alaskans.”
Moore’s Reluctant Arrival
Moore was not eager for the job. “I really didn’t want to do another television series. And I honestly did feel that Jim [Garner] was so popular that anybody coming in would be resented,” he recalled in a conversation with author Ed Robertson for the book “Maverick: Legend of the West.” “It’s very difficult to follow somebody in an established role.”
He was right about the difficulty. What he did not know was that he had already appeared on “Maverick” once before.
The Episode That Predicted Everything
On Season 2’s “The Rivals,” Moore played John Vandergelt III opposite both Garner and Kelly in a rare episode where both main Mavericks appeared together. Even funnier: John hires Bret to temporarily switch identities, years before Moore would officially replace Garner.
The irony is pointed. Moore appeared on “Maverick” before joining the cast, playing a character who swapped identities with Bret — the very role he would soon inherit himself.
Moore’s Scripting Prequel
Moore’s previous work on “The Alaskans” actually prepared him for “Maverick.” During a writers’ strike while filming that show, he was handed “Maverick” scripts where the names had been changed, and his character, Silky Harris, was saying Bret Maverick lines — including the famous line “My old Pappy used to say.”
That script recycling not only prepared Moore to join “Maverick,” a Western with no bad seasons, it likely helped convince the creative team he was a right fit.
Once Moore arrived alongside Kelly, he fought to make Beau his own rather than a Bret Maverick clone. “Jack and I had a lot of laughs doing it, I must say,” Moore later recalled. “I also remember Leslie Martinson directing the first episode. He thought we were both completely insane.”
The Departure
Moore’s time on “Maverick” did not last long. He noticed that the scripts were never quite tailored to his character, and the last straw came when he was asked to play an “English stumblebum” on another series he considered a “Sugarfoot” dupe.
“At that point, I asked to be released from my contract,” Moore remembered. “As a matter of fact, I think they offered me that show in order to get me to ask for my release.”
Before he left, Moore was famously photographed alongside Jack Kelly and Robert Colbert, who was brought on as yet another Maverick brother: Brent. Colbert starred in two Season 4 episodes and previously worked with Moore on “The Alaskans”; he also appeared on “Maverick” opposite Kelly earlier in the season as another character.
Moore’s run as Beau Maverick ended with the Season 4 episode “Red Dog.” His exit, along with Colbert’s, marked the final blow to the show. With only Kelly still on board, the ABC program was canceled during its shortened 5th season of 13 episodes, which aired alongside reruns of Garner’s old entries.
Key Facts
- Moore replaced Garner as Beau Maverick for 15 episodes of Season 4
- He appeared on “Maverick” once before, in Season 2’s “The Rivals”
- He previously read “Maverick” scripts while starring in “The Alaskans”
- He left the show after one season, asking for release from his contract
- The show was canceled after its shortened 5th season
Moore’s career survived the move. Garner’s version of Bret Maverick remained fixed in viewers’ minds, but Moore’s Beau Maverick got his own shot — and the story ends with Moore moving on to “The Saint,” which ran for six seasons.
Source material: “Before James Bond, Roger Moore Replaced James Garner On A Hit Western Series,” TVLine.
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