Today's onslaught of killers does have its
precedent. Back in 1957, CBS introduced the mysterious gun-for-hire Paladin (Richard Boone). From his headquarters in the Carlton
Hotel in San Francisco, Paladin roamed the West righting wrongs -- for a... more large
fee. Like Hannibal Lecter, Paladin was highly skilled in numerous arts, martial
and otherwise, and could speak what appeared to be a thousand languages, alive
and dead. He was also prone to military metaphors. Paladin was often hired
specifically to kill someone, but generally made the final decision about that
at the last minute. Boone, one of the great unheralded screen actors, wholly
inhabited Paladin, who famously wore black garb out in the field, and passed out
a provocative calling card. Close