At this year's Western Legends Round-up, "Gunsmoke" will be honored for its 50-year milestone, but it won't be the only Western in the spotlight. James Drury, star of "The Virginian," will also receive a place on Kanab's Little Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Although "The Virginian" was not filmed in Kanab, Drury made other movies there, including Disney's "Ten Who Dared."

"It was a great place to work," Drury said by phone from his home in Texas. "I think I did some 'Death Valley Days' there, as well. Utah is full of wonderful film locations. I love the beauty, and I love the people."

"The Virginian" holds a special spot in Western lore, he said — and not just because he was on it. "The book by Owen Wister was published in 1902 and was the granddaddy of all Westerns. The strong, silent cowboy hero who steps up to see justice is done was the basic plot all the others followed. It's been around ever since."

The show ran for nine seasons in a 90-minute format. "We did 296 90-minute films. That's longer than a lot of the films that are shown on the big screen today. We had some great guest stars and were able to do some wonderful stories. There was a great deal of fun and a great deal of satisfaction in it."

Drury was raised in Oregon and had been around livestock all his life, so playing a cowboy was a natural, he said. But he also has a background and training in classical theater. "I've done 18 major Shakespeare roles and 20 major Shaw roles." His career has included a diverse range of movies, including "The Blackboard Jungle," "Love Me Tender," "Pollyanna" and "Ride the High Country."

His stage credits are equally diverse with not only Shakespeare and George Bernard Shaw, but also "The Odd Couple," The Rainmaker," "A Thousand Clowns" and "Once More With Feeling."

Drury still does some acting, and a recent project has involved recording four Western novels by Kirby Jonas for a books-on-tape venture. He also has some business enterprises going, so there's "a lot to keep my hand in. I'm still learning."

He considers himself "an old Western cowboy. I'm pretty proud of that. My grandfather came West with a wagon train. So I have that direct connection. When I grew up everyone wanted to be a cowboy — or a fireman. I was lucky. I got to be both."

Following "The Virginian," Drury starred in a television series called "Firehouse," set in a fire station. "It was a terrible show. I had high hopes at first, but it was bad and didn't last long."

It's kind of sad, he said, that his own grandchildren won't have the connection to the land and the West that he did. And sad, too, that Westerns aren't as popular as they used to be.

One thing Drury loved about "The Virginian" was the aura of mystery surrounding his character. "We never did know his name. It was wonderful to have that aura of mystique that you didn't even have to work for."

That's what's missing in a lot of modern entertainment, he said. "Too graphic, too explicit, too much information."

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E-mail: carma@desnews.com