Arkansas Traveler (web series)

Arkansas Traveler is an American indie Western web series written by American actor and screenwriter, Sean Bridgers, and co-directed with Michael Hemschoot. The series cast includes, Garret Dillahunt, Angela Bettis and Bridgers. It premiered on Digital distribution platforms YouTube^[1] and Vimeo^[2] on June 14, 2017 with the first of six episodes, "Enter the Traveler"^[3]

Arkansas Traveler
Genre	Drama, Western
Written by	Sean Bridgers
Directed by	Sean Bridgers Michael Hemschoot
Starring	Garret Dillahunt Angela Bettis Sean Bridgers
Composers	Jason Cangialosi Paul Oehlers
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	6 (list of episodes)
Production
Producers	Michael Hemschoot Sean Bridgers Ed Leydecker Shane Seley
Cinematography	Shane Seley
Editor	Michael Hemschoot
Running time	3–6 minutes
Production company	Travelin' Productions
Original release
Release	June 14, 2017 (2017-06-14) – present

Cast

Role	Actor	Episodes
Wayland McGlawhorn	Garret Dillahunt	1–6
Myrtle	Angela Bettis	1, 2, 4, 5, 6
John Bones	Sean Bridgers	2, 3, 6
The Tavern Keep	Andre du Broc	1, 4, 5
Ezra P. Roscoe (The Baldman)	W. Scott Mason	2, 4, 5
Carpetbagger	Gregg Higginbotham	5

Production

In 2010 the filmmakers produced an original teaser for a feature film based on Bridger's screenplay with the web series cast.^[4] Principal photography was conducted in and around Kansas City.^[5][6] Post production for the teaser and also the re-packaging of the footage as the 2017 web series was conducted by Michael Hemschoot in Travelin Production's Colorado facilities.^[7] The resulting 10-minute series was shown at the 2010 Little Rock Film Festival.

Bridgers' original screenplay for the feature film the series is based on has received praise from the series star, Garret Dillahunt, who said, "I think it is one of the most beautiful scripts I've read in the past decade."^[8] Fellow Deadwood cast member, Ray McKinnon also said it was one of the best un-produced scripts he's read in the past decade.^[9]

In a 2017 interview, Bridgers said Travelin' Productions is working towards making Arkansas Traveler a feature film or to continue the web series.^[10]

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	"Enter the Traveler"	Sean Bridgers & Michael Hemschoot	Sean Bridgers	June 14, 2017 (2017-06-14)
Indian Territories, 1865 – a lone traveler, Wayland McGlawhorn (Dillahunt), ambushes and kills several men at a campfire for unknown reasons. In Missouri, months earlier, as the traveler visits a tavern, he offers a lady (Bettis) a drink.
2	"John Bones, You Know..."	Sean Bridgers & Michael Hemschoot	Sean Bridgers	June 21, 2017 (2017-06-21)
Wayland (Dillahunt) wakes in a Union prison camp and is greeted by a mysterious stranger (Bridgers). Myrtle (Bettis) opens up to Wayland about her losses during the war, until a booming voice from upstairs interrupts them, prompting Wayland to ready his trigger finger.
3	"I Was with Them When They Passed"	Sean Bridgers & Michael Hemschoot	Sean Bridgers	June 28, 2017 (2017-06-28)
Back in the Union prison camp, the mysterious stranger, John Bones (Bridgers) talks in riddles to Wayland (Dillahunt), while laying out a plan for escape from Rock Island. Bones' offer to help Wayland get home to Arkansas comes at a price.
4	"Wake a Sleeping Giant"	Sean Bridgers & Michael Hemschoot	Sean Bridgers	July 5, 2017 (2017-07-05)
After following John Bones' (Bridgers) plan for escape from Rock Island, Wayland is on the run from Union patrols. Back in the tavern, Wayland (Dillahunt) comes face to face with Myrtle's (Bettis) captor, the menacing Baldman, Ezra P. Roscoe (Mason).
5	"Well, Mr. President"	Sean Bridgers & Michael Hemschoot	Sean Bridgers	July 12, 2017 (2017-07-12)
On the run from Union soldiers, Wayland (Dillahunt) stumbles across a timid Carpetbagger who unwittingly provides opportunity for Wayland's cover. Later, a deadly confrontation crescendos in the Baldman's lair between Wayland and Ezra P. Roscoe (Mason), in which Myrtle finds opportunity.
6	"You can't ride with me"	Sean Bridgers & Michael Hemschoot	Sean Bridgers	July 19, 2017 (2017-07-19)
Liberated from the Baldman, Myrtle (Bettis) has decided to join Wayland (Dillahunt) on his journey home to Arkansas, whether he likes it or not. We later see Wayland, masked, and alone on his horse as the sinister voice of John Bones (Bridgers) booms over the landscape and a thundering storm.

Reception

Sam Gutelle, reviewed the series for Tubefilter, writing: "Thanks to its smooth-talking, whiskey-drinking, gun-slinging elements, Arkansas Traveler contains everything it needs to appeal to the western fans who are its target audience. At the same time, its washed out, low-lit style brings something new to the genre..."^[11]

Laura Beck, in The Village Voice, included the series in her "...TV Not to Miss..." piece, writing: "...this Civil War–era tale stars the ever-wonderful Garret Dillahunt and Angela Bettis alongside [Sean] Bridgers, and it’s got tons of gun slinging and whiskey drinking, as you might expect from a production with serious Deadwood roots. I have a feeling this will appeal to fans of the departed HBO series and it’s flying a bit under the radar, so consider this a PSA to watch it ASAP."^[12]

External links

• Arkansas Traveler at IMDb
• The Denver Egotist | Arkansas Traveler: A Western Web Series – Via Colorado's Travelin' Productions^{[permanent dead link‍]}
• The Denver Egotist | Arkansas Traveler: A Western Web Series Continues – Via Colorado's Travelin' Productions^{[permanent dead link‍]}
• Garret Dillahunt Official Site – Arkansas Traveler is back as a web series
• Arkansas Traveler on hypeSCREEN
• A destiny at the barrel of a gun - Review on webseriesmag.tv Archived August 30, 2017, at the Wayback Machine

References

1. "Arkansas Traveler EP01 A Western Web Series". YouTube. June 13, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
2. "Arkansas Traveler Episode 01 "Enter the Traveler" A Western Web Series". Vimeo. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
3. "Enter the Traveler". IMDB. IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
4. McEntire, John. "Interview with: ARKANSAS TRAVELER FILMMAKERS". Oxford American. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
5. Sealover, Ed. "Colorado film industry primed". Denver Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
6. Millar, Lindsey (August 9, 2010). "Sneak peek at 'Arkansas Traveler'". Arkansas Times. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
7. "ARKANSAS TRAVELER: WILD WEST WEB SERIES". Balladeer's Blog. July 18, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
8. "Garret Dillahunt Interviews". raisinghope-tv. livejournal.com. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
9. Martin, Philip. "ON FILM: Civil War film has potential for greatness if it gets made". ArkansasOnline. www.arkansasonline.com/. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
10. Trembath, Ron (August 11, 2017). "Sean Bridgers [Interview]". TRAINWRECK'D SOCIETY. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
11. Gutelle, Sam (June 30, 2017). "Indie Spotlight: 'Arkansas Traveler,' With 'Deadwood' Ties, Is A Dark And Gritty Western". Tubefilter. Tubefilter, Inc. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
12. Beck, Laura (August 2, 2017). "Here's All the TV Not to Miss This Hot, Dumb August". The Village Voice. VILLAGE VOICE, LLC. Retrieved August 7, 2017.