Flint McCullough drops by.

I snapped this pic of Flint lurking around my backyard, no doubt scouting a safe route to lead the Marx Wagon Train Playset through to the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center (which is about 10 miles from here). I guess the cats, dogs, crows, possums and raccoons looked pretty intimidating to a guy who’s only 2 ¼” tall. The train never came through.

Sadly, this figure is the only piece I own from that playset. Maybe I should say tragically, because if I had the whole set in mint condition it would be worth over $15,000. Flint by himself goes for about forty bucks.

You’ll be pleased to learn the real life Flint, Robert Horton, is still around and has his own website. Check it out. There are pics of some great Wagon Train collectibles and you get to hear him sing the show’s theme song. Unlike “golden throat” cowboys Hugh O’Brien, Lorne Greene and Nick Adams, Horton (now 84) was a real singer in his day. He was the male lead in 110 in the Shade, the Broadway musical version of The Rainmaker, which ran for 330 performances – and appeared in at least 30 other Broadway shows. He released three LPs.