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Clint Eastwood is mostly known for his work on the big screen, but “Rawhide” is arguably just as influential as any “Dollars” trilogy or Dirty Harry outing. That’s certainly true in terms of\u00a0Eastwood’s own rise to fame; “Rawhide” not only started the actor on his journey to becoming a director<\/a>, but the\u00a0Western series also saved his acting career<\/a>. Now, you can watch the show for free, as “Rawhide” is currently streaming on Pluto TV.<\/p>\n In its time, “Rawhide” was big, running for eight seasons and 217 episodes from 1959 to 1965. The CBS series saw a young Eastwood portray ramrod Rowdy Yates, who, alongside Eric Fleming’s trail boss Gil Favor, traversed the Old West of the 1860s, riding from San Antonio, Texas, to Sedalia, Missouri, and becoming an invaluable part of Favor’s crew. There was plenty of danger and drama along the way, but Eastwood stayed with the show throughout its entire run, with Yates ultimately taking over as trail boss in the eighth and final season.<\/p>\n This was Eastwood’s first main role on a TV series after several years of bit parts suggested his career might flame out before it had a chance to really begin. “Rawhide” gave Eastwood the security he needed to take film roles and progress from TV star to household name. His starring roles in 1964’s “A Fistful of Dollars” and its two sequels (both of which debuted as “Rawhide” was coming to an end) helped propel Eastwood to stardom. Without his CBS series, however, the actor might never have been offered the role of The Man with No Name, let alone feel secure enough in his career to accept the lead in a low-budget Spaghetti Western. But that’s not the only thing that makes “Rawhide” worth checking out in the streaming era.<\/p>\n