The bad boy hero goes back to the beginnings of literature. In Hollywood it grew most directly out of the film noir school of the forties.
Since only a few comments, I'll add my memories of China Smith too. I was only about 8 or 10 y/o when I watched China Smith on my parents first TV in California.
As I sat watching the DVD of the original "The Flight of the Phoenix", I was struck by seeing Dan Duryea. In my mind I kept seeing him in a white suit, on a black and white television screen.
I remember that my mom and dad were fans of this show when we got our first television set. I don't remember much about the show except the white suit he wore as a pretty tough guy.
