 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Posted: |
Oct 28, 2016 - 3:54 PM
|
|
|
|
By: |
riotengine
(Member)
|
With the rise of retro TV channels, we've seen the return of quite a number of classic and obscure TV westerns. MeTV, Get TV, Heroes & Icons, and Cozi are running a lot of cool stuff.
I've greatly enjoyed the hour-long black & white, season 7-11, Gunsmoke episodes on MeTV. I've been watching A Man Called Shenandoah, (Robert Horton) and Trackdown (Robert Culp). Just started watching The Tall Man, with Barry Sullivan and Clu Gulager (big Star Trek connection with Sam Peeples). Get TV in running Nichols, (with James Garner and Margot Kidder) but I'm still holding off for a DVD set.
Nearly every major TV western is being run on these channels right now.
What are some of your favorite episodic TV westerns? TV mini-series count. No theatrical westerns.
Greg Espinoza
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Oct 28, 2016 - 4:02 PM
|
|
|
|
By: |
riotengine
(Member)
|
Watched a very good 1958 second season episode of Trackdown, "Chinese Cowboy," which guest-stars the great Keye Luke, who plays an immigrant Chinese laundryman, harassed by a racist bully, played by Steve McQueen pal, Don Gordon. Luke's character is just trying to live quietly, assimilate into the new town, and gain their respect. He is gradually pushed by his humiliation at Gordon's hands, to pick up a gun to get that respect. His performance is dignified and heartbreaking.
Robert Culp has a great scene with Ellen Corby (as the woman who runs the town newspaper) where he makes her rethink some racist thoughts she'd been harboring about foreigners.
"I think the people of this town oughta take a look at the law book. Maybe even glance at the Constitution. I don't remember anything in there about special rules to take care of certain people just because they happen to be different. Says everybody's equal. I believe that was made up by a group of men in 1776, and at that time you could have called any of them foreigners." Not totally accurate, but I appreciate the sentiment.
Very good episode, made better by the fact that there are things in the show that are not resolved in a stereotypical way, like other western shows of the time.
Greg Espinoza
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
i keep telling you to get ENCORE (premium cable, no commercials, uncut Westerns) but you are too cheap
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I recently caught an episode of Cimarron Strip - i remember catching it in the 70s and recording the Jarre theme off tv.
Not bad. I dont think i could get through a whole series.
From back then i used to enjoy Rifleman and bounty hunter but havent seen them on uk tv for a long time.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Posted: |
Oct 29, 2016 - 8:36 AM
|
|
|
|
By: |
Rameau
(Member)
|
Yeah, I loved 'em. I remember (probably wrongly) Cheyenne & Maverick were on Sunday evening (UK) & Wagon Train (my favourite, well the Ward Bond ones) was Monday evening. For some reason I never liked Bonanza, I don't remember much about Riverboat, but I still remember the theme tune (that's one hell of an earworm!). I remember enjoying Wyatt Earp & Rawhide, I also really liked The Virginian, it's funny how the memory plays tricks, I remember The Virginian as a seventies series, but checking it, it ran from 1962-1971, but I suppose it may have been repeated in the seventies in the UK. TCM (UK) has been showing Rawhide in HD (I think it's up to series six now), & the HD transfers look really good, & I've enjoyed every episode I've seen. I imported season one & two DVDs of Wagon Train when they dipped in price a while ago, but I haven't started looking at them yet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
i keep telling you to get ENCORE (premium cable, no commercials, uncut Westerns) but you are too cheap
I'm not too cheap not to have it. I've been watching Encore's Western channel for years. They've been showing "Wanted: Dead or Alive" for the last year or so. A good half-hour western that I've read Steve McQueen wasn't crazy about doing, but I think it gave him good training.
Any fans of it here?
sorry that's what i meant wanted, not bounty hunter.
Getting me Randolph mixed up with me Steve mcQ.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Oct 29, 2016 - 1:08 PM
|
|
|
|
By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
|
I was greatly enjoying the first season of MAVERICK, until the episodes with Jack Kelly, as his brother, began. Kelly is an OK actor, but he's no James Garner, and his episodes just don't have the same spark as those with Garner. Originally, the Kelly character was introduced early in the first season because the production of the series was hopelessly behind schedule. So, a plan was devised to set up a separate production team to produce additional episodes starring Kelly. An attempt was made at continuity by having Garner make token appearances in some of the Kelly episodes, but this just makes Garner's absence keener.
Perhaps Warner Bros. should have gone the same route with MAVERICK as they did with CHEYENNE--producing a completely separate series to alternate with MAVERICK, as SUGARFOOT and BRONCO alternated with CHEYENNE during its run. That would have avoided the disappointment that some in the audience I'm sure felt when it was revealed that that week's episode of MAVERICK was not a Garner episode.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
to recap:
the best ever classic westerns; all THIRTY MINUTES
HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL
WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE
LAWMAN
GUNSMOKE was at its best when it was 30 minutes and featured Burt Reynolds as Quint. The creation of the Festus character was an incredibly bad choice - he was ten times more annoying than Chester and the acting was 20 times worse!** The 60 minute shows are only occasionally good. As long as they focused on the Dillon character, fine. But, many episodes are family dramas that are far removed from the "spoilers and the killers"
MAVERICK - only good when James Garner was in it
CHEYENNE - watched handful of season 3 and it is truly awful. ANy show that is created out the use of stock footage from studio films (WB) is a must avoid
** Riotengine loves that character!
best of the modern westerns;
KUNG - FU
can't think of another good one. the network shows of the 60's were terrible...BIG VALLEY, BONANZA etc
bruce
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Oct 31, 2016 - 2:02 PM
|
|
|
|
By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
|
I have to agree that HAVE GUN, WILL TRAVEL was one of the best television westerns of all time. In the 30-minute category, THE RIFLEMAN also ranks high on my list. Although it isn't a great series, I always enjoyed watching DEATH VALLEY DAYS, because you never knew what to expect from the anthology format. Of the one-hour Warner Bros. westerns, my favorite was CHEYENNE, even above MAVERICK. Just a preference for drama over comedy. I guess that's why I preferred BRONCO to SUGARFOOT when it came to CHEYENNE replacements. And, in a category by itself, is another favorite--THE WILD WILD WEST.
I never really had a chance to watch the big NBC westerns when I was growing up (BONANZA, THE VIRGINIAN, DANIEL BOONE), since our house was situated such that we couldn't receive the local NBC station's signal. (I only fitfully saw THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. when a friend would invite me over to his house.)
The western I'm most interested is seeing the Warner Archive put out is COLT .45. I've never seen a single episode, but I'd like to see the first season with Wayde Preston, before he left the series and was replaced by Donald May.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
... Of the one-hour Warner Bros. westerns, my favorite was CHEYENNE, even above MAVERICK. .
Really?! I do agree with a preference for drama over comedy but........
Didn't it bother you that every action sequence whether it be an Indian raid, a stagecoach chase, a cavalry charge ..... was footage lifted from early WB films?
[THE INCREDIBLE HULK (nbc) did the same thing]
bruce
|
|
|
|
|
|
And, in a category by itself, is another favorite--THE WILD WILD WEST.
.
Loved it as a kid, can't stand it as an adult
LOL!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
