Another great western series that is long overdo for DVD release. The 3 episodes picked were very good and in top quality. However this series would be best sold in complete season sets like most other tv shows are being released today A.S.A.P. There are too many great episodes not to release them in seasons. I rate this disc as a great sampler.
The Best of the TV Westerns
Admittedly I was a fan when this series was aired. But almost 50 years later I am pleased that these sample episodes have stood up well in the passing of time. The picture quality is as good as you can get for black and white TV. The writing, and particularly the acting, is excellent. James Garner established himself as a star. Too bad he left the show after only severl seasons.
Not your typical western.
"Maverick" was more comedy than western. The westerns of the day were in the shoot 'em up, cattle rancher variety. Gunfights were few and far between here. And if any cattle showed up, it was probably a mistake.
Bret and Bart Maverick (James Garner, Jack Kelly) were gamblers with a stranger moral code. They were usually out for a con. But if it didn't work out for them, they'd make sure that it worked out for someone else... and never for the bad guy. All the while, they spouted life's little lessons as taught to them by their beloved Pappy.
While Garner and Kelly would trade off episodes during the series, sometimes the brothers Maverick would come together for a little bit of fun. Two of those episodes are featured here.
"Shady Deal at Sunny Acres" starts out as a Garner episode and turns into a Kelly episode as the brothers team to take down a crokked banker (John Dehner).
"Pappy" brings the brothers together again as an old friend (Troy Donahue) warns them that their Pappy intends to wed an 18-year old. This was the only appearance by their Pappy in the series. It also features a cameo by their Uncle Bentley.
"Guy Shy" (my personal favorite on the set) is a parody of the day's number one western, "Gunsmoke". With a painfully earnest performance by Marshal Mort Dooley (instead of Matt Dillon). Maverick has done nothing wrong, yet is booted out of Elwood by the good Marshal. A marshal who become increasingly frustrated every time Maverick returns. Their "gunfight" is a real hoot.
Hopefully, Warner Brothers will make more episodes of this great series available soon.
All I can say is: It's about time Clint Walker's Cheyenne has come to DVD- too long a wait. All 3 episodes were very good picks. Top quality reproduction. I can tell they are all complete. A lot of people have forgotten in the series closing seasons, Cheyenne became "The Cheyenne Show" which first rotated Cheyenne one week and Bronco the next instead of them having their own weekly shows. Even Sugarfoot was added I believe in the final year. This DVD is great and I strongly suggest that complete seasons of this series be released onto DVD A.S.A.P. I rate this disc as a great sampler. Clint Walker has been well remembered by me as one of the top western heroes of the late "50's-'60's era, and the series western stories are timeless. Bring them on. More Info about this DVD Director(s): Leslie H. Martinson - George Waggner - Irving J. Moore - James P. Yarbrough - Herbert L. Strock DVD Release Date: Released the 27 September 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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This military frontier comedy classic never had a chance to wear out its welcome during its pair of seasons, one in glorious black and white, the other in color. LARRY STORCH, lovable ham that he was, stole every scene he was ever in (except maybe the ones with the HECKOWIS). KEN BERRY was the best "perfect fool" since ED WYNN, MELODY PATTERSON was a rawhide-wrapped sexpot, and FORREST TUCKER held it all together with his rugged charm. Even the second bananas, from inept bugler DOBBS to myopic VANDERBILT to "glory days" ratchet-jaw DUFFY added a lot to the merry mix. That's not even counting the roster of wonderful guest stars, such as PAT HARRINGTON (as B. WISE, a takeoff on GET SMART), CLIFF ARQUETTE, HARVEY KORMAN, JULIE NEWMAR, PHIL HARRIS, MILTON BERLE, VINCENT PRICE, HENRY GIBSON... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Phil Rawlins - Gary Nelson - Hal March - David Alexander - Leslie Goodwins DVD Release Date: Released the 27 September 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Episode for episode, the second season of Have Gun, Will Travel (1958-59) is even better than the first. With a bona fide hit on their hands, CBS didn't mess with success, and these 39 episodes pushed ratings even higher with sharp direction (mostly by first-season veteran Andrew V. McLaglen), a wide variety of attention-grabbing plots, and intelligent, sensible dialogue. All of the first season's strengths are carried over, and while 41-year-old star Richard Boone (as the refined gunslinger-for-hire Paladin) is rarely given a serious test of his talents, he commands his role with depth, humor, and impressive displays of physical agility. (By comparison, series regular Kam Tong had almost nothing to do this season; he's relegated to routine duty as Paladin's Chinese hotel valet... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Richard Boone DVD Release Date: Released the 10 May 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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The uniquely cool talent that propelled Steve McQueen to movie stardom is fully evident in the debut season of Wanted: Dead or Alive. Having just boosted his big-screen potential with a starring role in The Blob, 28-year-old McQueen was reluctant to accept the role of bounty hunter Josh Randall in this trend-setting series; he balked at the demanding schedule and thought himself too contemporary for a Western series, but the producers (including Four Star Productions cofounders Dick Powell and Ida Lupino) were convinced that McQueen was perfect for the role, and the still-struggling actor couldn't refuse a $750-per-week salary. Once committed, McQueen developed Randall into an antihero with conflicting qualities of danger and compassion: With his infamous "Mare's Leg" (an... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Steve Mcqueen DVD Release Date: Released the 07 June 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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I was around 10 years of age when this series ran on TV, and though I'm sure I did not see every episode I know I saw many of them. I'm glad that many DVDs are now coming out for us 'ole' TV western fans.
When I grew up in the fifties, 10-cent Saturday matinees abounded; with serials running in 12 parts or so. See one or two this Saturday and come back to the local Bijou next Saturday to see a couple more installments. After a couple of these on any given Saturday the theatre would then run a couple Rocky Lane, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, or Durango Kid feature westerns to round out your western Saturday late morning and early afternoon. It sure offered great babysitting for mom, too!
Now with the Western Channel and release of such DVDs as this one on Wyatt... More Info about this DVD DVD Release Date: Released the 27 September 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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