Savor the memories...
I couldn't wait for the May release of this fine series either so I picked it up at Sam's Club. This has to be the most beautifully photographed of all the classic TV Westerns. Another reviewer mentioned each episode was like a mini-movie, and this is true.
The storylines are credible and entertaining, and the cast is stellar. LJ Cobb is in a category by himself, of course, but having watched the first two seaons on Encore Westerns (and then again on the DVDs) I'd forgotten what a genuinely good actor James Drury was. Ditto for Clu Gulagher and Doug McClure. And while I am enjoying the later episodes, I must confess I miss Gary Clarke's "Steve" and the chemistry the three main leads--Drury, McClure and Clarke--displayed during the first two seasons.
One of the things I find enjoyable is how "real" the series plays. The guy that played Randy carps about this in the book written about the series (especially how the horses were handled?) but I beg to differ...
A Classic TV Western
Until "The Virginian" bowed on NBC in the fall of 1962, Westerns were relegated to either half-hour or one-hour time slots. The network took a chance, counting on the popularity of Westerns at the time, to expand a weekly Western series to 90 minutes. The gamble paid off. The show ran through 1971, chalking up a total of 249 episodes. "The Virginian" is the third longest-running TV Western, behind only "Gunsmoke" and "Bonanza."
"The Virginian - The Complete First Season" contains all 30 full-color episodes from the first season. The 1902 Owen Wister novel on which the series was based was set in the town of Medicine Bow, Wyoming in the 1890's, and chronicled the lives and relationships of the people who came west to settle the wild land. The title refers to a man of mystery whose past was unknown.
The novel was first adapted to the screen as a silent picture directed by Cecil B. DeMille. There was another silent film in 1923 and then the 1929 sound version...
finally it is out
I am very glad to see the Virginian is finally out on DVD. The first season is 10 dvd out in May. I remember the series with great fondness. The fist season has many good episodes with Judge Garth and how he came to adopt Betsy. It also has Trampas at his most charming. I am anxious to see if the old series holds up. It took a long time to put it on DVD as it was in a 90 minute format. All Were in color also. This is a series worth watching again. Pay careful attention to the guest stars. Many are famous now and were not then.
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