Post by drystyx on Jan 22, 2024 20:43:39 GMT
Less than meets the eye:
30. Trackdown
29. Wanted Dead or Alive
28. Alias Smith and Jones
27. Have Gun Will Travel
26. Bat Masterson
25. Tales of Wells Fargo
24. Bonanza
23. Here Come the Brides
22. Branded
21. The Guns of Will Sonnett
Into action or well drawn theatrics:
20. Hec Ramsey
19. Wyatt Earp
18. Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman
17. Cheyenne
16. The Dakotas
15. Laredo
14. The Deputy
13. The Westerners
12. Sugarfoot
11. The Macahans
10. Laramie
9. 26 Men
8. Bronco
7. Death Valley Days
The Pick Six:
6. The Rifleman. As with most great shows, it's the supporting characters who make it work. In this case, Paul Fix as Micah and Johnny Crawford as the son, Mark. But Lucas himself is a great character, too, willing to work with others, and ready to admit when he's wrong. Most of all, Chuck Conners is willing to humble himself, such as in a scene where Mark predicts that someday there will be vehicles to replace horses, and Lucas doubts this.
Landmark episode: The Marshall, where Micah makes his dramatic entrance, against some superstars of TV and film.
5. Wagon Train. The better episodes involve Robert Horton, although Ward Bond is the star of the landmark episode.
Landmark episode: Weight of Command, in which the wagon master relies on savvy in order to keep his people alive.
4. Gunsmoke. The banter between Doc and Festus, or Doc and Chester, along with the likable other characters such as bartender Sam and the town drunk, helps this to become what it is. Matt Dillon is a very credible, no nonsense lawman who wants a civilized place to live in.
Landmark episode: Cowtown Hustler. An old pro billiards player is taunted by young buck John Davis Chandler in a story with some great character development in a surprise ending.
3. The Big Valley: Improved version of Bonanza, especially if you're the second son. This one doesn't "diss" the second son. All of the characters have their strengths, and all have integrity.
Landmark episode: Court Martial, a bit of a mystery in which the Barkley home is held by ex veterans seeking revenge against a Barkley guest, which you may figure out early on. I did.
2. Rawhide. Before Clint Eastwood sold out to spaghetti, which was more Hollywood than Hollywood, he actually played a credible character along with other credible characters in a Western series in which "incidents" would occur along cattle drives.
Landmark episode: Incident of the Haunted Hills, one man is actually killed by a geyser. The Indians are the most noble characters of the story.
1. The Virginian...We get a good variety of leads. Sometimes James Drury is in the lead, but more often that not it is Doug McClure or Randy Boone or one of the others. You can also relate easier to the characters. Even the Virginian himself isn't the superman who beats up three men at a time like too many of the other Western heroes can do. The color and spectacle are magnificent, and the characters have credible motivations. There is less "kill the hot babe" in this series than in the other TV Westerns, which makes it more for heterosexual guys like myself.
Landmark episode: Strangers at Sundown, which is also a mystery story.
