Rawhide (1 Viewer)

[Dave Scarpa]

Did they ever say they were on different cattle drive's for the 8 years or are we to assum it was one long 8 year drive?

 

[michael_ks]

The one and only cattle drive the series dealt with was from San Antonio, Texas to Sedalia, Kansas. Looking at each of the individual 217 episodes as being "a day in the life" of the drive makes it seem a bit more sensible for time frame.

Does anyone recall how many different openings there are for "Rawhide" across the 7 1/2 seasons? I have not received my S2 set in the mail yet, so I'm not sure if the opening titles are the same as S1. I do recall seeing a very memorable opening (from episodes seen on the Hallmark channe)l which showcased bronze statuettes turning about the camera. Also, was the Frankie Laine track ever re-recorded for later seasons?

 

[silverking]

Well folks, actually the drive was completed on a few occasions. Notably halfway through Season 3 & was dealt with in a series of episodes 'Incident Near the Promised Land' 'Incident of the Big Blowout' 'Incident of the Fish Out of Water' in which Favor decides to give up cattle droving & we get to meet his two daughters who had only been briefly referred to previously.'Incident On the Road Back' & 'Incident of the New Start' in which Favor is demoted to ramrod by the Cattlemans Association.

They also reached their destination at the end of S4 in the episode'Abilene'.They had dropped the 'Incudent of' in the title for S4 but reinstated it for S5 & 6 before dropping it altogether for the last two seasons.

After that it became a bit loose with no specific continuity and drives starting & finishing sometimes all in one episode,

As for opening titles, quite a few different ones were used throughout the run,sometimes cattle milling around or crossing a river etc.Not sure without checking, when the bronze statuettes came in. S4 or 5 I think.For the last season they went to a series of drawings & certainly a different recording of the theme song, which was dropped for the closing credits.

The only actors to appear in the entire run apart from Eastwood were Wishbone & Jim Quince (Steve Raines) whose role was expanded as the show went on & he also wrote a few scripts.

 

[michael_ks]

Thanks, Chris--lots of great information here. I stand corrected on the cattle drive thing. I wonder if specific destinations were given in some of those episodes in S3 you mentioned.

I have a feeling that if Paramount does see the series through to completion I'll find myself missing Sheb Wooley as the the scout Pete Nolan--I really like him in that role. Understated and low-keyed, yet pivotal. As for Eric Fleming, I can't help but lament his very difficult childhood and of course the tragedy that ended his life at the point where he had finally reached some measure of recognition. He lived the great majority of his life, in his words, "out of a paper bag", that even when he was making a great deal of money, Fleming continued to live a life of very modest means. Also, his untimely death was preceded by a premonition that haunted him for many years--believing that he would be cut down early in life and die in rather horrific fashion. Between his unique authoratative voice and commanding presence, his portrayal as a trail boss is absolultely first rate and I'm finally getting the chance to really appreciate his talents with the dvd sets.

Of the four classic tv/dvd sets I ordered from DeepDiscount this week, "Rawhide" will be the set I'll be viewing first!

 

[Dan McW]

S1 opening titles had no cast-member names. Seems like S2's open was similar but added a few of the top stars' names. Fleming was always billed over Eastwood in their seven seasons together, despite the way the DVD sets show the billing.

 

[David Lambert]

It IS on the studio's radar, I can tell you that much. But I'm not sure if they've pulled the trigger on it. I sure don't have a street date, or even a street month or year.

 

[Gary OS]

Thanks David. Getting little tidbits like this is very nice, plus it encourages more folks to purchase knowing the studio is at least thinking about the second half, IMHO.

Gary "hoping that Fox feels the same with the 2nd half of BIG VALLEY, Season 2" O.

 

[Jeff#]

After Eric Fleming left Rawhide in 1965 and before his death in Peru making an MGM adventure TV movie pilot called "High Jungle" a year & 1/2 later, he did 3 guest appearances on BONANZA. They had him as a psychotic sheriff in an episode entitled "Peace Officer", and the season after that he turned up in a rare
2 parter "The Pursued" (in which he played a Mormon with two wives).

 

[jdee28]

I used to get the Rawhide discs back when Columbia House used to sell them in 2003/04. They released 10 discs, comprising the entire 1st season and the first 9 episodes from the second.

The 7 discs in the first season release of Rawhide into stores by CBS/Paramount are exactly the first 7 discs that were released by Columbia House. If you notice on the main menu of each disc, it even says "Rawhide: Collector's Edition," which was how Columbia House sold the series. While the video quality of the release is much better than what Columbia House did for Gunsmoke or Have Gun-Will Travel, it' a bit hap-hazard -- any Rawhide episode that was released by Columbia House on VHS in the 90s was transferred onto DVD from video masters and as a result have a lot more noise/digital artifacts going on in the picture; episodes that weren't on VHS are transferred from film elements and look a little better -- there's less "noise" in the picture. In any event, we probably have the Columbia House releases to thank for Rawhide Season 1 ever seeing the light of day.

Happily with the second season release, CBS/Paramount is no longer using the Columbia House Rawhide discs. They seemed to have a done a new authoring for all the episodes in this release, going back to the film elements, with a result that there's less noise in the picture. Hopefully, when CBS/Paramount releases Gunsmoke Season 1, they'll do a new authoring too, as the Columbia House discs for Gunsmoke Season 1 were absolutely awful.

It's also definitely good news for Rawhide that CBS made new discs that Columbia House didn't. In contrast, look at Have Gun-Will Travel; Columbia House didn't finish the 4th season in their DVD release, and there's been no sign that CBS will ever bother to complete it and release it in stores.

 

[Jeff#]

Didn't finish the 4th season? Hell, they didn't even start it!

 

[silverking]

The discontinuation of HGWT was a major disappointment, particularly as Columbia House did complete the entire run on video.

Agree about CH's 'Gunsmoke' DVD's.I stopped getting them after S2. Episodes they had not previously issued on tape were particularly poor. In one instance they even got two reels in the wrong order. Some of the openings where Matt walks up Boot Hill & delivers his little speech were missing. The episode 'The Preacher' had this scene tacked on from a different episode.Encouragingly when Paramount released this episode on one their 'Best of' sets it was corrected & a much improved print. Hopefully they will take the same care with the forthcoming S1 release.

Westerns do not seem to do particularly well on DVD , with HGWT & Cheyenne and possibly 'Big Valley' having bitten the dust I am really hoping Rawhide stays the pace.I am even a little edgy about Wild,Wild West.

 

[michael_ks]

Yes, it's the one genre in my collection for which I do not have a complete series collection (although at least one, [Kung Fu] is of my own choosing--I disliked the direction the series headed in S3). I was really counting on completing HGWT and "The Rifleman" but I believe those hopes are dashed for good. "Wanted: Dead or Alive" is still a possibility for completion as there is only one season remaining. I must say I was pleasantly surprised with the announcement of S2 after a long hiatus. The "Wild Wild West", while enjoyable (I have S1) blends western settings with secret agent/science fiction elements, giving the series broader public appeal. It's no coincidence to me that a film was made of WWW while one was not made for "Rawhide", "Wagon Train" or "The Rebel".

For an archetype that was so omnipresent in primetime during the 50s and 60s, tv westerns, (vintage in particular) apparently do not appear to be trans-generational. A lot of this has to do with how much westerns mirrored the socio-political climate of the times and our conservative values. In no other television based genre did guns serve as such a focal point of a story, depicted primarily as a respected tool to assist in meting out justice and bringing about order in society. That hasn't carried over well to present times in light of the controversies surrounding gun use. There is the occassional western series being made like "Deadwood" (which I can't comment on as I've never seen it) but this is a rare entry within a fading genre.

 

[Bob Hug]

With a few exceptions (notably “Gunsmoke”), the Western as a weekly series was pretty much over by the late 1960s. There have been some network series like “The Young Riders” and “The Magnificent Seven,” made in more recent times, but TV Westerns seemed to have morphed from weekly series into some great mini-series like “Lonesome Dove” and its various sequels. In recent years, we’ve had “Into the West” and “Broken Trail” (with Robert Duvall, also of “Lonesome Dove”). Westerns are still being made for the small screen, just not like they were in the heydays of the 1950s and 1960s.

 

[michael_ks]

So true, Bob. And we know good and well what the climate was like by the late 60s. Series like "Rawhide" must really seem prehistoric to people in their 20s today, just too much of a relict from a bygone era--not topical or "in". And then there is the B&W factor. For me, shows like "Rawhide" and HGWT are wonderful for their historic setting and timeless themes. And the B&W imagery adds rather than detracts from the enjoyment I get in viewing shows like these.

I've caught glimpses of "Young Riders" and it seemed to me that there were too many contemporary references. Producers created a pseudo-Brooklyn gang and put them in the old west.

 

[Jeff Willis]

Bob, Mike, you guys are right about the dying-breed westerns. There certainly wasn't much to choose from after '69 as far as the western serials.
I wish it wasn't the case. I only hope that Chris's predictions don't pan out (no offense, Chris ) Big Valley is one of my all-timer's so I'm still hoping that we'll see S2 V2 soon. That's one of very few series that gets me to thinking about finally getting that DVR It seems that just about the time I decide to get one of those things, a particular series is released on DVD and I put that idea on the back burner again. I think that, due to what Chris mentioned, WWW will get continued releases. As for Rawhide, we'd be very fortunate to get the entire series released but anything can happen in this business. I've been going through S1 faster than I usually go with my DVD sets. Must be telling me something

I'm still waiting for a DVD release of the 70's miniseries "How the West Was Won". "Alias Smith/Jones" was a rare 70's series, made from the theme of the blockbuster film from '69 with Newman/Redford (Butch Cassidy/Sundance Kid).

 

[Dave Scarpa]

Same is happening to me with S2 and it's no help it's only 16 episodes, I have to slow don my viewng because it was a year between sets last time. Still I will be done soon and am looking for more

 

[michael_ks]

Dave,

How does the tone and "feel" of the show compare with season 1? In my opinion, the aura of the series as presented in its initial season is just about as perfect as perfect can be.

 

[Gary OS]

Michael, I know you asked for Dave's opinion, but if you don't mind hearing mine as well I'll share it. I think the second season is just as powerful as the first. The atmosphere is exactly the same, if not better. I know that's a tall order, but it's the truth. I highly recommend this second season set.

Gary "lets hope and pray that Paramount keeps these coming" O.

 

[michael_ks]

Thanks, Gary--You know I value your opinion as well. Now I'm doubly looking forward to this set. I would have already revisited S1 by now except that I'm still trying to get through my backlog of other vintage releases. Haven't even quite finished "Daniel Boone" S2 yet.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

Micheal, I would say the tone is about the same, that ever present tension from something being out there is still prevelent thru the second season, thou this is only the first half of it. They did sneak in a few lighthearted moments, the first season didn't have many of these. I think there's a bit more stories happening outside the drive, like the ep where Rowdy and Wishbone get forced into serving on a town's jury. There's a few more shows where it's Favor alone, and a few where Rowdy is by himself, in fact the 1st ep of the 2nd season is all Rowdy. And I think Favor is has lightened up a tad, not much mind you, but a little. It's still a fantastic series, even if Clint Gets beat up alot in it.