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The Virginian (1 Viewer)

benbess

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My top episodes of the 1968-69 season would be:

Silver Image
The Wind of Outrage
The Heritage
Ride to Misadventure
The Dark Corridor
Stopover
Last Grave at Socorro Creek
Crime Wave in Buffalo Springs
The Price of Love
The Girl in the Shadows
Fox, Hound and the Widow McCloud

Hard to pick a top two, but I'll go with the more "traditional Western movies" on this list, which are Misadventure and Socorro, although some others would quality for this category as well.
 

benbess

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Probably one of the things holding some people back from The Virginian is the 90 minute length of each episode. You really have to have time and patience for these, and even fans would admit that sometimes the extra length is a mixed blessing, with a few episodes seeming padded and slow. But most of the episodes range from good to sometimes all the way up to great. The show was able to develop larger themes, more complicated stories, and often develop deeper and more complicated characters. Sometimes the cinematography, music scores, guest stars, complicated screenplays, and direction make these episodes into TV movies that even rival decent Hollywood Western movies of the era.

The best place to begin with this show, of course, is back at the first season, although each episode is self contained, as is each season, and so any that happened to be available or on sale would work for a newcomer.

But here again is amazon reviewer paulf's perceptive take on some highlights of the first season of the Virginian, which was made and broadcast from 1962 to 1963 on NBC....

WOMAN FROM WHITE WING -- Guest star, Barry Sullivan
Betsy's biological father, now an outlaw, threatens to take her away. Series' second episode is one of the all-time best, with a terse script and edgy direction by Burt Kennedy. Sullivan gives an icy portrayal of a lost man consumed by bitterness.

THE BIG DEAL -- Guest star, Ricardo Montalban
A Colombian's land dispute with Judge Garth reaches the brink of violence. Fine episode is carried by Montalban's debonair charm. Pippa Scott's aloof Molly Wood character burdened the series and was soon dropped.

THE BRAZEN BELL -- Guest star, George C. Scott
Cowardly schoolteacher tries to summon the courage to oppose two escaped convicts holding his students hostage. Pulsating episode, written by Roland Kibbee and directed by James Sheldon, showcases Scott's virtuosity. His paralyzingly fearful character is the polar opposite of his later brash, bold Gen. Patton, but it's performed with the same searing intensity.

IMPASSE -- Guest star, Eddie Albert
The Virginian and crew drive a herd of horses down a mountain range despite predatory opposition from the Kroeger clan. Drury and McClure demonstate their cowboy credentials with some magnificent wrangling in this atmospheric outdoor drama. Albert, who made a career out of playing amiable second bananas, proves equally adept as a despicable character.

IT TOLLS FOR THEE -- Guest star, Lee Marvin
Desperado carrying a grudge kidnaps Judge Garth, with The Virginian, Trampas and Steve in hot pursuit. Deluxe episode directed by Samuel Fuller features a titanic clash of wills between Cobb and Marvin and culminates in a memorable shootdown.

THE DEVIL'S CHILDREN -- Guest star, Charles Bickford
An aging hardscrabble rancher can't control his wild offspring, leading to bloodshed. Solid episode, very capably directed by William Witney, presents an enlightened brief on following the rule of law instead of kneejerk retribution. Bickford took some steps up the social ladder four years later when he became the new patriarch of Shiloh ranch.

THE ACCOMPLICE -- Guest star, Bette Davis
Held-up bank teller knows Trampas is innocent of robbery but sees financial gain in refusing to clear him. The teller role gives Davis a part worthy of her talent and stature. She dominates her scenes, of course, but Drury and McClure hold their own.

IF YOU HAVE TEARS -- Guest star, Dana Wynter
The Virginian's attempt to help an army buddy framed for murder entangles him with the victim's widow. Drury works overtime to kindle some sparks in his romantic scenes with chilly Wynter. The secondary pairing of McClure with young Nancy Sinatra is more interesting but not developed. Pre-Man from U.N.C.L.E. Robert Vaughn gives a stylish performance as Wynter's weak brother.

THE SMALL PARADE -- Guest star, David Wayne
The Virginian, Trampas and Steve pause on the way home from a cattle drive to help a gaggle of orphans, their caretaker, a chimp and a vegetarian out of a tight spot. Light-hearted episode takes advantage of the relaxed camaraderie between Drury, McClure and Clarke, a vital series component lost forever when Clarke departed early in season three.

A DISTANT FURY -- Guest star, Ida Lupino
A respected townswoman who is actually a crook commits murder and casts suspicion on Steve. The generally under-utilized Clarke gets a rare starring gig. Lupino's performance shows some of the explosive energy that made her a star. Sixties sexpot Joey Heatherton adds some sizzle as Lupino's daughter.

THE MOUNTAIN OF THE SUN -- Guest star, Dolores Hart
The Virginian leads a team of missionary women into hostile Indian territory. Tall-tale adventure seems at odds with the series' mature bent, but Drury and Hart make it work. Hart's do-gooder role anticipates her real life decision to abandon show business and become a nun.
 

Hollywoodaholic

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benbess said:
Probably one of the things holding some people back from The Virginian is the 90 minute length of each episode. You really have to have time and patience for these, and even fans would admit that sometimes the extra length is a mixed blessing, with a few episodes seeming padded and slow. But most of the episodes range from good to sometimes all the way up to great. The show was able to develop larger themes, more complicated stories, and often develop deeper and more complicated characters.
It's most a character show centered around the guest star, as so many of the 60s shows were, and the show clocks in around 75 minutes per episode on disc. The one formula I've found with the show is that it's 73 minutes of character development, and then about 2 minutes of action to wrap it up. That's fine with me as someone who prefers character-oriented stories, but I just find it funny there's always a 2 minute action sequence right at the end. It was probably also a budget issue.
 

FanCollector

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Thanks for the recommendation--I watched The Last Grave at Socorro Creek this morning. Excellent show! Leo Penn was always such a marvelous director.
 

benbess

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FanCollector said:
Thanks for the recommendation--I watched The Last Grave at Socorro Creek this morning. Excellent show! Leo Penn was always such a marvelous director.
Yeah, he really pulled this one together. Any other things that he directed that come to mind that you recommend?

For this season, also check out Ride to Misadventure. Good stuff.
 

benbess

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Hollywoodaholic said:
It's most a character show centered around the guest star, as so many of the 60s shows were, and the show clocks in around 75 minutes per episode on disc. The one formula I've found with the show is that it's 73 minutes of character development, and then about 2 minutes of action to wrap it up. That's fine with me as someone who prefers character-oriented stories, but I just find it funny there's always a 2 minute action sequence right at the end. It was probably also a budget issue.
I'm not sure, but I don't think it was a budget issue most of the time. The Virginian was, after all, the most expensive show on television in the 1960s. My guess is that it was more than they thought of themselves as less of a shoot em up kind of Western than some. But they still wanted to keep that element in the show for a fair number of episodes, even if it wasn't a big part until the very end, as you've said, a fair amount of the time.

Ride to Misadventure, which I've already mentioned a few times, does have a few shootouts in different places, as well as a final one....
 

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benbess said:
Yeah, he really pulled this one together. Any other things that he directed that come to mind that you recommend?
Any Old Port in a Storm (Columbo)So Long, Patrick Henry (I Spy)The Enemy Within (Star Trek)Stakeout (Cannon)Thou Shalt Not Steele (Remington Steele)An Eye for an Eye (In the Heat of the Night)On a Bed of Harts (Hart to Hart)The King of Denmark (The Name of the Game)These are shows where the direction stands out for me. Penn directed episodes of tons of shows from the 60s to the 80s (as well as more episodes of some of the above series), so if you have particular favorite shows, you can check to see if he worked on those also. He really never did a bad job. There are even shows with pretty troubled scripts (such as The Summer House on Ghost Story) where he still makes them exciting and interesting to watch. He liked to vary his work a lot so he didn't attach himself too much to any single series over the years, although he did do a lot of Matlock episodes toward the end of his career, so if you are a fan of that series you have a lot of examples.Not sure how nature or nurture plays into it, but his son Sean is also a good director, though he doesn't direct very often.
 

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8.1 The Long Ride Home

The premiere episode of the final season! I liked this episode, which introduced Tom Matheson as the new character Jim Horn. He seemed a little bit like a young Trampas to me. Matheson, as you all know, has gone on to have a significant career for several decades now, and The Virginian can be proud for helping to launch his career. Whenever I see Leslie Nielsen I can't erase from my mind all of his comedy/parody roles from the 80s and 90s, which I enjoyed a lot, and so seeing him in this I kept smiling or wanting to laugh—even at times when it wasn't quite fitting. Nice very late 1960s music score by David Shire. This was a well photographed and edited episode with at times an almost "epic" feel. As often happens, it seemed surprisingly well-crafted and deluxe compared to the budget look of so much of the TV of this era. In terms of emotions, I can't say that I was fully engaged, but this was a solid entry for one of my favorite television shows of all time.
 

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Hollywoodaholic said:
It's most a character show centered around the guest star, as so many of the 60s shows were, and the show clocks in around 75 minutes per episode on disc. The one formula I've found with the show is that it's 73 minutes of character development, and then about 2 minutes of action to wrap it up. That's fine with me as someone who prefers character-oriented stories, but I just find it funny there's always a 2 minute action sequence right at the end. It was probably also a budget issue.
From reading the book about the making of Star Trek's season 1 (also an NBC show), I would suspect it was the network 'suits' reminding The Virginian's producers that they needed to have some action sequences and perhaps that was the compromise. Based on what I've read in that Trek book, it seemed to be a constant battle between Roddenberry and his people wanting character-driven stories with heavy statements and allegories, and NBC wanting more fistfights and monsters. I would think that sort of tug of war happened with many shows, including Virginian.
 

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Yeah, Andante, the action sometimes seems pushed on, but the story usually builds nicely to that point. It's just that the moment of action is usually over so quick, it seems obvious that it wasn't always the writer or director's focus, it's just something they had to get in there. It was a surprisingly non-violent show, but by this time there had already been a backlash against the earlier violent westerns from the 50s where the body counts really tallied up.

I haven't got to season 8 yet, but I do remember Tim Matheson showing up when I originally watched the show. That guy is like the picture of Dorian Grey. It seems like he's been around forever and in almost everything, and it took him ages and ages to actually seem like a grown man character actor. You gotta admire his longevity. Even today, you turn around, and he shows up in something.
 

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Hollywood, yeah, I've gotten that same sense too about the action sequences. I have seasons 1 and 6 and also watched a lot of other eps on Encore Westerns when it was airing daily a few years ago, and often the fights or shootouts seem like the bad medicine, to the writers, especially. I don't mind because I prefer characters and good dialogue anyway.

My favorite thing about the show is the quality of the guest stars. They certainly spent money in that area, and here's something that probably goes unnoticed--they also would have a lot of actors guesting in bit roles at the back of the credits, more than most shows. Seems like a small thing, but the more speaking roles there are, the more it seems, at least to me, like an actual Western town.
 

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8.2 Flash of Darkness
Somebody out there might make fun of me, but this was one of my favorite episodes of the whole show.
The Virginian is blinded by a fall off of his horse, and has to struggle to survive. He's helped and saved by a young woman named Ginny Kabe, played by beautiful guest star Pamela McMyler. James Drury is excellent in this physically and emotionally challenging role, and pulls off his injury and vulnerability well. I found it touching. And, I imagine, some of the ladies out there really enjoyed seeing this one. There was an interesting surreal nightmare sequence that seemed quite experimental for TV of the time. As usual, DP Enzo Martinelli does a wonderful job shooting this little movie. In fact, everyone was doing great work here, in the direction, editing, writing, performances, etc.
The one tiny moment I didn't quite like was when Trampas somehow figured out, Sherlock Holmes-style, that the V was blind. That just strained believability for me and took me out of it for a second. And I just didn't think it was needed for the story.
But, actually just this second I'm realizing that maybe it saved explanations at the end. Hmmm. Guess, I take it back. It was maybe an awkward but needed choice in the middle to help make the ending more dramatic and emotional, and less talky.
Because I really liked the heartfelt hug between the Virginian and Trampas at the end. They just held each other, and didn't need to say much of anything. A lot of talking and explanations wouldn't have been so good right then.
And the final farewell between Ginny and the V was heartfelt and truly touching. Somehow it choked me up.
 

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I would have enjoyed this more if it didn't belong in the other thread started about top story clichés of the 60s shows. Temporary blind shows make nice showpieces for the actors, but most of them are cringe worthy. This one was better than most, but still too predictable. What would happen if a regular series actually did suddenly make their main character go blind... for the rest of the series instead of an episode. Now THAT would be a bold twist.
 

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Hollywoodaholic said:
I would have enjoyed this more if it didn't belong in the other thread started about top story clichés of the 60s shows. Temporary blind shows make nice showpieces for the actors, but most of them are cringe worthy. This one was better than most, but still too predictable. What would happen if a regular series actually did suddenly make their main character go blind... for the rest of the series instead of an episode. Now THAT would be a bold twist.
Longstreet with James Franciscus.
 

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JMas said:
Longstreet with James Franciscus.
He was blinded to begin the series. I'm talking about a show that suddenly has the character go blind somewhere along in the series and then sticks with it. Or becomes paralyzed somewhere along in the series and goes with that (unlike Ironsides, where that's the basic premise). The only example I can think of is, and only with a minor character, is Bran in Game of Thrones, who was crippled after being thrown out a tower window in the first season and has been paralyzed below the waist ever since.
 

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8.03 Halfway back from Hell
I started out really looking forward to what was clearly a Trampas episode. We have some good guest stars here, including William Windom, John Dehner (the return of Morgan Starr!), Susan Howard, Anna Navarro, etc., etc. The story, however, is not just convoluted, but for me strained believability past the breaking point. I'm all in favor of prison reform, which clearly was the message of this one, but it seemed unconvincing on multiple levels, and so not only did it have little effect for its cause, I think it also it fell flat on its face in terms of the drama. I would call it an example of a fair amount of sound and fury that in the end amounted to close to nothing.
 

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8.4 The Power Seekers

The show gets back on track with this episode, which is an interesting and fairly realistic drama about politics in America at the time. The star of this one really is the guest star, Barry Sullivan, who plays a jaded politician fed up with the system who resigns as the territorial representative. Sullivan was a recognizable face, and when I looked at his imdb listing I could see why. He was in literally hundreds of television shows from the 1950s to the 1980s. The screenplay for this one by Robert Van Scoyk was unusually intelligent about the political corruption that even good people can get into, which Sullivan expertly portrays. Clay Grainger gets roped into running, and by the end has had an eye-opening political education. Nice husband-wife drama in this one. Realistic with real chemistry, since the actors were in fact married. A solid episode. I'd rate it a B+
 

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8.05 The Family Man

I liked this one too, which gives a star turn to new series regular Tim Matheson. It's a realistic near love story with a beautiful new mother, played by the lovely Darleen Carr, whose husband has abandoned her. Beautiful and slightly melancholy music score by David Shire. Another winner. B+
 

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