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Blu-ray Review Cheyenne: The Complete Series Blu-ray Review (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter Josh Steinberg
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I watched more than my usual sample size would be for a set of this size - once I got started, it was hard to stop. And now that I’m finished, I miss the show. It’s been some time since something I reviewed was likely to graduate to my regular rotation but this will.
Really had a wonderful experience reviewing this and being transported to another time and place. There were so many days over the past month where I’d drop the kids off at school, and then come home, make a pot of coffee, and sit down and do a couple episodes before getting on with the day. And now that this is finished, the mornings just aren’t the same.
This is really one of the best things to come across my review desk in quite some time. On the one hand, I suppose it’s objectively ridiculous that there would be a man wandering across the entirety of the American Old West always arriving at the right place at the right time who just so happened to have whatever rare skill set was needed to save the day, but on the other hand, as long as we’re doing wish fulfillment, it’s a really beautiful notion to imagine that there’s always help on the way. (It sure is amazing how many people and places and lines of work Cheyenne knows. And though the show ran for seven years, so many of the episodes have him spending an entire winter or summer season in one location - if we tried to pin down the amount of time Cheyenne was on his adventures, it would have to add up to far more than seven years’ worth given that many of the episodes will have him staying in a town or on a ranch for weeks or months.)
I’ve said before that “Have Gun, Will Travel” is sort of my benchmark for television westerns and that’s still true. Those 30 minute shows are basically unmatched for that format. But comparing that to “Cheyenne,” I find that Paladin is always striving to do the moral thing - even if that means acting with a certain harsh clarity - whereas Cheyenne is always striving to do the kind thing. It’s a subtle distinction.
“Cheyenne” also makes better use of the hour-long format than the other 60 minute shows of the era that I’ve frequented. The other hour long westerns I’ve reviewed from Warner Archive tended to run out of steam before episode’s end, but “Cheyenne” more often than not puts that time to good use.
I have to go find a copy of that Maverick crossover and also his appearance in that Kenny Rogers TV movie.
Really had a wonderful experience reviewing this and being transported to another time and place. There were so many days over the past month where I’d drop the kids off at school, and then come home, make a pot of coffee, and sit down and do a couple episodes before getting on with the day. And now that this is finished, the mornings just aren’t the same.
This is really one of the best things to come across my review desk in quite some time. On the one hand, I suppose it’s objectively ridiculous that there would be a man wandering across the entirety of the American Old West always arriving at the right place at the right time who just so happened to have whatever rare skill set was needed to save the day, but on the other hand, as long as we’re doing wish fulfillment, it’s a really beautiful notion to imagine that there’s always help on the way. (It sure is amazing how many people and places and lines of work Cheyenne knows. And though the show ran for seven years, so many of the episodes have him spending an entire winter or summer season in one location - if we tried to pin down the amount of time Cheyenne was on his adventures, it would have to add up to far more than seven years’ worth given that many of the episodes will have him staying in a town or on a ranch for weeks or months.)
I’ve said before that “Have Gun, Will Travel” is sort of my benchmark for television westerns and that’s still true. Those 30 minute shows are basically unmatched for that format. But comparing that to “Cheyenne,” I find that Paladin is always striving to do the moral thing - even if that means acting with a certain harsh clarity - whereas Cheyenne is always striving to do the kind thing. It’s a subtle distinction.
“Cheyenne” also makes better use of the hour-long format than the other 60 minute shows of the era that I’ve frequented. The other hour long westerns I’ve reviewed from Warner Archive tended to run out of steam before episode’s end, but “Cheyenne” more often than not puts that time to good use.
I have to go find a copy of that Maverick crossover and also his appearance in that Kenny Rogers TV movie.
John Hermes
Screenwriter
As I recall, the Maverick episode "Hadley's Hunters" does not actually have Clint Walker in it. It was shot when he was out on strike and even has a little inside joke about that.
***There is an episode of Bronco titled "Duel At Judas Basin" where the Cheyenne, Bronco, and Sugharfoot characters all participate.
***There is an episode of Bronco titled "Duel At Judas Basin" where the Cheyenne, Bronco, and Sugharfoot characters all participate.
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Garysb
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Thank you for the excellent review. I am guessing, since they were not mentioned, that the first season episodes do not include the Gig Young hosted backstage previews of upcoming Warner Bros films that were part of "The Warner Bros Presents" first season. This is also why the first season episodes are shorter than the rest of them.
Garysb
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Season 4 episode 2 "Hadley's Hunters" Jack Kelly Maverick episode is available on Starz for those who subscribe to this service. Starz also has the Bronco episode.
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That’s correct, those are not included.
I know a bunch of those segments have appeared as bonus features on the discs for the movies they were originally promoting. It would be a fun project to marry them back to their original episodes to get that full experience.
Similarly, I have a lot of the “Disneyland” anthology series on disc thanks to various releases of individual stories and sub-series and when I put them into my Plex database, instead of doing “Davy Crockett” as it’s own series, it’s all under a “Disneyland” umbrella so that I can watch everything I have in broadcast order. Just don’t have enough time to watch all the stuff I plan for myself
Dan McW
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Bodie says in one episode that the reason he left Cheyenne was "because of the atmosphere--too much lead in the air."
Bryan^H
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Great review Josh, thanks. With all the classic TV series on Blu-Ray and DVD being released recently, I almost forgot about this one. Your glowing review fast tracked my decision. This will be my next purchase.
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