CROSSBOW: 1987-89 Complete Series Adventures Of William Tell (1 Viewer)

[Bob Gu]

CROSSBOW: The Adventures of William Tell starring Will Lyman is being released by Millcreek on March 6, 2018. It's up for preorder online all over. Under $10. at importscds plus postage. Great price for a half-hour show that lasted 72 episodes. I see 1950's William Tell, Conrad Phillips, guest starred along with Guy Madison.

Crossbow was syndicated first run French produced series.

Any fans of the show want to recommend it? Is it a good swashbuckler?

 

[Darby67]

CROSSBOW: The Adventures of William Tell starring Will Lyman is being released by Millcreek on March 6, 2018. It's up for preorder online all over. Under $10. at importscds plus postage. Great price for a half-hour show that lasted 72 episodes. I see 1950's William Tell, Conrad Phillips, guest starred along with Guy Madison.

Crossbow was syndicated first run French produced series.

Any fans of the show want to recommend it? Is it a good swashbuckler?

I never saw the 1980's series but I have seen episodes of the 1950s The Adventures of William Tell starring Conrad Phillips and really enjoyed them. The only Region 1 release of the 1950s William Tell that I'm aware of is the 3-disc set released by Timeless Media Group in 2008 but I never bought it was not a complete series release (it contains 30 out of the total 39 episodes). I love the ITC/Sapphire Films adventure series from the 1950s and own the Mill Creek Region 1 complete series releases of The Adventures of Robin Hood and The Buccaneer. I have not yet purchased Timeless Media Goup's complete series release of The Adventures of Sir Lancelot and I would buy Region 1 complete series of The Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Adventures of William Tell if they ever materialized.

 

[Bob Gu]

There was a 1998 series shot in New Zealand called, THE LEGEND OF WILLIAM TELL. But it was a total fantasy type that doesn't follow the Tell legend, from what I read. 16 episodes released in other regions and up at YouTube.

The nice thing about the ITC swashbucklers was that they were based in reality. There was always a real world explanation or debunking of the magic, witches and ghosts they ran into.

 

[Bob Gu]

I was trying to edit a duplicate post #4 that has now shown up as the a new post #3.

edit to edit: Yikes! Now my original post three and four have been erased.

 

[Bob Gu]

oops!! lets try that again.
U.K. 50's TELL theme:

 

[Bob Gu]

U.S. 50's William Tell Theme : "The Freedom Song"

 

[Bob Gu]

U.S. 50's William Tell Theme : "The Freedom Song"

 

[Bob Gu]

So I'll try to recreate my missing post, which was a response to Sean's talking about the 50's Conrad Phillips WILLIAM TELL.

My first R2 order from NetworkUK was for the complete series DVD set of the Conrad Phillips WILLIAM TELL, in 2006. I had planned to watch it on my computer. The day the package arrived, I found an all region hack code, online, for the Philips DVD player hooked up to my regular TV. I thought that was fitting.

Sean mentioned the Timeless William Tell release. The Timeless release had the U.K. Wiliam Tell theme on all episodes. The NetworkUK set used the U.K. theme too, but did use the U.S. theme one episode. Both themes come from the William Tell Overture. The section of the theme used in the U.S. version comes from the beginning of the overture. The U.K. version comes from the same section as the LONE RANGER theme. That is probably why it was altered for the U.S. broadcast release.

That's why I posted those two versions of the William Tell theme from YouTube, which I hope are still here, above.

Getting back to CROSSBOW, I just remembered I have a DVD feature compilation of the first few episodes. I guess it did not make much of an impression, but I'll give it a new watch.

 

[LouA]

So I'll try to recreate my missing post, which was a response to Sean's talking about the 50's Conrad Phillips WILLIAM TELL.

My first R2 order from NetworkUK was for the complete series DVD set of the Conrad Phillips WILLIAM TELL, in 2006. I had planned to watch it on my computer. The day the package arrived, I found an all region hack code, online, for the Philips DVD player hooked up to my regular TV. I thought that was fitting.

Sean mentioned the Timeless William Tell release. The Timeless release had the U.K. Wiliam Tell theme on all episodes. The NetworkUK set used the U.K. theme too, but did use the U.S. theme one episode. Both themes come from the William Tell Overture. The section of the theme used in the U.S. version comes from the beginning of the overture. The U.K. version comes from the same section as the LONE RANGER theme. That is probably why it was altered for the U.S. broadcast release.

That's why I posted those two versions of the William Tell theme from YouTube, which I hope are still here, above.

Getting back to CROSSBOW, I just remembered I have a DVD feature compilation of the first few episodes. I guess it did not make much of an impression, but I'll give it a new watch.

Bob, so most likely Timeless used the UK release to master it's release from. Like you,I have the British release and I did notice that the one episode had the US theme which I was glad to have since that's the way I saw those programs over and over again in reruns !
I see Guy Madison mentioned as a guest star on Crossbow and it makes me wonder if The Adventures Of Wild Bill Hickock will ever be released on DVD or be aired on Cable TV.

 

[Bob Gu]

Probably, Lou, but I thought the NetworkUK set looked better.

I did wind up getting CROSSBOW. The show is growing on me, but I got distracted and may start over when I get back to it. Oddly, CROSSBOW does not use the William Tell Overture as the main theme. I think I hear bits of it in the background sometimes.

WILD BILL HICKOK was announced, in 2009, or so, as being part of the ANTENNA schedule, but that did not happen. Time sure gallops!!

 

[JayHink]

I watched the first season so far and really enjoyed it. I shared some of my thoughts in a review here.

I was sad that I missed it originally on The Family Channel. Would've fit in great with other shows I was watching there a little later.

Good action and fast-paced story for 80s cable (the short run time helps).