Essential TV Western 150 Episodes

A bonanza from western TV's golden age
ESSENTIAL TV WESTERNS is a most interesting mix of 150 episodes of mostly 1950s and '60s television. Among the 18 series represented are the expected programs, like BONANZA, ROY ROGERS or ANNIE OAKLEY. Of especial interest are the shows that came and went with little fanfare, such as 26 MEN, RANGO, OUTLAWS, COWBOY G-MEN and TATE. Some, like "Outlaws" featured many famous guest stars during their brief run. "Rango" was a comedy starring Tim Conway and Guy Marks (he sang the spoof song, "Loving You Has Made Me Bananas"). "Tate" is a Civil War vet who lost part of his left arm. When he can't find work, Tate becomes a gunslinger. "26 Men" is based on the actual files of the Arizona Rangers. "Cowboy G-Men" stars Jackie Coogan (Uncle Fester in "The Addams Family") as a government agent.

The dozen DVDs in this collection are stored in gloss-coated heavy paper sleeves that are housed in a sturdy easy-access box. Transfer quality, although primarily dependent on source material, is...

Not much new here, but still plenty of bang for the buck
The Essential TV Westerns 150 Episode Pack may not have many surprises - most of these shows have been available for some time - but if you're just starting you're collection, you can't beat the price. The videos are mostly in good shape (the night scenes are pretty murky, but that's a minor caveat IMHO) and you get a nice mix of programs.

The Adventures of Jim Bowie (1956) - this show, starring Scott Forbes, ran two years and was set in 1830s New Orleans before the title character moved to San Antonio - and his date with destiny. As such, it's really more of a "southern" than a "western", but the unusual setting is what sets it apart from other contemporary offerings - that, and the protagonist's primary weapon, his nine-inch long Bowie knife. Episodes included in this set are: Gone to Texas, Jackson's Assassination, Jim Bowie Comes Home, Monsieur Francois, Osceola, Outlaw Kingdom and The Select Females.

The Adventures of Kit Carson (1951) - In this early...

150 Western TV Episodes of Public Domain Goodness
Essential TV Westerns is a collection of 150 episodes from 18 different Western TV shows from the days when Hollywood knew how to make great Westerns on both the big and small screens. I paid $21.99 for my set and considering that you can pay $5 and higher for just 4 episodes of one of these shows, you cannot complain about the price. The reason why you can get so many episodes for such a low price is that all of these shows are in the public domain. The quality of the prints used in this collection vary, but overall you will get a fairly decent picture on your screen.

The really great thing about this collection is that it is not limited to the usual suspects, that is shows such as Annie Oakley, Bonanza, Jim Bowie, Judge Roy Bean and Stories of the Century that are quite easy to find and obtain. The collection also includes such shows as Cowboy G-Men, The Gabby Hayes Show, Pistols & Petticoats, Rango and Tate that are fairly hard to find on DVD.

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