My 4 star review of 52 TV WESTERNS edited by SCOTT HARRIS, PAUL BISHOP and
ROB WORD
Fun
mix of the fondly-remembered, the quirky and the surprising
Acclaimed authors SCOTT HARRIS and PAUL BISHOP and TV
writer/producer ROB WORD have put together reviews of 52 TV Western shows/ TV
movies, drawing upon some other writers to help. I’m in here, reviewing one
series.
Although the heyday of TV Westerns was 1955-1975 this compendium takes
us from early shows like ‘The Range Rider’
Jock Mahoney was THE RANGE RIDER
through long-running staples like ‘Gunsmoke’
James Arness as Matt Dillon in GUNSMOKE
and ‘Bonanza,’
one-season wonders
like ‘The Westerner’
Brian Keith as THE WESTERNER
right up to date
with ‘Godless.’
Michelle Dockery in the woman-centric western series GODLESS
It isn’t intended to
be a complete, exhaustive list which would run far beyond 52 series but a look
at 52 examples of a form that has managed to be surprisingly diverse.
So there’s
spy-western hybrids (‘The Wild Wild West’)
Robert Conrad and Ross Martin in THE WILD WILD WEST
tongue-in-cheek westerns with anti-hero leads (‘Maverick’)
James Garner in MAVERICK
‘intellectual’ westerns like ‘The Loner’,
Lloyd Bridges in THE LONER
family westerns (‘Little
House on the Prairie’)
and series aiming for gritty authenticity (‘The High Chaparral.’)
What unites the
articles is the love the authors have for these shows and their pleasure in
describing what makes them different and memorable.
I was pleasantly surprised
that this compendium doesn’t lean too much on the well-known but highlights a
number of interesting and quirky series I wasn’t familiar with (‘Legend’ ‘The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.’ etc.,)
setting me the task of checking
them out.
Richard Dean Anderson in LEGEND
Bruce Campbell portrayed Brisco County Jr. (a person not a place) in THE ADVENTURES OF...
If I have a criticism it’s whether the inclusion of ‘Dead Men’ and ‘Justified’ can be – pardon the pun – justified.
Overall though, in
this anthology, the reader can visit fondly-remembered old favourites, shows too
ahead of their time to flourish, and newer items helping to keep this form
alive. And, most importantly, thanks to the enthusiasm of the contributors and
editors, have fun doing it. Recommended.
Other review of 52 TV WESTERNS:
5 Stars - ‘If you're a fan of TV
westerns, I highly recommend this book!’
and Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46832785-52-weeks---52-tv-westerns
You can also find 52 TV WESTERNS here: https://www.amazon.com/52-Weeks-TV-Westerns/dp/1079314326/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=52+tv+westerns+scott+harris&qid=1564733832&s=books&sr=1-1
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