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Ahhh, the American
West. Is there really any other time in
U.S history that appeals to so many people?
Certainly it has its appeal for me. I love
westerns, whether in movie or TV show format,
the more realistic the better.
There was a time when western shows dominated
our TV sets, but that time appears to have
passed. As a matter of fact, the only western
I can think of on TV now is the ultra-violent,
completely family unfriendly, "Deadwood."
And that series is currently in its final
season the year.
Oh well, admittedly as much as I enjoy and
appreciate the power of a series like "Deadwood",
with its raunchy language and realistic
attitudes, I generally prefer to try and
catch some of my favorite shows from yesteryear.
Give me "The Lone Ranger" or "Have
Gun, Will Travel" any day. But of all
the western shows my parents introduced
me to… my absolute favorite was "Rawhide."
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While it premiered 4 years before I was born,
the magic and wonder of syndication introduced
me to the world of Gil Favor (Eric Fleming), Rowdy
Yates (Clint Eastwood) and Pete Nolan (Sheb Wooley).
"Rawhide" was set in the 1860's and
focused on the men of a cattle drive that had
set out from San Antonio, Texas and were one their
way to Sedalia, Kansas. Each week, during the
hour long episodes, Favor and his crew would face
everything from outlaws to epidemics to angry
farmers. Some stories would involve protecting
person or persons in need, while others would
introduce viewers to the day to day life of cattle
drovers. As much as I loved the series, it wasn't
until years later that I would learn that it had
earned The Western Heritage Award from the National
Cowboy Hall of Fame for four years running, in
recognition for excellence in depicting the American
West. All I knew was that is was a great show.
While most people today probably haven't heard
of "Rawhide", there are still signs
that the series made it mark on the American Television
Landscape. The most obvious being that it was
a career making turn for actor Clint Eastwood,
who went on to become a superstar for both his
acting and directing talents (not to mention the
guy can play a mean piano). Then there's that
memorable theme song, sung by the then famous
Frankie Laine. Even now, I often hear younger
audiences 'trying' to sing the song… only
to inevitably get it wrong. But hey, at least
they try.
"Rawhide" ran for eight seasons, and
for all that time it was considered one of the
best written and directed series of its day. And
to be fair, none of that would have mattered if
the acting had been less than stellar. Viewers
would not be surprised to see great performances
out of Eastwood, but the real star of the series
was Eric Fleming, who led the cattle drives for
the first six seasons. As Gil Favor, he was the
ultimate good guy… as tough as he was fair.
He would never give a second thought to helping
someone or writing a wrong. And even if it was
his own men who were doing wrong, he would step
in to take charge of the situation.
This month Paramount is finally releasing the
first season of this great western show in a seven
disc DVD set. It features all 21 episodes of the
first season along with an additional bonus episode
from the second. Each episode has been re-mastered,
and while there are the occasional scratches and
imperfections, I have no doubt these episodes
look better than they did when they originally
aired. I will mention that the cover of the DVD
set has a color picture of the lead cast, the
series itself was shot in black & white at
the time.
If there is any disappointment I have with the
set, it is simply that there are no special features.
No interviews (come one Eastwood!) or featurettes
are to be found anywhere. I'm hoping that this
series will find a new life on DVD and that sales
of this season will be strong enough to warrant
the release of all eight seasons. And perhaps
if sales are brisk, Paramount will dig up some
special features on these subsequent releases.
Only time will tell, and I'll definitely be watching.
Episodes:
Incident of the Tumbleweed Wagon
Incident at Alabaster Plain
Incident with an Executioner
Incident of the Widowed Dove
Incident on the Edge of Madness
Incident of the Power and the Plow
Incident Barker Springs
Incident West of Lano
Incident of the Town in Terror
Incident of the Golden Calf
Incident of the Coyote Weed
Incident of the Chubasco
Incident of the Curious Street
Incident of the Dog Days
Incident of the Calico Gun
Incident of the Misplaced Indians
Incident of Fear in the Streets
Incident Below the Brazos
Incident of the Dry Drive
Incident of the Judas Trap
Incident in No Man's Land
Incident of the Burst of Evil
Incident of the Roman Candles
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Eric Fleming
Extras: None
Specifications:
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 7/25/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
We'll give Rawhide: Season 1 a B+.
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