Review for The Virginian: The Complete Series 1

'The Virginian' never seemed to be off TV in the 1960's. The fact that it ran pretty solidly from 1962 right through to the early 1970's across nine lengthy seasons may account for this. By the time it hit the screens, the genre was getting long in the tooth. 'Rawhide' and 'Gunsmoke' had already twisted the well-worn cliché's into melodrama and 'The Virginian' picked up where this left off. In truth, the series had more in common with 'Peyton Place' than 'True Grit'.


Set on the Shiloh Ranch in Wyoming in the late 1800's, 'The Virginian' was perhaps the first (and last?) to eke out its stories to feature length each week, filling a full 90 minute slot (including ad breaks).


Based on the 1902 novel by Owen Wister that most critics credit as the first "Western", the TV series pretty much continued where a movie version had left off, albeit with a different cast and a totally different look and feel. Filmed often in studios, there are plenty of nicely lit close ups, with very occasional excursions to the outside world - filmed in the dusty plains and mountains near the studios in LA.


Sadly, the single DVD-R sent to me for review (plus a DVD-R of the extras) meant that I could only see one or two episodes (the third wouldn't play and the second stuck half way through) so my review is based on seeing a single episode and some interview extras only.




One of the great features of 'The Virginian' was that it combined a great core cast (James Drury, Doug McClure, Lee J. Cobb) with a vista of high grade guest stars. Season 1 alone boasts Bette Davis, George C. Scott, Lee Marvin, Robert Duvall, Robert Vaughn, Nancy Sinatra, Jack Warden, Fabian, Howard Duff, and John Dehner.


As all the regulars were fixed at the ranch, the plots featured these various individuals drifting into their lives momentarily, usually bringing some sort of problem that needed resolving with them. Pretty formulaic for a nine season series, but with so much variation, a formula that worked and delivered on the entertainment stakes.


In the episode I watched, Hugh O´Brien plays the son of a man that the town of Medicine Bow had lynched, allegedly because he killed a woman. O'Brien seems just like any other drifter to start with but gets weirder by the second, befriending the local teacher and becoming a bad influence with drink. The ranch owner, Judge Garth (Lee J. Cobb) is seen as a tough and decisive man, but not a perfect one.


The Virginian (James Drury) is just a pretty regular guy, and as foreman of the Shiloh Ranch he is senior to cowhands Trampas (Doug McClure) or Steve Hill (Gary Clarke).

Though I was looking at a single episode on DVD-R, it looked (pardon the vernacular) 'mighty fine', the result of some serious digital restoration and in as good a shape as you will have ever seen it.


Whilst heavy on long-winded interviews (some 120 minutes worth), fans will get some real insight into the series and how it was made. James Drury still looks in pretty good shape and comes across as a pretty uncompromising chap who once or twice stood his ground to get cut-backs in staging and props put back into the series, of which he clearly remains extremely proud. The shooting schedule (a 90 minute movie a week effectively) put an enormous strain on cast and crew, but they pulled it off and it's clear that they all look back fondly on those hard-working, high pressure years. Other than Drury, Roberta Shore and Gary Clarke are also present (but filmed separately) - though Cobb passed away in 1976 and McClure in 1995, so there is nothing with them. Interestingly, there are also perspectives from Robert Fuller ('Wagon Train') and Peter Brown ('Lawman') who offer the outsider view.


Overall, with such great entertainment on offer here along with so many great re-mastered episodes in this first season, I would recommend any fan of the genre to swiftly add this one to their collection. My 'proper set' is on pre-order!