Pop Culture Chronicles

The Wild Wild West

I love introducing my kids to stuff I grew up watching. Sometimes they rate my old TV favorites as awesome and other times they find them cheesy. All four seasons of the TV series The Wild Wild West are on DVD, so we recently watched the first four episodes of season two. I started with season two since it was the first color season. 

The same plot formula was used in the first three episodes. An evil maniacal genius wants to take over the world (or a part of it). His henchmen are mostly silent bafoons. There is a damsel in distress, but James West isn't sure he can trust her. The sets, colors, and costumes are outlandishly over-the-top. The villains were played by such notables as Victor Buono (King Tut on Batman), Boris Karloff, and Michael Dunn as Dr. Loveless, a recurring character who is an evil dwarf and West's arch nemesis. He is instantly my teen-aged son's favorite villain, as he was mine when I was a kid. My 11-year-old daughter says West's pants are too tight, so she attributes his fighting abilities to "spandex power."

The fourth episode was a little less formula with Ida Lupino as a kind-of female Dr. Frankenstein who resurrects cadavers and disguises them as government agents to carry out assassinations. West and Gordon are both kidnapped and locked in her dungeon one dark and stormy night. The episode is notable for being the only one in which Robert Conrad gets less screen time than Ross Martin whose Artie Gordon character is a bit more developed and gets to fall in love and to demonstrate his fencing prowess. It's definitely the best episode of the four. 

For the uninitiated, The Wild Wild West was far from being a conventional western. It was about two secret service agents, James West and Artemus Gordon who worked under President Grant and traveled by private train car. While West was typically the fighter and the ladies' man, Gordon was a master of disguise and inventor of gadgets. West was created to be a James Bond on horseback.

I hear that the third season was slightly more conventionally western which makes me want to watch it and refresh my memory. I was excited to get home from school on weekday afternoons at four o'clock during the 70s to watch this series in syndication. I later watched it on Saturday nights at nine on an independent TV channel out of Texas.

The series combined the western, spy, and sci-fi genres. It was popular enough to be a comic book with seven issues published in 1969, the final year of the TV series run. The final season saw little of Ross Martin who was recovering from a heart attack throughout most of filming. He and Conrad were reunited in 1979 and 1980 for two made-for-TV movie sequels. A James West Limited Edition Action Figure in the likeness of Conrad was produced in 1997.

The theatrical Wild Wild West with Will Smith bears little resemblance to the TV series and is best forgotten. But rumor has it that the man who revived Battlestar Galactica will soon be pitching a revived Wild Wild West to the TV networks. We shall see.        

A New Way to Watch Old TV

Remember the old days when you actually had to wait until your favorite program came on before you could watch it? If you weren't in front of the TV at that time, you were just out of luck. Then came VCRs. We could now record shows while we were away, but there was still that matter of setting the timer and hoping you went through all the steps just right. (The DVR has greatly simplified the recording process).

But recording wasn't fool proof. If the start of your show was delayed by a news bulletin or sporting event in overtime, you might not get the ending recorded. When you did, there was still all those commercials to fast forward through.  

But it wasn't long before programs started coming to video, and later DVD, and still later Blue Ray. Now we can purchase what we really want to watch. But that could run into mountains of money, so the video rental store became popular. But if every copy of what we wanted was already rented, or did not even come to that store, again we were out of luck. Plus we had to waste time and gas driving.  

Then came the mail order video rental, but now Netflix has gone even a step farther offering streaming video as a part of their monthly membership package, the least expensive of which is only around $11.00 a month. This provides unlimited streaming video and unlimited DVD rentals (but only one DVD out at a time. If you want more you must pay more).

What I really like is the streaming video feature, but that doesn't mean you have to watch TV on your computer. You can buy a Roku player for less than $100 which puts the streaming video right on your TV. It is ridiculously easy to install. High speed internet is a must. You can use ethernet if you like, but Roku is also set up to handle a wireless router.

We've had our Roku for over a year now and we have greatly enjoyed it. It's like TV a la carte. Pick what you want to watch, click on it with the remote, and you're in business. You can pause it if you get interrupted. You can even design your own instant queue. The selection of what is available on streaming video does rotate. Shows are on for a while and then replaced just like on syndicated television.

While this is old news to many, I am especially excited about what this means for comic fans and western fans, of which I am both. The available programs include old TV series like westerns that also came to comics. These include Gunsmoke, Cheyenne, Have Gun Will Travel, and Wagon Train. Other shows that have since been made into comics include 24, the A-Team, Dark Shadows, Heroes, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, and the Munsters. All of these are currently available to watch at any time. Shows whose characters began in comics include Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, The Incredible Hulk, Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and a number of the DC "straight-to-DVD" animated features.

In terms of mail order, our Netflix queue has Superboy, the animated Batman, Superman, and Justice League series, the 1967 Spiderman cartoons, Wonder Woman, Young Indiana Jones, the Three Stooges, Star Trek, Laramie, Bonanza, The Wild Wild West, and Gomer Pyle all on standby. Right now the new Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey, Jr. is waiting to be watched and returned. So in case some of you didn't know about this, for me it is a dream come true as I journey to retroville to watch many of the TV series that I have loved through the years.  

Now, all that being said, some of the newer TVs can show Netfilx streaming video without a Roku player, but I would still recommend you get the Roku. New channels are being added constantly, many of which are free. These include Whiskey Media whose offerings include Comic Vine News videos. Local weather and various radio news sites are available as well. With the Roku player you can have Hulu on your TV screen for a small monthly fee. One channel I like is Pub D' Hub (A free channel) which includes an almost endless list of public domain movies and TV series. You can watch the Drive-in variety "Teenagers from Outer Space," "Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter," or "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians." (I'm not making these titles up! Lots of B variety sci-fi and westerns are available.

With this new way of watching TV, I think we'll be cancelling our cable soon. Who needs overpriced cable when you can buy a Roku player and then pay $11.00 a month for Netflix? Well, I know there is sports, but for ESPN, live broadcasts are often online at ESPN3.com. But thankfully, we're not big sports fans. If you are, you can still get locals with a digital antenna for around 100 bucks.         

Jonah Hex / Josh Brolin

I love the western genre, I love comics, and I'm a fan of Josh Brolin. So imagine my thrill at seeing the movie poster for Jonah Hex for the first time. Refusing to pay for overpriced movie tickets, I typically wait for DVD. So last night I finally got around to seeing the movie. We were warned by many critics, so expectations were low, but the movie was even worse than I thought. 

An ex-Confederate soldier, Jonah Hex, turns traitor to his cause. So a superior officer disfigures him and kills his family. The remainder of the film is a revenge plot as Jonah tracks the man who killed his family. In fact, the U.S. government has hired him to do so since the ex-Confederate general is now terrorizing the land to keep his "cause" alive though the war is long over. Jonah's "love" interest is a prostitute and his dog was rescued from perpetraitors of animal cruelty. So far that sounds really good and a plot like that could really be developed into a great story. But it was a missed opportunity. 

The movie is mainly a long string of people and things being blown up, burned up, and shot up. The climactic fight scene is hard to follow since it's actually two fight scenes interspersed. One of those fight scenes is also interspersed with a dream sequence. The two fight scenes and dream sequence are interspersed with a bombing attack on Washington D. C. The camera switches from one thing to another at rapid speed and you feel like you're on a tilt-a-whirl. What a jumbled up mess! 

Even bad films sometimes have redeeming traits. It may be the cinematography, the character development, or the art direction. Well, not this one. It's just all-over bad. Nor was it very true to the comics in which Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti have managed to tell some straight-forward western tales without all the voodoo, necromancy, and James-Bondesque weaponry of the film. Will Hollywood ever learn that faithful adaptations of good characters are much better? That is why Batman Begins and Spiderman are my favorite comic movies of all time. 

The good news, however, is that Josh Brolin will be going west again in the near future. He is no stranger to westerns having done a superb job as James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickock on the three-year run of Young Riders. He also played historical figure Jedidiah Smith on Steven Spielberg's Into the West TV mini-series. 

Brolin's latest project, again with Spielberg at the helm, premieres in theatres on Christmas Day. It's a remake of True Grit with Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn. Just the previews send a chill of anticipation up my spine. I think Brolin's the bad guy and some are saying that Bridges won't fill the shoes of a character made famous by John Wayne. But as far as I'm concerned Rooster Cogburn is a fictional character and not the Duke himself. So I'm willing to give Bridges a chance. I may even buy an overpriced movie ticket. Maybe. 

As far as Jonah Hex, read the comic and don't waste time on the movie. Not even a great cast ensemble could save this one from the recycle bin.

My rating: D             

    

Top Ten TV Westerns (50s-60s) Part 2

I now give you my choices for top five westerns of the 50s-60s. Since each western also appeared in comics, a comic cover will accompany each.

# 5 - Sugarfoot - I'm still not sure what a sugarfoot is, but I think it's like a tenderfoot with a sweet disposition. This was the character Will Hutchins played in this classic Warner Brothers series. Tom Brewster was a drifter studying law from the mail order books in his saddlebags (which is where his gun-belt stayed most of the time as well). This story about an experienced cowboy who was also a lawyer wannabe made for some very unique plots. About six issues of the comic were published as a part of Dell's Four Color series. 

 

# 4 - Big Valley- This series was the big break that made Lee Majors and Linda Evans TV stars. Ahead of its time, this series dealt with more mature issues as the illegitimate Barkley son returns to collect his share of the inheritance. Older brother, Jarrod (Richard Long) is a lawyer and middle brother, Nick (Peter Breck) is the hot tempered ranch boss. It didn't hurt that this series featured veteran actress, Barbara Stanwyck as matriarch Victoria. Dell published six issues of the comic series. 

 

# 3 - Gunsmoke - The longest running Western series in history, Gunsmoke stayed in prime time for 20 years (1955-1975), making James Arness the only actor to play the same character in a single series for two decades. Our family is currently making our way through the first season of this series which is now being released in official DVD season sets. The first three seasons are already out. The first 27 issues of the comic series were published by Dell beginning in 1957 as a part of the Four Color series. In 1969-70, six issues of Gunsmoke were published by Gold Key. 

 

# 2 - Bonanza- On DVD, finally! The first two seasons of this series recently came out on DVD. Until now VHS tapes and DVDs of public domain episodes were released, but often minus the original theme music. The new sets are "official" and even include original promo material, photo stills, and other special features. Most of these episodes have never before been released on video. The series was about the ranch family of patriarch Ben Cartwright, a three time widower with a grown son by each wife.

The chemistry of the original cast was excellent, but midway through, Pernell Roberts (eldest brother, Adam) left the show and Dan Blocker (Hoss) died just prior to the final season. The only original cast members left were Lorne Greene (Ben) and Michael Landon (Little Joe), so things just weren't the same by series end. The writing had also deteriorated. But in its heyday Bonanza was one of the best series ever. The first few seasons are exceptional and you can see how the Cartwright clan evolved and developed over time. A few issues of Bonanza were published as a part of Dell's Four Color series, followed by 37 issues published by Gold Key.   

# 1 - Maverick - What can be said that I haven't already mentioned in my previous Maverick post? While I'm a fan of traditional westerns, this one was anything but traditional. Cerebral plots and comedic episodes were common. Some episodes didn't even seem like westerns, with stories in settings like Louisiana, Mexico, on riverboats, and even in South America. James Garner was the original Maverick, but Jack Kelly, who played Brother Bart, was also very talented and likable.

The series was about two gamblers traveling the west and occasionally crossing paths. The first three seasons, featuring Garner, were the absolute best. The fourth season with Roger Moore as Beau and Robert Colbert as Brent were okay, but not as good. I do like the Roger Moore episode, Bolt from the Blue which guest stars Will Hutchins (as Sugarfoot?). 

For the fifth season Bart went solo, explaining why there are more episodes with him. One redeeming thing about this season was the recurring role of Peter Breck (pre-Big Valley) as Doc Holiday. My favorite fifth season episode is the hilarious Marshall Maverick with Jack Kelly and Peter Breck.

What makes this my favorite western is the stories and the acting of Garner and Kelly. Most of the Warner Brothers stable of westerns (including Maverick, Cheyenne, Colt 45, Sugarfoot, Bronco, and Lawman) have not made it to DVD. Exceptions include the first season of Cheyenne which is available and only three episodes of Maverick. These are all rare or nonexistent in syndication as well making the need for DVD collections even greater. But Maverick is available to Netflix members on streaming video.

Top Ten TV Westerns (50s-60s) Part 1

If you've read this blog for any length of time, then you know that one of my favorite television genres is the Western. I cut my teeth on the westerns of the late 60s and the re-runs of earlier Westerns. What all popular 50s and 60s westerns had in common is that they were all in the comic books as well--complete with photo covers. So here I'll go through my top ten westerns displaying the image of a comic cover for each.  

# 10 - Wanted: Dead or Alive - I discovered re-runs of this one weekdays after school while an elementary student. It's where Steve McQueen got his start. He went on to find stardom in the Magnificent Seven playing a character patterned after bounty hunter Josh Randall, his TV part. Two comics were published in the Dell Four Color series and the TV series is available on DVD.

 

# 9 - Lone Ranger - One of my earliest memories is of watching the Lone Ranger. As a child I would set my alarm to watch it at 6:30 weekday mornings before school. On Sunday mornings I would watch the color episodes on another TV station. I also read the comics, watched the cartoons, and owned the action figures. An official anniversary DVD set of the first two seasons has recently been released. The Lone Ranger's history in comics pre-dates his television appearances. 

 

# 8 - High Chaparral - Only one issue of this comic was ever published and is now worth about $70 in mint condition. I remember watching the TV series when it was new and I was a small child back in the late 60s. In the 70s I watched re-runs with my sister on weekday afternoons. We often pretended to be the characters when we played cowboys.  As an adult I saw re-runs on the Hallmark Channel when they dedicated Saturday afternoons to old westerns. They called it Rough and Ready Saturdays. The show was ahead of its time featuring Native Americans and Hispanics in the regular cast. This show is unfortunately unavailable on DVD, but fans are petitioning for it.  

# 7 - The Rifleman - Another show that I discovered in re-runs on weekdays after school. This was a personal favorite when I was a child. They packed a lot of action into 30 minutes. Only a handfull of public domain episodes are on DVD, but no official season sets as of yet.

 

 

# 6 - Cheyenne -An "A" variety Warner Brothers western. Great writing and great acting about a drifter raised by Native Americans. It was the first hour long TV western. This show is another of my earliest memories. I saw the re- runs as a teenager on Saturday afternoons. The first season is on DVD. 

 

Part Two of my top ten coming soon.  

Maverick

Pictured is a gem I recently purchased at a comic book show. I've been hoping to find an affordable issue of Maverick in decent condition for a long time. If you've been reading this blog, you know I love westerns--especially the TV westerns of the 50s and 60s. While the big screen cowboys are okay, my first love is the TV western whose memorable recurring characters get to seem like old friends. 

Maverick is my favorite western and possibly my favorite TV show of all time. Not your typical horse opera, Maverick had complex plots, witty dialog, comedy relief, a reluctant hero, and excellent acting. 

The comic based on the series lasted 19 issues from 1958 to 1962. The first six issues were a part of Dell Publishing's Four Color series, while the seventh issue was published as Maverick # 7 and the numbering continued from there. Each issue featured photo covers and the one pictured below introduced Bart Maverick to comics (I recently purchased this one at a comic shop sale).  

Bret Maverick (James Garner) was originally to be the only Maverick, until Warner Brothers got behind on production of the TV series. Then Jack Kelly was introduced as Bret's brother, Bart Maverick. So now two episodes could be filmed simultaneously with two separate production crews with respective episodes featuring either Bret or Bart. The Bart episodes would alternate with the Bret episodes Sunday nights on ABC. The brothers would occasionally share an episode. 

Garner left the show after three seasons due to a contract dispute. Kelly continued as Bart and Garner was replaced by Roger Moore who played the Mavericks' British cousin, Beau Maverick. On an earlier episode, Moore had appeared as Jack Vandergelt III, a character very much like the Beau Maverick character. This historical episode was the only one in which Garner, Kelly, and Moore all appeared together. It would be great if someone made available some 8 x 10 stills of the three together from that episode.

Moore played Beau Maverick in only 13 episodes, citing mediocre scripts as his reason for leaving the show. Robert Colbert appeared as Bart's brother, Brent Maverick, in two episodes of Season Four. Publicity photos of Kelly, Moore, and Colbert together and in character still survive. While it was intended that the three appear together in the show, Moore left too soon for that to happen. An episode with Bret and Bart together also aired during Season Four, but was actually a hold over filmed during Season Three. So this makes Season Four the only season in which each of the four Mavericks appeared at least once. Only Kelly returned for the fifth and final season. His new episodes alternated with Garner reruns from earlier years. 

The comics stories always starred whatever Mavericks were currently on the TV show. The artist was Dan Spiegle who visited Garner on the set and took great pains to make his characters look like the actors. 

Maverick has appeared somewhere each decade of the last half of the twentieth century. The original series ran from 1957 to 1962. The 1970s saw a made-for-TV movie, New Maverick, with Garner, Kelly, and introducing Charles Frank as cousin Ben Maverick. His series, Young Maverick ran only 8 episodes on CBS with Garner making a cameo in the first show. 

NBC was the third network to pick up Maverick as Garner returned in Bret Maverick for the 1981-82 season. Kelly made a cameo as Bart in the final episode and would have become a regular player had there been a second season. Kelly also appeared as Bart Maverick in Kenny Rogers' 1991 The Gambler Returns: Luck of the Draw. 

The year 1994 saw the theatrical release of Mel Gibson's Maverick in which Gibson played Bret. Co-stars included James Garner and Jodie Foster. 

So where has Maverick shown up in the 21st century? In 2006, a Bret Maverick statue was unveiled at a ceremony with Garner present in his hometown of Norman, Oklahoma. The Encore Westerns cable network is currently airing the original series daily and in chronological order. My DVD recorder is set nightly and I've so far captured Season One. Maverick episodes can be viewed online for free by clicking here. High speed cable internet helps. And of course, Maverick occasionally shows up at a comic shop or show.                                        

The Lone Ranger Rides Again!

I didn't have to get up that early, but as a child I set my alarm for 6:30 weekday mornings because that's when the Lone Ranger re-runs aired on television. I loved that show, but I could only watch it when one of our cable channels chose to run it in syndication.

The Lone Ranger began as a radio program in 1933 and it was a TV series from 1949-1957. Although the Lone Ranger was canceled before I was born, the series ran in syndication, and the character became one of my childhood heroes.

The Lone Ranger comics I read as a child were obviously based on the TV series since the comic characters bore striking resemblances to the actors on TV. It was also obvious that in whatever medium the Lone Ranger appeared, it was intended for a juvenile audience. The radio program was not exactly Orson Welles in its sophistication and the TV series wasn't exactly Gunsmoke. The Lone Ranger plots were deliberately aimed at children (But were nevertheless sophisticated on that level, certainly more so than Roy Rogers or Gene Autry).The stars of the Lone Ranger took their jobs as role models for children seriously.

Well, the Lone Ranger is riding again, and again through the pages of comics books. But this time the intended audience is not children. Not only did I grow up with the Lone Ranger, but now the Lone Ranger has grown up with me. The stories in Dynamite Entertainment's new comic series are far more sophisticated than what we've seen with any previous treatments of the character. I always knew the Ranger had this potential.

I've just finished reading the first ten issues and my reflections on the series overall will be the topic of my next post (and I do intend to start posting more frequently).