The Virginian - Complete Series 1 [DVD]

From time to time I add books or DVDs to my Amazon basket and mark them "save for later" being unsure whether I really want to buy. Then later (sometimes much later) usually during a bad day at the office I give in to temptation and end up buying the CD or DVD not sure if I'm doing the right thing. The end result is that there are occasions when the DVD or CD arrives I end up wishing I'd pressed "delete" rather than "move to basket".
Anyway - on this basis I recently ordered Series 1 of "The Virginian" - there it was resting in my basket and I thought - why not? - and ordered it and it duly arrived the next day.
So am I pleased with the DVD's - or has nostalgia let me down? Well I'm pleased to report that "The Virginian" is just as good as I remembered - really superb. I've just reached my sixtieth birthday and remember the fifties and sixties when Westerns reigned supreme on BBC and ITV. I have fond memories of "Champion the Wonderhorse" and "The Lone Ranger" for children and so many great series for adults - "Rawhide","Wagon Train","The High Chaparral" etc. But for me "The Virginian" was the biggest and best of them all - great stories, great characters,and the lure of the American West. James Drury as The Virginian and Doug McClure as Trampas were the classic buddy combination with some amazing supporting actors.
So far I have only watched a few of the thirty episodes in the pack (great value at about £1 per 72 minute episode)and they have been every bit as good as I recalled. Sometimes nostalgia doesn't let you down!
It was a mystery to me why "The Virginian" was lost in the vaults - well now it's back and ready to be enjoyed again.
If like me you remember it in its heyday then buy these DVDs - and when the titles roll with James Drury,Doug McClure and Gary Clarke riding together to Percy Faith's haunting theme tune the years fall away and you are back in time at Shiloh and the good guys and the bad guys of the Old West.

Although The Virginian was first broadcast 50 years ago(from 1962 to 1971), I consider it to be one of the best western series ever made. The series was made in colour and has been restored and remastered for this DVD boxset, with each of the 30 episodes of season one (from 1962/1963) running for approximately 75 minutes.

Anyone who grew up watching this series in the 1960s will immediately recognise the opening titles and theme music and remember the strong story lines and characters, set at Shiloh Ranch and the town of Medicine Bow, Wyoming in the 1890s.

The main cast include, of course, The Virginian himself (James Drury), Judge Garth(Lee J. Cobb), Trampas (Doug Mc Clure) et al. And watch out for the numerous famous guest stars, including George C. Scott, Bette Davis, Lee Marvin, DeForest Kelly, James Doohan, Robert Vaughan, Ricardo Montalban, Nancy Sinatra, Edward Asner, Robert Duvall, Jack Warden, Eddie Albert, Vera Miles, David White (Larry Tate from Bewitched) and many others. A veritable nostalgia-fest for people of a certain age!

Producer Roy Huggins also produced such well known series as The Fugitive, The Rockford Files, Cheyenne, Maverick, Alias Smith and Jones et al.

Special features include cast interviews, including James Drury.

For anyone with an interest in the TV Western genre, this is a must-have series, an absolute classic (alongside other great western series such as Bonanza, The High Chaparral and Alias Smith and Jones) and a real bargain at the price for nearly 37 hours of entertainment. I certainly hope that the later seasons are released on Region 2 soon. Buy it and you won't regret it.

I remember watching this in the early 70s as a small child and it has stood the test of time well.
The 70 minute plus episodes give a better chance for plot and character development and the all round professionalism and high standard, from intelligent stories, to classy production, to direction and acting, is manifest.
The Virginian's plots often play out important issues and conflicts surrounding the creation of a State from a wild territory. The high calibre guest stars and many character actors of the day, who appear to have been queuing up to work on the show, help immeasurably.
There's a lot here for the money and if you like classic TV westerns you'll like this, it's one of the best.