The Westerner: The Complete Series

Product Information

A two-DVD set of the complete series including the pilot episode was released by Shout! Factory in February 2017. [1] Reception Never Learned to Read: Dave Blassingame is illiterate (an unusual piece of realism for a 1960s TV western), although he can read numbers. In "School Days", he is taking lessons from a Schoolmarm to learn how to write his name.

The popularity of the western genre began in the early 20th century. And while we don’t see many shows or movies being produced in recent times, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any gems out there.The bartender in "Jeff" performs a completely unnecessary one: sliding a bottle and galss along the bar to Dave, who is less than a foot away. It was the age of gunslingers, outlaws, cowboys, and Indians, and so many iconic characters from the time are remembered and celebrated to this day. That’s what INSP’s upcoming anthology series Wild West Chronicles is about. Bill Paxton, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Ray Liotta, Brendan Fraser, Olivier Martinez, Cynthia Addai-Robinson Barry Sullivan, Kathryn Hays, Andrew Prine, Glenn Corbett, Brenda Scott, Kelly Corcoran, Charles Seel Dave Blassingame is a cowboy and drifter who is handy with a gun and his fists, travelling through an often lawless country trying to get enough money together to buy his own ranch.

His dog Brown is played by Spike, trained by Frank Weatherwax and best known for playing the title role in Old Yeller. Brown figures prominently in a number of episodes, appears in all of them, and always appears following Blassingame during the end credits. The "heroes" of western TV shows of the time were all solid, up-standing individuals, with jobs. But the "hero" of The Westerner is a drifter, a usually unemployed cowboy, with no connections except with his dog. ALL 13 EPISODES: 1: Jeff, 2: School Days, 3: Brown, 4: Mrs Kennedy, 5: Dos Pinos, 6: The Courting of Libby, 7: Treasure, 8: The Old Man, 9: Ghost of a Chance, 10: Line Camp, 11: Going Home, 12: Hand on the Gun, 13: The Painting.The third episode, “Brown”, introduced fast-talking conman Burgundy Smith (John Dehner) who takes a liking to Brown and attempts to buy him. When Blassingame refuses to sell, at any price, Smith tries to cheat Dave out of the dog—unsuccessfully, of course. The character of Burgundy Smith reappeared in “The courting of Libby” (ep. 6) and “The Painting” (ep. 13). Gardening-Variety Weapon: In "Mrs. Kennedy", crazed rancher Marsh Kennedy attempts to stab Dave while with a pitchfork while Dave is sleeping in the barn. A scream from Mrs. Kennedy awakens Dave in time to shoot Marsh. THE WESTERNER is one of the most sophisticated western series for its time – or any other. Starring Brian Keith as amiable, unexceptional cowhand/drifter Dave Blassingame who travels with a dog called Brown, played by Spike, best known for his performance as Old Yeller (1957) and who also appeared in Lassie. John Dehner also features as rakish con man, Burgundy Smith. Stephen Baldwin, Josh Brolin, Brett Cullen, Travis Fine, Don Franklin, Melissa Leo, Ty Miller, Christopher Pettiet, Gregg Rainwater, Yvonne Suhor, Clare Wren, Anthony Zerbe

Dave Blassingame was a basically decent, ordinary man who was handy with a gun and his fists. A cowboy and drifter, he could sometimes behave amorally in his quest to get enough money together to buy his own ranch, but always did the right thing in the end, and remained true to himself. Charles Frank, Susan Blanchard, John Dehner, Howard Duff, John McIntire, Donna Mills, Harry Dean Stanton, James Woods Roll in the Hay: In "Mrs. Kennedy", the eponymous Mrs. Kennedy sets her cap for Dave, and attempts to seduce him in the barn, leading them to making out in a hay pile. Hat Damage: In "Brown", Dave shoots Burgundy Smith's hat off his head as a warning when Burgundy tries to steal Brown away from him. Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Lovable Rogue Burgundy Smith will never use a plain word is a three syllable synonym is available. A Running Gag is him then having to dumb down his commentary so his audience understands him.

Bonanza (1959 to 1973)

Conveniently Placed Sharp Thing: After being tied up by the Ritchie brothers in "School Days", Dave is able to escape by wedging a knife into a drawer and using it to saw through his bonds. Kevin Costner, Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, Kelsey Asbille, Danny Huston, Gil Birmingham A Western is a genre that takes place in the Old West and involves cowboys, cattle ranchers, miners, farmers, Native Americans, Spaniards, swords, guns and horses. It was among the most popular genres of television in the 1950s and 1960s, when several hundred were aired. Pierce Brosnan, Jacob Lofland, Henry Garrett, Jess Weixler, David Wilson Barnes, Zahn McClarnon, Paola Núñez, Sydney Lucas The shows were very adult. I'm actually surprised some were allowed to be shown. One, for example, centered on a nude painting of a beautiful woman. You never saw it, but you saw parts of it. There were a lot of prostitutes.

His dog Brown is played by Spike, trained by Frank Weatherwax and best known for playing the title role in Old Yeller. Brown figures prominently in a number of episodes, appears in all of them, and always appears following Blassingame during the end credits. Cast Main New Old Flame: One appears in the first episode "Jeff", with Dave travelling to a town after hearing his old flame is working as a saloon girl there. Richard Coogan, Art Fleming, Herbert Rudley, Sean McClory, Adam Kennedy, Carole Mathews, Nan Leslie Feet-First Introduction: Burgundy Smith's first appearance in the series is his well-polished boots exiting a saloon in "Brown". The camera follows his boots as he walks along the boardwalk till he stops, then pans up to show him opening a bottle of champagne. The Drifter: Laconic cowboy Dave Blasingame wanders the Wild West with his faithful dog Brown in his unending quest to become rich enough to buy his own ranch.Bar Brawl: In "Brown", a barroom brawl erupts around Dave and Burgundy during a Fourth of July celebration. They ignore it and keep drinking as it rages around them. Money Mauling: In "Mrs. Kennedy", crazed rancher Marsh Kennedy takes two saddlebags filled with gold double-eagle coins belonging to his wife's rich Uncle Henry, and uses them to smash Uncle Henry's head in. A two-DVD set of the complete series including the pilot episode was released by Shout! Factory in February 2017. [2] Reception [ edit ] Canine Companion: Dave Blassingame is accompanied everywhere by his faithful dog Brown, a lop-eared yellow Mastador (Mastiff/Labrador Retriever mix). Brown was played by Spike, the same dog who starred in Old Yeller. Schoolmarm: In "School Days", Dave is taking lessons from a schoolmarm to learn how to write his name. When she is murdered, Dave is framed for her murder.