At one time, Westerns were the most popular genre of television program. There were as many westerns on TV in the fifties and sixties as there are reality shows today. One of the longest running and most popular of these was The Virginian. It was among the first of the “Adult Westerns” (meaning it wasn’t the stereotypical white hat vs. the black hat shoot-em-up) and was the first 90-minute show of the Western genre.
The series starred James Drury as the unnamed hero, perpetually known only as “the Virginian”. It’s never made clear (at least, not in the first season) why the Virginian left his home to travel to Wyoming or why he never reveals his true name but no one in the series seems bothered by his secretive nature. Drury is one of the more laid back western heroes. He isn’t in the larger-than-life John Wayne mold. He’s the strong, silent type, more of a listener than a talker. Our laconic hero doesn’t look for trouble. He just wants to do his job and live a quiet life as a ranch foreman but he can never sit idly by when he sees an injustice being done.
The series (which ran from 1962-71) takes place in the semi-mythical town of Medicine Bow, Wyoming in the 1890s. The Virginian works as the Foreman of Shiloh ranch, which is owned by a wealthy former judge named Henry Garth (Lee J. Cobb) who seems to have purchased half of Wyoming. The old Judge can be a big stoic but has a good heart, and although he and the Virginian sometimes find themselves philosophically opposed, the Judge is usually willing to admit he was wrong and swallow his pride.
Other cast members include Doug McClure as the wild young cowhand Trampas and Gary Clark as the more level-headed Steve. The two of them and the Virginian have a nice camaraderie together, like a Western Three Musketeers. Roberta Shore is the only regular female member of the cast in season one, playing the Judge’s young daughter Betsy, who has an unrequited crush on the Virginian.
Interestingly, the series doesn’t give us the typical first episode where we are introduced to the characters and learn about their backgrounds. As the season starts, we’re dropped into the already set-in-stone scenario and we’re left to get to know the characters without any exposition. There was an unaired pilot (where the character of the Virginian was apparently quite different. He was more of a dandy, like Paladin from Have Gun, Will Travel) but it’s not included in the DVD set.
More often than not, the drama of the episode revolves around a newcomer who disrupts the calm life in Medicine Bow that the Virginian tries hard to maintain. Frequently, the newcomer is misunderstood and it’s up to the Virginian to resolve a volatile situation before shooting starts. Many famous or soon-to-be famous guest stars show up during the freshman year of The Virginian. Luminaries like Lee Marvin, Hugh O’Brien, Michael Rennie, Ricardo Montalban and the legendary Bette Davis appear alongside soon-to-be famous names like Robert Duvall, George C. Scott, Ted Knight, Brian Keith and Eddie Albert.
The series, which ran for nine seasons, is based on the classic 1902 novel by Owen Wister. The show follows the trend begun several years before by another long running Adult Western, Bonanza. Like Bonanza, the Virginian relies more on characterization and dialogue than on shoot-outs, although there is usually at least one action sequence in each 90 minute story. The budget for the Virginian was sufficiently large and it was more akin to a weekly made-for-TV-film than a regular series. It’s true that some of the season one entries do tend to drag and even get a bit preachy at times, but the quality of the seasons holds up over its 30 episodes.
The Virginian: the Complete First Season comes in an 11-disc set and contains over 39 hours of episodes and extras. The episodes are all digitally re-mastered.
DVD Bonus Extras:
The bonus disc includes exclusive interviews with The Virginian cast members James Drury, Roberta Shore and Gary Clark. It also contains interview with Robert Fuller (Who appeared in Laramie and Wagon Train) and Peter Brown (From The Lawman and Laredo) who discuss the Western genre.
"The Virginian: The Complete First Season" is on sale May 25, 2010 and is not rated. Drama, Western. Directed by Don McDougall, Abner Biberman. Written by Owen Wister. Starring Doug McClure, James Drury, Lee J Cobb, Sara Lane.
