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Post by topbilled on Apr 2, 2023 17:28:33 GMT
Okay, after the original seasons of Gunsmoke this is my favorite half-hour western from the golden age of television.
I have been going through all of the episodes. There are 36 in season 1, and 40 in season 2. I finished season 1 yesterday and started on season 2 this morning.
To be honest, I don't think I have rated so many episodes in a single TV series so highly. Usually I am a pretty tough critic. But the writing on this program is just so amazing, and Nick Adams is a revelation as the title character.
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Post by topbilled on Apr 2, 2023 17:30:27 GMT
I have given the following episodes from season 1 a perfect 10 score on the IMDb:
Dark Secret...a story about town prejudice with a great surprise ending.
The Death of Gray...intriguing title, memorable villains make this story stand out.
The Unwanted...mystery surrounding the Civil War. The last scene, which takes place in a Confederate graveyard, is powerful.
The Crime...a good character study about a woman who was wronged and paid the price her whole life. There's a surprise ending, even though I predicted how this one would probably go.
Noblesse Oblige...guest roles are perfectly cast with Gail Russell and Robert Vaughn as a wealthy sister and brother, both of whom may be guilty of murder.
He's Only a Boy...Robert Blake gives an intense performance in this one. He plays a teenage hoodlum who is anxious to be taken seriously as a man, so he decides to goad Johnny Yuma into fighting him. There's a very emotional and effective ending.
You Steal My Eyes...probably the saddest story of the show. However, it does have a hopeful ending. Cathy O'Donnell plays a blind girl who must rely on Johnny Yuma when her pa is killed.
Fair Game...excellent mystery with some wonderful guest actors. Quentin Tarantino borrowed (stole) this story for his feature film THE HATEFUL EIGHT.
The Captive of Temblor...probably a 9.5 but I rounded the score up. A thoughtful story about a doctor indebted to a town, which in turn becomes indebted to him.
Absolution...my favorite episode from season 1. Good use of Johnny's backstory.
Paint a House with Scarlet...Sally Field's mother Maggie Mahoney plays a woman of dubious standing who's harrassed by a bible thumper and his son. Excellent character studies in this fine offering.
Night on a Rainbow...was blown away by this sobering tale of morphine dependency. James Best and Gail Kobe are outstanding as a couple tormented by the husband's addiction.
Lady of Quality...an engaging character study about a mad woman (Joanna Moore) that Johnny Yuma tries to help. There are some very memorable and poignant scenes in this one.
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Post by topbilled on Apr 2, 2023 17:40:02 GMT
So far I have given these episodes from season 2 a perfect 10:
Johnny Yuma at Appomattox...interesting use of Yuma's backstory to connect him with Generals Lee & Grant during a pivotal turning point in the Civil war.
The Bequest...strong performance by Elisha Cook as a man who makes an unfortunate mistake.
The Champ...good story about an aging boxer played with insight by Michael Ansara. Episode benefits from strong editing.
The Waiting...my favorite episode of the whole series. It takes place in real time and only uses one set. Claude Akins is cast as a nemesis of Johnny Yuma. Shades of HIGH NOON and BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK, it feels like a filmed play, and I cannot say enough good things about this episode.
Run Killer Run...my second favorite episode of the whole series. Richard Jaeckel gives an amazing performance as a schizophrenic man on the run who is shackled to Johnny Yuma. Shades of THE DEFIANT ONES and PSYCHO.
The Hunted...Leonard Nimoy gives a sensitive portrayal of a man who is forced to become a fugitive.
The Legacy...an engaging story about small town politics, with Johnny Yuma unjustly scheduled for a hanging.
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Post by topbilled on Apr 3, 2023 14:00:22 GMT
Some more perfect 10's from season 2:
Explosion...a tense story involving nitroglycerin. There was one scene that made me jump out of my skin.
Vindication...a subdued character study about a disabled army captain (James Drury) mourning the loss of his wife, killed by Apaches. There is some excellent on location filming in this one.
Berserk...Tom Drake is an unhinged sheriff that must be brought down by his deputy with help from Johnny Yuma. What I find interesting with this one is that they don't treat Drake's character as an outright villain, but as a very sick man who needs help.
The Liberators...a lot happens in this interesting tale about Mexican bandits taking over a small town.
The Guard...great use of Johnny Yuma's backstory, with Ed Nelson as a former guard who had tortured prisoners during the war.
The Promise...episode features a tender love story and one of the show's most memorable villains (Peter Whitney).
Jerkwater...truly great stuff, with guest star John Dehner playing Johnny Yuma's godfather. Dehner is the right kind of method actor, who truly inhabits the role he is playing without going too far to the extreme.
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Post by topbilled on Apr 5, 2023 18:02:45 GMT
I've been working my way through the rest of season 2. I honestly can't believe how many perfect 10s there are...
The Threat...this one borrows elements from HIGH NOON, but it also gives us some continuity. In the series' very first episode, Johnny Yuma (Nick Adams) tangled with a group of outlaws but one of them got away. That outlaw (Richard Bakalyan) is back in this episode, crossing paths with Johnny once again. Only this time he doesn't escape. It's a very suspenseful episode with a tense showdown.
The Last Drink...another moody character study is provided in this tale about an aging gunslinger (Tom Drake) who realizes the futility of his life's "work" and commits suicide by showdown with Johnny Yuma. The gunslinger's new apprentice is Johnny's young impressionable cousin (Jack Chaplain). Johnny is determined to save his cousin from becoming an outlaw. At first I thought Tom Drake was miscast as the gunslinger, but I can see why they put him into this role, because it had to be someone who could convincingly play the man's vulnerability in those last few moments. The episode's title is due to the fact that Drake's character is fond of booze, which has contributed to his decline as a gunman.
The Burying of Sammy Hart...such a thoughtful episode. I don't want to spoil any of the plot, except to say that Johnny helps a young runaway boy deal with the death of a beloved friend.
Shriek of Silence...again, Johnny Yuma helps a kid, this time a mute who has been traumatized by a past experience. The boy's father is a crook that Johnny has killed during an altercation. Johnny is cleared of murder, but still feels guilty and tries to find the boy, who hasn't any mother, a new home.
Miz Purdy...love this episode. Nick Adams does some of his best acting in this tale about a woman (Patricia Breslin) up against a group of marauders. The leader of the marauders is played by Jason Evers, who has more than a passing resemblance to Clint Eastwood. The climactic showdown at the end is not to be missed. Excellent timing by the actors, enhanced by tight editing, we get a crescendo of violence that doesn't go overboard but takes the story to its believable and logical conclusion.
The Ballad of Danny Brown...Gail Kobe is back for another guest appearance, this time as a woman waiting for the man she loves to get out of prison. We learn the man has been incarcerated for eight years (for something he should not have been convicted). The whole town hasn't forgiven the guy, and they are not going to have a welcome home party. Tex Ritter plays the sheriff, and he steals every scene he's in.
The Proxy...an interesting tale about a man who served in the Civil War, taking the place of another man who was too much of a coward to go off to battle. Of course, the two men come face to face now, with Johnny Yuma caught in the middle.
Decision at Sweetwater...another fine character study, this time about a woman of ill-repute (Yvette Vickers) who tries to do the right thing to help a child but nearly gets raped. Episodes like this one are proof that The Rebel was on par with Gunsmoke as a grown-up adult TV western.
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Post by kims on Apr 5, 2023 20:18:04 GMT
I watched THE REBEL when originally aired. I suppose the role was perfect for Nick Adams because I'm surprised he didn't get a good shot at films. He played a lascivious college student in the Day/Hudson film PILLOW TALK. He did the part quite well, but he could have been so much more.
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Post by topbilled on Apr 5, 2023 21:58:25 GMT
I watched THE REBEL when originally aired. I suppose the role was perfect for Nick Adams because I'm surprised he didn't get a good shot at films. He played a lascivious college student in the Day/Hudson film PILLOW TALK. He did the part quite well, but he could have been so much more.
The Rebel ran from 1959 to 1961, and it was his chance to co-create with producer A.J. Fenady. I am sure he had some say in the stories they chose to do as well as some say in the casting of the guest roles. He could exert power behind the scenes, it was his chance to shine. Some of the acting he does as Johnny Yuma is excellent. He was 28 to 30 when the show was filmed, but he looks younger, which works to the advantage of the character he's playing.
After The Rebel ended, he resumed his movie career and snagged an Oscar nomination for TWILIGHT OF HONOR (1963). |
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Post by topbilled on Apr 6, 2023 2:59:27 GMT
Okay, just finished watching the rest of the season 2 episodes. Some more perfect 10s:
Helping Hand...in this one, Johnny Yuma gets caught up in a family feud that two brothers are having with their uncle and cousins. It involves a bank robbery, and Jack Elam stands out as the thieving uncle.
Mission-Varina...interesting use of history. The story has Johnny Yuma helping escort Jefferson Davis home from prison at the request of J.D.'s wife (Frieda Inescort). A thought provoking script, and the episode has some nicely staged outdoor sequences.
The Calley Kid...Richard Bakalyan returns as a new character. This time he's a wanted criminal, who is entangling an innocent kid brother (Michael Vandever) in his schemes. Of course, Johnny Yuma is there to intervene. It's sort of like a three-character play, and there is some very insightful dialogue about the bond brothers share, even ones on the wrong side of the law.
Ben White...Charles Aidman is the title character, a fugitive from justice who went too far and now his wife (Mary Murphy) wants to kill him. This is kind of a slow study on the breakdown of a marriage, but both guest stars do a fantastic job...Miss Murphy is particularly effective.
The Found...strong script has Johnny Yuma trying to deliver a baby while the young bride's husband is sought by a posse and bounty hunters. Lots of action and suspense in this one.
The Hostage...Lon McCallister in one of his last screen roles as an old pal of Johnny's who is kidnapped and used in a scheme to save an outlaw from hanging. There are some very clever scenes in this offering, and the nail-biting sequence near the end, when the exchange occurs, is must-see TV.
The Executioner...the last episode of The Rebel features a life-or-death situation for Johnny Yuma and several others. I had no idea where the story was headed, and this was a very satisfying "finale" for a great western series.
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Post by kims on Apr 7, 2023 0:25:29 GMT
Because you brought up THE REBEL, TB, I looked up Nick Adams. I didn't know he was in his thirties when he died from a drug overdose and there were suspicions of murder.
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Post by topbilled on Apr 7, 2023 0:59:15 GMT
Because you brought up THE REBEL, TB, I looked up Nick Adams. I didn't know he was in his thirties when he died from a drug overdose and there were suspicions of murder.
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To my great pleasure I found a bonus disc with The Rebel set I purchased. One of the bonus items on this special disc features an interview with A.J. Fenady, who co-created the series with Nick Adams. He is asked in the interview if Nick committed suicide, and he said Nick was never a suicidal person. |
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