Often seen as a venal character with no scruples - basically not much different than a hired killer - the bounty hunter received a deliberate hero make-over with Wanted: Dead of Alive. Certainly by the 50s, the notion of a loner going his own way, often against the interests of the law as well as society in general, was anathema to a strain in the popular culture that demanded conformity and sublimation of the individual in support of perceived civic duties (no wonder so many characters at the end of these episodes try to get Josh to settle down in their little towns.to no avail). Prior to Wanted: Dead of Alive, the bounty hunter had largely been portrayed as a negative character in Western films and TV. Centered on the adventures of Josh Randall (Steve McQueen), a tough, wily, but fair bounty hunter who roamed the Old West, Wanted: Dead of Alive avoided the common late 50s TV template of surrounding a lead character with a "family" of sorts - whether it be a sitcom, with its obvious family setting, or even a Western, like Gunsmoke, with Matt Dillon's regular supporting players like Miss Kitty and Doc - to focus exclusively on the itinerant wanderings of rootless Randall. Itself a "spin-off" from an episode of Trackdown, the less-successful 1957-1959 CBS Western series starring intense Robert Culp as Texas Ranger Hoby Gilman, Trackdown in turn was launched from an episode of the popular Four Star Productions Western drama anthology, Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater. Premiering in the fall of 1958, during the absolute heyday of the adult Western cycle on the Big Three networks, Wanted: Dead of Alive had an interesting gestation. Let's look briefly at the series' three seasons. Essential viewing for anyone interested in the progression of the Western genre on television, and of course, for fans of McQueen. Then again, you're not paying as much here as you would for say a Paramount full-series release set, so. With all 94 episodes crammed onto just 11 discs, though, don't expect the compression issues-free viewing you'll find on a major studio's more upscale vintage TV release. Apparently, Mill Creek Entertainment now owns the DVD rights to Steve McQueen's iconic Western TV series, Wanted: Dead or Alive, so they've released their own complete series set titled, appropriately enough, Wanted: Dead or Alive - The Complete Series.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |