Landis, James

Gunsmoke - The Second Season, Vol. 1

Marshall Matt Dillon is responsible for keeping the law and respectability in Dodge City in this western action-drama. Gunsmoke captured the courage character and spirit of the Western Frontier.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS UPC: 097368528444 Manufacturer No: 852844

In its second season, Gunsmoke blazed its way into the top ten, where it would stay for the next six years (four of them ranked No. 1), and James Arness earned an Emmy nomination for his towering portrayal of U. S. Marshal Matt Dillon. Dillon broke the mold of the TV lawman. As he notes in one episode, "They tell me that back East, there are a lot of book writers and newspaper people who picture a frontier lawman as someone pretty near perfection, who always guns his man down, never makes a mistake, he's at the top of the heap on every play." The "mule-headed" Dillon is not that man. "My job is to keep the peace, and I'll do it my own way," he proclaims. In the episode "No Indians," he ambushes a band of white men who slaughter a family and frame the Pawnee Indians for the crime. "What kind of man would ambush a bunch of men like that?" a wounded survivor protests. "My kind, mister," Dillon replies. In the episode "Cow Doctor," he knocks out a man who knifes Doc. "Let me know when he comes to and I'll knock him out again," Dillon states. And in "The Mistake," he arrests the wrong man for murder.

These half-hour black and white episodes (the show expanded to an hour format in its seventh season) deliver traditional Western action, but at the heart of Gunsmoke are its character-based human dramas. An excellent example is "Gone Straight," featuring Carl Betz (The Donna Reed Show) as a man who answers the description of a wanted outlaw, but who is now an upstanding citizen trying to help another man (Tige Andrews of The Mod Squad) reform. Some episodes play out in unexpected ways that defy convention. We can pretty much guess the fate of an old friend who insists on helping Matt in "The Round-Up," but we can't predict at whose hand.

Gunsmoke was directed by sure Western hands, including Andrew McLaglan, Ted Post, and Christian Nyby. Several episodes were written by Sam Peckinpah, including "The Round-Up" and "Legal Revenge," featuring a young Cloris Leachman as a woman who appears to have it in for her wounded husband. Several episodes address social issues such as racism ("Sins of the Fathers" featuring Angie Dickinson as the daughter of a marauding Indian chief) and gun culture (the powerful "don't take your guns to town" episode, "Young Man with a Gun"). Along with Matt Dillon, the rest of Gunsmoke's characters became archetypes: "Mr. Dillon's" drawling, bum-legged deputy, Chester (Dennis Weaver), ornery Doc (Milburn Stone), and saloon gal, Miss Kitty (Amanda Blake), who, by the way, looks quite fetching in a riding outfit. An interesting bonus are the show's sponsor shots for LM cigarettes. "See you next week," Arness puffs. "In the meantime, light up." --Donald Liebenson

Gunsmoke - 50th Anniversary Collection, Volumes 1 & 2

Gunsmoke: 50th Anniversary Edition Volume 1 is a winning collection of episodes from the long-running CBS Western's first nine seasons, with an accent on special guest stars who had yet to find fame. A few key storylines are in the mix, too, including Gunsmoke's first episode, dated September 10, 1955 and introduced by John Wayne, who more or less suggests that the series' beefy star, James Arness, is cut from the same heroic cloth as the Duke himself. No matter who drops in for a guest spot, however, or whether Gunsmoke was a half-hour or hour-long program (the show doubled its running time by season 8), the running storyline and core characters are as constant as the prairie stars.

Arness plays plain-speaking U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon, who keeps the peace over a wide territory from his perch in Dodge City, Kansas, a rough-and-tumble town where prospectors, farmers, bounty hunters, outlaws, and the occasional lunatic pass through. Dennis Weaver lends support as Dillon's deputy, Chester, a courageous clown; Amanda Blake is saloon keeper Kitty; and Milburn Stone plays irascible Doc, apparently Dodge City's only physician. Volume 1 highlights feature a couple of episodes with Charles Bronson, including "The Killer," in which the future Death Wish star portrays a psychopath preying on the weak. Mogul Aaron Spelling, at one time a character actor, appears as a spacey wanderer who nearly gets lynched in "The Guitar." Cloris Leachman is very good as a woman with a diabolical edge in "Legal Revenge," Angie Dickinson is memorable as an Arapaho Indian whose marriage to a white settler incites racial anger, and Jack Lord portrays a pair of brothers who threaten Doc's life. Burt Reynolds, who joined the cast of Gunsmoke as the half-white, half-Comanche character Quint, is introduced in the very effective drama "Quint Asper Comes Home," while Ken Curtis, whose goofy Festus effectively replaced the departing Chester in season 9, enters the series in "Prairie Wolfer."

Volume 2 picks up exactly where Volume 1 ends, with the long-running series entering its 10th year, each episode an hour long and Ken Curtis now a permanent member of the cast as the buffoonish Festus. A couple of other actors will come and go as cast regulars, but the core group remains: James Arness as U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon, Amanda Blake as saloon keeper Kitty, and Milburn Stone as Doc. This collection of programs cherry-picks its way through season 19, emphasizing guest stars of note including Leonard Nimoy, excellent as a wry Indian and skinner in "Treasure of John Walking Fox," and William Shatner as a wily outlaw posing as a deputy sheriff in "Quaker Girl." (Arness, who provides a brief, vocal introduction to each episode, notes that Shatner was already starring on Star Trek by the time "Quaker Girl" was broadcast in 1966.)

Bette Davis, Bruce Dern, and Tom Skerritt all appear in "The Jailer" (the first color episode in this collection), in which the legendary Davis plays a vengeful widow who kidnaps Kitty in order to lure Matt to his own execution. Ed Asner provides optional commentary for "Hung High," in which he stars, while a young Dennis Hopper turns up as a villain out to kill a bounty hunter (a charismatic John D. Barrymore, father of Drew). Carroll O'Connor is very effective in "The Wrong Man," Jon Voight (in the same year as Midnight Cowboy) makes a splash as a convicted murderer who saves Kitty's life in "The Prisoner," and Kurt Russell is solid and sympathetic as a young man determined to avenge the death of his father in "Trail of Bloodshed." Special features include a couple of gag/blooper reels, a 1968 Emmy Award presentation to Milburn Stone, and a pair of old television interviews with Amanda Blake. --Tom Keogh

Marshall Matt Dillon is responsible for bringing law and respectability to the Dodge City in this western action-drama. The show still holds the record for being the longest running primetime drama series in television history.

Gunsmoke - The Directors Collection

As a splendid sampler of standout episodes from the 20-season history of Gunsmoke, this well-chosen Directors Collection is a bona fide treasure. Fans of the long-running Western series will appreciate the archival care that went into this set: Not only does it provide a comprehensive overview of the series' evolution (from original radio shows to one-hour color episodes from the 1960s and '70s), but it also delivers a priceless abundance of oral TV history in the form of audio commentaries, some recorded by series stars and directors (like Dennis Weaver, a.k.a. "Chester") shortly before their death. The fact that this set "is dedicated with love to Dennis Weaver from his Gunsmoke family at CBS" indicates the deep affection that Gunsmoke inspired among cast, crew, and fans alike. This set gathers 15 episodes on three DVDs, with disc 1 containing seven episodes in the black-and-white, half-hour format that Gunsmoke maintained for its first six seasons (1955-61). Discs 2 and 3 contain four one-hour episodes each, culled from subsequent seasons (with disc 3 containing full-color episodes from seasons 14, 16, 17, and 20). Picture and sound quality is remarkably good, although some of the earliest episodes have a slightly grainy look that's common to DVD transfers of TV episodes of this vintage (like Have Gun, Will Travel).

The Directors Collection is a showcase for rookies and veterans alike whose filmmaking careers were boosted by Gunsmoke. Andrew V. McLaglen (who directed 95 episodes, far more than anyone else) is represented by season 8's "US Haggens," and his commentary is a highlight of the set. The episode commentaries (by John Rich, Arthur Hiller, Dennis Weaver, McLaglen, Mariette Hartley, and Harry Harris Jr., Mark Rydell, and Peter Graves--brother of series star James Arness) offer a wealth of Gunsmoke history, and while Hartley (a rising star in the early '60s) did not direct the eighth-season episode "Cotter's Girl," her commentary with director Harris is a real treat, as they playfully argue over their memories of the episode's production. Gunsmoke's excellent writing is evident throughout, including the third-season episode "How to Kill a Woman," written by David S. (Sam) Peckinpah, who would soon begin his own illustrious directorial career. Additional special features include four original CBS broadcasts of the Gunsmoke radio show (which starred William Conrad as Marshall Matt Dillon, the role played on TV by James Arness); an eight-minute interview with Amanda "Miss Kitty" Blake, from The Mike Douglas Show; a excerpt from a soundtrack scoring session, and a clip from Have Gun, Will Travel featuring Ken Curtis, who played "Festus" on Gunsmoke. Taken as a whole, the episodes and special features of The Directors Collection qualify as one-stop shopping for the best that Gunsmoke had to offer. --Jeff Shannon

An impressive roster of Hollywood talent brings a keen eye to the camera lens in this Gunsmoke DVD Collection that spotlights the series' acclaimed directors. The courage, character and spirit of the American West blazes across the screen in a television series that set a standard for entertainment excellence during its 20-year run. Join James Arness, Amanda Blake, Milburn Stone, Dennis Weaver and Ken Curtis in this fascinating collection of episodes filmed by such talents as Robert Stevenson (Old Yeller, Mary Poppins), Arthur Hiller (The Out-Of-Towners, Silver Streak), Mark Rydell (On Golden Pond, The Rose) and Andrew V. McLaglen (McLintock!, Chisum, Hellfighters). This three-disc set also features episodes shot by such familiar on-camera talents as Dennis Weaver, Peter Graves, William Conrad and Victor French as they step behind the camera, don a director's cap, and add a unique, personal perspective to Gunsmoke's celebrated heritage of rugged western adventures.

Gunsmoke - 50th Anniversary Collection, Volume 2

Gunsmoke: 50th Anniversary Edition Volume 2 picks up exactly where Volume 1 ends, with the long-running series entering its 10th year, each episode an hour long and Ken Curtis now a permanent member of the cast as the buffoonish Festus. A couple of other actors will come and go as cast regulars, but the core group remains: James Arness as U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon, Amanda Blake as saloon keeper Kitty, and Milburn Stone as Doc. This collection of programs cherry-picks its way through season 19, emphasizing guest stars of note including Leonard Nimoy, excellent as a wry Indian and skinner in "Treasure of John Walking Fox," and William Shatner as a wily outlaw posing as a deputy sheriff in "Quaker Girl." (Arness, who provides a brief, vocal introduction to each episode, notes that Shatner was already starring on Star Trek by the time "Quaker Girl" was broadcast in 1966.)

Bette Davis, Bruce Dern, and Tom Skerritt all appear in "The Jailer" (the first color episode in this collection), in which the legendary Davis plays a vengeful widow who kidnaps Kitty in order to lure Matt to his own execution. Ed Asner provides optional commentary for "Hung High," in which he stars, while a young Dennis Hopper turns up as a villain out to kill a bounty hunter (a charismatic John D. Barrymore, father of Drew). Carroll O'Connor is very effective in "The Wrong Man," Jon Voight (in the same year as Midnight Cowboy) makes a splash as a convicted murderer who saves Kitty's life in "The Prisoner," and Kurt Russell is solid and sympathetic as a young man determined to avenge the death of his father in "Trail of Bloodshed." Special features include a couple of gag/blooper reels, a 1968 Emmy Award presentation to Milburn Stone, and a pair of old television interviews with Amanda Blake. --Tom Keogh

Marshall Matt Dillon is responsible for bringing law and respectability to the Dodge City in this western action-drama. The show still holds the record for being the longest running primetime drama series in television history.

Sadist

Common Law Wife / Jennie Wife-Child

Common Law Wife (1940/ minutes) - Learn about man and wife, the backwoods way! Rich old coot Shugfoot Rainey wants to trade in his over-the-hill mistress, Linda, for his young niece, "Baby Doll" Jonelle, a pouty-faced stripper from New Orleans. But Linda'

Deadwood '76

Johnny Legend's Deadly Doubles Vol. 3: Prehistoric Women / Spies-A-Go-Go

Johnny Legend presents a brand new Double Bill of Mondo masterpieces. One extremely rare cult classic from the early 50s and one insane hodgepodge from the mid-60s. Both in brain-snapping color! In Prehistoric Women Tigri and her stone-age girl friends hate all men but realizing they are a necessary evil capture some for potential husbands. Engor escapes and in his travels discovers fire. This comes in handy later after he has been recaptured by the women when he drives off a giant (who looks a lot like Johnny Legend!)Spies A-GoGo filmed by Vilmos Zsigmond AND Laszlo Kovacs and directed by James (THE SADIST) Landis AND featuring Richard JAWS Kiel is an insane musical spy spoof in a world of its own. A Russian spy bearing a rabbit with a vial of deadly bacteria arrives at a dude ranch with the intent of destroying America by releasing the rabbit on the continental divide. He must contend with a cadre of intercontinental counter-espionage agents and a rock-and-roll singer who is really a secret agent! Thirty years ahead of AUSTIN POWERS!Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY UPC: 895809001026 Manufacturer No: 0102

The Nasty Rabbit

Airborne (1962)