By RM
friday, june 27, 2025 at 1:22:00 p.m. edt
Hey, I’m positively ancient-watched the series every week when it first aired (‘66-67, same as that other obscure series, Star Trek)!
Cat was a good show that could have been better, but it got caught up in one of the periodic anti-violence crusades and ended up too watered-down. Loggia was excellent as always.
The re-use of background music was standard procedure in movies and TV- it belonged to the studio, not the individual composer, and was recycled endlessly without credit. They did get residuals, though!
Dunlap was another favorite composer-I’ve heard his distinctive music used as “stock music” from time to time, uncredited, of course!
-RM
The show also lacked a “rabbi.” Thus, the suits at the network that broadcast it gave it a suicide slot, at 9:30 p.m. I wanted to see it, but it was on too late.
I read about it in the huge, beginning of the season TV Guide that my mom or Nana bought for me those days.
As for TV producers ripping off composers for music the latter had composed for them, when I noted to my chief of research about how the producers of Paladin had ripped off Paul Dunlap the same way, he had responded almost word-for-word the same way you did: ‘It was their property to do with as they pleased.’ I’m glad to hear that they at least paid Dunlap his residuals.
That episode, “Charley Red Dog,” was one of the most moving pieces of TV drama I’ve ever seen. Today, of course, a gifted White like Scott Marlowe would never be permitted to play Charley, and as my CoR also noted, no show would be permitted today to broadcast such an episode.
By the way, to anyone reading this, Have Gun—Will Travel can be seen for free on TV, without cable, at all times, on Pluto TV.
I'm guessing an abc show? Just from the style of the opening.
ReplyDelete--GRA
NBC. ABC probably would have cancelled it after only half a season!
Delete=RM
NY TIMES TOP 20 FILMS OF THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY(UGGGH).
ReplyDeleteUSA Today.Tbe NY Times polled 500 actors,directors and producers and here are the results:
20. "The Wolf of Wall Street," 2013(didn't see it)
19: "Zodiac," 2007(ditto)
18: "Y tu mamá también," 2002(ditto)
17: "Brokeback Mountain," 2005(ditto)
16: "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," 2000(ditto)
15: "City of God," 2003(never heard of it)
14: "Inglourious Basterds," 2009(didn't see it)
13: "Children of Men," 2006(never heard of it)
12: "The Zone of Interest," 2023(ditto)
11: "Mad Max: Fury Road," 2015(heard about it-didn't see it)
10: "The Social Network," 2010(almost attempted to see it)
9: "Spirited Away," 2002(never heard of it)
8: "Get Out," 2017(ditto)
7: "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," 2004(Jim Carrey-right?Didn't see it)
6: "No Country for Old Men," 2007(saw 10 minutes on tv)
5: "Moonlight," 2016(not Bruce Willis/Cybil Shephard--didn't see it)
4: "In the Mood for Love," 2001(never heard of it)
3: "There Will Be Blood," 2007(didn't see it)
2: "Mulholland Drive," 2001(It was GOOD)
1: "Parasite," 2019(Would never go see it)
--GRA
Technically, 2000 is the final year of the 20th century, so "Crouching Tiger.." shouldn't be on the list. I did see that one, and it was way too fa_gotty, though I did like one scene where a fight takes place on the branches of a tree- at least that was novel. Didn't (wouldn't) see any of the others, probably have seen less than a half dozen movies made since the new century. MONSTERS INC. came out in 2001- now that was excellent, should be on the list! (Probably Disney's last gasp.)
ReplyDelete-RM
Regarding Paladin, unfortunately Richard Boone was mega-liberal, and the series becomes insufferably preachy as it goes along. I'm up to season 5 (of 6), and am finding it nearly unwatchable. Today I saw one that was the 10000th diatribe about the "noble" Indians being cheated and abused by the "evil" white man- Ben Johnson, the villain, chides Paladin at one point, asking him why he doesn't stick up for "his own kind," and that's supposed to be a BAD thing! The constant pushing of Paladin as a "ladies' man" gets really annoying as well, since Boone seems to get uglier-looking with each season (big-time alcoholic, and looks it). One actress in her autobiography accused him of something really despicable, but I won't repeat it here, since it's just an allegation.
ReplyDeleteThe show does have some great episodes, but probably went on too long. Boone wanted to quit (and often looks bored with it), but CBS paid him plenty to continue.
-RM
Following HAVE GUN, Boone had enough "go-to-hell money" to launch his dream project: an anthology series with a "repertory company"- the same actors appearing each week in different roles. THE RICHARD BOONE SHOW lasted one season on NBC and was predictably uneven, but many of the shows were outstanding- my favorite is "The Stranger," (AKA "Stranger"), a TWILIGHT ZONE-ish story of a mysterious man (Robert Blake, one of the regulars) who appears out of nowhere and affects the lives of the people that encounter him. Clifford Odets was the story editor, and died half-way through production; hard to say how much quality he added to the series- the two episodes he actually wrote were among the weakest ones! The regular cast includes top character actors Harry Morgan, Warren Stevens, and Lloyd Bochner, and among the ladies, Jeanette Nolan, Laura Devon, and the magnificent Bethel Leslie.
ReplyDeleteHere's the entire series- I think the quality on these is decent-
https://archive.org/details/the.-richard.-boone.-show.-s-01/The.Richard.Boone.Show.S01E01.A.Statement.of.Fact.avi
Lloyd Bridges, after SEA HUNT and with pretensions of his own, also had his own anthology series, THE LLOYD BRIDGES SHOW- another one-season wonder! (Hard series to find, but sometimes turns up online.)
-RM
Boone appeared on "What's My Line" and "Password" promoting the anthology series. He looked quite pleased with the chance to do the show. Until it wasn't renewed.
ReplyDelete--GRA