Gunsmoke or Bonanza...discuss

[JackFavell]

I always wonder why Glenn Corbett didn't go further in his career - he was good in Chisum, one of the few young people in that film I liked. Maybe he would have been a big star if the studio system hadn't buckled during his time. I think my dad knew him in school, I have to ask him if it was Glenn I am remembering him talk about.

[movieman1957]

April:

If you do listen to the closing theme, which I assume is for the season, the guy working the tambourine gets a really big workout.

[MissGoddess]

April:

If you do listen to the closing theme, which I assume is for the season, the guy working the tambourine gets a really big workout.

I watched it last night again and you're right. The music is very rousing. It gave "Dan" a big send-off.

[movieman1957]

I saw an episode of "Cheyenne" that had a pre-"Bonanza" Lorne Greene. He played a arrogant prosecuting attorney for the Army. Trying to convict some officer of cowardice. Of course, Cheyenne comes to the rescue. it was part 2 of a special episode about Custer. It even costarred Julie Adams. I never realized she such an extensive career.

[klondike]

I always wonder why Glenn Corbett didn't go further in his career - he was good in Chisum, one of the few young people in that film I liked. Maybe he would have been a big star if the studio system hadn't buckled during his time. I think my dad knew him in school, I have to ask him if it was Glenn I am remembering him talk about.

Coming in a little late on this one, but I did want to reference the Glenn Corbet role I remember best, that being his portrayal of 22nd-century celebrity-scientist Zefram Cochrane on the "Star Trek" episode "Metamorphosis" - as Cochrane, Corbett had invented the prototype of the warp-drive engine, which made interstellar travel possible, and had then vanished . . until discovered eighty years later as the pampered captive of a lonely, all-powerful alien intelligence on a remote planetoid, kept forever young & healthy, and thereby, teetering eternally on the brink of madness.
Great stuff, and fueled by the sardonic wit & whimsy of some of Gene Roddenberry's best direction & supervision.

P.S: Interestingly, the character of Zefram Cochrance was reassigned, 40 years later, to the ever-capable character actor James Cromwell, for the theatre-release movie "Star Trek: First Contact".

[moira finnie]

One of the worst things about the success of Lorne Greene's small screen career was that after Bonanza, it almost became impossible for the actor to play a villain. He was outlandishly bad (in a highly entertaining sense) in his early roles in films such as Autumn Leaves (as Joan Crawford's rotten father-in-law) and Peyton Place (as the rotten DA persecuting as well as prosecuting poor Hope Lange), but Ben Cartwright's only post-Ponderosa big bad Daddy routine of note was as Ava Gardner's semi-slimey father in Earthquake (1974)--even though Lorne would have had to become a father at the age of 7 to have been partly responsible for Ava's existence.

[movieman1957]

Didn't Greene have a series where he played a policeman? I'm not sure people could handle him in anything but that leather vest.

[klondike]

It even costarred Julie Adams. I never realized she such an extensive career.

I know what ya mean, Chris; on a good day, that hard-workin' babe is just all over your television set . . and yet, over a long, dismal month, anywhere on the calendar, she can be almost impossible to find.

Don't know why, but I'm always reminded of sweet Julie whenever I see our more-modern character actress Anne Archer, though I wouldn't say they exactly resemble each other . . .

[MissGoddess]

One of the worst things about the success of Lorne Greene's small screen career was that after Bonanza, it almost became impossible for the actor to play a villain. He was outlandishly bad (in a highly entertaining sense) in his early roles in films such as Autumn Leaves (as Joan Crawford's rotten father-in-law) and Peyton Place (as the rotten DA persecuting as well as prosecuting poor Hope Lange), but Ben Cartwright's only post-Ponderosa big bad Daddy routine of note was as Ava Gardner's semi-slimey father in Earthquake (1974)--even though Lorne would have had to become a father at the age of 7 to have been partly responsible for Ava's existence.

Moira, did you ever see his charismatic turn in the "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" episode "Help Wanted"?

http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi461504537/

[mrsl]

.
Julie Adams was probably a guest artist on 90% of every TV show starting with the original half hour Gunsmoke (Matt Dillon), and running all the way into Murder She Wrote. She was so versatile she fit into the old west and the far out galaxy. She was also a lovely woman.
.

[stuart.uk]

Green played PI Griff, who had a side kick in Alias Smith And Jones star Ben Murphy

[mrsl]

.
As much as I'm becoming a fan of Gunsmoke, I have to point out an outrageous boo-boo in today's episode titled "The First People" concerning Todd Armstrong who played Johnny Eagle Wing. He had a scar on his face, but the make-up man couldn't seem to decide whether it should be on his left or his right cheek as it was on one or the oher throughout the whole hour. Since it was on my DVR, I fast forwarded from each scene that Armstrong was in to the next to see how many times it changed, and it was at least twice on each cheek.

[Rita Hayworth]

I saw an episode of "Cheyenne" that had a pre-"Bonanza" Lorne Greene. He played a arrogant prosecuting attorney for the Army. Trying to convict some officer of cowardice. Of course, Cheyenne comes to the rescue. it was part 2 of a special episode about Custer. It even costarred Julie Adams. I never realized she such an extensive career.

Julie Adams has been on television from 1949 to 2008. She been on over 70 different television shows and seems like every month I see her popping out of nowhere. Her agent keeps finding work for her and she doesn't mind doing it. I met her once in Hollywood (got her autograph) on the set of Diagnosis (in 1997) Murder and she is very gracious with fans.

[movieman1957]

An episode of "Gunsmoke" was all weird. In the first season nearly every episode had the office and The Dodge House set up the same way we knew it for 20 years. "Hack Prine" costarring Leo Gordon shows the office seemingly the same but it's all wrong. There is a different desk in a different place. The gun rack is in the wrong place. Even the door opens the wrong way. Go to the Dodge House and it looks like some fancy brothel.

Next episode it all looks normal. That's too strange and I need a life.

[MissGoddess]

Chris, you're too funny! Did you say this is from season one? Maybe the regular set decorator was on vacation.