Vote for why you think it jumped
Never Jumped
Exit...Stage Left (Lee J. Cobb)
The first time he gets engaged
Shark Bytes
The thing I remember most about this show was its rousing theme song.
I didn't watch that many episodes, but that's because it was aimed at adults and I was just a kid way back when.
I didn't watch that many episodes, but that's because it was aimed at adults and I was just a kid way back when.
THE VIRGINIAN was definitely a great Western,but for me,it JTS when Lee J. Cobb,the Judge,left. It was not the same show after that. THE VIRGINIAN theme song, by the great Percy Faith,was my all time favorite. I could never get that song out of my head when I was a kid.Yes,this show had everything, but I was a big Lee J. Cobb fan. It lasted for 9 seasons because of good acting and great stories.
Excellent western. This ninety minute classic currently airs on the Hallmark Channel Saturday afternoons. The show actually was an anthology series featuring the title character and the other regulars (Trampas, Randy, etc.)placed in the storylines sort of peripherally between the characters acted out by guest stars. I particularly enjoyed the episode in which a self- centered millionaire fell off a train, ending up in the middle of the desert where he had little chance but to join a cattle drive headed by the Virginian. It was a very good story about a greedy selfish tycoon who was humbled quite nicely by the conclusion of the story.
This show never jumped the Shark! It had one of my top five theme songs of all time! James Drury was so cool and so was his right hand man Trampus!I can not find it being aired anywhere. I dont live in Finland.
I think the show jumped when Betsy got hitched to that sleazy priest. After that there was no one to hold the cast together. The Judge left, Randy left, and finally the whole ranch got sold. They made a good attempt to climb back over the fin when the Grangers bought the place, but even that wasn't enough. Here in Helsinki Finland, where I'm living right now, the local TV has been airing the show chronologically for the past 6 months, and there is a definite decline in plots and acting after that fair Mrs. Betsy ties the knots. Not to discourage marriage of course...
Remember the 60's? I know, 80% of you don't (and according to Carlin, if you were really there, you also don't remember!). This, following up from a period beginning in the mid 50's, was the era of the TV WESTERN. Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Wanted: Dead or Alive, The High Chapperal, Have Gun Will Travel, Maverick, and THE VIRGINIAN. Points I remember: a mega-cool theme song, with French horns dominating. Each episode lasted 90 minutes! Who would try that today? My dad was a fan. This is significant, because he didn't watch anything else except baseball, football, or the news. can't say I recall much about it, but it lasted 9 years (in an era with plenty of competition). When and if Nick or TV Land run it, I'll tune in.
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