LARAMIE - IN COLOR! 6 DVD SET! The 1960s were a boom time for television westerns, with over 32 hours of prime time every week, on just three channels. One of the most watched and beloved of those shows was Laramie, whi... more »ch ran from 1959 to 1963, and is considered by many to be one of the best family westerns of all time. Now for the first time, TMG and NBC Universal bring you all 28 episodes of Laramie/Season Three in color on six DVD discs, along with an exclusive interview with Robert Fuller, who is still Jess Harper to his many fans! Originally airing in black and white, the series centered on the story of two brothers and a drifter who run a stage-stop in the Wyoming Territory of the late 1870s. John Smith (Cimarron City) plays the older brother, Slim Sherman, and Robert Crawford, Jr. (brother of Rifleman's Johnny Crawford) plays Sherman's younger brother Andy. When Jess Harper, played by the iconic Robert Fuller (Wagon Train, Emergency!), drifts into Laramie, he joins up with the brothers in their struggle against long odds. John Smith and Robert Fuller brought great chemistry to their roles in Laramie. Their opposing temperaments and strengths complimented each other on screen like few other duos in the western television genre. It is interesting to note that the producers originally wanted the two actors to switch roles. Robert and John dug in their heels, and the correctness of their decision is immediately apparent as you watch them interact. After two seasons in black and white, the third and fourth seasons were filmed in color. With Hoagy Carmichael gone, and Robert Crawford Jr.'s character sent off to St. Louis to school, the producers brought in Spring Byington (December Bride) as Miss Daisy Cooper, and a young Dennis Holmes (Wagon Train) as Mike Williams, whom Slim and Jess take under their wing. A terrific cast of guest stars highlighted the show, including Denver Pyle (Seige at Jubilee), Alex Cord (The Mountain Men), Leonard Nimoy (The Runt), Harry Dean Stanton (The Confederate Express), Cloris Leachman (Trial by Fire) and Jay Silverheels (The Day of the Savage) to name just a few. Laramie has been long anticipated and sought after, and this six-disc set brings you all 28 color episodes, complete and uncut. So kick off your boots and let Slim and Jess take you back to Wyoming Territory, heart of the Old West!« less
Jess Harper--the best character on any western--ever!
ReadytoRead2 | 04/13/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've put up with dubs of dubs of deteriorating VHS tapes just to see any hint of my favorite all time western when I was growing up. Jess Harper (played to absolute perfection by Robert Fuller) made my just-taking-notice-of-the-opposite-gender heart skip more than a few beats.
I'd love to have ALL four seasons of the series on DVD, but for now I'll happily settle for this one. The distributor notes on screen that all care was taken to make the best possible reproduction of source material, but that some glitches are inevitable. From the episodes I've watched, they succeeded beyond my expectations! Let's face it, there aren't any pristine copies of this series out there any more. And, sadly, no Clint Eastwood star power (note Rawhide's DVD quality) to convince anyone (YET) to remaster the ones that do exist.
[...].
Jess Harper--put that man on a horse and I'll still follow him anywhere! (albeit much more slowly than I would have forty years ago!)"
Problems to be corrected!!
Nigel Patterson | Canberra, ACT Australia | 03/19/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The original release had several technical problems. These are being corrected and the set reissued on 30 March 2009. And having now viewed the set Ihave to agree with others that the video quality is only passable. So what should have been a 4 star release really only offers 2.5 stars value for money."
Good and Bad
S. M Thiel | Grinnell, IA | 06/16/2009
(2 out of 5 stars)
"Wish I could give this DVD release a better then a 2-Star Review.
The Characters are interesing especially the leads John Smith and Robert
Fuller.
The stories were well written.
And there is a new interview with Fuller that is well done.
The Bad part is the video itself.
Very grainy. Night scenes are somewhat difficult to make out.
The colors are faded.
The Sound is so-so.
Timeless Media is a hit or miss outfit.
As with The Deputy, LARAMIE misses out on a quality presention. "
Pathetic Video Quality Ruins A Pretty Good Series!
Cuthbert J. Twiddle | Sacramento, CA USA | 09/11/2009
(1 out of 5 stars)
"I can only echo what several other reviewers have said...the video quality here is pathetic! It indeed does look like VHS at the SLP (6 hour) speed. Timeless Media apparently buys the legal rights to put some of these TV series out but good prints or video transfers are not always available from the source (NBC Universal in this case) so TM sometimes has to scrounge whatever prints or videos it can from collectors. They have put out some excellent quality western TV series such as "Tales of Wells Fargo" but this is not one of them. Think the worst of Alpha Video releases and that's what you'll get with this set. Shame on Universal for not providing some source material and shame on Timeless Media for putting this crappy set out with no word about the substandard quality on the packaging!"
Larimie in Color (sort of)
Lawrence W. Stephens | 07/08/2009
(2 out of 5 stars)
"FOR DIE-HARD FANS OF THIS WESTERN ONLY. Others stay away. (I want my money back). So-So color and worst scan job I have ever seen. Yes, even the 60 shows, 10 DVDs @ $9.99 sets. These prints are ½ the quality of my over the air VHS tapes recorded at SLP of TV shows I have recorded. You can tell their source print is from tape. First set had freeze problems, which timeless did replace. ([...]) I received the replacement set and while it plays ok there is a buzz coming from my Sony DVD player that makes it sound like it is hard at work to play intro and menu. If you want a western set from these early years get Wells Fargo. It has excellent prints, well-balanced and decent stories with guest stars of the period. Timeless should have created to two labels. Wells Fargo: TMG Premier Series. Laramie: TMG Lost in the Dust Series. We could be for warned by which is great and which is trash."