THE PLOT THUS FAR
Gene Autry is the only entertainer with all five stars on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, one each for Radio, Recordings, Motion Pictures, Television and Live Performance. By the middle of the 20th Century, Autry was a box office smash with his musical B Westerns, touring with his rodeo across the United States and the British Isles, and had several gold records including his Christmas classic Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer. Autry’s highly anticipated television debut on CBS-TV, July 23, 1950, placed him immediately in the ranks of television’s topmost attractions. What’s more, with TV, America’s beloved cowboy star added still another to his long list of illustrious firsts. He became the first topflight motion picture star to make films especially for the Golden Age of Television.
The Gene Autry Show, sponsored by Wrigley’s Doublemint Chewing Gum, originally aired on CBS from 1950 to 1955. The program follows the adventures of singing cowboy Gene Autry, his Wonder Horse Champion, and his sidekick Pat Buttram, who travel the Southwest to maintain law and order. The series is a collection of stand-alone half-hour episodes: sometimes Gene and Pat know each other sometimes they do not; some shows are set in the past and some are in the near present of the early 1950s. Each unique show has Gene’s trademark mixture of action, comedy, and singing. See for yourself why the hard riding, furious fighting, and smooth singing Gene Autry is considered America’s favorite cowboy.
This collection contains 14dvd’s plus a Bonus Disc – Gene’s venture into television led to the creation of Flying A Pictures, which produced five popular half-hour Westerns, presented here for the first time in one package.
You ll see two episodes each of The Gene Autry Show, The Range Rider, Annie Oakley, Buffalo Bill, Jr. and The Adventures of Champion.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“The Gene Autry Show” was a showcase of singing and Western talent in a time where you couldn’t turn the dial without hitting similar junk. Spreading faster than polio was America’s love for the singing cowboy. Honestly, the guy had some quality songs. The shame is that his other material was paper thin and didn’t go anywhere. But, America was young and didn’t have discerning television tastes.
This complete release shows the five or six seasons that made up the series’ run. Fifteen of the episodes were shot in color, but there’s no difference other than flesh tone between those and the early shows. Seeing the old school Wrigley’s Gum commercials was funny. However, I felt that the bonus episode was a wasted opportunity due to not showing where Gene Autry was on other shows during the era. Meh, I wanted a complete history which wasn’t the case here.
The DVD comes with bonus episodes as the special features. The A/V Quality is strong enough for a classic television series. Still, there is some digital noise on the transfer. It’s not terrible, but it is noticeable. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase.
RELEASE DATE: 12/10/2013