Laramie (TV Series) Men of Defiance (1960) User Reviews

Confusing, at first.

[riccibilotta-167-829847 · 7/10 · 21 September 2017]

When I first saw this episode, I had to triple check. It didn't start out like the show I wanted to watch, the opening credits, and theme made me think it was a B Western movie. I check the title on IMDb, and sure enough, it is indeed an episode of Laramie. After all the confusion, not a great episode, but good enough.

Not bad, but not Laramie

[Johnboy1221 · 6/10 · 3 February 2016]

This is not really a Laramie episode, except that it manages to cast Robert Fuller as Jess Harper in it. It may have been a test to see how well it would fare as a series (and for whatever the reason, it was dumped). Even the music and credits are not the same as Laramie. I suppose that the planned title of the new series was going to be Fort Defiance or even Men Of Defiance. Regardless, it was an odd way to introduce a new show. At least it included Fuller, who always elevated westerns to new heights, and he is great, as always as Jess Harper. It did include some favorites of the time, such as John Anderson, Edger Buchanan, Don Megowan, and Denny Miller, who would later co-star with Fuller, on Wagon Train. The story is rather pedestrian, but does feature some good performances.

Trading Post Pilot

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 26 February 2018]

I'm not sure that this episode should even have been included in the Laramie episode list. A different theme is used and it's not really clear whether Robert Fuller's Jess Harper character is at Sherman Station or back before he met Slim Sherman and was a good or bad guy depending on the situation.

Here he's a deputy marshal for Mort Mills and they are pursuing a vicious gang led by John Anderson who really enjoys the killing part of his job. The two set out on the old mountain man Santa Fe Trail where for miles around the only concentration of people is at a trading post called Fort Defiance. It was founded by Don Megowan and has such folk there as Edgar Buchanan, Bing Russell, and Denny Miller.

In sum and substance Mills and Fuller after a fashion combine against Anderson and his bunch.

Oddly enough the last episode of Wagon Train by Revue Studio which produced Laramie was also an unsold pilot involving a trading post that included Charlie Wooster in his younger days and starred Rory Calhoun. It also failed to fly.

Apparently someone at Revue wanted a trading post series.

Beautiful Locations

[rexlowe · 24 January 2018]

Although I too was confused by my first screening of this "Laramie" episode, I enjoyed the scenery as familiar and enjoyable, shot from the floor of California's Antelope Valley at Desert Buttes up to the shot of Valyermo up the Mountain where the "Mission" was located. Universal got more mileage on "Fort Fits on Wheels" as well. If for nothing but nostalgic reasons, I enjoyed it with Jess Harper.