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Reviews
Gunsmoke: The Renegades (1963)
Calling all fans of Burt Reynolds
If you only know Burt Reynolds from his later work - Smoky and the Bandit maybe, or Evening Shade, you are in for a treat with this Gunsmoke episode. He's a man's man, as they used to say, tough and brave, but also respectful to the ladies. He and the lady in this episode made a great pair and the chemistry between them is evident. But what lady wouldn't have chemistry with Burt? That slow smile that starts with his mouth but then spreads to his eyes ... his sex appeal is so evident here. But also - the guy could act! I always felt that Burt was really just playing Burt in all his roles but that was probably because he seemed to portray the roles so effortlessly.
I grew up being familiar with the color episodes of Gunsmoke. I knew Burt was in older episodes of the show but I had not seen any of them until recently. I'm even more of a Burt fan now than I was before.
A must see episode for al Burt fans!
Gunsmoke: Baker's Dozen (1967)
Every newborn needs a rocking mule.
If you thought this episode was icky, maybe Doc Adams needs to examine you to see if you have a heart! Yes, it was overly dramatic at times and maybe a little overacted, too, but it was (and is) quality TV. Many, many Gunsmoke episodes tugged at the heartstrings by showing just how hard life could be in the old west. We weren't given much of the mother or father's stories in this episode, but no doubt there were real life circumstances of orphaned children such as these triplets. It is a very believable story line.
The Mrs. Roniger character was acted to perfection (I would have loved to see more of Harry Carey, Jr).
Denver Pyle is convincing as the judge. Here there is no sign of Briscoe Darlin. As the judge, he speaks in a formal, educated manner.
Festus was understandably excited and happy to be a part of the joyous occasion. Milburn Stone did rant and rave a lot, but the passion he displayed was also understandable.
I thoroughly enjoyed the scenes with Miss Kitty. My favorite scene of the episode was the one where she handed the baby to Marshal Dillon - the look on her face when she looked at him spoke volumes.
Laramie: Widow in White (1961)
You're built like my husband ...you can wear his shirt.
Slim, Slim. Sometimes you are just too nice for your own good.
Slim agrees to help the widow get her ranch back on track ostensibly to help out the stage company which will, in turn, help Slim's relay station. But we all know that Slim agrees to help her because he's just a really good person. He runs into some trouble with her hired hands which result in his shirt being torn to shreds. I'm not sure how she, petite little woman that she was, was able to drag an unconscious Slim into the house, but a certain amount of suspension of realistic thought is necessary for so much of what comes out of Hollywood. In this case it's worth it because we get to see Slim stretched out, shirtless, on the floor in front of the fireplace. The widow hands him a shirt that used to belong to her husband and tells Slim she thinks it will fit because he's built like her husband. Her voice gets a little trembly and she's not able to finish her sentence; I don't think it's because she was thinking of her husband.
The episode ends well, justice is served, and Slim ends up with the shirt - which looks very nice on him. He should have worn dark colors more often!