Rating: 
Summary: A stellar series with depth !
Review: Consistent quality. Well written, amazingly well acted,well photographed. Many stories by Gene Roddenberry. You will not be disappointed. Great DVD quality, far superior to the vhs tapes. Pricewise, also a good deal. I only have 2 complaints: 1) an incredible lack of foresight because no original commercials are included. How difficult is it folks? 2) where is the 2nd season?? and the 3rd??? etc.
Rating:
Summary: The best TV show ........EVER
Review: Don't miss out on this gem of a western TV show...Richard Boone plays Paliden a gunman for hire , so long as its a moral and justified job u offer him , and dont forget about that trade mark card "have gun will travel" . This show works on so many levels and is timeless fun even though set to the old west. paliden's fee runs about $1,000-$10,000 still a good amount even at todays prices. while Richard Boone is one of the greatest screen preformers of all time , I think the writers made this show what it is today, a priceless,timeless, masterfully plotted show that stands the test of time through much respect for all cultures of the world, this was the first western i have seen that treats native americans and asian americans fairly, in the portrail of their culture. i own the compelet 42 VHS tapes of this show and MP3 for the radio show and cant wait for the rest of the wonderfully remasterd DVD's to be released.if u like action movies,and shows like the twilight zone.. then dont pass this DVD set up, final note if some westerns have not machted your likes , i know this set makes the junk on TV today seem pittifull
Rating: 
Summary: Get wired
Review: Fans of intelligent Westerns shouldn't miss Paramount's resurrection of "Have Gun Will Travel." The show, which ran on CBS for five seasons beginning in the fall of 1957, starred Richard Boone as Paladin, a badass do-gooder who ran his one-man mercenary business out of a San Francisco hotel.Unlike most TV Westerns of its time, "Have Gun" still plays wonderfully thanks in large part to its savvy scripts. Quite a few were written by Gene Roddenberry, exploring some of the social themes he continued with on "Star Trek." Boone looks great, fashion-forward in all black -- hip, intelligent, deadly. Bernard Hermann contributed the swelling music.
The six-disc Paramount set has all 39(!) episodes from the first season of "Have Gun," with guest stars including Jack Lord, Charles Bronson, John Carradine and Warren Oates. The black-and-white images look OK but can be distractingly dark. Audio is undercut by a fair amount of hiss and boom.
Rating:
Summary: More Than a Good Western
Review: Fans of this show and those who enjoy television westerns will need no convincing that this DVD set is more than a bargain. But people unfamiliar with Richard Boone's remarkable portrayal of Paladin, and the half hour program that showcased it, would very likely be surprised at what a superlative show 'Have Gun- Will Travel' really is.
These are tight, streamlined tales- examples of a storytelling style that cannot be found in any modern TV show. The plots charge ahead, yet manage to deliver atmosphere, characterization, and plot twists within their half-hour time frame. Paladin is larger than life: brave, confident, thoughtful, moody, and very dangerous. And Boone plays this hero of almost mythic stature without irony or self consciousness.
In short this DVD collection will provide many hours of enjoyment to anyone who loves a well-told story, or who wants to see a fine actor bring a legend to life. At less than a dollar per show I don't believe there's a better entertainment value to be found.
Rating:
Summary: A Knight Without Armor
Review: Fantastic, Excellent Richard Boone has always been the fastest gun and this is fast viewing of excellent episode after episode. Please release seasons 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.
Rating:
Summary: Pure Western Gold and the Theme Song is Coming!
Review: Folks should check their facts before giving thumbs down to something. The great theme song didn't come until later in the series. Be patient, buy 'em all, and you'll soon get that great song. I for one am glad Paramount did this right and DIDN'T put the song on the first season, giving the show to viewers exactly the way it was. Paramount deserves applause! And Richard Boone was one of the greatest actors to ever grace the small tube. Hopefully, someone will dust off "The Richard Boone Show" at some point.
Rating:
Summary: judy garland, have gun will travel
Review: Gee I never knew she played such an important role on this great series..ever have anyone proof read these entries?? Read the whole description, its quite funny :)
Rating:
Summary: A classic's classic
Review: Have Gun Will Travel is one of the most remarkable series from television's so-called "Golden Age". It boasts actors who can act (Richard Boone stands out on anyone's list), writers who can write (including Sterling Silliphant and Gene Roddenberry), and both characters and stories that remain three-dimensional even almost 50 years later. Very few of the characters are all good or all bad (except Paladin, of course). Even the villains are human beings. And the concept of a Renaissance man as professional gunfighter is inspired. The fact that he remains an enigma through most of the series is a bonus. Guest stars on this series read like a "Who's Who" of Hollywood in that era and later. Mike Conners ("Mannix"), Angie Dickinson ("Police Woman"), June Lockhart ("Lassie" and "Lost in Space"), Jack Lord ("Hawaii Five-O"), Harold J. Stone (myriads of character parts in TV and the movies), and others far too numerous to mention show up. But Have Gun Will Travel is also a history lesson. It is a sincere picture of the time in which it takes place. The show, while always entertaining, deals with some weighty issues. Many episodes deal with sexual inequality and racial relations. One episode deals explicitly with the despicable treatment of the Chinese laborers by the railroad owners. And they all try to capture the feeling of the time -- after the Civil War, when people were trying to make lives for themselves in the West, often under difficult conditions. As with most DVD collections, the episodes are UNCUT. They play very differently when they are allowed those extra few minutes to round out characters and plot. One more note. Season One consists of 39 episodes, as many series did at that time -- a far cry from the 24 (if you're lucky) that you get today. And the price is a bargain. Get this one to see Golden Age television at its very finest.
Rating:
Summary: A Western With a Different Twist
Review: Have Gun Will Travel, the hit series airing from 1957 to 1963, was the creation of two innovative ex-radio writers, who had been tipped that CBS was in the market for a cowboy show with a "different twist." The result was the first truly adult TV western, which chronicled the exploits of a college-educated, West Point trained, solider of fortune known simply as Paladin. Historically the term "paladin" is associated with the medieval knights of Charlemagne's court, who were often called upon to travel the country and resolve issues between the king's subjects. Indeed, the show's main character was a complex combination of knight errant and resourceful gunslinger, who upon payment of $1,000 would leave his well-appointed suite in San Francisco's Hotel Carlton to pursue whatever mission a well-heeled client commissioned. A gourmet, opera buff, and connoisseur of fine wine, women, and Ming Dynasty artifacts, Paladin could quote Keats, Shelley, and Shakespeare with the same self-assurance that he brought to subjugating frontier villains.
The character of Paladin was played with sharp intelligence and dry wit by talented actor Richard Boone. Boone's intimidating growl, prominent nose, and pock-marked visage physically distinguished him from the typical pretty-boy hero, just as his character's cultured background distinguished him from more rustic inhabitants of the1870s Old West. Dressed all in black and sporting a waxed mustache, his holster embossed with a silver chess knight, Paladin routinely handed out his signature calling card-the image of a white knight chess piece and the inscription: "Have Gun, Will Travel . . . Wire Paladin, San Francisco." The charisma and sophisticated elegance of his character brought Boone more loyal female fan mail than many of his more photogenic cowboy contemporaries received.
The thirty-minute episodes spanning five seasons of Have Gun Will Travel were immensely popular, and the individualistic take on the traditional western format made an international star of its talented lead actor. All in all, it was an interesting, well-written show, moral without being preachy. Paladin often solved problems with his wits and powers of negotiation rather than his gun. He was respectful toward women and ethnic groups and spoke any language the plots called for. Yes, the show is dated in it's view of the proper place of women, and not every episode is top-notch, but in general the writing is good-particularly within the confines of a half-hour drama format-and the plots well-researched. You can also see any number of guest actors, such as Jack Lord (Hawaii 5-O), Charles Bronson, DeForest Kelley (Star Trek), and June Lockhart, who would later become prominent television stars. Recommended for anyone who likes westerns or has the urge to re-visit television's Golden Years.
Rating:
Summary: Best of the TV Westerns?
Review: Having grown up in those long ago days of the Fifties and Sixties, when Westerns were the king of television, you had your Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Rawhide; the list goes on amnd on. Some were great, some were good, the rest were mediocre.
But the one that stood out for me was Have Gun Will Travel. Plot driven without being talking heads, HGWT was the most varied, most interesting and best written Western to hit the small screen...and in half hour shows! Gene Roddenberry (Yes, THAT Gene Roddenberry!) was a major contributor to many of the shows, with his being among the best written and most clever.
Richard Boone's performance as the Gunman who tries not use the gun offers a performance in a class all his own; a worldly wise Shakespeare and poetry afficianado who also knows how to dish the dirt to the scum of the Earth.
The DVD's are beautiful! Each episode is crystal clear, and offers a brief note on plot and guest star with each ep. Whether you remember these shows, or have yet to experience the glory of black and white at it's prime, Have Gun Will Travel is your best bet for the tops in Western TV.
|
