I was looking forward to this coming to Encore Westerns, only to find it's a very low-rent western with bland stories, weak writing, uninspired directing, and acting that added nothing to anyone's career. I wish Encore would add westerns that haven't been seen since the fifties and sixties that were more interesting.
Or, at least, try 'em and when they're this weak, move on to another show so we can see what others were like. This turned out to be weak.
I've asked them to try to add Zane Grey Theater to their lineup. I thought the early, black and white episodes of Death Valley Days (with the Old Ranger) were usually pretty good, but the later color ones are sometimes rather boring. I have a season pass for the show on my TiVo. But if there's no program description for a given episode in TiVo, I usually don't bother to watch it. And when there is a program description, if it doesn't sound interesting then I usually don't watch it.
Right now they're finishing up with the later episodes, so I hope they loop around to the early ones again before the show disappears.
❇If you can remember the '60s, then you weren't there.❇
The writing for Death Valley Days is some of the worst I've ever seen in TV or films. It boggles the mind that this passed for prime time television 50 years ago.
I was hoping it would be 'so bad its good' sort of appeal, but its just abysmal.
Younger people should probably stick to "Kill Bill" & "Walker". Let us oldies revel in the "Oldies".
shareCouldn't disagree with you more. As one of my favorite hosts of Death Valley Days would say at the beginning of all the episodes he hosted, the show was all about:
"Stories of the Old West…stories of hardship and adventure…of dreams and courage…stories of the American pioneer are all part of our past…our heritage."
My favorite episode is "The Rider" (Season 14, Episode 5). A mail delivery rider meets a widow who needs helps tending her farm and raising her son. She has decided to put up a sign on her farm asking for men to stop by who would be interested in marrying her. While he thinks this is crazy, he realizes the farm is too large for her to take care of by herself, and agrees to help her find a suitable mate. All the while he is doing this, he is falling more and more in love with her and becoming close friends with the son. A particular jerk stops by the farm and attempts to romance the widow. The mail delivery rider roughs him up (deservedly) to the cheers of the son. The rider figures out his feelings for the widow and confesses them to her in a beautiful, emotional, heartfelt speech. With tears in her eyes, the widow confesses that a considerably older male friend, whom she does not have romantic feelings for, asked her to marry him yesterday and she said yes. With tears rolling down her face, she thanks the rider for his proposal and says she will remember it for the rest of his life. Holding back tears, the rider wishes her a happy life and then leaves. They never see each other again.
It was a fantastic episode. I love the fact that the series is based on true stories from the West and I enjoy the little anecdotes that the hosts give at the end of each episode.
You may not like it but plenty of us do.
I agree with Vivacious Dan!
Early TV westerns may not have had the punch-up of the bloody, violent films of the later cinema work, but they were of interest to kids and adults in that gentler time.
Many of us appreciated Death Valley Days because each episode was based on an actual event or person.
Not real, merely flickering shades of light and darkness...
To all those who came out in favor of "Death Valley Days", I applaud you. What a wonderful way to spend a couple hours of good, clean and moral TV. Good for the heart and soul.
shareThey're now starting at the beginning again w/the black & white episodes and the Old Ranger as host. These are better than most of the later, color episodes.
The universe is not only stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine.–J.B. Haldane
I agree - the earlier black and white DVD episodes are much better. I also found the earlier black and white Gunsmoke episodes to be much better as well.
shareYou should pass your comments on to some of the actors who appeared on the show, like Slim Pickens and Clint Eastwood.
I very much enjoy watching Death Valley Days, though so far I've seen only those introduced by The Old Ranger. Sure, some are cheesy with weak stories, but so far I've found nearly all interesting and worth my while. There have even been ones about places that still existed and could be visited in the 1950's. I'd like to look up some of those to visit, if still possible!