Where can you get it??? - Best of the West (1981) Discussion

[–] 20 years ago

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[–] newscat 20 years ago

I remember two things:

Carlene's character sitting through most of one show churning butter, but she'd thrown away the butter and only had whey remaining. She kept asking someone if they'd like some whey as she continued to churn.

Then another scene, when she told her husband that she remembered when she discovered she loved him/or first met him. He was lighted by the flames as he burned her Daddy's plantation ....

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[–] ffattahi 19 years ago

I've been waiting long for the DVD to come out. But there's been no indication. We need to find who has the DVD rights and petition for its release. Would you all sign up?

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[–] sugarwafer 19 years ago

I am still looking for the DVD or tapes of this show. It was fantastic. If anyone has found it, please let me know.

Thanks.
[email protected]

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[–] kencooper37 19 years ago

A TV reference book recently helped me to remember this show and another that Joel Higgins was on around the same time (anyone remember "Salvage I" with Andy Griffith?!). Of course, I didn't need to remember "Silver Spoons," which Higgins also played in. (Really, I didn't...)

I can't believe it was only around for one season. I must have seen every episode at the time to remember it so fondly.

I've seen where a seller on e-bay is offering DVD copies of this show, but no official DVD releases. The seller's id is kc816 (not me, by the way).

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[–] csobero 19 years ago

Thanks for the heads up. Looks like I missed the auction, but hopefully the seller will put up more.

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[–] jhdixon7 17 years ago

I also love this show and was recently on YOUTUBE.COM and entered "best of the west sitcom". there is a 8 minute intro posted by mistersitcom who has all episodes on dvd. hope this helps.

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[–] GayleG 19 years ago

I remember really loving this programme and I would sign up as soon as, if someone starts a petition for its release. I've been trying to see if some of my friends remember it, but they don't. Does anyone know where I can find stills to try and jog their memory.

Um sittin here like a cowpit yow!

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[–] jmninpa 19 years ago

I don't know where, except maybe Ebay or another auction site that has all sorts of common and obscure items. However, I also loved this show, and still remember most of the theme song. I thought it was funny, interesting, and, given the awful, worship the rich shows of the early 80s, a nice change of pace. I beleive it was aired on Monday nights, but may be incorrect on that. Loved it, and would like to see TVLand pick it up. Tired of seeing them run I Love Lucy and other bland, blank shows of the early 60s.

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[–] treemarc 18 years ago

I saw one episode a few years back (may have been 2, may have been 8), probably on TV Land. TV Land used to have lots of short lived shows on the weekends.

If you get it, you might try writing to HDNet. They've been reviving short lived shows lately, as long as the original film is available to make HD sources from. Mostly recent Fox shows ("Andy Richter Controls The Universe", ect.), but last week they started showing "Square Pegs" in the morning.

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[–] xxxmcgee 18 years ago

I to wish to have a copy of the funny sitcom. I really like Frog. I remember one episode where the cowgirl and I believe Dan was in jail and she was talking about her horse. I could be wrong. I will help any way I can to try and get releases of these shows.

Karen Knight
[email protected]

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[–] solex10 14 years ago

The DVD rights are owned by Paramount/CBS Video.

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[–] rich-611 18 years ago

I worked at ABC for a while, and I have a dub of the pilot and the second episode, which I watch from time to time. It remains one of my all-time favorites.

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[–] rexb-2 18 years ago

As a former employee (I realize that it may have been a good while back), do you have any suggestions on how to make a request for a DVD release to or through ABC?

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[–] TelevisionJunkie 18 years ago

I believe Paramount owns the show, and since they're not releasing too many of their shows to disc (and their feature film discs are rather lackluster in the way of quality and extras), I wouldn't expect an official disc release of the series anytime soon. Bugging ABC for a show that aired nearly 30 years ago is completely pointless, since they don't own it.

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[–] rdthree1 17 years ago

If you dub it for me....I will pay you

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[–] stuartcritchfield 18 years ago

I just spent two hours on the internet trying to recall the name of this show, finally ended up here... I really liked it at the time, obviously to recall it so many years later. I was thinking William Sanderson played Frog and I see that is not the case... It is Frog that sticks in my mind after 2 and half decades.

It would be nice to view this show again after 25 years.

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] babette563 18 years ago

That was my favorite episode as well. I just love the way he would say "my name is Frog" with a thick southern accent. After watching an episode of Reno 911, I finally track down the show that gave me fond memories of "Frog".

Here's to being hopeful on a DVD release!

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[–] starwolf1001 17 years ago

many decades later i still remember that seen when they meet "Frog" :-)

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[–] jsl151 17 years ago

...is the one already mentioned, where to get the railroad to come to their town they convert the saloon into a church.... IN TWO MINUTES!

The railroad representitive looks around and says "Why does it say 'Saloon' in front?"

Tilman replies "It was once... when this was a sinful town."

Don't remember the details.
The railroad rejects the town, probably because it didn't have any saloons.

About DVDs...
More than likely to be a video-on-demand program in the future.

About the kid:
Wasn't he the junior time traveler in "Voyagers"?

About Frog...
He was great in Conan as the stereotypical D&D thief.
"It's bad luck to kill a wizard!"
I should visit his IMDB listing and see what he has done lately.

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[–] delzao 18 years ago

My favorite line in the show which has stuck with me through the years?
Elvira:"I just can't get this dirt off the floor."
Sam:"That's because it's a dirt floor."
Elvira:"Oh."

To this day? It still makes me laugh. Tracey Walters went on to star in another western cult classic, he did a couple episodes of "The Adventures of Brisco County Jr."

He was also in Conan the Destroyer.

Yeah.... they need to re-release this show.

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[–] godwulf1 18 years ago

I'm pretty sure that eventually just about everything ever filmed or videotaped is going to be available on dvd...it's just a matter of time.

I'd buy this show in a heartbeat. I've been telling people about it for years, and I don't think I've ever actually met another person who recalls seeing it.

Remember the time they were trying to get the railroad to put a line through their town instead of a competing site? They made the saloon look like a church, and when the rr folks came to town the people were all standing around the saloon/church singing "Rock of Ages"...but they didn't know the words, so they just sang, "Rock of ages, cleft for me" over and over again to the song's tune. They finished singing and everybody breathed a sigh of relief and Frog piped up, "Second verse!" and they had to do it again.

Then there was the time the Canary Kid (Chris Lloyd) gave up gunslinging to become Parker Tillman's chef...and he was so good at it that he could make anything taste great, so Tillman bought a lot of dead weasels...

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[–] roguestout 18 years ago

My buddy and I talked like Frog for several years after this show.
He is about the only thing I remember from it, except that I really liked it back when I was a kid.

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[–] MrPunch 18 years ago

My favorite... and I remember this vividly...

Christopher Lloyd says to the Sheriff:

"Sam, I've never kissed a man in my life."

{Pauses, then kisses Sam on the lips.}

"Now I know why."

Hilarious! Jim Ignatowski on two shows at once! What a glorious year!

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[–] MrSitcom 18 years ago

Many years ago there were two comedy cable channels available. They merged and became Comedy Central. But before that happened one of the channels, ran short lived sitcoms in the afternoons. They did indeed run all episodes of "Best of the West" a few times. I taped them all on VHS. I just finished transferring them to DVD. Funny shows.

One of my favorite TV theme songs of all time.

You can get the unofficial DVDs here: http://www.ioffer.com/i/144110715

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[–] tiptop-1 18 years ago

BEST OF THE WEST (Theme Song lyrics: best as I can remember them)

In days of yore...in Western lore
A man returned...from Civil War
His heart beat pure...beneath his vest
His name was Best....Best of the W-(harmonica interrupts)

But not alone...did he come home
His new-found bride...was at his side
And with his boy...who did protest
They all came West... to live with W-(harmonica)

Yippee-Ki-yi-oh, Yippy-ki-yi-yay, heave 3 mighty cheers
Yippee-Ki-yi-oh, Yippy-ki-yi-yay, for the Western Pioneers

And off they rode (off they rode)...this family (this family)
This man and wife (man and wife)...his boy makes three (his boy makes three)
T'was through their deeds...this land progressed
Hoo-ray for Best...
Best of the West!

Correct me if I'm wrong. (God I loved that show--and I taped the theme song with my Panasonic tape recorder to re-play it over a hundred times.)

Keep watching the Classics!

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] dpjmd 18 years ago

Thanks much Mr. Sitcom! I also really enjoyed this program.
I watched it in Washington, D.C. durings its season, then saw a few episodes in Japan on Armed Forces TV in 1985.

One of my favorite scenes (vaguely remembered) is when Elvira is talking about how she helped Confederate soldiers who needed "buckin' up", then sort of drifts off saying "some of those Yankee boys needed 'buckin up' too."

I would certainly buy a CD release of the show.

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] gcgjohnson 17 years ago

My wife and I have been hoping to see this show again. This was truly one of the top quality sitcoms ever. We would certainly pay retail to get copies of this show. I hope that it comes out soon.

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[–] Letitia 16 years ago

I think it's great that the most memorable character in the show was Frog. Or, rather, "Frowg".

The scene I remember most vividly is this:

The wife and son didn't seem to get along at all, and were each playing Best against the other. The son began to cry on one end of the room, and the wife began to cry on the other end of the room. He was torn -- he couldn't go comfort one and leave the other crying. So he sat down on a chair in the middle of the room and began to cry too. The wife and son both stopped crying. The son asked, "What's he doing?" The wife said, "Ah believe he's a-weepin'!"

It was perfect.

30 years later, it makes me glad to be in the entertainment business!

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