Cimarron Strip - Complete Series

It's a curious but true fact that very few TV shows (as distinct from movies shown on TV, or even made-for-TV movies) ever succeeded with a 90-minute format; the only two that lasted for any significant length of time were “The Virginian” and “The Sunday-Night Mystery Movie,” and the latter was really several revolving series, not just one, which gave each of them between two and four weeks to film a segment. This one should have done equally well, and it's always surprised me that it didn't, but now at least we have it on DVD to enjoy over again. (It's another curious fact that, unlike most TV series, it was actually made available on videotape for a while, one episode per cassette, through Stuart Whitman's production company, which somehow acquired the rights.) The year is 1888, the setting what is now the panhandle of Oklahoma, a long narrow last-remains-of-the-Old-West sandwiched between Kansas, eastern New Mexico, the windswept Staked Plains of Texas, and the no-man's-land of the Cherokee Outlet, which provides a splendid sanctuary, inviolable except by the Army and Federal marshals, to fugitives of every stripe. To this final Western frontier comes cigar-smoking, 35-year-old U.S. Marshal Jim Crown (Whitman), to headquarter in Cimarron, the eponymous town of the Strip, and also oversee its other five towns, Hardesty, Shades Wells, Beaver City, Grand Valley, and Guymon. There he meets Angus MacGregor (Percy Herbert), brewer of whiskey and teller of tales; Francis Wilde (Randy Boone), photographer and free-lance newspaper correspondent looking for a “legend” to sell to the Eastern sheets; and Dulcey Coopersmith (Jill Townsend), 18-year-old heiress to the Wayfarers' Inn, whose quiet unquestioning faith in him is enough to shake even a cynical lawman—when he warns her that this raw frontier will kill her, she calmly says, “That can't happen...You're here.”The series has some obvious similarities to the much-longer-running "Gunsmoke," but it's no clone. Crown may not have Matt Dillon's imposing size, but he has real presence and benefits from a deep growly drawl, angular face, deep chest, and something of a gunfighter's look, with his solid-silver hatband, silver-buttoned Mexican trousers, and long-barrelled, silver-plated, ivory-handled sixgun. He's also experienced in the ways of outlaws, and a clever strategist whose active mind is shown at work more than once (one semi-foe even gives him the nickname “Tricky Jim”). He copes with sooners, Indians, Army officers (not all of them by any means helpful), and an assortment of gunfighters, badmen, and wannabes ranging from punk cattlemen's sons to men grown old in the ways of crime. Some of his foes are almost tragic, men he understands and respects, like the Indian chief (Henry Wilcoxon) who has lost his land, the respect of his people, and finally his only son; the veteran buffalo hunter (Albert Salmi) who rightfully points out that men like him were on the scene when even pioneers and soldiers feared to dare the Indians, and finds it bewildering that there's now no place for them; or the 23-year veteran cavalryman (Richard Boone, the only person designated a “guest star” in the opening credits, possibly because he and Whitman had worked together in the movie "Rio Conchos") who realizes, to his utter bewilderment, that what he was trained to do and honored for doing is no longer required: men who, like Crown himself, wish the old wild cattleman's-and-Indian's West could last forever. Not all are without redeeming features: there's Jud Starr, who, though ruthless enough to kill a boy he “loved like a son” when the youngster is unwittingly used by Crown as a Judas goat, alternates between grief and sarcastic rebuke when Crown accidentally shoots his half-Cherokee fiancee; or Jinglebob McQueen, whose powerful rancher father has taught him all his life to stand his ground, but has also lamented over and over that he “can't do anything right;” or Sgt. Clay Tyce, a handsome, gallant Irishman who, even though he's in league with rustlers, is charming and chivalrous to Dulcey and has a host of friends in town as well as the loyalty of his men. And then there are the true originals, notably frequent TV heavy L. Q. Jones, who, in “The Search,” appears as a very different kind of character—Lummy, a scavenger who discovers the wounded Marshal out on the prairie and convinces himself that by rescuing “Mister Kingly Crown” he'll earn such gratitude from the citizens of Cimarron that “they might even build [me]—a statue!”Unlike most Westerns of the Golden Age, this one is notably consistent in its dating and with history; frequent mention is made of Congress's foot-dragging over the opening of the Cherokee Outlet to white settlement, and there's even a chillingly suspenseful story (written by sf great Harlan Ellison) which posits that after his last London killing, Jack the Ripper went to the U.S. and eventually arrived in Cimarron in December, 1888. On the other hand, at least some of the stories seem to be told out of order: in “The Battleground,” which is the pilot in a flashback frame, we learn that Crown's Marshal's commission is dated August of '88, and in “Nobody,” Warren Oates as Mobeetie (a role he created in the other segment) says it's “been a long hard year” since he lost his job therein; it's also very hot in Cimarron—yet the Ripper episode comes 10 segments later. And the settings are very often quite incongruous, desert and mountain rather than level High Plain.The guest list features many well-known names of the day, including John Saxon (for once not playing a Hispanic part), Henry Silva, Darren McGavin, Barbara Luna, Beau Bridges, Steve Forrest (who appears twice, as charming, handsome rogues), Pat Hingle, Telly Savalas, R. G. Armstrong, Broderick Crawford, Kevin Hagen, Gene Evans, John Anderson, Robert Duvall, Morgan Woodward, Joseph cotton, Jim Davis, Suzanne Pleshette, Lola Albright, Leslie Nielsen, Simon Oakland, Royal Dano (as a light-eyed half-Pawnee), Robert J. Wilkie, Denver Pyle, J. D. Cannon, Lyle Bettger, James Stacy, David Carradine, Steve Ihnat, James Gregory, Robert Lansing, Slim Pickens, Bob Random, Tuesday Weld, Philip Carey, Mariette Hartley, Jon Voight, Mark Lenard, and David Brian. Maurice Jarre's stirring theme, and the incidental scores for the various episodes, ought to be brought out on CD. The color quality, I have to admit, is somewhat uneven, and occasionally the picture will “jump” or flicker as if the print had been made from a videocassette rather than an archival copy; and the “bonus interview” with Whitman (now in his 80's) is very short (only eight minutes). But, as Whitman himself says, it was a series with a “good family” of regulars, and he had great fun doing it—and it shows.

Although I would've of loved to have left a five rating, on this DVD set itself I could not, and I will say why in a minute. I waited sometime on pre-order to get this show. LIke many others DVD sets that have come out, in the past it's essentially issues with the sets, not the issue with the show itself. if I were rating the show itself of course it's a five all the way....Or I would not of purchased it, and I love Stuart Whitman and always have. I like his voice and facial expressions especially with his eyes, and his swagger while he walks, it's like (okay go ahead and try and run one by me, but it won't work attitude)!!!!Also, he has played in many many roles, I enjoyed. Just side stepping for a moment. Another role that stood out with me about Whitman that I enjoyed was the move "Convicts Four" (1962) where he portrayed a prison guard and then was promoted to a Warden where he portrayed those same characteristics, especially when he became the Warden to and focused on one inmate in particular. He played pretty much opposite to Ben Gazzara whom I also like, and was a fine actor (Gazzara was the convict, based on a true story). Also Broad Crawford whom I also like was in a short stint of that movie, along with many other great stars. I'm not into allot of westerns, unless there is Human interest behind it. I'm not just looking for a bang bang shoot um up.Going back to CS Whitman could've held the show himself with just the weekly guest stars. However to be fair, I do believe if maybe they would've had more of a storyline centered around his co-stars from time to time, it would of brought them out more. I wanted something more with the Dulcey character in it. Although I just received the set last week. The first episode I viewed was the one with Broad Crawford in "Blue Moon Train" ( it was ironic watching Whitman play opposite Crawford, as more of a hauncho, unlike in the early days of Crawford's TV series Highway Patrol where Whitman a patrol man was under Crawford that came and went). However, another one of my favorites thus far from CS was "Heller"with Tuesday Weld ( I saw that on TV a few years ago). I recall thinking that I wish this show would come out on DVD finally. I had not watched some them since I was a kid. The other episode I also liked thus far was "Big Jessie" with Mariette Hartley, that had allot of good twists and turns to it, and a good storyline with human interests characters as well. What is ironic about Heller and Big Jessie, is as the viewer, it makes me wonder what is up with Crown. You know the women liked him, but was it the other way around?I also took the liberty of watching the commentary with Whitman which is located on Disc 8, since nobody was asking questions of him, he was just talking about the show, and gave some insights for the making of it. I was hoping, that he would have given the audience a bit more insight of what was going on behind the set. It's makes it more interesting, however, there was some goodies in it, that I think the viewers will like. (It is not that long).Now to the issues: The biggest issue from what I have viewd was the issue with the quality, of the sound but more so with the picture as many other reviewers mentioned, it looked equal to a Made For Demand DVD's. I was disappointed that they did not edit, the quality of the picture like it could've of been, especially for what Amazon is charging. I used a BluRay, which would enhance any issues more then a regular DVD player. Granted it's a dated show. However, I viewed and owned shows older then this and they were remastered and edited very well. Shows in color were not out that long in the 60's, so I understand that some of the colors are not as natural as they are today. (If you were privy to own or have access to a color TV set in that era). With the older shows I actually prefer the shows in black and white. However, I do agree with other reviewers, that when CBS edits they do a heck of a job, on their shows whether it's color or black and white. They are simply flawless, so if the consumer pays a bit more, then it's worth it. I just chalked it up that it was a cheaper company.I didn't notice the time cut in the shows, that other reviewers mentioned. Obviously due to commercials they are not going to run 90 minutes. I figured about 75 or 80 min. As I stated in the aforementioned a few years ago while watching it on television re-runs, the length was the about the same that was provided to us on DVD. However, compared to the amount of commercials they have on television today, for a 90 min show this is like heaven. If there was something missing, it didn't alter the storyline for me. I do not have equipment to check to see how long the show is actually running.There were two minor issues that bothered me a little. One was the issue of the Air dates of the show. For example, the pilot/first show "Battleground" was not on the first disc nor listed as a first show, but instead it was on disc two as the 2nd episode. Some of the other shows were out of Air date order also. However, I don't watch them like that, but I know others that do. I only noticed it because they had the production numbers on the shows on what order they were aired, because they had a full complete episode guide that I was very happy about. Other sets if they even have one it's just the, air date and description, however, they went a bit further and listed all the guest stars. As on many sets the viewer has to hunt through the actual DVD to find that guest star which drives me nuts. I like to see who is in the show, and go right into it. The last issue is they put the disc holder in upside down. I could take it out, but I might break it. So when I close the dust cover everything is upside down.All in all I'm still glad to have Cimarron Strip in my DVD collection, and I can't wait to view all 23 shows. Again, they are not easy to obtain. If I known that Whitman was selling them online as somebody mentioned, then I would of bought it there a few years back. However, if you love this show I would still highly recommend this. So I assign this DVD set four stars...........

As a kid I kind of remember this series, but not very well. The title is a little misleading because i believe from research that Cimarron Strip only lasted one 23 episode series, so this six disc, six film set should possibly be called Part 1 instead.If you like westerns then you'll find quite a bit to enjoy about this. Each episode runs to approximately 70 minutes and some familiar faces emerge like Steve Forrest, Warren Oates, Telly Savalas, etc..Stuart Whitman is Marshal Crown, the main character and he carries the show, and I understand that his company also part-funded the series. Whitman is engaging as the marshal, one who upholds the law while also acknowledging his own reckless and wild past.This collection includes the following stories which, according to imdb.com are in broadcast order which began in September, 1967: Journey to a Hanging, The Legend of Judd Star, Broken Wing, The Battleground, The Hunted and The Battle of Bloody Stones.Of the six stories, The Battle of Bloody Stones is the weakest as it suffers from some poor performances from the Indian actors, or white actors playing indians to be precise. However, The Battleground and The Hunted are two very good stories, well acted and as good as anything that you'll find in the more famous TV shows like Gunsmoke, Bonanza or The Virginian.Unfortunately, these shows are need of remastering. The night scenes in particular seem to suffer and it can spoil the viewing experience. That alone reduces it to three stars.You can buy all these episodes separately and others in the series. But I'd advise you to do so by reading the reviews of the quality before parting with your cash.Overall, a very enjoyable set, but lacking in picture quality but if you love westerns then this show is worth a look.

Had never seen the series before and have enjoyed it.

Well, when I saw Cimarron Strip Series 1 I assumed it was the complete first (and only) series but it turned out not to; it was six episodes, a couple of which were dodgy transfers, as if the original film had faded to red in places. So why the 5 stars? Because it's a hell of a series and it plays in region 1, which most of the others advertised do not do. I remembered it, 53 years later, as being a good series, but I didn't realize how good. It's set in the 1880s, the Old West is changing, and Marshal Jim Crown (Stuart Whitman doing the damnedest drawl) is in charge of the Cimarron Strip (think Cherokee Strip), a 1000-sq-mile no man's land that hasn't been opened to settlement yet though farmers are eagerly waiting for it to happen and the ranchers who've grazed there for years are gearing up for war. Crown is in the middle. More, he's got a wild past of his own and his heart is with the troublemaking old timers--the mountain men and the cowboys and the aging cavalry sergeants--who continually disturb the peace in Cimarron City while the businessmen and farmers demand action. Think The Wild Bunch or Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid with more heart and less blood. Guest stars include David Carradine, Steve Ihnat, Steve Forrest, Peckinpah stalwarts Warren Oates, R.G. Armstrong and LQ Jones, Telly Savalas. Regulars include Randy (The Virginian) Boone being innofensive as a deputy/photographer, Percy Herbert mugging horribly as a Scots moonshiner/deputy and the lovely Jill Townsend as the conscience of the show, Dulcey Coopersmith the very young English girl, fresh from back east, who owns the Wayfarer's Inn where Crown has his office since the jail got burned down. I don't see how a western fan can not love this show.

A standard TV western.

This series is sooo awesome! Stuart Whitman is perfect as the U.S. Marshal. I didn't care for "The Legend of Judd Star" which is episode 2 but later on the shows get better & better!! The music really suits whichever scene is being acted & the filming is incredible. It's such a shame that this show was cancelled after only one season-I would like to have seen Marshal Crown & Dulcey get married eventually!!