Customer Reviews

The Adventures of Jim Bowie, Volume 1

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4 star:		(3)
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Alpha Video checks in with four episodes of the classic TV Western "The Adventures of Jim Bowie" (1956-1958) that appeared on ABC and starred Scott Forbes in the title role. The episodes selected are all from the series' first season (1956-57). On the plus side, the episode selection is good and fans of the series will be very happy to know that the premiere episode, "The Birth of the Blade," is included on this collection . . . the only DVD to include this episode (circa Winter 2004). The audio/visual quality is generally good, certainly not the pristine prints of modern day "high definition" television shows, but is very watchable and is comparable to VCI Entertainment's 13-episode set that was released a few months after this one. On the down side, three of the four episodes on this collection also appear on VCI's set. Still, if you're looking to include the premiere episode in your collection, this DVD is the way to go.

This DVD will appeal to fans of the show and TV Westerns, as well as to those interested in classic television from the 1950s. The episodes included are as follows:

1. The Birth of the Blade (Episode #1)
2. The Squatter (Episode #2; also appears on VCI's release)
3. Trapline (Episode #5; also appears on VCI's release)
4. The Land Jumpers (Episode #11; also appears on VCI's release)

This release of "The Adventures of Jim Bowie" from the Platinum Disc Corporation comes approximately five months after VCI Entertainment released their collection of Jim Bowie episodes in December of 2003. So what's the difference between the two collections? Almost no difference. Platinum has included the same 13 episodes on their 2-disc set that VCI Entertainment included on their set, which also contained two discs. So which set should you get? The VCI set costs a bit more than Platinum's set but one of the episodes on the Platinum set, "Jim Bowie Comes Home," has an audio track that is horribly out of synch rendering the episode unwatchable. So you're really getting 12 watchable episodes with Platinum's set. Also, Platinum's logo appears in the bottom right corner of the screen from time-to-time, though it's not too distracting. It's not much of a sweetner, but VCI includes a brief biography of Scott Forbes, the series' star on their set.

My rating for the VCI set is ****; this Platinum set gets *** due to the episode with audio problems. If you've already purchased the VCI set, you can skip this one. If you are new to the Jim Bowie series or want to revisit it, this set is priced decently, just be aware of the audio problem on "Jim Bowie Comes Home."

I was 10 years old in 1956 when I first saw the Jim Bowie series. I was amazed at how well I remembered especially the first couple of episodes. I enjoyed them then and I enjoyed them now except our TV picture back then was a little better than these recordings but they are acceptable.

Unfortunately, most of the history of Jim Bowie has been undergoing revisions over the past few years, apparently beginning with the Flayderman publications. I have gone out of my way to see both sides of the revisionists/non-revisionists arguments and I have come to the conclusion that the old original stories (or myths, if you prefer)
are probably more accurate than they are given credit for.

Maybe someday, when we get to view that great video-archive-in-the-sky that God owns we will all be able to see the inalienable truth about this great hero of our frontier.

this dvd is not of the best quality.there is one episode where the soundtrack does not coincide with the picture.I do believe this is a result of the quality of the original as far as the picture.However, the soundtrack mishap should be correctible. The purchase of these old tv series is a roll of the dice.

FOR SHEER NOSTALGIA AND TO SEE A CHILDHOOD HERO, THIS TAPE WAS WELL WORTH THE PRICE. JIM BOWIE AND THE BOWIE KNIFE, THE MYTHICAL "IRON MISTRESS".... WHAT MORE COULD A 53-YEAR-OLD KID WISH FOR? THE ONLY THING THAT COULD HAVE MADE IT BETTER WOULD HAVE BEEN FOR THE FIRST EPISODE TO HAVE BEEN INCLUDED.