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The Adventures of Jim Bowie: TV Collection

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Here are 13 episodes on DVD of the classic TV Western, "The Adventures of Jim Bowie," that ran on ABC from 1956 to 1958 for a total of 76 episodes (some references suggest that 78 episodes were produced). Scott Forbes (1920-1997) starred as the inventor of the knife that bears his name and he's a likeable hero. Though the "adventures" were largely fictional, there were some historical threads running throughout the series. Many of the episodes were set in the Louisiana Territory and real historical figures like Andrew Jackson, Jean Lafitte, Davy Crockett, Sam Houston and even John J. Audubon appear from time-to-time. There are also plenty of French and Cajun characters in the series, differentiating the series from other television Westerns of the era. The show does not deal with Bowie's death at the Alamo, though many of the later episodes in the series were set in Texas. Also of interest is Ken Darby and the King's Men's famous theme music. Not only did the group sing the opening and closing themes, but they also sang the musical backgrounds acappella style during the show; no musical instruments were used to score the show. Darby and his group also used the same approach for "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp," which starred Hugh O'Brian in the title role.

VCI Entertainment's release represents the largest single release of Jim Bowie episodes released on DVD to date (circa Winter 2004). Audio/visual quality is generally good, though those expecting pristine prints of the show will be disappointed and one of the episodes has some muddled audio portions that sound like static. Perhaps the biggest problem with this set is the omission of the series' first episode, "The Birth of the Blade." This episode IS included on a smaller DVD collection of four Jim Bowie episodes from Alpha Video, which Amazon also carries. What's strange is that the first disc of this two-disc set includes six episodes while the second disc includes seven episodes. Surely VCI could have added this episode (or one additional episode) so that each disc would have had seven episodes. On the plus side, VCI has released the 13 episodes in the correct order of the original ABC broadcasts; all of the episodes are from the first season, 1956-57.

This set 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 on this set are as follows:

1. The Squatter (episode #2; also appears on Alpha Video's release)
2. An Adventure with Audubon (episode #3)
3. Trapline (Episode #5; also appears on Alpha Video's release)
4. Jim Bowie Comes Home (Episode #8)
5. The Secessionist (Episode #10)
6. The Land Jumpers (Episode #11; also appears on Alpha Video's release)
7. The Select Females (Episode #12)
8. Outlaw Kingdom (Episode #14)
9. Monsieur Francois (Episode #17)
10. Convoy Gold (Episode #22)
11. Jackson Assassination (Episode #28)
12. The Pearl and the Crown (Episode # 31)
13. Gone to Texas (Episode # 38; season 1 closing episode)

I'm interested in Bowie and wanted to see this show for the first time but didn't know about the episodes or picture quality. Thanks to Amazon and Robert's review I now know that the quality is good and that episode one of the show can be found on a DVD by Alpha which is also sold by Amazon! Very helpful. Thanks!