Customer Reviews

Bordertown

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I guess I should first disclose that I was in this show every season as much as I could be without becoming a cast member. You can see me in the opening, cheering on the boxers. I'm the 'farmer' who gets into a fight with the Chinese laundryman in the opening of one episode. So, maybe I am a bit biased here. As I recall, these programs were made for the Family Channel (Pat Robertson's channel) and some network in France. The show was nominated for eight awards; I'm not sure if or how many they won.

All these programs will have some sort of little moral to the story. To a great extent, they were patterned after the Bonanza shows [TV-Series 1959-1973], with each one focusing on some character who was just passing through Bordertown. So, each episode has a very real human element, with each visitor having some kind of problem that needed solving. There is no offensive language or any questionable activity. It is a Western, so there are bad guys and they do get killed. A lot of them, however, are given an extra chance to turn good before the lawmen have to resort to violence. In short, it is a great Western, with episodes short enough that even younger kids can stay interested. And, many of the shows provide ethical issues that would be beneficial for families to discuss.

A bit on 'inside' info: Richard Comer was a really great guy and always very respectful and good to me; Barjac, and Brennan were a bit 'standoffish' to me. The fight scene, which was in one episode (that you also see in the opening), was done when it was really, really cold. We were freezing and we worked very late into the night to get that done. In another episode there is a fight in the saloon where a character breaks the stair rail and falls down. The room looks like it is full of 'smoke,' but it was really made from beeswax so is didn't hurt one's eyes or even smell bad! In my fight with the Chinese guy, who had spooked my horse, which overturned my wagon load of chickens, after they called 'cut' everybody had to scramble about the town to catch all the chickens that were loose! Another time, I remember we had a meeting in the 'church' which was at that point just the framing!

As for the town itself, it is made up of real buildings. Therefore, the interior shots were done in real buildings, not stage rooms. On rainy days, the streets were pure mud! Since the show ended production, Bordertown has been used in many movies. It is still there, so if anyone gets near Maple Ridge, British Columbia you might ask if it is open so you can see it. I had a great time whenever I was in an episode, and I know you'll have a wonderful family time as you watch these wholesome shows!!

Long before DQMW there was Bordertown, a half hour weekly western drama on the Family Channel. It ran for three seasons from 1989-1991, and was the Family Channel's highest rated original show. It was cancelled not due to ratings, but due to high production costs. 78 episodes were filmed. For some reason, this wonderful family drama has not been released on DVD in seasoned boxed sets. We only get 2 episodes from Season 1 and all of Season 3 (26 episodes.)

There is a difference between the boxed set and the four single volumes that were released. The boxed set has been digitally remastered. If you do not care about remastering, get the four individual volumes.

BORDERTOWN SUMMARY

Pemmican was a town in the western plains of North America near the 49th parallel (49° north latitude). It took until 1880 until the border was surveyed in the area of Pemmican, at which time it was found that the town straddled the border. In fact, the border goes through the local law enforcement office. In order to have proper and legal law enforcement, both Clive Bennett (John H. Brennan) and Jack Craddock (Richard Comar) have been stationed in the town. Clive is a colonel in the North West Mounted Police, and was formerly stationed in Toronto. Jack is a U.S. Marshal and a former Texas Ranger.

Each of these law officers is courting the fancy of Marie Dumont (Sophie Barjac). Marie and her husband (Jacque), both from Paris, lived in Bordertown until he died leaving Marie a widow. Marie is also the town's doctor and proprietor of the local general store. Marie has adopted Lucy, a girl whose parents have died.

EPISODE SUMMARIES:

VOLUME 1: This disc has two episodes from Season 1:

Season 1, Episode 2: The Runners - A quiet day in Bordertown is disrupted by the arrival of driverless Mounties wagon. Bennett finds arrows and bloodstains, but no treaty money or payroll, so he sets off to see what happened to the driver and the Mountie escort.

Season 1, Episode 3: Medicine Woman - Howling Dog a young Blackfoot accidentally causes a fire in Marie's store when he tries to steal food. When the Canadian Indian Agent is murdered, Marie suspects he has been selling Indian rations to the townspeople for profit.

VOLUME 2: Season 3 Episodes from the beginning

Season 3, Episode 53: Second Chance - Clives' former flame stops by to visit her husband's grave and restarts her relationship with the Mountie. Jack and Clive arrest moonshiners. (Part 1 of 2)

Season 3, Episode 54: Vengeance is Mine - Clive and Anna plan to marry. On their wedding day the moonshiner takes his revenge on Clive. (Part 2 of 2)

Season 3, Episode 59: Blood - Jack and Clive hire Couteau to track an outlaw who robbed a bank in Helena, but they are unaware that the outlaw is Couteau's brother, John.

Season 3, Episode 55: Nebraska Lightning - When Bat Masterson kills a member of an outlaw gang and uses Jack Craddock's name to collect the reward, the rest of the gang comes to Bordertown seeking revenge.

Season 3, Episode 57: Sons of Thunder - Jack is assigned to escort a criminal escape artist to the Canadian authorities. Trouble is thugs want the man for American crimes he committed.

Season 3, Episode 56: Let There be Light - A friend of Marie's from France brings bicycles for her to sell in the store. Electricity and power lines come to Bordertown.

Season 3, Episode 61: Sight Unseen - When Clive goes after outlaws who wounded Jack, his pistol misfires and he is blinded. He has to count on the help of a woman he ran out of Bordertown years ago.

Season 3, Episode 62: The Preacher - Jack and Clive come across an Indian village where everyone has mysteriously perished, but a priest is there ministering to the dead.

Season 3, Episode 63: Honour Thy Father - A farmer and his son accuse Couteau of murdering a man who had wronged the Métis Indians - even though the son was not a witness to the crime.

VOLUME 3: Season 3 Episodes Continue

Season 3, Episode 60: Sweet Revenge - Jack shoots a stagecoach robber who later dies. His children seek revenge on Jack since their father was only trying to provide for them and save their land.

Season 3, Episode 58: Wild Horses - Jack buys a horse for Willie from a horse trader, but two other men come to town claiming the herd belongs to them.

Season 3, Episode 64: In Cold Blood - Don Carlos comes to town to oversee the bounty hunter he hired to get rid of Jack.

Season 3, Episode 65: A Question of Negligence - Marie's competence as a doctor is questioned when a patient dies of minor injuries.

Season 3, Episode 66: Conduct Becoming - An educated Cree Indian produces documents claiming that Bordertown belongs to the Cree nation.

Season 3, Episode 67: The Bostonian - When a friend dies under suspicious circumstances, Jack summons the man's nephew to prevent the sale of the property to a rancher who is eager to acquire the land.

Season 3, Episode 68: Field of Honour -Louis Gilbert is challenged to a duel by a French peddler who recognizes him from an incident that occurred in France years earlier.

Season 3, Episode 69: The New Recruit - A young Mountie who is traveling with Clive and the payroll is really part of a gang waiting to ambush him.

Season 3, Episode 70: Marshal Law - Willie and Lucy stumble over a dead body, and Jack and Clive track down a US Marshal who has illegally entered Canada while chasing an escaped criminal.

VOLUME 4: Season 3 Episodes and the Season/Show Finale

Season 3, Episode 72: The Road Chosen - Marie and Lucy are held prisoners in their home by the very gang of outlaws that Clive and Jack are chasing.

Season 3, Episode 74: Demon Rum - A young cowboy becomes ill after drinking whiskey from the saloon. While the Bordertown women revolt, Marie discovers the real reason for the illness and is kidnapped.

Season 3, Episode 73: :Hired Hand - Ben Vereen guest stars as a rancher threatened when he refuses to sell his property for a fraction of what it is worth.

Season 3, Episode 75: Tall in the Saddle - Willie's father returns to take him to Paris, and a distressed Jack goes with the part way on the trail. Willie finds a grave marker in the cemetery with Jack's name on it. Jack dismisses it as a prank but later finds out the true meaning of the marker.

Season 3, Episode 71: Roaring Days - After serving jail time, Clive's old friend Archie comes to Bordertown pressing Clive for a job, feeling that he owes him due to their past together.

Season 3, Episode 76: A Small Kindness - Wendell tells Sally he must foreclose if she cannot pay her three late mortgage payments. While Wendell tries to find a solution, another buyer wants the structure to turn into a saloon with dancing girls.

Season 3, Episode 77: Frontier Passage - Marie's in-laws come to visit and she is forced to stay overnight at a stage stop during a storm. During the night one of the traveler's is murdered with Charles Dumant's knife in his chest.

Season 3, Episode 78: Under Western Skies - Season and Show Finale. Jack, Marie and Clive are returning from a party when Jack is wounded by a criminal he arrested when he was a Texas Ranger. Clive is wounded when he attempts to escape the cabin for help. It is up to the residents of Bordertown to deliver the ransom to the outlaws and save the trio.

Took a chance that this would be a new offering - could not find any information anywhere about this set. Turns out to be a re-release of Volumes 1-4 already available individually. I loved this series when it was on in the early 90s, just wish additional episodes would be released.

I agree with others who have commented on this. The series was great and I love seeing it finally being released on DVD, but I sure wish they had released it in season sets instead of random episodes. Still, I'll take whatever I can get! This was a very enjoyable series. They don't make 'em like this any more.

I watched this show faithfully went it was on the Family Channel. This show is a good if not better then I remember it. I hope they release the rest of the series. This is a good clean western show that the whole family can enjoy.

The show itself is great, its just as I remember them to be, but it would have been nice if there was order to the episodes. On all four discs the episodes are in random order so you really can't tell what episodes came first, second, or last. When I order a series I kinda want them to be in the order of production but I guess that was to difficult for them to do. The series overall is GREAT.

This is an outstanding DVD set of a great show! I loved it when it was on years ago and it still holds up well today. Great acting and well written stories. I just wish they would release all the seasons; then I would be happy.

This is absolutely fabulous! The show is as good as I remember. Even my husband (who watched it for the first time) really enjoyed it.

I have been collecting western tv series for 3 years. I purchased bordertown for two reasons,price and the reviews i had read. So after watching it twice I hope someone will give information on where I can buy the whole series! It is a great combination of humor,love,and how people lived by helping eachother.Entertaining from start to finish.

I loved this show when it was on in the early 90's and was so happy to find out that some of the episodes had been released on DVD. I would like to see the show in its entirety be released at some point though. This is definitely one of the best westerns I have ever watched.