Customer Reviews

The Great American Western, Vol. 1: Randolph Scott

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This review refers to the Platinum Disc DVD edition of "The Great American Western:Volume 1"....

Randolph Scott is the feller that sets the ladies hearts a flutter, and saves the day not once, but four times in these old 'oaters' that will cure that hankerin' for the sights and sounds of the old west so many of us love. Four fun films, with great stars, notable filmmakers and writers, and definitive Western fare from the 1930's, 40's and 50's at a price you can't refuse! Such a deal!

The films: "To The Last Man", from 1933 based on a Zane Grey story, is truly the story of who will be the last man standing, as two families' fussin' and feudin' takes it's toll on all over the years.And to boot, the Romeo and Juliette theme takes over as our guy Randy falls for the wrong woman! It's directed by Henry Hathaway, and what a cast..Esther Ralston, Jack La Rue, Buster Crabbe, Noah Berry, Gail Patrick and Fuzzy Knight. Also look for John Carradine and a little tiny Shirley Temple.
"The Fighting Westerner"...This one made in 1935 is another adapation of a Zane Grey novel("Rocky Mountain Mystery"). Scott stars as a detective sleuthing a sudden outbreak of mysterious murders at a mining co. Suspect no one, suspect everyone! Lots of twists and turns, and a little romance as well. It is directed by Charles Barton and costars Ann Sheridan, Kathleen Burke, Willie Fung and Charles "Chic" Sale who adds quite a bit of humor to the story.
"Abilene Town"(1946)...A three way mini civil war breaks out in the town of Abilene, Kansas. Cattle drovers,the town merchants, and the new homesteaders go at it.Can't we all just get along???...It's up to our guy to come up with a plan for all to leave in peace. Fabulous faces to look for..Lloyd Bridges, Rhonda Fleming, Edgar Buchanan, Ann Dvorak and Helen Boyce. It is directed by Edwin L. Marin.
"Rage At Dawn": From 1955, this one is in technicolor and is based on the Reno Brothers. Robbing banks, terrorizing the good townspeople, and just being a general menace to society, these guys needed to be stopped! Enter one brave lawman James Barlow(Scott), who infiltrates the outfit and tries to restore law and order to the community. It's not easy though, as the town leaders are getting kick backs from the bad guys are are not willing partcipants to seeing justice done! More wonderful stars include Forrest Tucker and another appearance by Edgar Buchanan. Directed by Tim Whelan.

Okay, so these films are not pristeen. They do show their age. There are scatches from the prints, and there is occasional humming noise in the background. But for the most part the pictures themselves were surprisingly clear and all have had the sound enhanced in DD5.1.The color seemed a little off in "Rage At Dawn"....But hey..for the price, I thought Platinum, did a great job of putting together so many of these packages for us Western lovers to choose from. There isn't anything on these transfers that take away from the enjoyment of the view.The films are all on one disc and all on one side. There are 4 chapter stops per film.The films run from about an hour to an hour and a half.

When I ordered this DVD, other then that they all starred Randolph Scott, I didn't know what I would be getting. As of yet, Amazon, does not list the titles, so it's kind of a grab bag. But as I was getting ready to order volume 2(the Lee Van Cleef series), and going through the list available, I did notice that there are also package deals with anywhere from 5 to 10 discs at an even lower price then buying them seperately.You can also just look for your favorite star(John Wayne,Gary Cooper, etc).It's a tough decision to wrastle with.

So if you git a hankerin for watchin the good guys vs. them lily livered pole cats,check out these "Great American Westerns".

Five stars to Platinum for bringing us all these package deals and making it easy and inexpensive for us Western fans to get our daily dose of 'oaters'.

Happy trails.....Laurie

If you are contemplating buying this DVD, you should be aware that the manufacturer has superimposed its "Platinum Disc Corporation" logo in the bottom right corner of the screen throughout the movies. All of the movies on this disc are available from other manufacturers who are more respectful of the films. Check the listings here at Amazon.com for the "no logo" versions from Roan and other suppliers. (Please note I would have given this disc zero stars but that option is not available.)

This collection is well worth the money. Randolph Scott at his best. Very well directed and acted. Well above the average western and very entertaining.

The Great American Western, Volume 1

This DVD is part of a series of Western movies that were very popular from around 1910 to the early 1960s. Westerns were replaced by other action movies and novels. Popular tastes were changed by technology, horses became scarce after the 1940s. The modern westerns of Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and others were set in present times with automobiles, radios, and telephones. Private detectives and government agents supplanted the lone rider who corrected crimes. Police departments replaced the Sheriff's posses composed of ordinary citizens. The Gun Prohibition pushed by Big Corporations avoided showing ordinary people keeping and bearing arms, or the use of lawful violence for self-protection. Movies still follow the rules of the morality plays where evil is punished and the good are rewarded. Except when they aren't.

These four films feature Randolph Scott (and others) in dramas set in the 1860s ("Rage at Dawn"), the 1870s ("Abilene Town"), the 1880s ("To The Last Man"), and the 1930s (The Fighting Westerner"). There are no singing cowboys; they replaced the authentic cowboys of earlier westerns ("Hoot" Gibson, Tom Mix, Tim McCoy, and others). Few actors today have ridden horses since their teens (like John Wayne). Westerns are more obsolete than dial telephones or tube radios. But there are still some who prefer the old movies over the trendy new. These four movies are all worth viewing as entertainment, and as examples of former popular entertainment before the 1960s.

If you think the few and rare modern westerns suffer from having a modern outlook, get some of the collections like "Western Classics" or "Western Legends" in the "50 Movie Pack" Collections. You may also like the "Mystery Classics" or "Crime Classics" as well, if you are old enough to remember TV programs in the 1950s and 1960s (most people today were born after 1970).

Randolph Scott, what can you say, he is an icon, his western movies are super, you can view them again and again, and not get weary, so many westerns so little time! See him if you like a GOOD old western movie, you won't be dissapointed.

The cover art says that it is a two disc set, and the price is double the regular price indicating that there are, in fact, two discs included. However only four titles are shown and the reviews only mention four titles.

What, exactly, is being sold?