Customer Reviews

The Tall Man - 2 DVD Set - Collector's Edition Embossed Tin!

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is another marvelous set of western shows (also available, "Restless Gun," "Cimarron City," "Laredo," and "Riverboat") issued by Timeless Media Group. "Tall Man" features the always watchable Clu Gulager as "Billy the Kid" and Barry Sullivan as "Sheriff Pat Garrett." While the producers of the series took liberties addressing the relationship between the long-time friends/adversaries, actors Gulager and Sullivan have terrific chemistry on the screen in this 15-episode set. The series would have probably run longer than two seasons, except for two or three reasons. First, is the almost bizarre background music composed and played by Juan Esquival -- really out of place (re: "Shotgun Slade") for a western. Second is the troubling lack of solid guest stars. In this set, very, very few recognizable actors can be found (in comparison -- Morgan Woodward, James Coburn, Jack Elam, and scores of others guest star in "Restless Gun") in supporting roles. I'm also scratching my head because only 1 episode from season one is included in this set. (Could this mean that NBC/Universal did not protect the 35mm stock of season 1?) Picture quality is a solid 8; the audio is quite good. It would have been great if TMG would have interviewed Gulager for the set (he is still very much alive and running an actors studio in Los Angeles).

Episodes

#51 Legend of Billy Emile Meyer
#45 The Woman Julie Sommars
#70 The Frame Harry Townes
#63 Last Resource Robert Wilke, Marianna Hill
#61 An Hour To Die
#60 Rio Doloroso
#43 Item for Action
#40 Where is Sylvia? Patricia Barry
#41 Female Artilary
#44 Judas Palm Edgar Buchanan, Marianna Hill
#57 Saint Louis Woman
#75 Phoebe George MacCready
#54 Apache Daughter Sherry Jackson, J. Pat O'Malley
#3 Bad Company
#58 The Hunt Hank ("Mr. Ziffle") Patterson

Excellent quality. I very much enjoyed seeing this old western again. Would love to see the rest of the 75 episodes available. I know many who are dedicated to this series. thanks,

Having collected most of the episodes of "Tall Man" and selections from others of TV's golden age westerns, I consider this series the best TV western ever (RIchard Boone as Palladin in "Have Gun Will Travel" is a very close second). Great on-screen chemistry between actors Barry Sullivan and Clu Gulager (perfectly cast as Billy the Kid).

"Tall Man" benefited from strong and varied scripts (unlike "The Rifleman" which far too often depended on the bad guy stranger coming into town) and crisp editing that keeps the action steady but never rushed.

Hopefully there will be other DVD releases for this series because this is not an especially strong selection of epiosdes. Fans of Barry Sullivan (Sheriff Pat Garrett) should search for a mid-1950s series he starred in called "The Man Called X" in which he played a U.S. Treasury Agent. Sullivan also had a memorable guest star role in an episode of the Lloyd Bridges mid-60s one season western "The Loner" and is in one episode of the mid-1970s David Janssen private eye series "Harry O."

If an almost 80-year-old Clint Walker can be included in a bonus interview on the "Cheyenne" DVD, so should the very much still alive Clu Gulager be a part of this DVD.

"Tall Man" had the ability to be humorous at times and if you enjoy that aspect please consider James Garner's late 1950s version of "Maverick."

This series was one of my favorites growing up. Didn't want to miss a minute of Clu as Billy the Kid. I totally enjoyed watching these 15 episodes, but would love to see them all. I always loved the way he called Pat Garrett "Patrick". The quality and sound was very good. Hopefully some where along the line the rest of the episodes can be found, cleaned up and released.
The casts are small and scripts simple, but these are great to watch if you love old 60's westerns or are a Clu Gulager fan!!!!!

The 75 episodes of the television western "The Tall Man" were originally broadcast on NBC during its 1960-1962 broadcast seasons. Only 15 of these episodes (and only one these is from the first season) are included in this "Timeless Media" DVD set. Resolution is a bit grainy and overexposed so don't expect a great image-but it is viewable and given the reception quality in many households during the original broadcasts the image will feel like authentic 1950's television viewing. No special features on the DVD's-just the episodes.

This is just one of the innumerable versions of the life of William Bonney d/b/a Billy the Kid, a famed New Mexico outlaw of the 1870's. The young outlaw was captured sometime after the Lincoln County wars by Sheriff Pat Garrett. Bonney escaped from jail (killing two deputies in the process) and was tracked down and killed by Garrett.

"The Tall Man" changes history a bit and has Bonney going straight after his initial capture. The series title is a reference to Garrett (played by Barry Sullivan), his real nickname, a tribute to his excellent law enforcement record.

Bonney is played by Clu Gulager (who later played Sheriff Ryker on "The Virginian"). The Garrett-Bonney relationship is portrayed here as a kind of big brother-little brother thing. Harmless fun.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

This show ran when I was a small tyke and if my parents didn't watch it, I didn't see it. (Years later I would exact my revenge and wrest control of the tv from them.) So this was a series I was unaware of. Still, I love westerns and gave this a try. Glad I did. A terrific show with fine performances by Barry Sullivan and Clu Gulager. Maybe --like WYATT EARP, BAT MASTERSON -- it wasn't the way it really was, so be it. This small set is a great introduction. Look forward to obtaining the only other set from this series.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching these old westerns. I would purchase the entire series if they were available. Barry Sullivan and Clu Gulager handled the difficult rolls of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid with ease. Their ability to use humor and drama were amazing. It didn't matter one bit to me that the story line was pure fiction. Watching in black and white was easy because the quality of the programs was great.

Having been a fan of westerns since I was about 3,(1 year before HGWT) I have watched most westerns from the 50's & 60's. Even the ones I missed as a kid. I like this one, but it just does not compare with Have Gun Will Travel, neither in its acting nor script writing, and definitely not in its intro music! Clu Gulager does an excellent job of pulling off a sort of snotty William Bonney, but Barry Sullivan is a trifle too stiff, and probably too old for Pat Garrett. I do recommend this series, and I would probably buy more episodes from the Timeless Media Group; because like I said earlier, I a huge fan of 50's & 60's westerns.

Worth every penny to me. Can't beat the old westerns, and the stars of this one were fun to watch. I agree with another reviewer that Clu Gulager should have been interviewed for this DVD set.

Have only watched the episode with Vic Morrow in it so far. It was okay, but only because I like him as an actor. Not much to the episode. There really couldn't be. I believe it, all of them, are only 30 minutes long. Will probably watch it again one day.