Customer Reviews

Wagon Train: Going West

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

 

 

Wagon Train is my all time favorite TV series. Therefore I have purchased this set and want to encourage any company releasing an authorized DVD set. The packaging is fine. Picture quality is good, but not outstanding, for a b&w TV show if its era.
Anyone who buys this set expecting to see Major Adams yelling at Flint and Flint smiling back will be disappointed. This set contains 3 episodes from the second half of season 4 (all filmed after Ward Bond's death), 2 episodes from season 5 (the last year Robert Horton played Flint McCullough), 6 episodes from season 6, and one episode from season 8. Major Adams (Ward Bond) does not appear in any of these episodes. Flint McCullough appears moderately in one episode (Lt. Burton, an episode with all the regulars at that time) & minimally in campfire scenes framing The Nellie Jefferson Story. With its heavy emphasis on season 6 this DVD set would be a good choice for a WT fan whose favorite character is Duke Shannon. There are a couple of episodes focused on Charlie Wooster, a couple focused on Bill Hawks, and a few focused on Chris Hale.
Most episodes run at least 49 minutes of typical original 50 minutes. Heather Mahoney Story, focused on Chris Hale, is less than 38 minutes & feels like the middle has disappeared.
Suggested alternatives: Record WT episodes being aired by the Retro TV Network, look for the WT VHS tapes distributed by Columbia House years ago, and/or save your money to buy the WT: Color Season set that will have some episodes from the early seasons of WT.

This three disc set of "Wagon Train," containing 12 black and white episodes, is a welcome addition to any fan's collection of 1950's/60's TV westerns. You won't find TV icon Ward Bond, the original wagonmaster of "WT," in this set but craggy John McIntire does his usual solid, fatherly job leading sodbusters, gamblers, and spinsters from St. Joseph, Missouri to California. Along for the ride are Robert Horton, Terry Wilson, Frank McGrath, Robert Fuller, and Denny Miller. Timeless Media Group has done their usual fine job producing a compilation of shows featuring excellent guest stars. The picture quality rates an "8" overall, with the expected streaks and specks, but the audio is excellent. Hopefully, a set featuring Ward Bond as wagonmaster will be forthcoming from TMG. Thank you for reading my review and here's a rundown of the episodes (including the year and episode number) and featured performers:

1 John Gillman Story (year 8, episode 3) Bobby Darin, Whit Bissell
2 Tiburcio Mendez Story (4, 26) Nehemiah Persoff, Leonard Nimoy
3 Ah Chong Story (4, 37) Frank Ferguson, Arnold Stang
4 Lt. Burton Story (5, 22) Charles McGraw, Dean Jones
5 Nellie Jefferson Story (4, 27) H.M. Wynant, Janice Paige
6 Heather Mahoney Story (5, 37) Jane Wyatt, Cyril Delevanti
7 Emmet Lawton Story (6, 24) Dennis Hopper, Richard Devon
8 Kurt Davol Story (6, 11) Eddie Albert, Karl Lukas
9 Tom Tuesday Story (6, 28) Brian Keith
10 Abel Weatherly Story (6, 16) J.D. Cannon, William Fawcett
11 Johnny Masters Story (6, 18) Robert Wilke, Anthony George
12 Heather and Hamish Story (6, 29) Michael Parks, Ann Helm

Wagon Train Going West has been everything we expected it to be.
If you enjoy watching the older western shows, this one is a must.
We actually enjoyed this one so much that we ordered the 16pc disc
set of the complete color season of Wagon Train. It is great. I
would highly reccommend it.

Good film to DVD transfers here, beat the ones that appear in syndication. Timeless Media did a good thing by releasing season 7 (color 90 minute programs) in it's entirety. Full season releases of the hour Wagon Trains would also be appreciated more than these episodes culled from several seasons.

I had the privilege of meeting, "Duke", Denny Miller, recently in Kanab, Utah at the Festival of the West.
I was so glad to find a set of Wagon Train, as it was one of the cherished memories I had of
watching the old classic TV westerns. This set does not disappoint. The shows are well produced, the
characters keep it interesting, and the stories are fun to watch. This set is post Ward Bond with John McIntire
as the trail boss. For anyone who loves the old westerns, get your hat, six gun and saddle up as the wagon train
heads out to more western adventure. Wagons Ho!!

This was a different version of the dvd's that I ordered. This one only had one dvd in it. It was a cheaper version than the one that was advertised(less episodes)----with the same name (Wagon Train-Going West). Not the one I wanted.