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Rating:  -
This is an interesting series (one season), because it is sort of a bridge between the more prolific time of westerns in the 1960s and the development of situation comedies in the 1970s up through the 1980s. There is a Loni Anderson look-alike, who pre-figures the real Loni Anderson who came along later in "WKRP in Cincinnati" and some episodes remind me of "The Wild Wild West" and "Bonanza" mixed with community theater. It's a pleasant romp through the Not-So-Wild West that is clean family fare. I smiled through most of the episodes and laughed at one or two jokes each episode. It's not knee-slapping humor, but all of the actors do their best with the scripts. I have read other reviews which say it is like "Gilligan's Island" meets the Old West, and as far as character personalities go, that is probably true. It might do well as a foundation for someone who wants to write a western melodrama, which is what I bought it for, again noting the funniest lines occurring at about two per episode. I think this show would have lasted 2 seasons if the beginning credits had been filmed with a little more action and closer up, rather than a hazy long shot of an anonymous wagon train coming down switchbacks on a hill. The opening song is more of a trail song and not a theme song that pulls people in to watch, although I enjoyed it. If you're a Bob Denver or Forrest Tucker fan, or a person who likes to watch all kinds of westerns, this is for you.
Rating:  -
Sherwood Schwartz is probably best known for his TV classics Gilligan's Island and The Brady Bunch. Together with his son Elroy, Schwartz adapts the Gilligan premise to a Western setting, and the result is Dusty's Trail. Blatantly repeating himself, many elements from Gilligan are also incorporated into Dusty's Trail, where a group of travelers are separated from a California bound wagon train.
Bob Denver, Gilligan himself, stars as Dusty, an error-prone scout. F Troop alum Forrest Tucker is wagonmaster Callahan, the leader of the party of seven, that also includes wealthy Carson Brookhaven (Ivor Francis) and his wife Daphne (Lynn Wood), fellow travelers Andy (William Cort), schoolteacher Betsy (Lori Saunders), and dancehall performer Lulu McQueen (Jeannie Riley). Saunders and Riley were both Bradley girls on Petticoat Junction.
The characters almost mirror those on the Gilligan's Island, and while the cast is a capable, mostly experienced group, the formula does not work very well a second time. The series generally suffers from weak writing, where ideas used in Gilligan's Island are often recycled. Some of the more successful elements from Gilligan's Island, however, are absent from Dusty's Trail. One very cool thing about Gilligan's Island, was the outstanding guest stars that spiced up the proceedings, and took things to a different level. Dusty's Trail has no big name guest stars. Another element was the dream and fantasy sequences, which made many episodes of Gilligan, truly memorable classics. One would think that the producers would have gone with what worked well before, but perhaps the budget would not allow for this. One thing best left in the past, is apparently a favorite gimmick of Mr. Schwartz . . . actors in animal suits! (ugghh!!) In this case, we get a bear and a gorilla.
Dusty is less juvenile than Gilligan, and his screw ups do not have the same life or death implications. The boisterous Tucker and `little pal' Denver, have a less demonstrative relationship than that between the Skipper and Gilligan, with the slapstick elements favored by Alan Hale Jr. being absent. The focus is spread out among the cast, but unfortunately the lackluster writing and dopey dialog, really doesn't give the actors very much to work with. The relationship between the Brookhavens is explored a bit, and Andy is featured, but Betsy and Lulu are mostly passed over.
The 17 episodes do not have chapters or subtitles. The double-sided two disc set is relatively inexpensive, but the picture and sound quality of is poor, comparable to blurry VHS. Mildly entertaining, this series may be of interest to fans of Bob Denver, Gilligan's Island, F Troop, or Petticoat Junction.
Rating:  -
as everyone has said this is a short lived series by the same people who gave us gilligan's island, and it's the same show just out west.i think they even used some of the same scripts,they used the same extras , and the laugh track is even the same i think.
now to be fair, i'm a father of two boys and my wife and i try to keep them from most of the shows on tv at this time,so we use dvd's of our favorate old shows as things they can watch. they have loved gilligan's island and i remember this show from when it came out in the 70's.
it's not as good and is even by gilligan standerds silly, but it has a so bad it's good charm and the late bob denver did have a natural charm and apeal on the tube.for the skipper role of wagon master f-troop star and underrated actor forrest tucker was cast and he was very good i think in this very silly role. the others, a rich man and his wife, a saloon girl ,a school teacher i think she was , and a very smart farmer make up the rest of a wagon train that is lost from the rest of the party and wanders thru the west looking for california.
like i said the stories are very much like gilligan's and so this is not a show for everyone, and classic by no means,but it is slap stick and corn and my young sons will set with me and we all laugh at the silly stories. that makes it one i own and enjoy very much.
like i said , not everyone is going to like it and it is very much a come down from gilligan's island,but my boys and i like it and we have family movie and popcorn night with this and other old shows on friday night. an added bonus is that i don't have to worry about bad words or other non kid friendly things poping up and can leave the room for a second and not worry, so that gets this low-brow series 4 stars and a thank you from this parent
Rating: -
ok so this is just gilligan in the west, and it isn't as funny or as hip as that early series was , it is still fun and my young sons will sit and watch these with me and laugh and really thats the best and only reason to own this collection. fun for the family and i don't have to worry about any bad words or anything like that. check these old slap stick shows out.
Rating: -
Dusty's Trail is a sitcom where Bob Denver plays a simple-minded, accident prone sidekick to the leader of a group of desperate people. The leader refers to Denver as his "little pal" (gee, that sounds familiar). The people they are leading consists of a cross section of American society; a rich man and his wife, a well educated professional, an entertainer and a simple country girl (I swear, I've heard this before). They have many wacky adventures. In one episode, one of the women is carried off by an escaped gorilla. In another episode, they are threatened by a soon-to-erupt volcano (I know I've heard this somewhere before, I just can't place it).
Okay, let's be frank, "Dusty's Trail" is painfully derivative, and never aspires for a minute to be anything but low-grade slapstick silliness. Even so, it's not that bad. The two leads are Bob Denver and Forrest Tucker, two very well established comic actors. Tucker plays a dedicated straight man, unlike the Skipper from -that other sitcom- who shared a "Laurel and Hardy" relationship with Denver. The rest of the cast ranges from "quite enjoyable" to "competently managing the role they were handed." The plots are ridiculous, but pleasant brain candy and simple enough for kids to appreciate.
Despite what it says on the DVD cover, "Dusty's trail" is not classic TV. Frankly, it's not even above average. Still, if you have some pocket change to blow, and you are curious what Bob Denver was doing in the early 70's, you might give this largely forgotten series a try. This set would be especially good as a companion piece to that other Bob Denver series, you know the one.
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