Have Gun Will Travel - The First Three Seasons (1957)
Have Gun Will Travel DVDs

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First, I love half-hour dramas. They are a holdover from radio where executives thought that a half hour was as long as they could hold an audience. When TV began they took what they learned on radio and transferred it. (Interestingly, HGWT was the only TV show to spawn a radio show - usually it was the reverse.) The format trims the fat and makes for taut story-telling. So you've got a great format and another key ingredient - Richard Boone, a terrific actor. He was Paladin "a soldier of fortune in a savage land" named by TV Guide as one of the all time 100 top tv characters. A refined gentleman in San Francisco who dons a black cowboy outfit to work as a troubleshooter to afford his refined tastes. Oh, and let's not forget the writing. Many of the episodes were written by none other than Gene Roddenberry, honing his skill that would be evident in Star Trek. His scripts are always clever and thoughtful - a must for trek fans especially the episode where three lovely mail-order brides arrive under suspicious circumstances for some lonely ranchers (shades of Mudd's Women!)The bottom line is this series will spoil you for real entertainment. And the transfers are top of the line quality. If you love westerns, you've got to have this series. If you don't love westerns, get this series anyway. You'll see the error of your ways.