Don’t call Paladin (Richard Boone) a hired goon. He advertises his services with the motto “Have Gun – Will Travel,” but he was more motivated to find solutions that didn’t involve hot lead. That’s not to say he was a pacifist. If he senses that there’s no choice, he will gun a man down. Don’t mistake his custom-made, .45 caliber Colt Single Action Army revolver for a show piece, even though the holster has a Knight chess piece. His draw was as fast as his wit. The man isn’t even close to a goon. He’s a West Point graduate that living at the Carlton Hotel in San Francisco. He enjoys the finer things such as gourmet food, opera and society ladies. In order to pay for the extravagant life, he goes around the Wild West solving problems for large fees. Have Gun – Will Travel: The Fourth Season, Volume One brings us 19 episodes of paid persuasion.
“The Fatalist” puts Paladin in severe jeopardy when he has to face down a gun totting Robert Blake (Baretta). A mailman in a small town has witnessed a crime and the local hoods led by Blake want him to take a vacation during the trial. Paladin acts as a buffer, but Blake won’t back down. He goes after the mailman’s daughter. Paladin can’t reason with the future homicide suspect. It is a strange episode since at this point Blake was overcoming his status as the sweet kid from Our Gang. He hadn’t yet played the killer of In Cold Blood or been on trail for killing his wife. “Out at the Old Ball Park” takes us back when baseball was a full contact sport. Paladin rides into a town that’s shut down by a violent baseball game between the locals and a traveling team. The lack of an umpire has shut down the game and the town. Paladin offers to call ‘em as he sees ‘em for a price. It’s a hard game nose game that even Pete Rose would avoid.
Sometimes trouble comes all on its own. During “Saturday Night,” Paladin becomes a murder suspect when he rides the wrong trail in bad weather. Martin Balsam is a crooked sheriff who isn’t interested in really investigating. Because people in 1960 had short memories, Robert Blake once more returns as a different homicidal maniac for “The Shooting of Jessy May.” He’s Jessie May Turnbow, the son of man executed for espionage. He’s killed seven of the dozen men that put daddy to death. One of the remaining five hires Paladin to put an end to Blake’s murder spree. “The Poker Fiend” has Paladin hired to drag a guy out of a card game that’s lasted five months. Familiar faces around the table include Peter Falk (Columbo), Warren Oates (The Wild Bunch) and Brett Somers (Match Game). “Fogg Bound” drags Paladin into the world of Around the World in Eighty Days. He has to help Phineas Fogg make a connection.
Have Gun – Will Travel: The Fourth Season, Volume One keeps giving us the lighthearted Western action. Paladin never gets to tense in the action even when Robert Blake is pointing a gun at people. He’s a complicated man without trying to completely out think the audience. The main thing we know is that he’s not going to going for the quick and easy route of shooting first and collecting his fee second. He wants to be a peacemaker without a badge.
The Episodes
“The Fatalist,” “Love’s Young Dream,” “A Head of Hair,” “Out at the Old Ballpark,” “Saturday Night,” “The Calf,” “The Tender Gun,” “Killing of Jessie May,” “Poker Fiend,” “Crowbait,” “Marshall’s Boy,” “Foggbound,” “The Legacy,” “The Prisoner,” “The Montebank,” “Sanctuary,” “Quiet Night in Town” (Two-parter) and “Princess and the Gunfighter.”
The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The black and white transfers look sharp. You can see him think out a situation instead of just reaching for his gun. The audio is Dolby Digital Mono.
None.
Have Gun – Will Travel: The Fourth Season, Volume One keeps up the adventures of Paladin as bon vivant who rides the range for a price. The half hour series keeps the stories tight without much dawdling. The fun of this set is watching Robert Blake twice play homicidal characters.
CBS DVD presents Have Gun – Will Travel: The Fourth Season, Volume One. Starring: Richard Boone and Lisa Lu. Boxset Contents: 19 episodes on 3 DVDs. Released on DVD: March 2, 2010. Available at Amazon.com
.
