The Restless Gun [2 Discs] [Tin Can]

"The second volume of episodes from the 1956-1958 western series The Restless Gun, starring John Payne, may be of special interest to fans of Bonanza, like its companion volume -- this series was produced by David Dortort, who later created and produced Bonanza, and just as the first volume from Timeless Media had shows that pointed the way to the later series, so does this collection. It comes packaged in an odd metal tin box containing two standard free-standing DVD cases -- there are eight episodes total in this set. There's no explanation of how the episodes here were selected, or how they came to be issued separately from the earlier three-disc set -- but it's worth at least as much as the preceding triple-set, all because of one episode. Most of what's here is not bad, as western series representing the transition period, between kids entertainment (Hopalong Cassidy etc.) and serious drama (Have Gun Will Travel, Bonanza etc.); the stories range from conventional western revenge and justice tales, interspersed with lighter, more slapstick episodes (""Tomboy""). In many ways, the series was the template for Bonanza in tone if not look. And included among the shows here is ""The Outlander"", an episode guest-starring George M. Dolenz, Gloria Talbott, and Reed Hadley that is the single best show in the two-year run of the series, and a prototype for the kind of scripts that Bonanza turned into an art form -- this one, co-authored by David Victor, is about an aging European nobleman who finds himself fighting for his life against a wealthy, unrepentant Confederate sympathizer who resents the honors won by the visitor, serving the Union cause. It's worth the price of the set by itself, for the acting and the writing. The episodes are mastered with about the same quality as the prior set, off of what look like 16mm sources, which some scratches and other blemishes but overall decent full-screen (1.33-to-1) images, and very healthy volume. Each episode gets a single chapter-marker, and each disc opens automatically to a simple two-layer menu offering access to individual shows."