Happy birthday to Gary Clarke who is 85 today. It was a great disappointment to his fans that he couldn’t remain on The Virginian for its entire run. Good to see he’s still very active working on new film projects.
Month: August 2018
Morgan Starr
Cozi TV have begun broadcasting the Morgan Starr episodes. Since my original post back in 2013 I can approach Starr with a new perspective. The introductory episode is arguably one of the better episodes of an uneven season. At first glace Starr’s stern manner is a stark contrast to Judge Garth, but as the episode progresses his relationship with Jennifer softens and we see a lighter side to his character. It is still hard to accept Judge Garth would have recommended a surly authoritarian to succeed him at Shiloh. And just as difficult to accept that The Virginian turned down the job as boss of Shiloh ranch given the fact he admits to Starr that his allegiance to Judge Garth is paramount. The introduction to Starr by Garth in person before he assumed his Governor position would have eased the transition for viewers. Instead we got a sudden departure without any goodbye. Apparently Lee J. Cobb didn’t want to stay around longer than he had to.
With all its faults “Morgan Starr” remains an interesting episode. A pity Trampas was absent for such a key episode.
INSP have begun broadcasting the Morgan Starr episodes. Arguably the least popular addition to the Shiloh “family” – Morgan Starr succeeded Judge Garth as the boss at Shiloh Ranch for a brief period during Season 4. The dark tone of Starr’s episodes was in stark contrast to Judge Garth. Starr’s stern, abrasive manner and military type persona was ill fitting for a show that relied on a friendly extended family at Shiloh Ranch.
Even the Virginian’s character was compromised and at times he took orders from Starr with an eagerness that bordered on servitude as in ‘Harvest of Strangers’ (4:22). It’s hard to accept Judge Garth would have recommended a surly authoritarian to succeed him at Shiloh. It is this basic lack of character continuity that adds to the confusion for the viewer in late Season 4. With the departure of Betsy and Judge Garth the introduction of Morgan Starr…
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