I originally posted this November 15, 2009 little knowing one year later Encore Westerns would disappoint fans by excluding it from their broadcasts of The Virginian. To exclude the final season is selling the fans short. For those who missed my post first time around or who haven’t located it in my archives here it is again. I’m only sorry loyal fans aren’t able to watch this season on Encore Westerns and judge the merits of the season for themselves..
Was the choice of ditching Percy Faith’s distinctive theme and the familiar ride-in sequence in favor of Ennio Morriconne’s Spaghetti Western influenced theme and tinted images a mistake? It’s a matter of opinion. I like the new theme and graphics but feel they belong to a spin-off show and not the 9th season. The departure is too radical and feels alien to the original concept of The Virginian TV series.
The definite mistake was Trampas’ new outfit and his mustache. And a dry stoical ‘batman’ replacing any female regular at Shiloh Ranch.
The new format never had time to grow on audiences before the cancellation of The Men From Shiloh in 1971. An era was at an end.
It’s interesting to note that none of the regular female actresses featured in the “ride-in” title sequence furthered their acting careers to any extent after The Virginian. Roberta Shore’s premature retirement cut short a promising career. There is no doubt Roberta could have extended her career had she not retreated to Salt Lake City.
Doug McClure was featured on the back cover of the FAB 208 Annual 1972. A pity the scarce color photograph is cut into a jigsaw shape in the style of all photos on the UK annual cover.
The Virginian Weblog 