Have Gun – Will Travel: The Fifth Season, Volume One (1961 – 1962/CBS DVD)

Picture: C+     Sound: C     Extras: D     Episodes: A

The man in black returns in this, the first of two volumes comprising the fifth season of Have Gun - Will Travel.  Again, it's a shame to see that each season is split between two volumes, rather than being all-inclusive, as the first three volumes were.  It is relatively easy, however, to forgive this, as the episodes contained here are all free-standing, with little continuity between them to concern yourself with.

Richard Boone once again puts forth an excellent performance, and while his age is beginning to show in these later episodes, he is still remarkably convincing in the role of Paladin.  This show is still as intriguing as ever despite being 5 or 6 years in.

As in earlier seasons, the writers have done a commendable job at keeping things interesting for our hired gun.  His cool demeanor and desire to solve situations with brain power and logic before resorting to a weapon sets him apart from many of his western counterparts, before or since.

The episodes contained in this volume are as follows.

1) The Vigil
2) Education of Sarah Jane
3) The Revenger
4) Odds for Big Red
5) A Proof of Love
6) The Gospel Singer
7) The Race
8) Hanging of Aaron Gibbs
9) The Piano
10) Ben Jalisco
11) The Brother
12) A Drop of Blood
13) A Knight to Remember
14) Blind Circle
15) The Kid
16) Squatter's Rights
17) Lazarus
18) Justice in Hell
19) Mark of Cain

The picture is in black and white, with its original full-frame aspect ratio of 1.33:1. While it isn't perfect, it is fairly crisp, with few examples of neglect or careless transferring. The audio track provided is in Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono, and while not as great as the video (there are pops and other unwanted noise that have not been cleaned up), it is pretty good when considering its age.

Included are summaries and original airdates listed on the artwork as a reference accompaniment to your viewing.  While it is nice to have this information, there are no extras on these discs.  That is a shame, but there is still plenty of bang for your buck, as 19 complete episodes are here for you to enjoy.

I recommend this volume to any fans of the series, or western fans in general who have yet to check out this marvelous show.  Perhaps someday we'll be treated to Blu-ray editions of the series with some new bonus content to sweeten the pot.  Until that day, be sure to grab this set!


-  David Milchick