The New Maverick (1978 Telefilm/Warner DVD)
Picture: C Sound: C Extras: D Telefilm: C
It was
with some irony that James Garner returned to the role of Bret Maverick in
after a contract dispute on the original show that led to him being replaced by
Roger Moore as his British cousin Beau.
However, Warner Bros. could not argue with the success of The Rockford Files (another TV hit
Garner would have to battle a studio, this time Universal, for his money) and
tried to see if interest was there for the character again. Unfortunately, The New Maverick was a weak TV movie, especially for 1978 and there
was no revival of the series until years later, which also bombed.
Still
better than the awful theatrical film with Mel Gibson, it is only mildly amusing
as Bret and Bart (Jack Kelly) are joined by yet another cousin, the younger Ben
(Charles Frank) who looks more like he was ready for The Dukes Of Hazzard than this would-be pilot. Under Hy Averbeck’s direction, this never
takes off and the Juanita Bartlett teleplay missed why the original series was
so much fun in the first place. Though
it might be a good curio for fans, the rest of us can stop after 1962.
The 1.33
X 1 image is poor, though color is consistent, definition and depth are not and
this was shot on film. The Dolby Digital
1.0 Mono is weak as well and the combination is trying. Hope the Blu-ray is better whenever it is
issued. There are no extras.
- Nicholas Sheffo
