I watched Maverick on GoodLife TV last night and noticed that this show was written by R. Wright Campbell. Later on in his career, Campbell turned to writing mystery novels, some under that name, but most as Robert Campbell. I particularly liked his series about a Chicago ward heeler named Jimmy Flannery. When I won the Anthony for "best first novel" at the Bouchercon in 1987, Campbell won for "best paperback." Somehow the awards got mixed up, and I got the one intended for him. I met him after the banquet, and when we exchanged awards, I told him how much I enjoyed his books. He seemed like a nice guy.
Cheyenne comes on after Maverick, and last night's show featured James Garner in a small role. He appeared in a number of episodes of Cheyenne before he got his own series, usually as a cavalry officer.
3 comments:
Man, do I love GoodLife TV -- or as we call it around Casa del Ivan, "the place where old TV shows go to die." Were it not for GoodLife, I wouldn't be able to satisfy my F Troop itch.
MAVERICK is one of the all-time great series... at least the first season or two when Garner was starring. I wrote a lengthy article about the series... and reviewed all the episodes... some years back for VIDEO REVIEW magazine. I interviewed the cast, the writers, and the producers, too. I believe a condensed version of the article is posted on my website.
I was a fan of Robert Campbell's too.. but I prefered his "Whistler" novels (IN LA LA LAND WE TRUST, etc.)
One of the joys of watching old TV shows is seeing people who were just starting out in their acting careers. I recently watch one of the very early episodes of The Rebel and the villain was Dan Blocker. In another a hotheaded young townie was Jamie Farr, who was listed in the credits as Jamsel Farah. I even saw Sue "Miss Landers" Randall play a prim young woman who tries to seduce Johnny Yuma so he'll aid her beleagured father. Miss Landers in a lip lock? Wow!
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