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Wanted Dead or Alive - Season 3

One of the greatest western series of all time, Wanted Dead or Alive starred the legendary Steve McQueen as bounty hunter Josh Randall who restlessly roams the west in search of conflict.

From the product description: "Wanted: Dead or Alive", the hit television series that launched the career of Steve McQueen ("Bullitt", "The Getaway, "The Thomas Crown Affair") in 1958 as gentleman bounty hunter Josh Randall. The character, originally introduced in an episode of the television Western Trackdown, was so popular that the production company created "Wanted: Dead or Alive" so that McQueen could reprise the role of Randall. Josh Randall was not a typical rough-hewn bounty hunter of the Old West; he was a consummate gentleman who always gave half - or even all - of his reward money to charity. He was a man of few words, and, unlike most bounty hunters, he carried neither a shotgun nor a rifle but rather an 1892 Winchester lever action pistol, which he wore on his belt and fondly called his "Mare's leg." Josh Randall's catch phrase, "Let's go," launched him into unforgettable, classic Western adventures. Steve McQueen fans - and fans of classic television - will have a chance to see the early work of such Hollywood luminaries as Steve McQueen as Josh Randall, along with James Coburn Martin Landau, Dyan Cannon and many more.

* Over one hour of bonus features including seven new featurettes!

* An all-star list of guest stars including Steve's MAGNIFICENT SEVEN co-star James Coburn, Mary Tyler Moore, Cloris Leachman, Richard Farnsworth and Noah Berry Jr. (The Rockford Files)

* This set includes episodes directed by Richard Donner (LETHAL WEAPON and THE GOONIES)

This was the final year for Wanted before McQueen went on to motion picture superstardom (one CBS executive likes to joke that she had Steve McQueen under contract to the network for only $1,000 a week during the run of this show).

Overall the third season plods along at the leisurely pace folks seemed to prefer in the early-sixties, the stark storylines are serviceable but hardly ground breaking. Part of the charm of these programs is the certainty of it all, the rock solid, unconflicted nature of the lead character. It's good vs evil and good always triumphs in this world.

James Coburn, Mary Tyler Moore, Gloria Blondell, Richard Farnsworth, J. Pat O'Malley, Cloris Leachman, William Hart, Noah Beery Jr., and a raft of other familiar classic television supporting players turn up this season.

Wanted Dead or Alive Season 3 is a chance to relive the early days of TV westerns in all their black & white glory and it really does look glorious in this remastered, restored version, everything is crystal clear and sharp, the skies shimmer and the trees crackle.

Fans will flip over the bountiful bonus features:
The Art of the Replica Featurette(4:43)
Mare's Leg Featurette (8:38)
The Women of the Series Featurette (9:55)
Reckless Featurette (8:40)
The Winchester Featurette (8:16)
Autry National Center Featurette (17:52)
Matchmaker Featurette (7:47)

That's a super collection of documentaries loaded with western lore and behind the scenes stories about the making of the series. If you know someone who loves the old-school TV western or Steve McQueen in particular, this will make a spectacular Christmas present.

You get all 26 episodes plus that amazing group of extras for less than 30 bucks if you order online now.

Number of discs: 3
Studio: Bci / Eclipse
DVD Release Date: October 30, 2007
Run Time: 652 minutes

Wanted: Dead or Alive - Season Two

I've always wanted to see this highly acclaimed western series starring Steve McQueen, what better way than on DVD?

Tight-lipped McQueen plays a bounty hunter in the 1880s which leads to a variety of storylines and new characters (and guest stars) each week but it's Steve McQueen's seriously edgy personality that keeps the drama tense.

This handsome box set includes all 32 fully restored 1959-60 episodes and a special featurette, 'The Women of Wanted: Dead or Alive.'

Superior scripts with taut storylines and Steve McQueen front and center throughout each half-hour episode id the attraction here. This production was shot for the most part on a soundstage and backlot so their aren't the sweeping vistas you might find on Cheyenne or Gunsmoke. No problem, McQueen's presence is at least as large as the Monument Valley.

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