The Virginian: Season 7 (1968) (Collectable Embossed Tin)

Classic Western starring James Drury.

Here are capsule impressions from season seven of "The Virginian," a robust year despite one questionable addition to the cast of regulars.VISION OF BLINDNESS -- Guest stars, John Saxon, Ben JohnsonElizabeth Grainger, blinded in a stagecoach crash, receives succor from a seething ex-convict. Sara Lane hits all the right notes of fear, anger and despondency in supple yarn lent immense production value by a mountainous location shoot. David Hartman drips the milk of human kindness as inexperienced cowpoke David Sutton, but Johnson dries it up with a lean, mean reprise of his taunting baddie characters from "Shane" and "One Eyed Jacks."THE WIND OF OUTRAGE -- Guest stars, Ricardo Montalban, Lois Nettleton, Lawrence DaneVenturing far north to close a cattle deal, The Virginian and Trampas encounter a French-Canadian political exile and his fiancee, who once swindled Trampas. Montalban's trademark joie de vivre gives windy drama a push, assisted by the cushy Nettleton as his shady lady love. Drury has a bruising clash with a brawny trapper played by stunt man extraordinaire Max Kleven.THE HERITAGE -- Guest star, Buffy Sainte-MarieShoshone woman who gained an education but lost her identity while studying in the east returns to Wyoming during a turbulent time for her village. Singer-peace activist Sainte-Marie plays her conflicted character soulfully under Leo Penn's direction in bountiful drama that yields generous helpings of action and is spiced by the casting of genuine Indians Ned Romero, Eddie Little Sky and TV icon Jay Silverheels as a wisely pacifistic old chief.RIDE TO MISADVENTURE -- Guest stars, Joseph Campanella, Katherine JusticeThe Virginian and Sutton track stagecoach thieves, who made off with vital anthrax serum, to a robbers' roost. Drury packs a season's worth of gunplay into uncharacteristic shoot-'em-up episode. Performances take a back seat to violence, but Virginia Gregg as a wicked-witchy town boss, Barbara Werle as a broken-down chanteuse and James Nusser as a sinister storekeeper are memorable. Sutton heedlessly lumbers into the line of fire during one gunfight, forcing The Virginian to risk his neck to bail him out.DARK CORRIDOR -- Guest stars, Judith Lang, John Smith, Paul WinchellThe Virginian rescues a woman lost in a mental haze after a shocking event. Drury's calm presence props raven-haired Lang, whose imitation-Poe role isn't very stimulating. Murky episode is more notable for the oddball casting of ventriloquist Winchell, who whoops it up Gabby Hayes-style as a hirsute hermit. Former straight-arrow "Laramie" star Smith plays a dog heavy.BIG TINY -- Guest stars, Julie Sommars, Roger TorreyOn a business trip to Durango, Sutton runs afoul of a jealous local Goliath, who's an old pal of Trampas. Director James Sheldon makes assets of Hartman's normal awkwardness and confusion amid plot's farcical complications, which are pretty funny. McClure, proficient at any sort of comedy, is in peak form, and spindly character actor Olan Soule is a hoot as a fruity shopkeeper. "Cat Ballou" composer Frank DeVol wrote the sprightly score.DEATH WAIT -- Guest stars, Harold J. Stone, Sheila Larken, Murray MacLeodAfter shooting a trespasser in self defense, Sutton copes with his conscience and the dead man's vengeful father and brother. Endless hand-wringing over the simple matter of going to the sheriff to explain a killing typifies contrived story's defiance of logic. Good moments are few, but veteran western supporting player Ed Faulkner has one as a cowboy who loses his nerve during a showdown. Sutton, no swashbuckling romancer he, woodenly rebuffs a saloon girl declaring her love.LAST GRAVE AT SOCORRO CREEK -- Guest stars, Steve Ihnat, Lonny Chapman, Ellen Burstyn, Kevin CoughlinThe Virginian takes on a lawless town after a friend is lynched. Ihnat's layered portrayal of a slippery gunman who cloaks his murderous calculation with pussyfooting blandness elevates familiar morality tale. Coughlin has too much to do as the lynchee's whining son and Burstyn not enough as a non-grieving widow, although her peachy looks bask in Enzo Martinelli's cinematography. Bernard Herrmann composed the score.THE LAND DREAMER -- Guest stars, James Olson, Cloris Leachman, Don FrancksThe Shiloh crew brings in a farmer involved in a fatal shooting, but the victim's influential brother won't wait for justice to take its course. Maundering plot is reined in by some solid acting, including Leachman's refreshingly truthful portrait of a reluctant pioneer who hates the west. Sutton gets in the way as usual, frustrating The Virginian by trying to help a fugitive escape.STORM OVER SHILOH -- Elizabeth is trapped in the abandoned mine where she took shelter from a storm. Clammy tension grows by the minute in taut drama directed by Michael Caffey and written by Frank Chase. The restrained acting of Drury, McClure, John McIntire, Jeanette Nolan and Lane reflects fortitude the viewer expects from their characters. Lane's brief reverie before the explosive climax is very moving. Strikingly shot and edited episode is one of the high marks of season seven.FOX, HOUND AND THE WIDOW McCLOUD -- Guest stars, Victor Jory, Troy Donahue, Jean InnessEscaped prisoner, an old cellmate of Trampas, finds refuge with a lonesome widow. Jory's captivating portrayal of wily convict Luke Nichols, a role he originated in the season six episode "A Bad Place to Die," shines in low-key drama that grows gradually engrossing, with a wrenching finale. Former teen heartbreaker Donahue impresses as an ice-cold bounty hunter. Jory and Inness were a real-life married couple.

Today is January 10,2013 and I have preorded The Virginian Season 7 but I can't give it a review yet as it won't be released until February 2013. But what I can say if it is good as the first 6 seasons I can't wait. One thing about this show it is 75 minutes long without the commercials where it was 90 minutes with commercials. NBC aired this show on Wednesday nights its entire run. I watched it as a young kid with my family and loved it. The Virginian gave the viewer time to let a story evolve. Other hour long television shows had to get to the meat of the story quickly and the show was over as quick as it started. This show tells a good story in every episode and takes its time. Just the other day I watched the episode THE LONG WAY HOME from season 5 starring Pernell Roberts and Noah Berry (Jim Rockford's dad on The Rockford Files with James Garner)anyway this episode was exceptionally good with Pernell coming home to reunite with his son and wife but is rebuffed by his wife. He tries to cover up his past by leading a new life and a job at Shilo ranch. Robert's performance in this show is not like you seen him before even not when he was on Bonanza!! I kid you not he is that good in the episode.March 1, 2013Well I recieved season 7 of the Virginian and I'm well into it. This season in my opinion is the biggest change with the addition of David Hartman from ABC's Good Morning America. Hartman's character is David Sutton who makes his way to Shilo in the first episode The Saddle Warmer and earns his spot as a likeable character. From what I have read he was on only for this season. What a shame his personality and character was a good addition to the show. I do miss Don Quine as Stacy, Universal chose not to give a reason for his departure but that was the way they did it back then compared today. Another episode I really enjoyed is Heritage starring Buffy Sainte-Marie who is a Shoshone Indian coming home from schooling back east and is torn between the white mans way of life and her native life style. It really tells a story how we tried to teach native americans the way of the world. Also in the show is Eddie Little Sky and Jay Silverheels who round out the cast along with Ned Romero as JB. To rap it up, my opinion The Virginian is the BEST of the early westerns. It was well written, directed,and photographed and you can't forget Mr. James Drury who is THE VIRGINAN!!!

I wish the individual DVD's would have listed what episodes are on them like my others have, but had to go with a different supplier to get this season. The damaged case wasn't ideal, but it didn't harm the DVD's.

The Virginian DVDs, I have loved forever and now having the chance to own the whole series makes me feel complete as the time I had watching it with my dad now seems special, and it's the only western I really can watch over and over again without getting bored as the storyline seems unique as the characters really feel that they live the part with so much fun and enjoyment had along the way.

The 7th season was as good as all the other 6 ive bought,a truly wonderful series,the best ever western ever on tv......The only daw back was i had to buy a multi player,as the 1..6 boxsets played om mine but the 7and 8th one didnt,but ha ho... im well set up now and they are even clearer just perfect ............

Perhaps lost

The Virginian is a wonderful series and from start to end is magnificent . Well worth the cost

I have always loved The Virginian and lamented for decades that there weren't any DVDs out of it. In recent years there are now, but only some of the 9 series are watchable in Europe. Such a pity!