Friends, I never would have thought 2025 would be the year of the western for me, but here we are.
After a marathon of Laredo over the holidays, I feel deep into The Virginian.
You could have knocked me over with a feather though, when I discovered one of the longest-running shows of the western era would prove to be a beast to find.
Two seasons in, my streamer of choice — Starz– dropped it.
I was bereft.
Insulted.
Stumped.
I couldn’t find it anywhere! It wasn’t online. The DVDs were pricey. I didn’t have cable.
What’s a girl to do?
Start buying the DVD’s, of course!
I find myself here.
The Virginian Vault is going to be my hub for all things, The Virginian. Call it a study. An exploration. A deep-dive into this prominent, but strangely forgotten entry into the western genre.
I want this to be a living archive. Episode notes, profiles, character studies and essays will all find their way here as I work through the series.
All my previous writing on The Virginian can be found here.
Watch Log:
Stay tuned for a more complete look at seasons one, two and part of three. This project has taken shape in fits and starts. .
Season Three, Episode Sixteen: ” The Hour of the Tiger”
Central Premise: When Shiloh’s cattle are trapped by a landslide, Judge Garth reluctantly stumbles back into a decades old feud while looking for help from a former friend. With few other options, Judge Garth recruits a crew of Chinese immigrants to help drill a tunnel and save his herd.
Guest Stars: Cely Carillo, Tom Tully, Leo Gordon and Tom Simcox.
Notes: The episodes involving Chinese immigrants in this era of western television leave us… hesitant… in 2025. At their worst, they’re uncomforably cringeworthy.
This joins a long list of episodes that struggle with having the right language to address other cultures. This becomes especially glaring when the writers try to navigate these subjects within The Virginian‘s late 19th century setting. When combining these writing struggles with occasionally broad ensemble performances, watching with modern eyes can feel complicated..
As I was thinking through all this, I started Googling Cely Carillo. She’s a performer I didn’t know, but she’s one who deserves far more recognition.
A January 19, 2019 issue of Esquire Philippine’s calls her “The Philippines’ First Broadway Star.” She reportedly performed in opera’s like Rigoletto by age 13 and multiple sources cite Carillo as the first person of Filipino descent to graduate from Juilliard. Around this period, she was fresh from Flower Drum Song, where she understudied star Miyoshi Umeki before taking over the role after Umeki’s 1960 departure.
Like Umecki, Carillo transitioned to Hollywood and worked in film and television, though her screen career was short-lived.
Carillo passed away in 2017.
Season Three, Episode Fifteen: “A Man of the People”
Central Premise: Judge Garth is thrown unwillingly on the offensive when a New York Congressman (James Dunn) manages to take control of local grazing land for immigrants to begin farming. There’s only one problem: previous attempts to farm this difficult soil have failed. These people are being set up to starve.
Guest Stars: James Dunn, Arthur Space and Martin West.
Notes: This episode was a difficult one for yours truly. I’m thinking that was primarily due to some challenging guest stars. Namely Dunn’s loudmouth Congressman. There was also, I think, a timely aspect to this plot that felt… uncomfortable. This is one I might change my opinion on the longer I’m able to stew on it. So, stay tuned.
However, the giggly teenager I keep deeply repressed was completely smitten with the romantic arc between Betsy and Lt. O’Mara (Martin West). Like most of Betsy’s giddy love stories, it was adorable.
I may be looking for things to check out in West’s filmography.
Season Three, Episode Fourteen: “The Payment”
Central Premise: Ryker (Clu Gulager) invites Abe Clayton (Lloyd Nolan), his former guardian to live and work in Medicine Bow. The only problem is, the former criminal (who’s recently been released from jail) hasn’t quite shaken his previous proclivities.
Guest Stars: Lloyd Nolan, Bruce Dern, Lisabeth Hush, Ed Peck and Robert Ivers.
Notes: I was glad to see another Ryker episode! It’s been a while since he’s been fully in the driver’s seat and this script gave him some wonderfully needed development. Gulager gets some beautiful emotional work here that isn’t normally seen in his characters.
Fans of both Nolan and Dern will certainly find things to like here. Nolan thrives in the complex relationship his character shares with Ryker. Meanwhile, Dern once again shows why he’s a national treasure in another early role. This is his second of three appearance in the western.
The tension the episode builds int he final act is flawless. It’s an example of “doing a lot with a little”, but the last 10 minutes or so had me on the edge of my seat.
Season Three, Episode Thirteen: “The Portrait of a Widow”
Central Premise: Judge Garth (Lee J. Cobb) suspects that a visiting French artist has more than artistic intentions in mind when he arrives in Medicine Bow to paint a local widow’s portrait.
Guest Stars: Vera Miles, John Gavin, Ann Doran and Michael Forest.
Notes: Oh, there’s so, so, so much here. John Gavin’s French accent is giving Maurice Chevalier crossed with Monty Python French taunting and I don’t hate it. I spent the entire episode waiting for Judge Garth to see through it… but, alas.
Also, justice is needed for Ann Doran having so much pride at being called “A Primitive”.
The biggest nerdy note here though? This episode reunites John Gavin with his Psycho co-star Vera Miles, four years after the Hitchcock classic hit theaters. While I can’t confirm, one Universal backlot used in the episode looks a lot like a corner of the Bates Motel. I need to know more.
More coming soon.
