McCLOUD Season 1&2
Universal Studios
My love of crime fiction goes back at least forty years, when I was around 7 years old I was reading mysteries, mostly for kids, but soon adult mysteries as well. My mother was a huge fan and I read what she read. I also watched what she watched and in those days of my youth when we had just the one TV we all watched what Mom wanted and that was fine by me. The shows that were on in the Jordan household shaped what I have looked for in entertainment since, sometimes finding it, sometimes not. And now with the ability to to own all these shows on DVD my world is a happy place. Once again I can spend my evenings with Steve McGarrett and Frank Cannon. Mannix and Rockford show me how to be tough. Kojak shows me how to be cool and Magnum shows me how to have fun.
Watching these shows again as an adult is different, sometimes the shows are not as good as I nostalgically recall. But sometimes I get a nice bonus and the show exceeds my memory.
McCloud is one of those shows. I always thought he was cool, but watching now as an adult with eyes forty years older I can really appreciate this character. A Marshall from New Mexico sent to New York and asked to stay on. The city of New York doesn’t freak him out at all, his almost zen like calm and old fashioned sense of honor ground him. McCloud doesn’t get rattled and he’s good natured, to a point that almost drive his Captain nuts. And while the plan is for him to learn techniques to bring back home he seems to be teaching the NYPD as well.
Dennis Weaver is great in this Emmy winning role. He knows Shakespeare and judo, and for all his down home mannerisms, he’s a modern cowboy. He plays the folksy demeanor to his advantage and gets people to trust him, and whats more, they actually can trust him.
There are a number of different cases he works, kidnapping, murders and robberies. Episodes are filled with guest stars like Milton Berle, Burgess Meredeth and Stephanie Powers. The writing holds up real well except for a few minor things. McCloud is relentless in his investigating and he doesn’t mind ignoring his boss if he needs to to get a case solved.
11 episodes (almost 16 hours) on this first set and it was a real joy to watch. It’s engaging and charming and has action in the right places. I will be getting them all as soon as they are out.
Buy McCloud – Seasons 1 and 2
