Search - Shotgun Slade on DVD

Dig that crazy score, pardner!

Robert Huggins | Suburban Philadelphia, PA United States | 03/23/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Shotgun Slade" has often been referred to as "Peter Gunn meets the Old West" and, after viewing the episodes in this 2-disc set, that's a reasonably apt description. B-movie star Scott Brady stars as the title character, a Denver-based private detective who carries a special combination rifle/shotgun, though Slade uses his fists more often than his gun. The series ran from 1959 to 1961 and was notable for Gerald Fried's jazzy musical score. The score was innovative for its time but, to these ears, sounds out of place in a Western series, though the opening and closing theme IS very good . . . for a contemporary detective series of the late 1950s/early 1960s.Platinum Disc Corporation includes 15 episodes of this largely forgotten series on two dual layer discs. At the time of its release (March 2004), this set represented the largest collection of "Shotgun Slade" episodes released on DVD. As with other classic television releases from Platinum, this one is far from perfect . . . you'll find some film specks, scratches, occasional audio hiss, and Platinum's logo that sometimes appears in the bottom right corner. On the whole, these episodes are very watchable and enjoyable.Give Platinum Disc Corporation some credit for releasing some harder to find television Westerns. In addition to the "Shotgun Slade" episodes, other recent releases have included a 9-episode single DVD of "Sheriff of Cochise/United States Marshal" episodes (under the "U.S. Marshal" title) and a 2-disc set of episodes from "Stories of the Century" under the title "Legends of the Old West."The "Shotgun Slade" episodes included on the two discs are as follows:Disc 1Backtrack
The Spanish Box
The Deadly Key
Donna Juanita
The Fabulous Fiddle
The Golden Tunnel
A Flower for Jenny
A Flower on Boot HillDisc 2Ring of Death
The Charcoal Bullet
Sudden Death
Lost Gold
The Smell of Money
Crossed Guns
Killer's Brand"