Post by countmanzeppi on Aug 6, 2013 13:39:12 GMT -5
Colonel's Ghost is a fabulous episode, offering a classic and tight "whodunit" story structure and loads of atmosphere. I love the way it begins, with our surprising discovery (camera pan reveal) that President Grant (played by the marvelous Roy Engel) is in the railroad car with West and Gordon.
Then West enters the abandoned town of Gibsonville. Of course, the entire sequence of West on his horse entering Gibsonville is all sound effects (not foley), because the artificial wind generated by giant studio fans would have made location sound recording impossible. The horse is a sound effects clip, not foley, so the horse hooves don't quite match the action.
WWW is at it's best in ghost town mode, and this ep offers heaping servings of ambience and atmosphere. I LOVE that music score when West walks into the empty hotel. Much of the tension and humor of the episode rests on the mystery and evasiveness of the characters. No one will tell West about the gold hidden in the town, but West isn't showing his hand, either. This is the very obvious bait that keeps the viewer watching.
While all the supporting cast is marvelous, I especially liked Walker Edmiston as Sheriff Tom Hollis, especially when he tries to explain to West what's been going on in the town, and they walk outside. Edmiston has some marvelous facial expressions here, and the editor really spent too little time on Edmiston's performance, preferring instead James West reaction shots.
The lovely Kathie Browne (as Jennifer Caine) plays marvelously against West, and Lee Bergere is terrific as the antagonist Colonel Gibson. Both, you will remember, also appeared in third season Star Trek episodes. (where ironically Bergere played another 19th century Western character, President Lincoln, Grant's predecessor).
There is a discrepancy in the script, whether intentional or not, in which before the commercial break, West tells everyone to meet them in the lobby tomorrow morning, but later they all meet in the afternoon. (or is it vice versa?)
There is an extended scene in Gordon's laboratory in the railroad car, where he explains to President Grant his design for a "land crawler" device -- obviously the forerunner of the battle tank -- and Grant's whiskey comes in handy for decoding West's message.
Gordon later makes his appearance as an English Twit with the spiked whiskey. It's not one of Gordon's best disguises, but it plays nicely against the other characters. The humor is a little too overt for my taste.
Gordon's later disguise as President Grant was much more successful and relevant, in which he tries to shame Colonel Gibson into dropping his weapon. The gag with the cigar turning into a smoke bomb was beautifully done.
The final gun battle in front of the statue brings this highly successful episode to a swift and decisive conclusion. One of the strongest tags of the entire series. No lingering train car scene for this one! 4.5 stars!
Kathie Browne 1930-2003
Lee Bergere 1918-2007
Roy Engel 1913-1980
~ Count Manzeppi
Then West enters the abandoned town of Gibsonville. Of course, the entire sequence of West on his horse entering Gibsonville is all sound effects (not foley), because the artificial wind generated by giant studio fans would have made location sound recording impossible. The horse is a sound effects clip, not foley, so the horse hooves don't quite match the action.
WWW is at it's best in ghost town mode, and this ep offers heaping servings of ambience and atmosphere. I LOVE that music score when West walks into the empty hotel. Much of the tension and humor of the episode rests on the mystery and evasiveness of the characters. No one will tell West about the gold hidden in the town, but West isn't showing his hand, either. This is the very obvious bait that keeps the viewer watching.
While all the supporting cast is marvelous, I especially liked Walker Edmiston as Sheriff Tom Hollis, especially when he tries to explain to West what's been going on in the town, and they walk outside. Edmiston has some marvelous facial expressions here, and the editor really spent too little time on Edmiston's performance, preferring instead James West reaction shots.
The lovely Kathie Browne (as Jennifer Caine) plays marvelously against West, and Lee Bergere is terrific as the antagonist Colonel Gibson. Both, you will remember, also appeared in third season Star Trek episodes. (where ironically Bergere played another 19th century Western character, President Lincoln, Grant's predecessor).
There is a discrepancy in the script, whether intentional or not, in which before the commercial break, West tells everyone to meet them in the lobby tomorrow morning, but later they all meet in the afternoon. (or is it vice versa?)
There is an extended scene in Gordon's laboratory in the railroad car, where he explains to President Grant his design for a "land crawler" device -- obviously the forerunner of the battle tank -- and Grant's whiskey comes in handy for decoding West's message.
Gordon later makes his appearance as an English Twit with the spiked whiskey. It's not one of Gordon's best disguises, but it plays nicely against the other characters. The humor is a little too overt for my taste.
Gordon's later disguise as President Grant was much more successful and relevant, in which he tries to shame Colonel Gibson into dropping his weapon. The gag with the cigar turning into a smoke bomb was beautifully done.
The final gun battle in front of the statue brings this highly successful episode to a swift and decisive conclusion. One of the strongest tags of the entire series. No lingering train car scene for this one! 4.5 stars!
Kathie Browne 1930-2003
Lee Bergere 1918-2007
Roy Engel 1913-1980
~ Count Manzeppi