The Guns of Will Sonnett: Season One

Western Heart in a Half-Hour Show
The Guns of Will Sonnett is one of the best "unknown" western series ever produced on TV. Walter Brennan (best known from his movie roles and as a regular on TV's "The Real McCoys") is an absolute revelation in the lead role of Will Sonnett, the father who, with his grandson, is searching for his son, "James," a gunfighter.

The series only ran from 1967-1969 and was one of the first produced by now TV-mogul Aaron Spelling. Each half-hour episode began with Brennan reciting a western ballad-like narration of the premise:

"We search for a man named Jim Sonnett,
and the legends folks tell may be true;
Most call him gunman and killer,
He's my son who I hardly knew.

I raised Jim's son from the craddle,
'til the day he said to me,
'I have to go find my father,'
And I 'reckonned,
that's how it should be;
So we ride,
Jim's boy and me."

Will's grandson, Jeff, is portrayed superbly by Dack Rambo, (who died...

A study of love, longing and the curse of legend
I remember this series from my childhood, and memories of certain scenes and pieces of dialogue have stuck with me into my late middle-age. What I remember best is the feel the series had - a kind of romantic earnestness - and a majestic and epic tone. I had nearly forgotten the series myself, except for these bits of memory, when one day browsing Amazon, I saw the DVD set offered. Suddenly, almost reflexively, I gave it the Amazon "one-click." Call it a childish impulse.

I began watching the first season with trepidation. I had watched this show originally when I was 11 or 12 years old. Things remembered from childhood so often disappoint in the glaring, cynical light of adulthood. Not this time. The series lived up to my memories and, in fact, was better than I had remembered it. The romance of the tone was still valid, which had captured me as a child, but now I could really appreciate the craft and care with which the series was made.

The series had a...

Will Sonnett Shines but in short form
It is wonderful to have this under-rated western tv series available from the 60's. The episodes were produced well on dvd and the picture and audio is quite good--it is even recorded in dolby digital! There are bonus features as well including a great biography of Walter Brennan and a special guest star bonus feature. Also included is an old 50's episode of a series Brennan appeared in as well. The reason I rate it at 4 stars instead of 5 is that it has the edited syndicated shows. Is there no way to release these great shows uncut?

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