The Legend of Jesse James

Television spots of the time promoting the series "The Legend of Jesse James" shamelessly pointed out the similarity in physical appearance between Chris Jones and James Dean. It was pretty obvious early on in the series that Chris Jones was being packaged as a gun tooting western version of Jim Stark. The series portrayed Jesse James as an idealistic, sensitive youth who was driven to rob banks and trains by the corrupt society in which he lived. Chris Jones also portrayed the bandit as a charismatic Robin Hood figure. The first year of the series was in black and white. The second year was in color. But the by the second season, it was pretty obvious that the producers of the show didn't know where they were going with this vehicle and the character of Jesse really did become a rebel without a cause.

Although this tv western was filmed in black and white, the colorful portrayal of Jesse James through the talented efforts of Christopher Jones makes this western series stand out. The fact that this show only ran for one year still remains a mystery since Mr. Jones received an unprecedented amount of fan mail weekly while the show was on the air. With a supporting cast which included Allen Case (who also starred in The Deputy and Police Woman) and Ann Doran (who also played James Dean's mother in Rebel Without A Cause), the show also boasted among its guest stars Ann Southern, Jack Elam and Susan Strasberg. I believe the fans of this show need to speak out and let 20th Century Fox know that we would like to see this series released on VHS or DVD; or perhaps shown as reruns on one of the cable channels that supports older tv shows.

This show should be made available on DVD. So many like myself had to miss this one because ABC wasn't available in my town.(pre cable) Christopher Jones was great in the movies, having this tv show would be a great addition to my CJ collection.

This was an enjoyable piece of hokum and the half hour format worked well on this show, just at a time when westerns were starting to go out of fashion. Although in B/W, this gave the series an edge of its own giving a real depth to the wild west.In TV land there is a prejudice against B/W programmes ensuring they get very little air time, this a shame as likable series like this deserve a second chance. The leads were amiable and from what I remember, it is unique amongst western serials in that this looked like it was made by a bunch of hippies. However I would take a bet and say an episode of this is much more watchable today, than say an episode of Bonanza or Gunsmoke from the same time. Also not forgetting the catchy 'groovy' theme tune.

The golden age of the television Western was over. Gunsmoke still limped on but the Warner Brothers' classics had ridden off into the sunset and Bret Maverick was a fond (though oft resurrected) memory. Into this void rode a James Dean clone, a stale Robin Hood plot attached to the name of a famous robber, and a theme song that sticks in the brain with the tenacity of skunk oil. The drawing behind the opening title is more memorable than the stories. But "the lasting fame, the lasting shame of the man with the hungry gun" lives on.