The Tall Man

The 75 episodes of the television western "The Tall Man" were originally broadcast on NBC during its 1960-1962 broadcast seasons. Only 15 of these episodes (and only one these is from the first season) are included in this "Timeless Media" DVD set.

This is just one of the innumerable versions of the life of William Bonney d/b/a Billy the Kid, a famed New Mexico outlaw of the 1870's. The young outlaw was captured sometime after the Lincoln County wars by Sheriff Pat Garrett. Bonney escaped from jail (killing two deputies in the process) and was tracked down and killed by Garrett.

"The Tall Man" changes history a bit and has Bonney going straight after his initial capture. The series title is a reference to Garrett (played by Barry Sullivan), his real nickname, a tribute to his excellent law enforcement record.

Bonney is played by Clu Gulager (who later played Sheriff Ryker on "The Virginian"). The Garrett-Bonney relationship is portrayed here as a kind of big brother-little brother thing. Harmless fun.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

In real life: "The Tall Man" was the nickname of Sheriff Pat Garrett. Hence, the title for this TV show. At one point, in 1870's New Mexico, Pat Garrett and William Bonney were acquaintances, possibly friends. But as "Billy the Kid" digressed into more and more criminal activity, they became adversaries. When Billy the Kid escaped from jail, he killed two deputies. Sheriff Pat Garrett tracked Billy down, and killed him.

But in this fictionalized TV show, Billy goes straight... sort of. He and Pat Garrett are friends, often allies in this series. The relationship / chemistry between actors Barry Sullivan (Pat Garrett) and Clu Gulager (Billy the Kid) is natural and realistic.

Like all TV series, there are a few flop episodes, including one or two that are downright silly ("The McBeans"). But the majority of the 75 Tall Man shows are entertaining, with lots of action, drama, history, and great Western scenery (the show was filmed in California, not New Mexico).

There are at least two problems with this show (and most Western TV shows of the 1950's and 1960's) that modern-day viewers might find distracting:

1. Everyone is always clean, nobody gets dirty. The men can ride in the saddle for days without wrinkling their clothes or needing a shave. The ladies don't change outfits over the two or three day time frame of the episode, but they always look like they just walked out of the wardrobe and make-up room of the film studio.

2. There are several episodes that portray the harsh reality of gunfights, stagecoach robberies, Indian attacks, and cold-blooded murder. But there is never any blood and gore. And many of the gunshot victims don't appear injured at all. When shot, they say things like, "I'm okay, the bullet went clear through". In real life, when a person is shot with a .45 caliber bullet, even in the leg or the shoulder, they are seriously wounded, and they are in extreme pain.

If you can overlook those two flaws, you will find "The Tall Man" to be a very entertaining TV show.

Most of the stories end with justice being served, and everyone (except the bad guy or the bad girl) lives happily ever after.

I rate "The Tall Man" 10 stars.

This is my favorite western of all time. Barry Sullivan and Clu Gulager are both excellent actors. Although the characters of billy the kid and Pat Garrett are not treated historically acuratly, they are entertaining, consistant and have a good inter-action. I am trying to get a tv station to air this series or to purchase all 75 episodes.

Terrible soundtrack of mismatched and odd sounds that would be too cheesy for star trek even (love campy star trek, but in western genre, it is like eating an onion salad while having a cup of coffee). I get that film technology limited the budgets and knowing what they had in the film can until hours later, but the acting is terrible. Typical perfectly clean clothes on cowboys and housewives set error, but that's not rare for westerns. I sat through only one episode. A "4" is generous. What the other 123 reviews saw I have no clue but I suspect someone who has a connection to the show are trying hard for some royalties or something lol. Sitting on the toilet is an upgrade over this show, truly. Not trying to be mean, but you have to wonder how they kept shooting after seeing their own horrible effort.

I gave this series a 10 rating, not due to the rather dated plot lines, but because I enjoyed it so much as a kid. I never missed an episode. This was my first really serious fandom and I fell head over heels in love with Clu Gulager. While the series veers far from historical truth, you can't deny the appeal of the bad boy. Clu plays it with just the right mixture of sex appeal and being bad, all while trying to steer a better path. Barry Sullivan plays the lawman with a heart of gold beneath a stern veneer, and as mentor to this bad boy. Watching this series did no harm to me as a youngster; I had sense enough to realize it was fiction and did not become a delinquent simply because I watched it. I was heartbroken when it was canceled and I never forgot it for half a century. I was thrilled when it came out on DVD and am now enjoying it again, reliving part of my childhood. This is also the first series that launched a long career in fan fiction writing, before I even knew what that was - or that other people wrote such things. Those spiral notebooks, handwritten in pencil by as 12-year-old have long since vanished. However, this show inspired me to keep writing which I do to this day. Pure unadulterated entertainment you can watch, kick back and relax. You can't say that about many TV shows today!