Sugarfoot

Thanks to the folks at my cable provider, I am able, once again, to see a few of the shows that emanated from the Warner Brothers Television 'boilerplate', namely, 77 Sunset Strip, Hawaiian Eye, Maverick, and, Sugarfoot. Watching them was a fond memory for me, and THIS is the type of television that I will always remember. An attractive ensemble cast for each program, and the songs by Mack David and Jerry Livingston (the former-named is the brother of Hal David of that 'other' songwriting ampersand), and the opening and closing artwork (the opening was in lowercase letters, the closing had initial capital letters, at which time the respective theme songs were sung by a fine group of studio singers).

What a pleasure to see these shows again. Let's get THESE on DVD.

I'm sure WB's writers were attempting to create a unique, if unlikely hero. The clean-cut boyish good looks were exactly what they were looking for. There were plenty of tough guys-Paladin, Bronco Lane,Rowdy Yates, etc. There were a couple of clever and slightly cowardly con men: Bart and Bret Maverick. What there was not was a nice, clean-cut kid to stand against evil-until Sugarfoot sauntered onto the scene, that is. The challenge, of course, was for this young kid to defend us from evil once a week for four years. It was the classic "Clark Kent/ Superman" formula except that there were no phone booths in the Old West !

There's no doubt Warner Brothers were the King of TV westerns in the late 50's to early 60's. My two favorites in the hour format were 'Cheyenne' and 'Sugarfoot'. Will Hutchins was a handsome, innocent looking 'boy next door' type who didn't fit the usual mold of tough westerner, and that's what fooled people, especially the baddies, because when he had to , he could out draw and out punch with the best of them! Therein lies the charm of this show, and Will Hutchins pulled it all off with great skill. He was a cowboy we could relate to! Pity he wasn't given more chances later, he could have played the type of roles that James Stewart, Robert Cummings or Fred MacMurray used to in their heydays! But at least, thanks to DVD's and the grace of Warner Brothers, he'll forever be Tom Brewster, the beloved 'Sugarfoot' in 69 little movies! Also had one of the best theme songs too! By the way, I may be the only one, but I also loved 'The Alaskans'. Hope they put that onto DVD as well!

in this day and age when you hear of stars being snooty, I am pleased to report that both Will Hutchins and Clint Walker are two very nice, unpretentious people. Years ago I wrote Will Hutchins C/o NBC where he was working and what I got back was a very nice, personal hand written letter that answered all my questions I asked him, no form letter. Through a friend I got Clint Walkers e-mail and have corresponded with him off and on for two years...he is a gentleman and very nice person. Too bad all the stars are not like these two. How many of you have written stars and gotten back a form letter that said simply "Thank you for writing" or worse no answer at all? These two men know who they owe their fame too-the public, fans like us.

It's been mentioned over and over, the Tom Brewster character called "Sugarfoot" in this series was an "unlikely hero." Sugarfoot is much like "Monk" in that, he has a handicap - he is apprehensive and often unsure of himself. He wants to solve crimes in the Old West but is often thrust into scenarios in which he feels uncomfortable. His character is much like Jimmy Stewart in "Destry Rides Again," or perhaps, Gary Cooper in "Along Came Jones." Then again, perhaps there is a hint of "Jim Rockford" in this character.

Will Hutchins was obviously chosen for his appeal to young ladies as a surfer-looking blond with a good haircut. Seems like he would have fit a little better in a "Hawaiian Eye" style show. He has a bit of an "Owen Wilson" appeal, although, definitely campier.

All of this considered, I enjoyed "Sugarfoot" as a tongue-in-cheek Western series.