The Richard Boone Show

We watched "The Richard Boone Show" regularly during its all-too-brief run. Everyone else in the country appeared to be watching "The Fugitive", which--to our way of thinking--couldn't't't't compare in quality to Richard Boone. This was a repertory company, and all the regulars played many different types of characters. Many of them went on to star in better-known productions, while their excellence in this show went largely unnoticed. I'm glad to see that it did receive some nominations and one Golden Globe award, but it should have had a much longer run and received many more awards. I agree with a comment on the message board, that there should be copies available for purchase. I would greatly enjoy seeing these episodes once more on one of the cable or dish channels that feature "oldies but goodies".

Robert Blake, Lloyd Bochner, Richard Boone, Laura Devon, June Harding, Bethel Leslie, Harry Morgan, Jeanette Nolan, Ford Rainey, Warren Stevens and Guy Stockwell.

My vote for most valuable player would go to Actors Studio alumnus Warren Stevens, who was cast in a wide range of roles (including as a Vietnamese) and was always convincing and interesting. In a long and distinguished career (apparently still going on), this was his finest hour. Stevens was particularly fine in an episode as a dying journalist who returns to his home town and revives a relationship with a woman he once knew (a luminous Bethel Leslie).

Bethel Leslie was also extraordinary in this series, and showed great range. Many years later Leslie was in a superb production of O'Neil's "Long Day's Journey into Night" opposite Jack Lemmon.

Laura Devon was memorable in "The Fling" as a voluptuous, slutty waitress who makes the aging Boone burn in agony, even though he is deeply in love with his invalid wife (Bethel Leslie).

Richard Boone had just finished a six-year run on the superb "Have Gun Will Travel". That show was still strong in the ratings in its final year, but Boone was bored. Instead of using his clout to get a big raise, he got this ambitious series on the air. Boone didn't even take a year off between series.

Buck Houghton ("Twilight Zone", "Yancy Derringer") was the producer. Playwright Clifford Odets ("The Country Girl", the screenplay for "The Sweet Smell of Success") was the story editor.

The series was nominated for an Emmy as Best Dramatic Series along with the great "East Side, West Side" with George C. Scott. The winner was "The Defenders". 1963-64 was a remarkable season for drama series. Television drama got much more timid after the failure of "The Richard Boone Show" and "East Side, West Side". Who would try to do either of them today?

Bethel Leslie and Jeannete Nolan received Emmy nominations for single performances. Warren Stevens should also have been nominated, perhaps as Best Supporting Actor in a Series.

Richard Boone was nominated as Best Actor in a Continuing Performance in a Series. Boone was up against George C. Scott ("East Side,West Side"), David Janssen ("The Fugitive"), Dean Jagger ("Mr. Novak") and Dick Van Dyke ("The Dick Van Dyke Show"). Five superb performances made it a brutal choice for voters. The winner was Van Dyke. Boone was the only one of the nominees not to show up at the ceremony. Maybe he was fed up with television after his ambitious show was canceled. Or maybe Boone had already headed to Hawaii for a long, well deserved rest.

The fine Timothy Hutton version of "Nero Wolfe" sort of borrowed the repertory concept from the Boone show. The guest characters each week were largely played by a repertory group of actors (including Debra Monk). I think it enriched the show.

The poster who thought John McIntire was on "The Richard Boone Show" was probably thinking of Ford Rainey, who had a similar quality. But John McIntire's wife was on the show-the magnificent Jeanette Nolan.

1963-64 featured two unique bits of prime-time series programming: George C. Scott's social work series on CBS, EAST SIDE WEST SIDE, with its vivid bi-racial stories (several strong enough they were never shown in Georgia, where I watched), and Richard Boone's one-hour series of original dramas, each one acted by the show's in-house cast of players. Boone, John McIntyre (WAGON TRAIN) and Henry Morgan (DRAGNET)were well known, Robert Blake was about to be-- the rest of the company were just as often featured (Bethel Leslie and Jeanette Nolan were particularly strong). They took the repertory ideal very seriously-- Clifford Odets wrote the premiere script, and their most noticed hour was written by Horton Foote ("All the Comforts of Home"). The quality of these shows was less remarkable than Scott's show, which I am convinced would still look good today. But Boone's experiment made a strong case for the idea that this was what actors should be doing, to enlarge their skills. Wherever Laura Devon, Lloyd Bochner, and Warren Stevens are today, they should be satisfied to have been part of this project.

As a somewhat geeky kid of 8, I'd somehow usually manage to stay up a little late on the nights when The Richard Boone Show was on. It was in a way an echo of earlier TV classic shows like Plahouse 90, in that each week there would be a new show with a new cast, but the twist was this was all done by the show's repertory company. The company was filled with excellent actors; some of whom were already quite well known and respected, like Harry Morgan (who directed a few episodes), Jeanette Nolan, Guy Stockwell, Lloyd Bochner and the always excellent Michael Constantine. Also on hand was Robert Blake, a long time veteran but a few years away from starring roles in "In Cold Blood" and later TV's "Baretta". Part of the excitement was each week that the spotlight would shine on the chosen cast. Richard Boone added substance to the show in his tasks as narrator, sometime ensemble actor and if memory serves even worked as an episodic director on the show as well. The writing of the show was varied and of quality with some great writers in the company like Clifford Odets. It was a disappointment to me that the show did not last beyond one season. It was a gem that for some sad reason did not click with the ratings. It would be great to see the show on Nick or some cable station sometime.

Oh for the days when great writers, directors and actors populated TV with shows other than Police and Medical soaps, reality shows and sitcoms. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy many sitcoms, but I miss the variety of good dramas and even the variety shows like Ed Sullivan, Hollywood Palace, The Danny Kaye show, etc.

If you ever see this show listed or shown anywhere-- do try and catch it.

This show is fondly remembered by those of us who saw it, but not as precisely as might be. One reviewer remembers John McIntyre on it, which he was not, and speaks of the various roles of "Bobby Benson," by which I think he means Robert Blake, as there's no Bobby Benson in the cast list. Another person remembers it being an alternative to "The Fugitive," but my family and I saw every episode of both of those shows, so they couldn't have been on opposite each other. Nevertheless, this was as great a show as everyone says. The rotating cast members distinguished themselves before, during and especially afterward in many memorable roles on stage, screen, television, radio and recording. Boone himself, alas, had little chance to fulfill the versatility he showed in the various plays, being mostly typecast in villain roles for the rest of his career. The Richard Boone Show itself quickly joined the list of excellent TV programs that simply never caught the fancy of the general audience. There's never been another show like it.