The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West

Customer Reviews:

History only.......2007-07-09

It's Gilligan's Island of the west. A wagon train with Denver, Forrest Tucker, and a group of forgettable "castaways". Denver and Tucker aren't bad. The writing, direction, photography, production, sets, and acting are terrible. It's done by many of the same people that did Gilligan's Island, but they didn't seem to care much about this program. I will admit that since it's just a pilot episode and Gilligan's pilot wasn't that good either maybe it would have made it if it had more time to develop. Denver and Tucker have good chemistry. The banker and his wife have little air time, for good reason. The school teacher is not a good replacement for Russell Johnson. The saloon girl is rough and tumble not soft and sexy like Tina Louise. The girl from Petticoat Junction (I can't remember her name) was alright in Dawn Wells roll, but she spent too much time lost and getting horrid lines. Even Denver fans might find this program too much, but I think it's worth it for 5 dollars.

gilligan goes west.......2006-03-28

i have this "movie"(3 episodes of dusty's trail a short lived gilligan's island western clone) as part of a double feature with rescue from gilligan's island and i show it to my boys and they love it. this is 3 episodes not found on the almost complete first season collection. you'll love it or hate it but you will not sit on the fence. if you give it a chance it's silly family fun.

get the "almost" complete series instead.......2006-02-07

i've reviewed the series in here already but i own this one as a double feature with rescue from gilligan's island. you'll love or hate them but you won't set on the fence it'll be one or the other. i gave this 3 stars because it only has 3 epsoides of dusty's trail which this is tahken from.

A CRUSTY TRAIL.......2005-10-18

GILLIGAN'S ISLAND goes way out west is the best way to describe this alleged "comedy", which is actually several DUSTY'S TRAIL (a deservedly obscure syndicated 70s sitcom) episodes stitched together to approximate a full length feature film. Instead of seven hapless castaways marooned on a tropical isle, you get the same number of folk in a wagon train lost out in the wilderness. Rather than Bob Denver as bumbling, clueless first mate Gilligan, the actor stretches---this time portraying bumbling, clueless trail scout Dusty. Perhaps Alan Hale was too heavy to stay on a horse, but you DO get authentic western actor Forrest Tucker as the exasperated, but protective wagonmaster, a cross between the Skipper and his Sgt. O'Rourke character from F TROOP. That underrated frontier sitcom and GILLIGAN'S ISLAND are absolute masterstrokes of genious compared to this. Along for the ride are a stuffy rich couple, with ROOM 222 regular Ivor Francis (GENERAL HOSPITAL cutie Genie Francis' pop) putting on his best Thurston Howell III face, not to mention an intelligent guy, and a couple of babes, played by a couple of the PETTICOAT JUNCTION babes. The plots are direct GILLIGAN retreads, the production values laughable (the only thing that is), and the Indians are a far cry from the hilarious scene-stealers that inhabited F TROOP. In spite of it all, the kitsch value here and the truly desperate attempt to re-sell a show that nobody admits watching but that's still in reruns three decades later brings a little smile to my face. The fact that I own THE WACKIEST WAGON TRAIN IN THE WEST on DVD (a double feature with RESCUE FROM GILLIGAN'S ISLAND no less!) says much about my "so bad it's great" outlook on pop culture. RATING: TWO BAD

Bob Denver Rules!! Cute Family western!!.......2004-06-18

Bob Denver rules in this cute family western.It's a must see!!

Great Wacky Western Comedies (The Wackiest Wagon Train In The West / Fair Play / The Terror Of Tiny Town)

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The Terror of Tiny Town
The terrible and the good

Great Wacky Western Comedies (The Wackiest Wagon Train In The West / Fair Play / The Terror Of Tiny Town)
Starring: Bob Denver , Forrest Tucker , Ivor Francis , Jeannine Riley , and Lori Saunders
Director: Bruce Bilson (II) , Earl Bellamy , and Jack Arnold
Manufacturer: Bfs Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00008AOS2
Release Date: 2003-07-15

Description

3 Great Movies on 1 DVD. Star Power, Exciting Genre with Extras on each DVD.

Customer Reviews:

The Terror of Tiny Town.......2007-01-30

One of the best western B movies. If you like a tiny western. If you havent seen this move it is a must. Great great movie.

The terrible and the good.......2005-07-12

* - WACKIEST WAGON TRAIN IN THE WEST (1976)
A three episode compilation movie of something called `Dusty's Trail', a Bob Denver television series that ran for one season, 1973. Co-created by `Gilligan's Island' creator Sherwood Schwartz it's pretty much `Gilligan's Island' on the range. Dusty is a bumbling yet lovable scout, Mr. Callahan (Forrest Tucker) is the burly yet lovable wagon master. Along for the ride is a millionaire and his wife, a sweet brunette, a saucy dance hall girl, and a know-it-all regular guy. Boy, there's an original combination! No story line in this one, just repeated excuses for one lame brained slapstick routine after the other. If watching Dusty get pulled off a buckboard because he forgot to latch the seat, or try and fail to get on a horse, or get chased by a man in a bear suit strikes you as funny then look no farther. From someone who never got the appeal of `Gilligan's Island' I thought this one was just dreadful

* - FAIR PLAY (1972)
Yet another dreadful made-for-tv movie. FAIR PLAY was directed by James A. Sullivan, who directed one other movie - `Night Fright', a low-rated John Agar vehicle from 1967 - and was editor on what some consider the worst movie ever made, `Manos the Hands of Fate.' FAIR PLAY stars veteran character actor Paul Ford as the hotel owning western uncle of a visiting eastern greenhorn. The plot, as far as I could tell, had something to do with a store owner trying to brew trouble between Ford and a local mine owner. Extremely un-funny and close to unwatchable. Filled with tired, cliché ridden characters. Paul Ford was a good character actor with a solid résumé - whatever induced him to star in this turkey is beyond me. An embarrassment that gets one-star only because this site doesn't allow me to give it any fewer.

**** - TERROR OF TINY TOWN (1938)
One of the strangest exploitation films ever made. Directed by Sam Newfield, a prolific (272 career movies directed), anonymous and undistinguished Hollywood veteran who'd already directed about 120 movies when he helmed this one. Odd, too, that it was distributed by Columbia Pictures. Of course, the gag is that the movie features an all-midget cast. The plot would have been very familiar to a 30's audience - the bad guy is rustling cattle simultaneously from two feuding families, causing the firebrands in the feuding families to wrongly suspect the other family which, the bad guy hopes, will lead to an open range war. In other words a familiar b-western plot, the kind of movie Newfield was then churning out with numbing regularity. Billy Curtis as `The Hero' and Little Billy Rhodes as `The Villain' are pretty credible. Curtis even gets a chance to unsling his guitar and serenade `The Girl' (Yvonne Moray) in the grand tradition of Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. TERROR OF TINY TOWN does use the cast's short stature for comic effect now and then - it takes two cowboys to play an upright bass, a bartender empties a glass of beer in one take, and half the crew can walk under the swinging doors of the bar without ducking - but with no large person in the cast I found the novelty of an all-midget cast wear off some and the acting and action take over. Believe it or not Billy Curtis makes a pretty convincing singing cowboy hero. Minus the novelty TERROR OF TINY TOWN was a decent enough b-western. I liked it quite a bit more than I thought I would.

I bought this dvd because, at the time, it was the only way to get TERROR OF TINY TOWN, a movie I'd been looking for for a while. I liked TERROR, but WACKIEST WAGON TRAIN and FAIR PLAY were terrible movies, time wasters of the worst sort. The two-stars I give this disk is simple addition (* + * + ****) and division by three.

Average customer rating:

Side-effects may include dry-mouth, abdominal pain and dizziness
Better than Gilligan!!!Where's The "Good Guys"!!!

The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West
Starring: Bob Denver , Forrest Tucker , and Jeannine Riley
Manufacturer: Digiview
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

A compilation version of the comedy TV series episodes of 'Dusty's Trail' starring Bob Denver and Forrest Tucker. Combined on this DVD version as a 90 minute film.

Customer Reviews:

Side-effects may include dry-mouth, abdominal pain and dizziness.......2006-09-20

The movie called THE WACKIEST WAGON TRAIN IN THE WEST is actually a clumsily edited together collection of four episodes of Bob Denver's 1970s TV show, "Dusty's Trail". The creators of this DVD were obviously trying to cash in on the popularity of Gilligan's Island. The back cover mentions the word "Gilligan" no less than five times. This is not a surprise, given that "Dusty's Trail" itself simply took the premise and characters of "Gilligan's Island" and transplanted them into the Old West.

Instead of seven modern castaways, we have seven Nineteenth Century prospectors taking a less-than-direct route from St. Louis to California. The characters themselves have a precise isomorphic relationship to their "Gilligan's Island" counterparts. Bob Denver plays Dusty, who's clumsy, fumbling, and always managing to get everyone into trouble. Forrest Tucker ("F-Troop") is the replacement Skipper, called the Wagonmaster, who's in charge of the party. There's a smart guy, a rich guy (and his wife) and a simple small-town girl. The replacement Ginger is either a saloon girl or a prostitute, depending on how charitable you're feeling.

If that's not enough for you, the Skipper keeps referring to Gilligan... Sorry, I mean the Wagonmaster keeps referring to Dusty as his "little pal" instead of his "little buddy".

Growing up, I watched as much Nick At Nite as the next fellow. But until I bought this DVD, I'd never even heard of "Dusty's Trail" before.

Odd - I thought - since Bob Denver and Forrest Tucker are well-known classic TV stars.

Then, later, not odd at all - I thought - because the episodes on this DVD are absolutely terrible.

The comparisons made to "Gilligan's Island" by the DVD company and by commentators on the Internet are all perfectly valid. But they may leave a false impression on the reader. You see, "Gilligan's Island" was funny. It was silly. It was stupid. It was corny. It was predictable. But at least it made you laugh, even if you were laughing at the banality of the material. But WACKIEST WAGONTRAIN has none of this going for it.

Now let's move on the the film itself. When producers edit together episodes of a TV show into a feature-length production, it's interesting to note what will be used as a central theme to pull these disparate stories together. When the Ben Murphy classic RIDING WITH DEATH was edited together from two episodes of the short-lived "Gemini Man", the producers based the movie around two guest-starring appearances by Jim Stafford as Buffalo Bill. Sure it was goofy. Sure it required an awkwardly dubbed voice over to explain why a character's facial hair suddenly changes halfway through the movie. But at least it was somewhat coherent.

The four episodes of "Dusty's Trail" here have absolutely nothing to do with one another, which makes one wonder why they bothered removing the opening and closing credits from in between them.

Still, in the pursuit of ill-advised thoroughness, I'll offer a quick summary of each episode.

Act I: Let There Be Bob Denver.

The movie opens with the TV show's theme music. The theme song tells the story of who these people are, and how they got to where they are. Think the "Gillian's Island" theme, only not as catchy.

The initial epoch involves Dusty accidentally rescuing a young Native American boy from a bear. After this genuine act of kindness, the movie spends the next half an hour or so insulting Native Americans.

Actually, it's probably not as insulting as it could possibly have been. Although that may just be that the sight of white guys in red paint tapping their hands against their mouths, making "Wooo-oooo-oooo!" noises and dancing around other white guys who are tied to oversized wooden posts is something we've become deadened to in our pop culture.

Act II: Dusty Falls Off A Horse, Ad Nauseum

This second work involves Dusty finding a horse, not realizing it belongs to someone else and then being sentenced to death for the crime. Sadly, this does not result in the death of Dusty. Instead the plot revolves around Dusty falling off a horse, falling off a horse, falling off a horse and falling off a horse.

I'm not kidding about that. A major subplot involves Dusty "breaking in" the horse. The scenes go on and on. You can picture it already, can't you? If your mind's eye reveals endless footage of a stunt double wildly bouncing up and down on a real bronco with quick close-up inserts of Bob Denver on a mechanical deer, then you can safely fast-forward through this episode without missing anything.

Act III: Full Mental Drag-act

The travelers are ambushed by two dangerous bandits who demand some quality time with the second rate Ginger and the third rate Mary Ann. Naturally they're fooled by seeing Bob Denver and Forrest Tucker in drag. It will come as no surprise when later in the episode, these two Einsteins surrender to an army composed primarily of Bob Denver, cooking utensils and baking flour.

Act IV: Let This Be Your Last Episode!

(It was at this point that I fell into complete despair. You see, I knew that this was a half-hour show and that the DVD box listed the running time at an hour and a half. So I figured after three episodes I'd come to the end. You have no idea how far down I sank into my chair when the closing credits failed to scroll upon my screen and I realized I had one more segment to endure.)

The travelers wander into an apparent ghost-town, only to get trapped inside by gun-tooting outlaws. After some excrusiately long-winded sequences involving a donkey, explosives and disguises (unfortunately, not all at the same time), the movie shudders to a conclusion.

I don't think it's possible to describe how unbelievably tedious this movie is. I attempted to watch this movie a second time to help writing this review, but I just couldn't get through without liberal use of the fast-forward button. I now know why this Bob Denver vehicle rarely sees the light of day. And, now, I'm just a little bit deader inside.

Better than Gilligan!!!Where's The "Good Guys"!!!.......2006-06-07

This unfortunate short lived 70's TV series,starring Bob Denver was much better than his other TV series "Gilligans Island".The late great Bob Denver also did another short lived series"The Good Guys" 1968-70 with Herb Edelman.Hopefully Digiview and others should get that DVD released in the not so distant future.Thanks!!!

THE WACKIEST WAGON TRAIN IN THE WEST / TERROR OF TINY TOWN

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THE WACKIEST WAGON TRAIN IN THE WEST / TERROR OF TINY TOWN

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Product Features:

COLOR
BLACK / WHITE
DOLBY DIGITAL
REGION FREE

ASIN: B000MSBZ18

Product Description

DOUBLE DVD -- DOLBY DIGITAL -- COMEDY / WESTERN -- FILM 1 (1979 - COLOR - 85 MINUTES - BOB DENVER / FORREST TUCKER) - FILM 2 (BLACK / WHITE - 1938 - 62 MINUTES)

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The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West
Starring: Bob Denver , Ivor Francis , Jeannine Riley , Lori Saunders , and Forrest Tucker
Director: Elroy Schwartz
Manufacturer: Westlake Budget
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0009OL8MQ
Release Date: 2004-03-02

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Wackiest Wagon Train in the West
Starring: Bob Denver , Ivor Francis , Jeannine Riley , Lori Saunders , and Forrest Tucker
Director: Elroy Schwartz
Manufacturer: Tango Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000EWBNVE
Release Date: 2006-05-10

Rescue from Gilligans Island/Wackiest Wagon Train

Average customer rating:

not as good as the first time but kids love it
Great bargin

Rescue from Gilligans Island/Wackiest Wagon Train
Starring: Rescue from Gilligans Island , and Wackiest Wagon Train
Manufacturer: Krb Music
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Gilligan's Island - The Complete Third Season

ASIN: B000807B18
Release Date: 2005-09-13

Product Description

CATCOM Double feature includes 2 movies - Rescue from Gilligan's Island and The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West + cartoons and commercials (just like the old drive in double features).

Customer Reviews:

not as good as the first time but kids love it.......2006-02-08

i remember "rescue from gilligan's island when it first came on t.v. the cast looked and acted older but the story was flat and the only thing only made it fun was seeing our old friends. the other feature is "the wackest wagon train in the west" is the 70's show cut to a feature movie. not great but my kids love both movies and we watch them together, so that makes this $1 bin find movie much fun and transfer looks good also.

Great bargin.......2005-04-05

I liked Rescue From Gilligan's Island it seemed to be a good copy. The movie also ties up the story from the original show. I liked to see what happend to the characters, and they all seemed to have held up very well. Also included is The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West I thought it was an inferior show that was just an attempt to transport Gilligan's Island to the wild west with less great actors, still it was interesting to see it. I found this DVD for a dollar so it was very much worth it, though there is no extras or chapter menus.

Bob Denver Double Feature - Rescue from Gilligan's Island - Wackiest Wagon Train in the West

Average customer rating:

a sad "rescue" and a dusty's trail complation movie

Bob Denver Double Feature - Rescue from Gilligan's Island - Wackiest Wagon Train in the West

Manufacturer: Family Value Collection
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

The Gang on Gilligan's Island my have found a rescue, when a Russian satellite crashes on the island. In the Wackiest Wagon Train, Bob Denver plays Dusty, the bumbling assistant. It's like Gilligan's Island meets the Old West, only based on the 1973 Dusty's Trail.

Customer Reviews:

a sad "rescue" and a dusty's trail complation movie.......2006-03-28

i picked this double feature from a $1.00bin at wal-mart because my family loves gilligan's island and dusty's trail. my wife and i if you have seen my other reviews show our two boys old shows we watched growing up rather than let them watch some of the junk that passes for family tv now.
rescue from gilligan's island takes place 15 years after the show ended,and the problem is they waited to long to film it. what should have been a vist with old friends is just not as funny as the still try to do the slap stick comedy and the castaways are just to old to make it funny. it comes across as scary to see these older people falling and getting hit because you worry they may get hurt,so strike one.they take away some of gilligan's good natured sillyness and if you can believe it made him even dumber,strike two. and on top of all that the cast looks tired and just going through the motions(tina louise, who hated the show and felt it messed up her career didn't even show up so a woman named judith baldwin replaces her in the role of ginger)and the jokes are flat. even my young sons think this one isn't very good. a sad way to say goodbye to our friends.
the wackiest wagon train the west is the gilligan clone set in the west called dusty's trail(i have already reviewed that series in here), it's three episodes cut together to make a movie.stick with the almost complete first and only season dvd instead. for a dollar it's ok but anymore than that and your paying to much.

2 Feature Films, Bob Denver, Rescue From Gilligan's Island, Wackiest Wagon Train In The West, Treasure Box Collection

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2 Feature Films, Bob Denver, Rescue From Gilligan's Island, Wackiest Wagon Train In The West, Treasure Box Collection

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

{8 Movie Set} the Big Show / Springtime in the Rockies / the Wackiest Wagon Train in the West / Terror of Tiny Town / Night Tide / Mad Dog Morgan / Santa Fe Trail / This Is the Army

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{8 Movie Set} the Big Show / Springtime in the Rockies / the Wackiest Wagon Train in the West / Terror of Tiny Town / Night Tide / Mad Dog Morgan / Santa Fe Trail / This Is the Army

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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SCENE SELECTION / INTERACTIVE MENUS

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DVD

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