‘Long Ride’ May Make Some Saddle Sore
Few Westerns are more fondly remembered than CBS’ “Gunsmoke.”
James Arness as Marshal Matt Dillon was a man’s man - the stern Dodge City lawman who, when pushed, let his six-guns do his talking.
Arness was coaxed back onto the small screen for a series of TV movies, the fourth of which, 1993’s “Gunsmoke: The Long Ride,” is repeated at 9.
This time out, Dillon is the victim of mistaken identity when his horse is found near where a wealthy mine operator has been murdered. An eyewitness claims that the retired marshal is the killer.
Dillon figures he’s been framed, possibly by the dead man’s son who puts up a hefty “Wanted: Dead or Alive” reward.
It’s up to Dillon to clear his name.
During his search for the true killer, he encounters a drunken preacher (James Brolin) and a tough frontier trader (Ali MacGraw).
Though the landscapes are gorgeous (shot outside Santa Fe, N.M., not the flat and dusty Kansas depicted in the original series), the action is slow and the dialogue preachy.
Arness makes Matt look old and tired. And that makes the Western cliches all the more difficult to forgive.
Nonetheless, “Gunsmoke” fans will want to saddle up. Otherwise, there’s not much reason to ride this one out.
Highlights
“American Masters,” KSPS at 7: “Isamu Noguchi: Stones and Paper” traces the life of the Japanese sculptor-designer (1904-1988) credited with popularizing sculpture and influencing contemporary art in the East and West.
“Extreme Magic: Robert Gallup,” FOX at 8: In the hour’s most impressive illusion, Gallup is chained inside a U.S. Mail bag, which is chained inside a cage, which is tossed from an airplane at 18,000 feet. There’s a parachute attached to the outside of the cage.
Gallup has about 40 seconds to escape, don the chute and make a safe landing. Repeat.
Cable Calls
“NBA Draft,” TNT at 4:30: College basketball’s best are up for grabs. Top prize is Wake Forest center Tim Duncan, expected to be picked by the San Antonio Spurs. Live.
“James Taylor: Live By Request,” A&E at 6 and repeated at 10: The concert, live from Sony Music Studios in New York City, features Taylor taking viewer requests via telephone, fax and the Internet (wwww.livebyrequest.com).
“My Stepson, My Lover” (1997), USA at 9: The title tells all about this steamy tale of a woman (Rachel Ward) who betrays her husband (Terry O’Quinn) by having an affair with his son (Joshua Morrow). On-air promos suggest you can expect a couple of hot love scenes and a lot of shouting.
USA is usually a little more original. This tawdry theme grew tiresome long ago.
“Directed By” (1997), TMC at 10:35: Rob Lowe wrote and directed “Desert’s Edge,” a 40-minute thriller about a photographer (Matt Frewer) who asks his lawyer (Jay Thomas) for help after a mishap in the desert.
The writing is good and the plot credible. But Frewer (“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids”) isn’t quite up to the dramatic role.
xxxx SPOKANE ACTRESS FEATURED “Late Night With Conan O’Brien,” NBC at 12:35 a.m.: Actress-comedian Julia Sweeney.