I remember this series as being really interesting and exciting from a ten year old's point of view. I can still sing the theme song (tune anyway. I would love to see some episodes again after 40 years. Where could I get some on video?
3 Reviews
Well-made western series
tejas5514 April 2006
The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters was based on the book by Robert Lewis Taylor about a wagon train headed to California to find gold and all the problems they run into along the way. Where else could you find a TV show with Charles Bronson, Kurt Russell and the Osmonds? The stories in this rare, obscure show were surprisingly serious and often very violent. Kurt Russell proved his acting ability at a very young age. Many of the episodes revolved around Jaimie wandering off from the wagon train and getting kidnapped by highwaymen or Indians. Bronson's role was wagon master. Michael Witney was the main wagon master Coulter when the show started but then, Bronson started appearing as the wagon master sporadically with no explanation as to what happened to Coulter. I wonder if his absences from some episodes were strictly to make room for Bronson? This series was last aired on TNT in the 80s and I have the tapes of all 26 episodes from that airing. I've watched them several times and have noted some bloopers in the message forum.
Portent of things to come.
mshduke6 November 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Although the series ran for only 1 season (26 episodes), it gave us a glimpse of mighty things to come for a young Kurt Russell. The show follows the travels from Missouri to the gold fields of California in the pre-Civil War times. Jamie (Russell) is with his Dad, Dr. Sardius McPheeters (Dan o'Herlihy) and assorted other folks headed for California. Characters came and went and the original wagon master Coulter (Michael Witney) gets killed off in episode 10, but shows up in several more episodes that are usually introduced as flashbacks. He was replaced by Charles Bronson. Jamie and his Dad were also accompanied by a orphan girl (Jenny played by Donna Anderson) who Jamie was convinced had her eyes set on the Doctor. She later became attracted to Coulter until his death. The show was geared towards younger males with Jamie invariably wandering off and either getting kidnapped or into other misfortunes requiring wither his father, Coulter or others to rescue him. Another entertaining part was having the Osmond Brothers as part of the group and their singing in a lot of the episodes along with the end theme song.
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