A few years ago, I created a couple of discussion groups dedicated to "Laramie" and to Robert Fuller. In May 2002, I combined the two groups into one, now called the Laramie-Robert_Fuller_Connection. Topics can be related to the tv series, to any of the wonderful Laramie stars and their careers, or to Bob Fuller's life and performances! If you would like to talk Laramie, Bob Fuller, or anything related to either, please join us!
Coming soon to this page --- Laramie Trivia and Bloopers. For example, what do the episodes "Star Trail" and "Naked Steel" have in common? Or ... what is the conflict between "Fugitive Road" in year 2 and "Shadow of the Past" from year 4? Stay tuned, and learn more than you ever wanted to know about Revue's LARAMIE!
On the Laramie-Robert_Fuller_Connection discussion list, a member came up with a fun discussion thread of what our top ten reasons were for loving the "Jess Harper" character or the Laramie series. Following are my top ten reasons, going from 10 to 1. If you would like to share your top ten, feel free to email me!
10) the bloopers -- every show has 'em, and I love to find them on "Laramie". My favorite is the hair change (hint: color episode, it's a Jess hair change, guest star was Rod Cameron), and my second favorite is the unending number of shots "Jess" gets off in one episode. His six-shooter apparently doesn't know how to count! Oh -- I pointed both of these out to Bob and John Champion, and both could just laugh.
9) How Bob "moves" as Jess Harper. Yes, I admit it; I have to because it was one of the first things I noticed upon seeing "Laramie" for the first time in decades. Bob moves with style and grace. I know it's the dancing background, and boy does it make "Jess" even more fun to watch.
8) the guest stars -- they had some great ones, such as Rod Cameron, Julie London, Ernest Borgnine, etc.
7) the regular and recurring cast --- from Spring Byington as Miss Daisy to Stuart Randall as Mort Corey, all were marvelous and added nothing but vitality and joy to watching the show.
6) the "fun" scenes -- where "Jess" and "Slim" "play" like little boys; they are hysterical!
5) the relationship between "Jess" and "Andy" -- I always say that "Andy" is to "Jess" what "Mike" is to "Slim", which is weird since "Slim" was "Andy"'s brother, but in spirit, "Andy" was kin to "Jess", and "Mike" was much more like "Slim". I missed Bobby Crawford when he left the show.
4) the quality of scripts -- the show was often ahead of the time. The 4th season opener, "Among the Missing", is to me groundbreaking and risky for 1963, for example. For all it's typical western genre "stuff", they dealt with a lot of things, and they did it well.
3) the music in season 1, especially the song "Marry Me in Laramie" which I once even had as my answering machine message! The main theme I adore, as well (except that thing used during the Hoagy conflict).
2) the "conflict" episodes where "Jess" and "Slim" are pitted against one another, allowing each to have some wonderful moments; I especially love how "Jess" always gets to slug "Slim", but the one time "Slim" slugs "Jess", it's a national sin!
and my top reason for watching "Laramie":
1) Robert Fuller as "Jess Harper". Not only is "Jess" the typical dynamic character going from bad to good in life, but he's played with humor and compassion, as well as finesse and flair by Bob. Without Bob, there is no "Laramie"!
Here are a couple of cool sites where surfers can locate western gear. Check 'em out!
Trivia tidbit ....... Did you know that Robert Fuller and John Smith have appeared together on shows other than "Laramie"? It's true! Prior to "Laramie", Bob did at least one episode of "Cimarron City" which John had a regular role in. Even earlier than that, John was one of the stars of the classic "Friendly Persuasion", a film starring Gary Cooper. Bob had his first spoken line in this film! Years after "Laramie", Bob starred in "Emergency!". At the end of the first season, John appeared in two episodes as "Captain Hammer" and was offered the chance to become a regular, but turned it down. Unfortunately, the two cowpokes didn't have any scenes together in either episode.
Another trivia moment! Robert Fuller's best friend, Chuck Courtney, guest-starred in one of the very best episodes of "Laramie", an episode entitled "The Replacement". Chuck was responsible for Bob getting his first starring role in the movie, "Teenage Thunder" a few years earlier. Chuck, who had starred as the nephew of "The Lone Ranger" on tv and in many theatrical films, including the cult classic "Billy the Kid vs Dracula", was also a gifted stuntman and later would be the stunt coordinator for numerous tv shows before a stroke set him back a few years ago. This photo from the early 90's shows Bob and Chuck at the Golden Boot Awards in Los Angeles where Chuck was being honored for his contributions to the western genre. Bob, naturally, presented the award.
Sadly, Chuck Courtney passed away on January 19, 2000. He will be missed!
Stay tuned for more trivial "Laramie" factoids!
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