Walking Tall

I never imagined that this short-lived and little-seen television series would be resurrected, but thanks to the remake of the "Walking Tall" movie, this series has been released on DVD. There's not much here to make this series stand out from other police shows from the '70s or '80s - the plots are pretty predictable and familiar. The main character's way of enforcing the law does sometimes become a little uncomfortable as he does stuff like using his club to smash things (or people) and other personal techniques to enforce HIS law. On the other hand, the series does showcase a surprising amount of talent for guest stars, from familiar faces (like Chuck Connors and L.Q. Jones) to people who later became famous (like Eric Stoltz and Robert Englund). And I can't say that any of the episodes that I watched were BORING. Predictable, yes, but executed in a brisk manner that keeps your interest up. In fact, there's something comforting about a series like this where the bad guys are really bad and always get punished in the end by the hero. Worth a look during a slow weekend.

I have studied the real life of Buford Pusser. Shy of making it yet to McNairy County, I have all the books on him that I know of, and that provide true facts. I also own the movies and recently bought the TV series on DVD.

The movies were entertaining however, according to the biographies, some of the facts were switched around and parts were added to the movies. The disclosure at the end allows Bing Crosby Production to do this. Comparing the movies to the TV series, I have to agree with Paul-308. Though it was the actor, Mr. Svenson, and the name was them same the feeling watching the series was not the same. The series is entertaining but it just didn't seem like "Walking Tall." They changed the county name to McNeal instead of McNairy. (That in itself I don't understand.) Then the modern cars? I noticed that they changed the type of rotary lights on the cruisers in the series from what sheriff Pusser and Movies actually had. (trivial I know.) Sheriff Pusser made his mark in history as a law enforcement official. He later lost his life (in my opinion because of it.) I think it would be more meaningful to people if he were honored for this by staying with the facts.

I apologize if I have offended anyone with what I have said.

I enjoyed Walking Tall on Saturday nights on NBC. It had a straightforward theme song. It had a Sheriff who would defeat evil any way he could, usually with a club. It was fun to tear down old buildings while pretending you were Buford Pusser. The Sheriff had children but no wife. It was a good show in its own right, and probably should have done as well without the Pusser names. In one show, the Sheriff cracked down on angel dust/PCP makers. That show would have fit right in with the meth problem of today. One show featured a Catholic priest who wouldn't tell what he had heard about a crime in a confession because he had taken a vow not to.

It is very unfortunate this show only ended up with seven episodes as I could watch several large seasons of this action packed goodness. The show is that good ole fashion late 70's early 80's action and a bit of drama. Bo really played his role well with his intensity and drive, he made you really believe he was a headstrong Sheriff. The show had great plots within its episodes and in its short run it still included some great guest/costars that fit there parts very nicely. I find myself coming back to my DVD set and watching these 7 episodes rather often and I am always left wanting more. Its sad to me this show never got more than what it did as I feel it should have been ran for at least a few decent seasons.

I only caught one or two of these episodes and the only thing I really remember is they weren't very good. A couple or reviewers commented they thought Bo Svenson was a much better Buford Pusser than Joe Don Baker who played in the original movie. Well I don't agree with that at all. Joe Don Baker WAS Buford Pusser and if they had gotten him to play him in this show it might have lasted more than SEVEN episodes. It flopped just like those next two movies did because they had Svenson.