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Western sequels, like The Lost City of Gold, can expand upon the original with epic narratives and iconic stars. Films like Return of the Seven may not bring back all original cast members but still capture the magic of the original. Classics like Trinity Is Still My Name prove that Western sequels can balance comedy and action for a successful franchise.

Although there have been countless great Western movies over the years, this was not a genre well-known for boasting a lot of fantastic sequels. Whether it's because the nature of cowboys, gunslingers, and outlaws usually led to an early grave or because some of the best Westerns were based on fact, its rare to find a truly must-watch Western sequel. However, there were a select few Western sequels that lovers of the genre absolutely must check out that lived up to or even improved upon the original movie or source material.

When Garrett Frederick was a high school freshman, he began looking into what it would take to become a member of the National Honor Society. Turns out, it takes quite a bit. In order to maintain good standing in the organization, members attend meetings, complete at least 20 hours per semester of community service projects and keep up at least a 3.6 grade point average. "If you fail in any of those regards, you're done," says Garrett's father, Norman Frederick. "You're asked to leave." Garrett's service projects over the years have included organizing a book fair, tutoring elementary school kids and working at a women's shelter.

When Garrett Frederick was a high school freshman, he began looking into what it would take to become a member of the National Honor Society. Turns out, it takes quite a bit. In order to maintain good standing in the organization, members attend meetings, complete at least 20 hours per semester of community service projects and keep up at least a 3.6 grade point average. "If you fail in any of those regards, you're done," says Garrett's father, Norman Frederick. "You're asked to leave." Garrett's service projects over the years have included organizing a book fair, tutoring elementary school kids and working at a women's shelter.

Milton Caniff’s Steve Canyon (1947-1988) was one of the most celebrated adventure comic strips of the 1950s. The blond, square-jawed hero was on the cutting edge of action as he took to the skies and had adventures around the world. Caniff populated the strip with memorable supporting characters and adversaries so it was a rich reading experience.

The strip was so popular that when Captain Action was introduced in 1966, Canyon was one of the first heroes he could turn into. Somewhat earlier, Canyon also served as inspiration for an NBC prime time series that, sadly, bore little resemblance to the strip (a common problem back then).

In 2008, John R. Ellis brought us this forgotten gem with The Complete Steve Canyon on TV Volume 1 and followed up a year later with Volume 2. The silence until late last year when the anticipated Volume 3 finally arrived, completing the run. Thankfully it came...

Coleen Gray in 'The Sleeping City' with Richard Conte. Coleen Gray after Fox: B Westerns and films noirs (See previous post: “Coleen Gray Actress: From Red River to Film Noir 'Good Girls'.”) Regarding the demise of her Fox career (the year after her divorce from Rod Amateau), Coleen Gray would recall for Confessions of a Scream Queen author Matt Beckoff: I thought that was the end of the world and that I was a total failure. I was a mass of insecurity and depended on agents. … Whether it was an 'A' picture or a 'B' picture didn't bother me. It could be a Western movie, a sci-fi film. A job was a job. You did the best with the script that you had. Fox had dropped Gray at a time of dramatic upheavals in the American film industry: fast-dwindling box office receipts as a result of competition from television,...

When Milton Caniff broke away from Terry and the Pirates to create (and own) Steve Canyon, he began an odyssey that lasted from January 13, 1947 until his death and the strip faded with him on June 4, 1988. Along the way, he populated the strip with friends, family and enemies, bringing a serialized melodrama to the newspapers while also supporting the armed forces. Canyon was an ex-ww II pilot who re-enlisted when America entered the Korean conflict. He never left the service from that point, which allowed Caniff to send our hero around the world multiple times.

While the strip was popular with readers, and respected by fellow cartoonists, it didn’t spawn the usual assortment of merchandise. Few today recall there was even a short-lived television series that aired on NBC from 1958-1959. In all, there were 34 episodes which began with Canyon as a traveling nomad until halfway through the season when...

Steve Canyon is a classic comic strip hero, created by Milton Caniff. Since his debut in 1947, the hero was a mainstay until Caniff’s death and the strip’s cancellation in 1988. Interestingly, there was little merchandising done with the character through the years with the notable exception of being part of the personas to be played by Captain Action in the 1960s and the short-lived NBC live action television series from 1958.

Being the series;’ 50th anniversary, the Caniff Estate has authorized a complete restoration and collection of the 34-episode series on DVD. The estate even established a blog to keep fans updated on progress.

According to TV Shows on DVD, work is nearing completion and the prototype package art was recently released. Plans now call for the series to be released in three volumes with the first due out on November 18 (same day as the 75th anniversary DVD collection of...