I thoroughly enjoyed this Wanted -Dead or Alive "pilot" as it were. McQueen must have know that this was his episode. In Trackdown, I always enjoyed Robert Culp's solid performance. However, it was sometimes understated and almost brooding. With McQueen, they elevated each other and it really played like an early buddy movie. Several good supporting cast members made this fun to watch. McQueen has most of the best dialogue even to the end credits. It is too bad that 4-Star Productions didn't team them up again in a Wanted episode. You can see hints of his style that got him through his early career. This episode, Wanted- Dead or Alive and Magnificent 7 could be hybrids of Steve McQueen's acting chops. I won't be deleting this from the DVR for a while. Catch it if you can.
7 Reviews
McQueen lands the role of a lifetime .......
revdrcac26 May 2006
Steve McQueen rose to national stardom thanks to his ground-breaking TV series, Wanted : Dead or Alive. In this episode of Trackdown, we are first introduced his Josh Randall, the Bounty Hunter. On the strength of this appearance , McQueen went on to embody the essence of cool and remains today a legend among movie stars.
Josh Randall was probably the first realistic character on TV, western or otherwise. McQueen here nailed down the strong,driven, good-natured tough guy that he went on to play in so many great films.
The series Trackdown was average at best, but produced a classic TV character, series and legendary movie star. Not bad for such a short run series.
See this one to discover McQueen in the role that brought him to screen prominence!
Josh Randall was probably the first realistic character on TV, western or otherwise. McQueen here nailed down the strong,driven, good-natured tough guy that he went on to play in so many great films.
The series Trackdown was average at best, but produced a classic TV character, series and legendary movie star. Not bad for such a short run series.
See this one to discover McQueen in the role that brought him to screen prominence!
Josh Randall snappy dresser
pensman10 December 2016
Warning: Spoilers
I really like this series which is currently running on MeTV. I guess the producer felt the character of Hoby Gilman was strong enough to play second fiddle and introduce Josh Randall. If anyone has a major role in this episode it is the narrator. There is a lot of voice-over here explaining Texas and the role of the bounty hunter and the action taking place. Watching Culp and McQueen jockey around for the title of Captain Cool, I give Culp the edge ahead here. After the man Josh is after kills a man, he feels it would be wise to team up with a lawman: so it's Gillman and Randall together, The twist occurs at the end when the man offering the reward, Mr. Black, turns out to be a convict and the reward vanishes.
Culp and McQueen do well together, If timing had been different they might have been Solo and Kuryakin.
Culp and McQueen do well together, If timing had been different they might have been Solo and Kuryakin.
Enter Josh Randall
mitchrmp8 August 2011
Of course we all know who Josh Randall is, at least I hope we do...Josh Randall is the famous bounty hunter of the West, known for being nice to those he was after, even allowing them to live...Josh was famous for using money he collected for good...
With the reputation of bounty hunters, it's no wonder that Hoby was a bit leery about letting Josh Randall capture his prisoner...
It's always nice to see how "it all began." I did notice that he dressed a little different, and his manners were a bit different...I think I definitely like the changes they incurred on him in the show...
Like Trackdown, Wanted Dead or Alive ended way too soon...Josh Randall would forever be remembered as the bounty hunter with a heart.
With the reputation of bounty hunters, it's no wonder that Hoby was a bit leery about letting Josh Randall capture his prisoner...
It's always nice to see how "it all began." I did notice that he dressed a little different, and his manners were a bit different...I think I definitely like the changes they incurred on him in the show...
Like Trackdown, Wanted Dead or Alive ended way too soon...Josh Randall would forever be remembered as the bounty hunter with a heart.
A Star is born!
Johnny_West22 May 2022
The origin of Josh Randall begins here. Steve McQueen gets his second big break (The Blob being the first one). A few months later Wanted: Dead or Alive would hit the TV screens and make history! The legend of Steve McQueen was born!
Trackdown featured the humorless and generally sour Robert Culp as Hoby Gilman. He was a Texas Ranger, and while most cowboys in a TV show had a girlfriend, Hoby was always alone and sullen. I found this show to be a bit boring, and I did not like Robert Culp much. It was a blast to see Steve McQueen guest star and steal the show!
I wish this episode was included with the Wanted: Dead or Alive dvd set. It is really the pilot episode for that show.
Trackdown featured the humorless and generally sour Robert Culp as Hoby Gilman. He was a Texas Ranger, and while most cowboys in a TV show had a girlfriend, Hoby was always alone and sullen. I found this show to be a bit boring, and I did not like Robert Culp much. It was a blast to see Steve McQueen guest star and steal the show!
I wish this episode was included with the Wanted: Dead or Alive dvd set. It is really the pilot episode for that show.
The Start of "Josh Randall"
Easygoer1023 August 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Robert Culp and Steve McQueen had the same agent: "Hilly Elkins". This episode is what we would call a "pilot" for "Wanted: Dead or Alive"; Steve Mcqueen's TV series which lasted 3 years. They are available from Amazon in a boxed DVD Set, with a few "extras". For example, it includes the film 'The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery" (1959), which (unfortunately) isn't that "great". However, there are a few other things. It includes all 94 episodes. In 2005, a special edition of Bullitt (1968), which was released as a 2 disc DVD set, or a special Bluray disc. Both include full length features of a documentary called "Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool". On it, Robert Culp had seen McQueen around a lot. One day "Hilly" told Culp that McQueen was going to "guest star" on his Trackdown" show (Episode 21 "The Bounty Hunter"). Robert Culp had gotten very fast on the draw with a revolver. He showed McQueen how to "fast draw". The next morning, McQueen outdrew him!
Very Good, But Frustrating
Easygoer1021 September 2019
Warning: Spoilers
As I wrote in my title, the only way to purchase "Trackdown today (2019) is a 10 episode set of DVDs. Unfortunately, the best is season 1, #21: "The Bounty Hunter". It was the "Pilot" for Steve McQueen's great series, Wanted: Dead or Alive", which ran from 1958 to 1961. Trackdown is on broadcast TV here on Saturdays. I coukdnt believe it when I found this out, it was the day after
#21 was shown! Otherwise, you have to search for it wherever you can find it. "Hulu" had "Trackdown" for a while, but not anymore. At least I bought the entire, (94 episode) "Wanted: Dead or Alive" series for $10 from Amazon. It came with extras, including a copy of "The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery" (1958) which has Steve McQueen; however, it's not so "Great". It's free, so for $10, that is the best deal I ever got from Amazon.
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