It’s 11:45 am
sunny
The Western used to rule the TV landscape. Back in the 1950s and into the 1960s, there was a great chance that if you turned on your TV,you would be either watching a Western series like “Have Gun,Will Travel“,”Rawhide“,”Wyatt Earp” or a Western movie which were called “oaters”. The networks would roll out series after series and while many lasted a long time (Bonanza,Gunsmoke) by the time the 1970s came,only “Gunsmoke” remained and in 1975,CBS canceled it after a 20 year run. The Western appeared dead.
But a funny thing happened in 1988,a movie called “Young Guns” was released. It was full of Hollywood’s hottest young male talent and while it didn’t make a TON of money at the box office,it showed that the Western still had life in it. And as Hollywood is prone to do,once there is a hit…they try and duplicate it. So for us fans of Westerns,”Young Guns” opened the door to a new wave of shows as well as a sequel to the original movie.
“Paradise” came out in 1988 on CBS. It was created by David Jacobs who had also given CBS two of its biggest hits,”Dallas” and its spin-off,”Knot’s Landing” and Robert Porter.
Thanks to Warner Brothers Archives,we can watch “Paradise” Season One on DVD and go back to when the Western was king!
The premise was gunfighter Ethan Allen Cord (Lee Horsley) who has to take in his sister’s four children because she was dying of TB while performing as a singer in St. Louis. She sends the children Claire (Jenny Beck),Joseph (Matthew Newmark),Benjamin (Brian Lando) and George (M.P. Carter) to Ethan because they have no where to go where they can together.
But Paradise,Calif is rough and tumble mining town slowly growing its way to a civilized town but it still has a long ways to go. Cord has made a lot of enemies throughout the years and having a sudden family isn’t ideal for him.
Amelia Lawson (Sigrid Thornton) owns the bank in Paradise and she has little regard for Cord and his kind. But when she sees him trying to do the right thing,she decides to help by giving the family a small farm that Ethan knows that the bank has foreclosed on.
Cord has one trusted ally is John Taylor (Dehl Berti),a Indian shaman who is more of a healer then a fighter….unless pushed too hard.
Paradise was conceived as a family drama and I thought it would be a lot of moral lessons learned as the new family bonded slowly with maybe a few fistfights here and there. Turns out that Paradise is more like the classic “The Rifleman” in which Cord wants peace but is often forced to draw his gun and use it.
I first saw Lee Horsley on another show,a private detective show called “Matt Houston”.
I admit,I watched it because Pamela Hensley was his co-star and us young fanboys all enjoyed watching Ms. Hensley in whatever show she was in. It was sort of like “Vega$” with Houston having a Southern accent.
So this really was my first time watching Horsley as a leading man and he is the heart and soul of “Paradise”. His Ethan Allen Cord is strong,moral man who while loving adventure and much like Paladin of “HGWT” doesn’t enjoy taking a life>
The first season of Paradise has many themes and arcs that run through and one is revealed in the first episode,”The News from St. Louis”. Cord is wanted for a murder in Texas that he is innocent of but has little in the way of proving it.
This story line is touched on in the episode “Hard Choices” as Texas Ranger Matt Grady (John Beck) comes to bring Ethan back. Ethan then tells Grady how the children have changed him…which is another theme through the season,how Ethan and the children bond. “Paradise” wisely shows this is not a easy task as many times throughout the season,it looks like Ethan and the children will be torn from each other.
The third theme is actually the weakest and that is the Cord-Amelia relationship. Quite simply,Sigrid Thornton was badly miscast as Amelia. Amelia is a cold character with no joy or emotion. She doesn’t even SMILE until the 4th episode and her chemistry with Horsley is zero. Ethan Allen Cord has a heart and isn’t afraid to show his feelings while Amelia doesn’t have any to show and its very off putting in their scenes together.
One hopes in the next season,the Lawson-Cord relationship will heat up.
The young actors who played the four Carroll siblings were all very steady,there are a few overly dramatic moments but nothing really worth noting. As the season progressed,they grow more comfortable in their roles and they steady improvement.
One thing Paradise had no lack of and that was the guest stars….season one is packed with a lot of name guest stars with none being bigger then Chuck Connors himself!
Chuck plays “Gideon McKay” a feared gunslinger who taken to the bottle. He has been hired by a local land baron to force folks to sell their land cheap. When he is injured,Ethan,knowing who he is,takes him in and helps him get sober. But when Ethan seeks his help with land baron,McKay reveals his secret,putting him at odds with Cord.
Other notable faces during this first season include Don Stroud,William Smith (who starred in a few Western series himself),Irene Miracle,Milla Jovovich,Buck Taylor (a veteran of Gunsmoke) and from Knot’s Landing,Ted Shackleford.
The series was shot in Columbia,California and its beautiful country. The colors are bright and vibrant,both the outdoors and the set designs are as real looking as if one was there back in 1890.
As for the DVD boxed set,sadly “Paradise” does not come with any special features.
I hope if Season One does well in sales,that Season Two will indeed have a few special features for us fans of Ethan Allen Cord and his new family!
The cheetah and I both enjoyed “Paradise” very much and it was great to see so many well known guest stars pop up on each of the 22 episodes. We gave this release a big thumbs/paws up!!!
You can buy “Paradise” at the Warner Brothers Archive website.
Feedback is always welcome!!!
i suppose these things come in an out of fashion – it might have a rennaisance because of Westworld.
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You might be right,I heard HBO might be bringing back Deadwood…..
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We’ll have to check this out, it isn’t a series I’vevheard of and we’re always up for trying new things x
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This is almost 30 years old and this is unlikely to be shown outside of the U.S. now.
But you can order the first season from Warner Brothers…..
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Never heard of this show but it sure looks very interesting … my aunt loves these kinds of show too … will mention for sure! thanks for the share. xx
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Thank you for the comment,is there a channel in the UK that shows old American Western program?
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This sounds like a great series, I will have to look into this more. Thanks for the recommendation!
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It’s not Game of Thrones but it was a lot of fun to re-visit a old Western….
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Wow, I remember Paradise but had completely forgotten it existed until reading this post but the images in your post bring back so many memories. I need to give this series a watch. Thanks for the post.
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I had this show confused with another one when I first saw it,,,,pleasantly surprised when I saw how good Paradise was. A shame they changed the Title in the 3rd season to “Guns of Paradise” to attract more male viewers
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This is interesting. I will give this a try next weekend.
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So? What did you think?
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I’ve never heard of this series before but it’s always nice to discover new things. I’ll have to see if I can find it anywhere.
Ami xxx
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You can find it through the link I provided,just remember to get the proper region when you order from the WB site.
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I’ve not heard of this and am not sure it is my type of show series but I know a few family members who would love this!
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I can understand that…..but do hope you’ll give Paradise a watch if given a chance. It is a good show and highlights the value of family…..
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I’ve not heard of this show however it does look interesting.
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Yeah,its a older series,Joanna. But the good thing is you can now get to a chance to watch classics like this through Warner Brothers. And for a fair price as well!
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I am not a fan of westerns but this movie does sound interesting because of the unusual cast of an Indian shaman. You don’t see that every day in a Western movie. I guess that 1988 was still a year of glory for Westerns.
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True,a shaman was a rare thing in Westerns but having a Indian friend was a common idea in many Western series with Tonto of The Lone Ranger being the most famous.
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I’m ashamed to say that I’ve never ever watched a Western! Paradise does sound interesting though! xx
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Chrissy you SHOULD be ashamed!!! But then again,I had never watched it either until my review…..but if you get a chance,it’s a good show.
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I’ve not heard of this series but I am sure it would be popular again.
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Well considering its age,I don’t know if Paradise will be consider a cult favorite. I do think its a undiscovered gem for future generations who want a decent story and some fine action….
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I’ve never actually watched a Western but my Nan must have seen every one ever made. I’ll have to ask her if she’s seen this and buy it for her if not
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I have to admit I’ve not heard of Paradise before but it sounds like it might be an interesting series to watch and Ash and I are always after new things to watch.
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With your hectic schedule,this would be the perfect way for you to relax and enjoy a cup of java. A fun show that takes you back to a another place in history….like GoT except with guns and cowboy hats.
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It’s always nice to try and watch films that are new to us, totally agree with it being interesting. Maybe I should tell my aunt to watch it with me and see if we like it.
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I’m not really into Westerns but my husband is so I’ll have to mention this to him
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What type of movies/TV shows do you like,Ali?
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I’ve never heard of this before. I did watch Westworld briefly but I don’t really watch westerns normally.
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Have you ever watched the first two original Westworld movies? Those were a lot of fun,the first one with Yul Bryner being the most famous….check it out if you get a chance
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I guess this is over or just my age. I never know about this series but sounds interesting when I read this post. Might check out its availability in my location though.
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You can order Paradise through the Warner Brothers website….would make a good gift.
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This series is older than me lol! But it sure looks great 🙂
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Hey!! What are ya trying to say? That the cheetah is old????
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😬
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We have our eyes on you,missy!! *LOL*
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I used to love Bonanza as a child but have not seen or heard of Paradise. It don;t really watch westerns these days but can see why they appeal
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You do know Paladin the cheetah was named after a western,right?
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I’m loving the resurgence of retro programmes at the moment. They have a ‘feel good’ vibe to them. I didn’t watch many Westerns when I was younger – perhaps this is my time!
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So retro programming is hitting the UK!! Its been here in the U.S. for a while now,shows that haven’t been on the air in decades are now being show on so many different channels now. There was a old show in Britain called “The Professionals” that I watched as a kid…..I hope they release that on DVD one day!
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I’m not that into Westerns but I know some of my family are, I bet my dad watched this when it came out x
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You hurt the cheetah’s feelings….he was named after a character in a Western.
But we hope you do get a chance to watch “Paradise”,I think you would enjoy it.
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Not heard of this but another one to heck out – kind of thing my other half would love x
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It can be overwhelming at times to find out what to watch,isn’t it?
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Never heard of this, but I know a friend of mine that will well want to give this a watch 🙂 x
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This is the PERFECT show to cook a crock pot meal too….just fire up a roast for 5-6 hours and escape to Paradise in the meantime!
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Ah I love the old westerns! Hope they come back more and more, part of my childhood was watching these.
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We have a couple of Western channels on cable that show old cowboy movies and a lot of retro TV channels show the old steady classics like Bonanza and Wagon Train.
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I think this would make for a great watch. From the opening episode in which you’ve described I would be interested to find out what happened to Cord and if he was able to prove his innocence.
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Now THIS is a great comment!! And I’m with you,Kristy….they left that storyline unanswered in season one…and since Paradise ran for 3 years,I’m sure the writers revisited this in Season 2. Thank you for a good comment.
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Not sure if they show this here in the UK but I am always up for watching new things and Horseley makes a fine looking leading man.
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Yep,I was really surprised at how good his acting was….I had seen him in a cheesy PI series called “Matt Houston” but he is a much better actor then that….great comment!!
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Ive never heard of this but sounds like something my dad would love so i will read this to him later as he doesnt do the internet
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This isn’t a series I have heard of, but we have just run out of things to watch, so I will check this out.
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I’ve never heard of this TV show, however from the way in which you’ve described it has made me want go to watch it. I love shows that feature guest stars too! Not too sure where I’d be able to find this to watch it though 😦
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I have never heard of this before. Love your reviews they are always so in depth.
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I haven’t heard of this but always good to find new things to watch as we get to the colder and darker nights – always watch more TV then
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I remember the earlier shows really well especially Bonanza! I haven’t hear of Paradise though but sounds like something I would enjoy x
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My daddy raves about Young Guns so this would be right up his street!
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Funnily enough, I’m from the Southwest but never got into westerns. I am quite pleased to know that you can buy from the archives though!
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I have never heard of this show before, but it looks interesting
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I have never watched a western before, but the guy in this is rather dishy, so maybe I should!
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Zoinks!!!!
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