Overrated and overhyped

Excellent but underrated film

A Major Disappointment

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The Monroes was an unfortunately short lived series that never found its audience in the year it was on television. My guess is the expense of shooting the show completely on location in Wyoming was a factor in its cancellation.The Monroe family had homesteaded a piece of ground that was in the middle of a pair of feuding cattle barons. This is reminiscent of the plot of the classic William Wyler western, The Big Country. The barons were the British Liam Sullivan, a very proper English gentleman, but who was rich and employed people who made sure he got his way. And the other group was headed by Robert Middleton who was a self righteous fellow a whole lot like Burl Ives from The Big Country.There was no organized law around, these two guys made the law wherever their territory was. Adding to that was that The Monroes were orphans. Eldest son Michael Anderson, Jr. and eldest daughter Barbara Hershey barely teens themselves try to keep their younger siblings Keith and Kevin Schultz and Tammy Locke together as a unit. If this was civilization, they'd have been dumped on some relative or sent off to an orphanage.Both Sullivan and Middleton would love to buy them out, but the kids stand their ground and attempt to make a home in the wilderness. The Monroes was a beautifully photographed family show and it was unfortunate it wasn't given more of a chance.

As a young man growing up in Jackson Hole I had the privilege of working as a stunt double, stand-in for one of the Schultz twins on the TV show "The Monroes". My cousin provided the horses for the show and got me the job for the summer. My favorite person on the set was Ben Johnson who played the one armed cowboy Sleeve. He played football with us kids and was very kind to us when we were treated mostly as invisible or in the way by the other stars especially Barbara Hershey who was a perfect snob. In nearly all of the episodes when you see one of the twins from the back or from far away or in any rough action that is really me.

Just had to Comment.Well I wanted to say that this show was on the air when I was conceived, and my Mama just loved the little redhead girl Amy played by Tammy Locke, so much so she named me after her. I finally got to see an episode a few years back on the Western Channel and when I looked it up on here actually got to see a picture of Tammy Locke. Gotta Love the internet it made my day. Thanks to all who make this site possible. Keep up the good work, I've book marked your site and I use it often. Maybe some day I will be able to make a few user comments on movies I've seen and help others choose what to watch.

I was 12 years old when the series aired (was it really only one season?) but I have kept a special place in my heart for Liam Sullivan. He was so much more of a man than those boys, Clayt Monroe (Michael Anderson Jr) and John "Brad" Bradford (Buck Taylor). Sullivan managed to take a small, supporting role and create a full-bodied character. He was a great actor.