Simply A Masterpiece

ridiculous rating

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

"Whispering Smith" aired on the NBC Television Network from May through September of 1961. World War II hero Audie Murphy was the star and title character, Tom 'Whispering' Smith, a detective with the Denver City police department in the 1870's. If you're a fan of Audie Murphy, you'll enjoy seeing him in these episodes, but except for his presence, there's nothing that distinguishing about the series. It's a relatively run of the mill TV Western, perhaps better appreciated today in retrospect as a vehicle for some notable guest stars who hadn't quite made it yet in the world of television and movies. Personally, I like Murphy, who appeared in his movie Westerns as both a hero and a bad guy. His villain roles seemed perplexing because he had a baby face look that didn't quite fit with the outlaws he portrayed, and went against the grain of his real life hero status as an Army soldier. There's a neat twenty six episode compilation of the Whispering Smith series available from Timeless Video representing the entire run of the show. The back of the video jacket states that twenty of the episodes aired on NBC in 1961, with another five never before aired episodes included. The "Television Westerns Episode Guide" by Harris M. Lentz III published in 1997 seems to confirm this, as it lists only twenty episodes, but if you click on 'Season 1' of the title page here on IMDb, you'll see air dates for twenty six shows. One of the shows, 'The Interpreter', is overlooked entirely in the episode listing on each of the three individual video sleeves enclosed in the Timeless Video set, even though it shows up in the lineup on the second disc. That episode is kind of unusual in a way, since it mentions the Mafia by name as a looming threat in Denver, causing trouble in the Italian section of the city. I found that to be a rather surprising element for a Western story set in the 1870's.In watching these old time TV Westerns, I usually come up with a favorite episode, and in this case it would probably be the second one of the series titled 'The Grudge'. It starred, get this - Robert Redford!, out for revenge against Smith for putting his father in prison years earlier. Gloria Talbot portrayed Redford's sister in the story. Like I say, a lot of these old Westerns featured future stars that went on to bigger and better things, and it's always cool to see who shows up in them. Another future celebrity appeared in Episode #1.6 - 'Stain of Justice', that one had Richard Chamberlain showing good form on a galloping horse, a talent he didn't really need as Dr. Kildare, but probably a good one to have just in case. Character actors who made their mark in the series included Clu Gulager, Marc Lawrence, James Best, Ed Platt, Marie Windsor, Leo Gordon and Forrest Tucker. Former B Western cowboy star Bob Steele also appeared in one of the stories. Backing up Audie Murphy in the series was singer Guy Mitchell as detective George Romack. When I describe Murphy and Mitchell as detectives, it's a bit of a misnomer, because if you watch the show, they come across more as cowboys, but operating out of a Denver police station. The bad guys are like any other outlaws of the Old West, and you have your standard horse chases and gunfights, staples of the genre. Mitchell had a decent singing voice, he does a number in the eighth episode titled 'The Quest' and he sounded pretty good to my ear. He actually had some gold records during the Fifties backed by the Mitch Miller Orchestra, but as I recall, he might have sung in only one other episode. The only other regular in the show was Sam Buffington, who portrayed Denver police chief John Richards.I have a couple of lists on IMDb, one for TV Westerns I've reviewed, as well as one for films Audie Murphy appeared in. On the list dedicated to Murphy, this series ranks Number Two, right behind the movie of his World War II exploits, "To Hell and Back". But in support of my earlier comment about TV Westerns, "Whispering Smith" comes in second to last out of twenty series as I write this. That could be because of the relatively few number of folks who have ever seen the show. When this one was on in 1961, I wasn't even aware of it myself, as I was watching "Tales of Wells Fargo" and "Wanted: Dead or Alive". Of the series I've seen, I would rank it higher than "Stories of the Century" and "Shotgun Slade", and "Custer" of course, which comes in dead last on my list. If you happen to come across the Timeless Video set I mentioned, you'll also catch a film short titled 'Medal of Honor', a nice tribute to Audie Murphy's service in World War II.

As the 60s were ushered in the kind of solid B westerns that Audie Murphy made were getting fewer and fewer made for the big screen. I'm guessing that someone said a television series was steadier income. So Audie took a flier at the small screen.If you get a long running series like Bonanza or Gunsmoke that can be a steady money maker for you. But many of the screen's biggest names didn't quite make it in their efforts for a weekly television series. Much bigger names than Murphy's.Whispering Smith failed to find an audience and ended after a half season. The character has been the title character for a number of big screen films, most notably Alan Ladd in 1948. His Whispering Smith was a railroad detective and the character fitted Ladd's soft spoken but menacing personality perfectly. Audie's character was also quiet and deadly, but he was a detective in the rapidly growing city of Denver's municipal police.The other two characters were Audie's sidekick pop singer Guy Mitchell and their boss Captain Sam Buffington. For reasons still unknown but speculated Buffington killed himself. That and bad ratings guaranteed the show's early cancellation.Whispering Smith just never found an audience in 1961 where there were a glut of westerns on television back in that day. If it had maybe Murphy's career course might have been different.

If you are a fan of westerns or of anything featuring Audie Murphy then you will love watching any of these episodes.While the series has some flaws, the stellar acting of Audie Murphy makes it well worth while.His pleasant easy going manner and yet his quiet toughness make him a western hero unlike any other I ever saw on the screen. He is never over powering and, unlike John Wayne, was a hero in real life who served his country with great honour and distinction.There are a few episodes available through different sites. take a look and you will not be disappointed.

Audie Murphy appeared in a number of enjoyable westerns in the 1950's before trying his luck in TV with this role as a cowboy detective. The acting and casting in this series were well-executed. However, the writing and erratic story lines were problematic in this series.Audie Murphy was perfect for this role, which had been originated in a movie of the same name. Murphy made the role his own, and seemed to be very serious about seeing this series succeed. Eventually, he returned to the silver screen, seemingly disillusioned by his TV experience.This series is worth a look, but does not compare with his superior films of the 1950's.