Peter Graves' Other ITC Western Coming To DVD

Hot on the heels of the sad news of Mission: Impossible star Peter Graves' passing comes some more upbeat Graves news, and further proof that his legacy is secure for future generations.  Following their release last winter of Graves' Australian ITC Western, Whiplash, UK company Network will put out the first season of the actor's other ITC Western series, the children's series Fury.  Although I tend to think of Fury as an American show (it was set and shot in California), it was actually a co-production between British TV factory ITC and the newly formed American company TPA.  The series was syndicated in the US.  Fury (which ran from 1955-1960) actually came before Whiplash, and I've joked before that Graves played second fiddle to a horse.  It's true.  The titular stallion, Beaut, was more famous than Graves at the time, and (according to Network's website), won several Patsy awards, the animal equivalent of an Oscar.  Graves plays Jim Newton, the only cowboy who can tame Fury.  Graves went on to star in one more series for ITC, Court Martial (not a Western, but a WWII drama about JAG lawyers), before becoming a fullblown star on Mission: Impossible in 1967. (Perhaps Network will eventually get around to putting that one out, as well.)  A handfull of Fury episodes are available on single-disc, budget DVDs in America, but Network's 4-disc set marks the first time all 30 episodes of the first season will be available.  Fury: The Complete First Series will come out in the UK as a Region 2 PAL DVD from Network on April 19 and retail for £34.99, though it can be pre-ordered more cheaply through Network's website.

Read my obituary of Peter Graves here.
Read my review of Network's Whiplash: The Complete Series here.