Airing on ABC from 1957 to 1962; Maverick appeared at a key moment in television Western history and provided a distinct alternative to the genrersquo;s usual moralistic lawmen in its hero; Bret Maverick. A non-violent gambler and part-time con man; Maverickrsquo;s principles revolved around pleasure and not power; and he added humor; satire; and irony to the usually grim-faced Western. In this study of Maverick; author Dennis Broe details how the popular series mocked; altered; and undermined the characteristics of other popular Westerns; like Gunsmoke and Bonanza. Broe highlights the contributions made by its creators; its producer; Roy Huggins; and its lead actor; James Garner; to a format that was described as ldquo;the American fairy tale.rdquo; Broe describes how Garner and Huggins struck blows against a feudal studio system that was on its last legs in cinema but was being applied even more rigidly in television. He considers Maverick as a place where multiple counter-cultural discourses convergedmdash;including Baudelairersquo;s Flaneur; Guy DeBordrsquo;s Situationists; and Jack Keroucrsquo;s Beatsmdash;in a form that was acceptable to American households. Finally; Broe shows how the seriesrsquo; validation of Maverickrsquo;s outside-the-law status punctured the Cold War rhetoric promoted by the ldquo;adultrdquo; Western. Broe also highlights the seriesrsquo; female con women or flaneuses; who were every bit the equal of their male counterparts and added additional layers to the traditional schoolteacher/showgirl Western dichotomy. Broe demonstrates the progressive nature of Maverick as it worked to counter the traditional studio mode of production; served as a locus of counter-cultural trends; and would ultimately become the lone outpost of antindash;Cold War and anti-establishment sentiments within the Western genre. Maverick fans and scholars of American television history will enjoy this close look at the classic series.
#3274754 in eBooks 2015-05-28 2015-05-28File Name: B0123B8EXI
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