Centennial Chronicles: The Epic Journey Through America’s Frontier

I literally grew up with Centennial–and now it can be here again!
Wow. That’s about all I can say when I remember being 11 years old and seeing the movie trucks move into our small farming community of Weldon Valley here in Northeast Colorado. I can remember my uncle and kids from my school telling me about their bit parts, standing in the background in scenes (and also for those lucky kids–missing school to be in the school teacher scene at one point in the series! Those bums!). For a long time the town of Orchard remained a stark reminder of what happens when something out of the ordinary happens in small communities and then it is over: it’s all we had to talk about for years! As a kid how many times did my brother and I go out to the corn fields to play “McCeeg and Paskinel” with BB guns in town and fake coon skin caps bought from our vacation to the Alamo that past summer?! Imaginary foes, stories, and a new love of the bagpipes and mountain life were seen in a way I never thought of before as we recreated the Rendevous every weekend afternoon in the hayfield next to the house (remember that scene?) When I went to college I still got attention from the fact I grew up where this was filmed, and took photos of the quickly failing sets (now 10 years older), complete with foam fake brick siding falling off everytwhere and other momentos where folks nabbed “Centennial lumber” left from sets to build this and that. My favorite memory: walking down the street of “Centennial” to find Brian Keith relaxing in the shade on the side porch of the general store. We got our pictures with the man, it was a moment I won’t forget, he was cordial but not overtly friendly (he was big-time tired from the heat of the day), but he stood there stoic-ally while snapshot after snapshot was taken, putting up with us like pesky flies on a hot day. Oh, and I also remember the scenes north of the school where the great Indian (Native American) battles were shot–(we DID get out of school to go see that done), the teepees out in the pasture were one of those times when you felt like you might be looking into a time machine window, it was so beautifully and wonderfully done. When I grew up and left college, the first coat I bought myself with my own money I earned from my new job was (of course) a leather jacket with the fringe all over it, and I also just HAD TO HAVE a burly muzzle loader from Cabelas (that has never shot anything except targets on the trees to the north of my home–mighty white hunter I am). Besides how the films affected me growing up, the thing about Centennial too was that it was honest, (if not a bit hokey once in a while–too many people seemed to die under dramatic circumstances when you watch the shows back to back!). Overall I felt it hoped not just to entertain but to envisage a reality of days gone by–and to show that the “good ole days” were not always that good. Thanks for reading my “blog” here, that being said–I hope you buy the series and take it for what it was worth from the standpoint of being a great western tale based in reality by Michener (Centennial the town is very much a story about Greeley, Colorado and other towns in Northeast Colorado) and by being a monolith project of the late 70’s that was not soon forgotten. This was especially true of how the series really had an impact on a young farm boy/college kid/& pastor (ME) who came to love the history of where he grew up so much–he returned and ended up living in the same little community he grew up in. I may live in what big city folk call “podunk USA” or the “boondocks”, but Centennial and movies like it make a person feel that it is sometimes the most insignificant places in the world that have the greatest stories to tell. And that makes me proud to live here, and it also makes me want to share Centennial’s great story by viewing the series with my own kids and generations to come.

This is a great story taking place in the west when it was first settled

I remember buying the huge paperback of this James Michener toe-buster (as in “if you drop it on your foot, it’s heavy enough to break a toe!) back in the mid-70s when it first came out. There was huge interest in the bi-centenary in the States, even over here in England, so Michener’s sweeping saga was a wonderful take on the story of the west – as with so many other Michener stories, it unfolded down through many years, usually set around one place or area to show the progress or otherwise of the characters and their surroundingsWhen I heard it was being made into a tv series, I was delighted and remember viewing each of what I remember as 26 weekly episodes avidly. I honestly don’t remember it ever being repeated here, so the DVD release, albeit on region 1, is so welcome.What I HAD forgotten was how many very famous faces graced the programme. And to have the show narrated by the incomparable David Janssen provided needed continuity. Like other viewers, I could have done with less flashbacks in the later portions – not necessary for those who have followed it through, and meaningless unless you have.For me, the best of the episodes contained on these six discs is that of the long cattle drive from Texas to Colorado….it sums up the image of the old west that many of us have always imagined. It also does not prettify the sheer guts and hard work not to mention the dangers faced by the men doing this gruelling job.So if you enjoy engrossing storylines and characters and can overlook the occasional blip such as Richard Chamberlain’s not-very-authentic Scots accent (though his performance otherwise is magnificent), you’ll just love this.I would best describe this as a slightly flawed masterpiece, but a landmark piece of television for any viewer with more than a passing interest in the Old West.

I have purchased this DVD and would suggest that if you like the old style western type of movie this is the one for you. I enjoyed watching this movie very much so and I will be watching it again soon.I consider this movie one of the best movies I have watched in a long time I remembered this movie when they had it awhile back on Tv and I just had to have it to see this again there is a nice story line behind this exciting saga of the old settlers just coming in make up this town called CENTENNIAL .I suggest to you its a must have movie