as a kid The Virginian was my dads favorite tv show, he never missed a episode, Watching a episode from season 6 on COZItv James Drury looks well.. Pudgy, maybe in my kids eye view he always seemed, tall and lean.
shareI've been watching seasons five and six recently, and I've noticed that James Drury is carrying a pretty big gut.
He's still a good looking man, and we know it's only personality that matters!
I also watch the show on COZI. It's amazing how good this show from the early days of color looks on a big screen TV!
I just bought the book, "A History of Television's The Virginian" and in the book James Drury says that after he auditioned for the role of the Virginian, the network told him on two occasions to lose weight. He said he lost 30 lbs in a month and then he got the part. So, maybe he had always had to watch his weight and got a little lax in later seasons.
shareI don't think he was that tall. he looks 5'9" maybe. with the black vest and black slacks may have appeared taller and slimmer. The Virginian in this show is different than in the book, and in the earlier film versions. We know nothing about him; other than he manages the ranch- but all he seems to do is administrative duties. One reason I like the show is that fairly often, his part in the episode is small, but consistent. He doesn't seem to have much time for romance, though, which is a curious thing.
shareI can't relate to this conversation at all. I've always seen James Drury as not much above average height but definitely on the lean side, and that includes a 1961 appearance on Rawhide and 1962 in the western movie Ride the High Country, probably filmed just a few months before The Virginian first aired. I've also seen him roping and hogtying steers for real in a 1990s documentary -- and he's leaner than ever, no sign of a weight problem. You guys sound like you have a fairly anorexic, showbiz view of what "pudgy" is.
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