'F TROOP'

A lot of the TV sitcoms from the '50s and '60s don't really hold up today. Sure, it's nostalgic to revisit old friends, but it's usually not as good as you remember it. "F Troop," though, is a rare exception. With its fraudulent Indians and crooked soldiers, gun-toting bandits and rough-and-tumble cowgirls, this irreverent comedy offers up a barrel of laughs. Coming at a time when most westerns on television were deadly serious (and dull) "F Troop: The Complete First Season" ($39.98, Warner Home Video) is a refreshing take on how the West Was Dumb.

The quirky show, which originally aired on ABC from 1965-67, stars Ken Berry as Capt. Wilton Parmenter, a gallant yet completely incompetent officer who won the Medal of Honor by accidentally ordering a charge during the final battle at Appomattox. For his "heroism," he is awarded command of Fort Courage, an infamously dangerous frontier fort in Kansas. What he doesn't know is that the battles between the local soldiers and the hostile Hekawi tribe (derived from "where the heck are we") are staged, a mere simulation intended to help the Indians sell cheap souvenirs to tourists. The gleefully devious Sgt. Morgan O'Rourke (Forrest Tucker) and Cpl. Randolph Agarn (Larry Storch) keep Parmenter busy with an endless stream of distractions ranging from mock battles to proposing wives to keep the hapless captain from discovering the true conspiracy. All the while, of course, the prim, proper and clueless captain is being pursued by sexy Wrangler Jane (the then-16-year-old Melody Patterson), who runs the local trading post.

The six-disc collector's set includes all 34 black-and-white episodes aired the first season. Notable guest stars include Don Rickles and Zsa Zsa Gabor. The DVD itself contains no bonus content, other than French and Spanish subtitles. Still, it's hard not to laugh when, at least once an episode, they kick that stupid cannon and it knocks over the lookout tower.

-- Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette staff writer

'THE WILD WILD WEST: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON'

In the mid-'60s, James Bond was lighting up the big screen in tales of international espionage, wicked villains, fancy gadgets and gorgeous women. In 1965, CBS trotted out its own debonair James -- James West of "The Wild Wild West." The first season of the classic series has been released in a 40th-anniversary DVD set ($54.99; CBS DVD and Paramount Home Entertainment).

The remastered black-and-white episodes follow Jim West (Robert Conrad) and partner Artemus Gordon (Ross Martin) as they carry out their dangerous assignments as Secret Service agents in the years immediately after the Civil War.

The show is 40 years old, so material for extras must be very limited. Conrad, at least, is still alive, and he provides -- audio only, unfortunately -- commentary over the pilot episode and introductions to others. The rest of the "features" make up a mixed saddle bag, from the good (a 1978 daytime talk-show interview with Conrad and Martin) to the mediocre (rambling audio interviews that were research for a book) to the just plain questionable -- a confusing blooper of one of Conrad's intros. The biggest reach is the famous Eveready battery commercial starring Conrad that aired eight years after "West" ended. Why not throw in something with William Conrad? It makes about as much sense.

-- Karen Carlin, Post-Gazette staff writer

'CHEYENNE: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON'

He was tall, tough, laid-back, incorruptible and so handsome it almost hurt to look at him. Clint Walker as the strapping Western hero Cheyenne Bodie stood up against outlaws, lynch mobs, land barons and Comanches, and even helped a Mexican ranch hand in love with the boss's daughter.

It sounds action-packed, and it was -- in 1955. Today it doesn't hold up so well. But not many things do, and nostalgia buffs will forgive all because this was the first of six Warner Bros. TV westerns that took the country by storm. The others included "Maverick," "Sugarfoot" and "Bronco."

This five-disc set ($39.98, Warner Bros. Home Video) contains all 15 episodes of the first season. The shows improve from first to last as everyone seems to get the hang of things, and it's fun to see the young James Garner and Rod Taylor in guest slots. Less fun is the standard 1950s portrayal of American Indians.

The only extra is a new interview with Walker, who tells how he got into showbiz, plus a few tales of riding, acting and splitting his pants.

-- Sally Kalson, Post-Gazette staff writer