Walking Tall

Speak Softly, And Carry A Big Stick -- Bo Svenson repeats his portrayal of the legendary club-wielding Tennessee Sheriff -- Buford Pusser -- In a kind of TV extension of the popular movie series of the 70s. Though this 1981 Action/Drama series was well-made, the character evidently didn't transfer well, to the small screen, and wasn't received well, by the viewing public. Premiering on NBC, on the evening of Saturday, January 17th, 1981, at 9 p.m., EST, it was aired sporadically, through the Winter and Spring of 1981. A couple of schedule changes, in an apparent attempt to boost it's ratings, were for naught, and the last of those changes -- Back to Saturday nights, in the 10 p.m. time slot -- Found it competing with ABC's ratings giant Fantasy Island, and it was gone, after only 7 broadcasts, the last of these on June 6th, 1981. The entire 7-episode run of this series is available on DVD, as of March 7th, 2006, in a 2-disc set, from Sony Pictures Television.