The Classic TV Archive - TV Western series
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1.10 [--]
"West"
(no on-screen title)
NBC Broadcast - 28 November 1962
Revue Studios Production
Executive Producer Charles Marquis Warren
Produced and Directed by Douglas Heyes
Teleplay by Douglas Heyes / Story by Irwin R. Blacker
Starring:
(shown on the ride-in)
Lee J. Cobb as Judge Henry Garth (not in this episode)
Doug McClure as Trampas
Gary Clarke as Steve Hill (not in this episode)
and
James Drury as The Virginain
Guest Star:
Steve Cochran [Jamie Dobbs](pictured above)
End Credits (complete)
Co-Starring
Claude Akins as Lump
#
Allen Case as Sheriff Blade
James Brown as Lucky
#
With
Russell Thorson as Sheriff Stan Evans
Richard Reeves as Munsy
Raymond Guth as Klotz
William Gordon as Blench
James Anderson as Otie
Hal Hopper as Joe
and
Leo Gordon as Scratch
#
Virginian Theme Percy Faith
#
Director of Photography - Fred Mandl, A.S.C.
#
Art Director - Raymond Beal
Film Editor - Lee Huntington, A.C.E.
Editorial Dept. Head - David J. O'Connell
Musical Supervision - Stanley Wilson
Set Decorators - John McCarthy and Robert C. Bradfield
Color Consultant - Alex Quiroga
Color Processing by Consolidated Film Industries
#
Assistant Director - Ben Bishop
Sound - Lyle Cain
Costume Supervisor - Vincent Dee
Makeup - Jack Barron
Hair Stylist - Florence Bush
The title "The Virginian" by permission of EMKA, LTD.
Series Regular Characters in this Episode:
Trampas and Virginian with recurring character Sheriff Evans
Brief Synopsis:
Enticed by Jamie Dobbs talk of the way it was in the "old days" Trampas
joins up with three happy-go-luckies on the quest for fun, fortune, and
adventure out "West." Tragedy occurs when the modernized townspeople
disapprove of Jamie's use of the law-keeping methods of the past. (bj)
Detailed synopsis:
"This is Wyoming in 1897....To look at the mountains, the valleys, and the
plains you'd think nothing ever changes out here. Maybe that's true about
the land, but it's not true about the people. They change, at least most of them...."
Jamie Dobbs just wants to have "fun." When his money starts running out at
the saloon after he had promised to buy drinks for the house full, he
decides to get the rest of the funds by "selling" his money to the top bidder.
The last winner is disappointed in the sum and insists he be given back his money.
When a fight ensues, Trampas,
who had tried to be an innocent bystander, gets involved and both the
cowhands are thrown in jail with Jamie noting he hadn't had that much fun
in ages. The Virginian comes to bail them out and informs the two that
Judge Garth and Shiloh were respected names in those parts and it didn't
look too good for the Judge if his hands came in and tore up the town.
Jamie wonders why he couldn't "give himself full measure on his own time." The
Virginian notes that "No man is ever on his own time," and Jamie figures
to move on to the places he remembered where the good times were. The
Virginian mentions that those towns might have changed in fifteen years,
but Jamie is unwilling to believe it. That night, as Jamie is talking
about the West he knew, Trampas tells him that there's a place he's been looking
for all his life but where could it be. Jamie entices him that he'd find
it all out West, and Trampas sighs and smiles with the thought of it. In
the next few months Jamie pays back the damages, and he and Trampas head
for the saloon again. To Jamie's delight his friends from the old days Lump and
Lucky show up. As they reminisce about the time they cleaned out a whole saloon,
Trampas wants to leave, but Lucky tells him they didn't do that anymore and
the only reason they had fought in the first place was because someone told
him, "A Texas boy wasn't fit to sleep with the hogs." The insult comes
back, "That was his mistake. A Texas boy
IS fit to sleep with the hogs." Of course that statement sets off another brawl and
Trampas, Jamie, Lump, and Lucky are jailed. Having laughed about the
barroom scuffle, Lump and Lucky tell Jamie that they were going to hunt
cattle in the Superstition Mountains and
have come to get him to join them in their plan to get rich enough to quit
working for good. Remembering that they had money from their small gold
claim, they use some of their starting out funds to pay the damages so they
can be freed, and Jamie insists that they pay Trampas' share and take him
along with them. The young cowboy is at
first reluctant but after Jamie asks, "Do you want to stay here and talk
about how you gave the poor old Judge a bad name again or you want to come
with us, out West where the fun's at?" he decides to join the three
care-frees on their quest for fun, fortune and adventure. However, on
their way to the Mountains, the men's grub stake, gear, and horses are
stolen by the Ace in the Hole Gang. Encouraged that Lump and the sheriff
of a nearby town were friends from way back, the bootless foursome hobble
into Flagstop to get up a posse. Unfortunately Lump's comrade, Sheriff
Blade, had been dead for fourteen years. His son is now filling the
position and informs the men that times have changed since his father was
in office. The sheriff invites them to stay in town and work for wages,
stating that "plans are subject to change" and mentioning that Trampas was
younger than the other men and should understand this. Finding that the
outlaws' hideout is not within the sheriff's jurisdiction Jamie,
Lump, and Lucky decide to take it upon themselves to use law enforcing
methods of the past to get back their possessions and wipe out the villains
thinking that the town would be grateful to them for their efforts (even
though they "borrowed" money
from the bank, guns from the sheriff's office, and horses from in front of
the saloon to get it done). Trampas had left the group after learning that
the little "posse" wasn't sanctioned by the sheriff but returned just in
time to help his friends clean out the gang when the Ace in the Holers
reappeared threatening the lives of the threesome. As the men
prepare for a hero's welcome, Trampas is concerned that the modernized
townspeople may not be planning the big reception that the others have
envisioned and wants to return the borrowed items alone, warning Jamie and
his buddies that if he doesn't come back they should take what they have
collected from the outlaw hideout and leave the area. As to his fears the
sheriff puts Trampas in jail hoping to get the others to come break him out
so they, too, can be arrested. Although Trampas begs Jamie to go, he and
Lump and Lucky take Trampas from the cell and head for their horses. But
Sheriff Blade and his deputies are in the street and tell the men that they
must give themselves up for trial. Jamie is disappointed that the
townspeople don't appreciate their efforts and that the sheriff can't see
the humor in the situation and doesn't feel like he can let himself be
locked up by a man who doesn't smile. Jamie, Lump, and Lucky run back
inside the sheriff's office, dragging Trampas with them. Jamie shoots a
warning through the front door, and all but Trampas head out the back to
continue West. In the tragic climax the
deputies, having heard the shots, fire their guns, and Jamie, Lump, and Lucky
are hit. Trampas goes outside to find that Lump and Lucky would live to
stand trial. Holding a fatally wounded Jamie who asks about the fate of
his comrades, Trampas lies that they had gotten away "clean." Jamie smiles with
his dying breath, "That's good. Then they'll have fun, huh, Trampas."
Finding that the adventure wasn't the good time he'd looked forward to nor
"West" the place he'd dreamed it would be Trampas returns to the ranch
where the Virginian meets him near the Shiloh sign. Wistfully Trampas sighs,
"I came back," to which the Virginian asks nonchalantly, "You been away? How far?"
Trampas states, "About twenty years," and the two ride off together.
This was one of those what I call "destiny episodes" in Trampas' life. (bj)
Note:
Stock footage was used during the time Jamie was
working to pay back the money--it was the same scene used in 1.01 (001)
"The Executioners" in which Paul was breaking the horse for Betsy. (bj)
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