Revue Studios Production
Executive Producer Roy Huggins
Produced by Warren Duff
Teleplay John and Ward Hawkins /
Story by Bernard Girard
Directed by Paul Nickell
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
and
James Drury as The Virginian
Guest Star:
David Wayne [ Martin Reese]
End Credits (complete)
Co-starring:
Barbara Barrie as Ellen Beecher
#
R.G. Armstrong as Ben Winters
George Brenlin as Lembeck
#
with:
Ford Rainey as Sheriff Sam Roebuck
J. Pat O'Malley as Charlie Dell
Morgan Woodward as Jack Bandon
Dal McKennon as Art Meadows
Roy Barcroft as Bill Goforth
Alan Dexter as George Jensen
John Banner as Gus Schultz
#
the children:
Tané McClure as Betty
Shari Lee Bernath as Delores
Curtis Haymore as Robert
Greger Vigen as Jake
Rory O'Brien as Felix
Joey Russo as Tall Tree
Daniel Kulick as Tommy
#
Virginian Theme - Percy Faith
#
Director of Photography Benjamin H. Kline, A.S.C.
#
Supervising Producer Frank Price
#
Art Director - George Patrick
Film Editor - Joseph Harrison
Editorial Dept. Head - David J. O'Connell
Musical Supervision - Stanley Wilson
Set Decorators - John McCarthy and James M. Walters
Color Consultant - Alex Quiroga
Color processing by Consolidated Film Industries
#
Assistant Director - Henry Kline
Sound - Earl Crain, Jr.
Costume Supervisor - Vincent Dee
Makeup - Leo Lotito, Jr.
Hair Stylist - Florence Bush
The title "The Virginian" by permission of EMKA, LTD.
#
Series Regular Characters in this Episode:
Virginian, Trampas, Steve
Brief Synopsis:
On their way back to Shiloh from a cattle drive the
Virginian, Trampas, and Steve take time to help an eccentric man with a
chimpanzee and a woman travelling with several foster children.(bj)
More Detailed Synopsis:
In Coyote Wells at the end of a cattle drive, the Virginian, Trampas, and Steve rescue
Martin Reese (Wayne), a health enthusiast with a chimpanzee, who is being taunted by two
trappers while trying to convert the town's beef raisers to vegetarians. The man
explains that he had lost his family to small pox and was now convinced that a meatless
diet would help prevent many ills. When Reese accidentally kills one of the
hecklers before leaving town that night the good citizens, believing him to be a murderous
crazy man, determine to get "the loony" before he hurts someone else. Now
on their way home the Shiloh boys come across a woman and her foster children who are
temporarily staying in an abandoned cabin. When one of the children mentions that
Mr. Reese and his chimp had been there earlier and Miss Beecher (Barrie) states that he
seemed a lonely and troubled man, the cowhands take it upon themselves to stay with the
kids and protect them from Reese's possible return while, in exchange for second hand
clothing, the woman goes to town to give a book reading to a ladies' cultural group.
Hearing that the youngsters are headed for an orphanage, Trampas suggests finding homes
for them instead. The next day, on her way to give the reading, Miss Beecher rides out to
where Reese is hiding and warns him that three men from Medicine Bow might be after
him. Later, while the Virginian tries to locate Reese to ask him about the killing,
Trampas takes two of the boys to a grist mill run by a childless couple. But he's too
"soft headed" to leave them with prospective parents who are looking for labor
not love. The Virginian manages to find Reese in the hills and believes the man's
statement that he unintentionally killed the trapper who had attempted to rob him. The
foreman is unable, however, to talk Reese into going back to town to tell his story to the
sheriff. Meanwhile, Steve insists that he would do better than Trampas at placing
two of the other children in an adoptive home until he meets a marriage-minded woman who
will take the little ones if he goes along with them. When a few of the kids come
down with measles, the Virginian uses Reese's compassion for them to entreat him to come
help with doctoring. Reese feels betrayed when the frenzied posse shows up at
the cabin, but the Virginian "persuades" the other trapper to confess that Reese
had acted in self defense. Miss Beecher soon arrives, and she and the foreman convince the
group they have nothing to fear from the mild-mannered "Monkey Man." The
cowhands are quite pleased with what follows, especially Trampas who credits himself for
the happy ending. (bj)
Quote of Note:
(the Virginian to a distraught man who claimed he could do away with Reese because his
badge proved he was a duly sworn deputy) "It takes more than a badge to make a
deputy. It takes good sense." (bj)
Note:
Tané McClure who played Betty in this episode was Doug McClure's
4 year-old daughter.
Return to The Classic TV Archive "The Virginian" Home Page
Return to The Classic TV Archive Western Page
Return to The Classic TV Archive Home Page
Feedback - "The Virginian" Forum