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 2.24 [054]
"Another's Footsteps"
Original NBC Broadcast-11 March 1964

Revue Studios Productions
Executive Producer Frank Price
Produced By Cy Chermak
Written By Frank Chase
Directed By R.G. Springsteen

Starring:
(Shown on the ride-in)
Lee J. Cobb as Judge Henry Garth (not in this episode)
Doug McClure as Trampas (not in this episode)
Gary Clarke as Steve Hill
and
James Drury as The Virginian
#
Guest Stars
Sheree North as Karen Anders
John Agar as Tom Anders
Paul Petersen as Dan Grant
#
Full ending credits:
Co- Starring
Randy Boone as Randy
#
with
Dennis Holmes as Tim Anders
Ross Elliott as Sheriff Abbott
Peter Mamakos as Smudge
Richard Garland as Stevens
George Keymas as The 1st Indian
#
Jon Drury as Tolliver
John Mitchum as Pooch
Mort Mills as Garrett
Barry Cahill as The Bartender
Robert Karnes as Sheriff of Concho
#
Virginian Theme
Percy Faith
#
Director of Photography
Walter Strenge A.S.C.
#
Art Director . . . George Patrick
Film Editor . . . Jamie Caylor
Assistant Director . . . John Clarke Bowman
Set Decorators . . . John McCarthy and Perry Murdock
Sound . . . David H. Moriarty
Color Consultant . . . Alex Quiroga
Color by Pathe
#
Editorial Dept. Head . . . David J. O'Connell
Musical Supervision . . . Stanley Wilson
Costume Supervisor . . . Vincent Dee
Make-up . . . Bud Westmore
Hair Stylist . . . Larry Germain
The title "The Virginian"
by Permission of EMKA, LTD.
#
Series regular characters appearing in this episode:
Steve Hill
Randy
The Virginian
#
Brief Synopsis:
When a robbery leaves a young man dead, the Virginian is determined to hunt
down his killer.
#

Detailed Synopsis:
The Virginian meets young Dan Grant in town who proudly shows off his shiny
new gun that cost him 7 months wages. After Dan convinces the Virginian to
give him one more lesson on shooting, this time with his new gun, they walk
into the Medicine Bow Bank together~~~right into a holdup!
#
The bandana-masked man tells them to throw their guns down easy and with
their left hands. The Virginian wisely follows the gunman's instructions,
but young Dan hesitates, holding onto his precious new firearm. The gunman
knocks Dan's gun out of his hand with his rifle and Dan dives after it even
though the Virginian yells for him not to.
Startled, the gunman fires, hitting Dan in the mid-section, sending him
sprawling to the floor.
#
Knowing the sound of the gunshot will bring the towns people running, two of
the three men quickly exit out the back door, but the man who shot Dan
stops and apologetically tells the Virginian softly, "I didn't wanna, he forced me."
The gunman quickly leaves and the Virginian kneels down next to his young
friend. Dan asks how his gun is, and the Virginian assures him it's fine.
"Please, my gun," Dan pleads.
In the split second it takes for the Virginian to reach for it and hand it to him, he dies.
#
With a look of senselessness on his face, the Virginian lays Dan's new gun
by his side, his new gun that had never felt the weight of bullets. The gun
wasn't even loaded...
#
The Virginian decides to take matters into his own hands after the posse turns up
empty. The only clue he has to go on is the brand on the rump of the sorrel horse they
find where the gunmen had fresh horses waiting for them. At the sheriff's
office the Virginian finds the name of the ranch where the horse came from~~the Rocking D.
#
The Virginian, with his saddle bags already packed, tells Sheriff Mark
Abbott he's heading in search of the Rocking D Ranch in Montana. Steve and
Randy, who came into town all packed to go with him, fail to convince the
Virginian to take them along with him. They shake hands and Steve wishes
his foreman and friend "good luck," and bids him in a low and caring voice, "Take care."
#
Alone, and with the sorrel cow pony in tow, the
Virginian combs the countryside from Wyoming to Montana, deep in thought of
his trek that lies ahead of him. Bedded down for the night, he feels as
alone as the coyote that is howling in the distance.
#
His travels take him from the Rocking D Range, to Smudge Heinen in Medford,
to Concho where he finds two of the three men he's after. Safely in jail, he
continues searching for a "scrub brush ranch north of Morgan Flats,"
looking for a man by the name of Matthew Raine.
#
Wet and tired, the Virginian comes upon a home inhabited by a young boy and
his sick mother. Turning to leave after being convinced by a rifle aimed at
him by the boy, the Virginian turns back when he hears the boy yell, "ma,
ma," after she collapses onto the floor.
#
Talking with the woman, Karen Anders, the next morning, the Virginian asks
if her husband's name is Matthew Raine. She replies, "No, it's Tom Anders,
why do you ask?" "It's not important," and leaves to get her some food.
#
Later that morning the boy, Tim, offers to help the Virginian with chores,
and the Virginian sees this as an opportunity to gain information from him.
He finds out the boy's mother was telling the truth: their name is Anders.
Matthew Raine is really Tom Anders, he fits the description of the man who
shot Dan Grant exactly!
#
During this time the Virginian is winning the boy's affection and the boy
begins looking up to him by learning how to chop wood, clean a
rifle, and fix things around the ranch, things a boy learns from his father.
#
The Virginian isn't sure of himself anymore. His thinking is becoming
clouded by his rising emotions over Karen Anders and her son Tim. He knows
he must confront her husband for the murder of Dan Grant, but at who's
expense?
He doesn't want to hurt the woman he is falling in love with, this woman
he is nursing back to health. This woman whom he is sharing
conversation with and doing chores around the ranch for as though he were
the husband, not to mention the affection he is developing for the boy,
treating him as though he were his own.
#
Reaching a decision, the Virginian announces to Karen that at the day's end
he's leaving but avoids telling her the real reason~~ he is falling in
love with her. But after returning home from his day's work early, he finds
four Indians at the homestead, and changes his mind deciding to stay.
#
He expresses his feelings for her that evening through an embrace and an
intimate kiss. Knowing they can't have each other, Karen returns to the
house, leaving the Virginian wrestling with his emotions.
#
The next morning the Virginian is in the barn saddling Joe up to leave when
Tim comes running in excitedly~~his father has returned during the night!!!
With little emotion, the Virginian tells Tim he's glad. He knows what this
news means. He has to make a difficult decision~~avenge Dan's death by
bringing the man responsible for the murder back to Medicine Bow or ride
out, knowing that his stay will be construed as a lie. The decision is made
for him when Anders enters the barn and recognizes the brand on the horse he
rode in the holdup.
#
After breakfast Karen asks her husband how his trip went. "It's a little
too early to tell," he replies flatly, his eyes on the man sitting across the
table from him. "A few things might need working out," he continues.
"Then it didn't go well," Karen innocently states.
"Well, there's always some little hitch in a business deal. Something unexpected."
The Virginian, starring back at Anders interjects, "The unexpected happens sometimes."
"Yeah, yeah you don't plan it, don't even think about it, and then suddenly, bang..."
" Like a rifle shot in the belly..."
"Yeah, and who knows what happens to a man when he gets gutshot..." states
Anders, waiting for the answer he doesn't want to hear.
When the Virginian tells him a person usually dies, Anders' eyebrows rise in
shock and then drop knowing what that statement means~~he killed a man!
#
Sensing something is going on between the two men, Karen asks if they have
met before. Anders tells her. Before the conversation can go any further,
Tim walks in, anxious to show his father his newly acquired wood chopping
abilities. Tim puts up a fuss when his mother attempts to get him outside
until the Virginian raises his voice commandingly and yells, "TIM!" Then
lowering his voice, he gives him a reason to go back out and Tim
respectfully obeys answering, "Yes sir," and turns to leave.
Anders, suspecting an ace in his hole, nods his head slowly commenting,
"Very nice. I can see you haven't spent all your time here mending fence posts."
#
After Tom Anders confirms his alias as Matthew Raine, Karen asks what
happened in Medicine Bow. After telling Karen to leave them several times
and her refusing, he slams his cup on the table and says penetratingly, "or
does he have to tell you also?"
Ignoring him she repeats her question.
"I killed a man," he tells her flatly. Shocked, Karen leaves the two men,
and goes to her room to absorb the news her husband has just told her.
#
Anders refuses to saddle up and ride back to Medicine Bow with the
Virginian. He continues to play with the Virginian's feelings towards his
wife and son when he is willing to have a gunfight right there with them
both close by. Anders tells the Virginian he can't make the charge stick
until the Virginian tells him that he can't, but Pooch and Tolliver can. At that
statement Anders realizes he is caught.
#
The Virginian tells him to take his gun out, "With your left hand, remember?"
Anders begins to, but stops. He continues to play with the Virginian's
feelings towards his wife and son. Talking about Tim, he says,
"He's reached you deep," bringing out the awful truth~ the Virginian used
the boy and his mother to get to him.
#
Anders gives the Virginian a choice, to take him right there along with his
family as witness, or to just walk away. But through clenched teeth he
tells him he's given him no choice. With that answer, Anders calls his son
in to watch the gunfight. The Virginian hesitates, thinking about the
choice he makes, which one? He has to make a choice between the man who
killed his friend, and the feelings he has for Karen and the boy.
#
Showing the respect and dignity he has for himself and for Karen and Tim,
the Virginian walks out of the house. Tom Anders sold his family for
another man's life and $10,000.
#
Following her husband out to the barn, Karen shouts Tom's name loudly
enough to warn the Virginian of his approaching. Tom draws and shoots,
wounding the Virginian in the arm and and the impact throws him to the
floor. Standing between Tom and the Virginian, Karen refuses to move. Tom
pushes her
aside, two shots are fired, and Tom goes down...dead. The Virginian's face
is full of pain when he sees the hurt in Tim's eyes after he runs into the
barn and kneels down by his father.
#
After the funeral, the Virginian gets ready to leave. He tells Karen she is
always welcome in Wyoming when the hurt and pain are gone, and Tim
understands what's happened, when he's older. [arl]

Comments:
James Drury's younger brother Jon plays "Tolliver".
Robert Mitchum's younger brother John plays "Pooch"
An interesting coincidence: Dennis Holmes' character's name is Tim which is
also the name of James Drury's real life son.

Additional Notes:
We see the Virginian becoming personally involved with Karen Anders which impedes his
judgement.We see this same involvement in episode 1.20 "If You Have Tears" where the
Virginian is helping a friend prove his innocence and ends up falling in
love with Leona Kelland.

Sheree North also guest stars in 4.27 "That Saunders Woman"

John Agar may also be seen in 7.11 "The Mustangers"

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Main Contributor for this episode: Andrea Lopez [arl]