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 2.27 [057]
"The Long Quest"
Original NBC Broadcast - 8 April 1964

 Revue Studios Production
Executive Producer Frank Price
Produced by Winston Miller
Written by Carey Wilber
Directed by Richard L. Bare

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 (not in this episode)
and
James Drury as The Virginian

No guest stars credited during ride-in

Incomplete Ending Credits:
Co-Starring
Roberta Shore as Betsy
#
Randy Boone as Randy
#
Ruta Lee as Judith Holly
#
Joseph Campanella as Corbett
#
Patricia Breslin as Mary Ann Martin
#
J. Pat O'Malley as Samuel Bowman
Whit Bissell as Andrew Cass
#
with
currently unavailable
#
currently unavailable
#
and Casey Peters as Cricket Martin
#
Virginian Theme Percy Faith
#
Director of Photography Benjamin H. Kline, A.S.C.
#
Story Editor Cy Chermak
#
currently unavailable
Color by Pathe
#
Editorial Dept. Head . . . . . David J. O'Connell
Musical Supervision . . . . . Stanley Wilson
Costume Supervision . . . . . Vincent Dee
Makeup . . . . . Bud Westmore
Hair Stylist . . . . . Larry Germain
The title "The Virginian" by permission of EMKA, LTD.

Series regular characters appearing in this episode:
Featuring the
Virginian with appearances by Betsy, Randy, and Danny the Bartender

Synopsis:
"Being a mother is much more than bearing a child." There is also more than
one kind of motherly love. In this episode, the Virginian comes to the aid
of foster mother Mary Ann Martin and her young son Cricket when the birth
mother and a detective show up in Medicine Bow looking for the boy. It had
been twelve years since beautiful actress Judith Holly had relinquished her
baby because she was young, unwed, and felt emotionally and financially
incapable of taking care of him. For Cricket, Mary Ann is the only "mother"
he's ever known, and he doesn't want to leave her. The Virginian questions
Judith's desire to be reunited with the child after so many years apart. He
urges Mary Ann's lawyer to investigate the actress's past. At the custody
hearing, it becomes apparent that Judith hadn't begun looking for Cricket
until about a year ago when the detective, who hoped to get a share of the
money, located her and told her the boy had been included in a very large
inheritance. Yet, regardless of all objections, the judge decides he cannot
deny the rights of the birth mother. But just who is this Judith Holly, and
is she only putting on an act to pull of a lucrative scheme? [bj]

Notes:
Regarding the train: It's often a point in the series to poke fun at the
tardiness of the arrival of the train into Medicine Bow. In this episode,
the locomotive was due at 12:15 yet the time on the clock showed 12:45. The
Virginian quipped, "A man could just about set his watch by this railroad, couldn't he."

About the Virginian: The Virginian was more playful at times, reminiscent
of the first 13 episodes of the series. He showed his compassionate side by
his desire to help Mary Ann even when he found out the truth that Cricket
wasn't her natural son. He was also very wise in dealing with Judith when
he visited her in her hotel room suggesting she go with him to see Cricket
to get to know him better. When she told him that there would be plenty
of time for that after she got custody, the Virginian replied it wouldn't
look too good in court if they found out he had offered to take her to visit
her son and she declined. Judith's opinion of the foreman was, "You're a
clever man, and I don't trust clever men."

Regarding the Virginian's horse: Joe was definitely limping in one scene,
and this animal was absent during the early episodes of season three.

General note: The people of Medicine Bow all believed that Mary Ann was
Cricket's natural mother until evidence to the contrary was taken from the
family Bible which the detective had stolen from Mary Ann's house. In it
were the entries about her marriage, the birth of her son, and the deaths of
her husband and child. The detective also had a doctor's statement that
confirmed Judith had given birth to a male child in 1872, the same year
Judith's husband and son were killed in a fire.

Looking for these scenes?
#1 The Virginian had gone to pick up freight. Since no one was at the
train station to help Judith when she arrived in town, he took the beautiful
woman to the hotel in his wagon. As
they rode along, the foreman observed, "Nice friendly little town. In fact,
those two ladies are so friendly that by supper time there won't be a person
in Medicine Bow that doesn't know about this little drive." When Randy saw
the two of them go by he said, "Some freight."

#2 The Virginian was ordering breakfast in the dining room when Judith
joined him at the table. He ordered ham - from the left side of the hog.
His theory was that a hog scratches with its right hind leg so it stands to
reason that the ham on the right side would be tougher than that on the
left. Judith saw the detective and excused herself from the table. Corbett
asked Judith who her friend was. The actress stated that he was just
someone she met who worked for a hog ranch. Later in the episode, when
the detective suggested Judith try the steak for dinner, she ordered it from
the left side of the cow.

#3 While trying to run off with Cricket, Mary Ann was injured when she fell
off her overturned wagon. She and the boy were staying at Shiloh until she
had a chance to recuperate from the accident. The Virginian was taking
Judith to meet Cricket, but before they got to the ranch house he made a
stop out on the range. He pointed to the cattle and explained that
sometimes young heifers have a calf but don't know what to do with it so
they abandon it. If the calf doesn't find a mother it will die, but usually
some old cow will adopt it and care for it like it was her own. As far as
the calf is concerned, the old cow is its mother. Later, if the heifer comes
back wanting to reclaim her baby the calf will run away from her.[bj]

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