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3.03 [063]
"The Stallion"
Original NBC Broadcast - 30 September 1964
Revue Productions
Executive Producer Frank Price
Produced by Frank Telford
Teleplay byCarey Wilber and Louis Vittes
/ Story by Carey Wilber
Directed by Bernard McEveety
Starring:
(shown on the ride-in) All appear in this episode
Lee J. Cobb as Judge Henry Garth
Doug McClure as Trampas
Clu Gulager as Emmett Ryker
Roberta Shore as Betsy Garth
Randy Boone as Randy Benton
and
James Drury as The Virginian
Guest Star (credited during the ride-in)
Robert Culp
[Charles Orwell]
Co-Starring (credited during the ride-in)
Jena Engstrom
[Jody Wingate]
Complete ending credits:
Co-Starring
Donald Barry as Slaughter
#
with
Roy Engel as Mr. Wingate (recurring
character)
Robert B. Williams as The First
Rancher
Paul Baxley as Hogan
Chuck Horne as Pete
#
Virginian theme Percy Faith
Music Score Leo Shuken and Jack Hayes
#
Director of Photography Benjamin H.
Kline, A.S.C.
#
Story Editor Cy Chermak
#
Art Director . . . George
Patrick
Film Editor . . . Edward
Haire, A.C.E.
Assistant Director . . . Charles
S. Gould
Set Decorators . . . John
McCarthy and Perry Murdock
Sound . . . Frank H.
Wilkinson
Color Consultant . . . Alex
Quiroga
Color by Pathé
#
Editorial Dept. Head . . . David J. O'Connell
Musical Supervision . . . Stanley Wilson
Costume Supervisor . . . 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 Randy with
Judge Garth, the Virginian, Ryker (as Deputy), Trampas, Betsy, and
recurring character Barney Wingate
Continuity error: As often occurs in this series, there are a couple of
continuity errors in editing involving horses--Randy is seen leaving on one
horse and arriving on another (in most of the episode he was riding a fancy
little buckskin, but there was also new and stock footage of him on a bald
faced sorrel).
Synopsis:
While being beaten, a Thoroughbred stallion tramples and kills the handler
and escapes, but as he is running through the swamp the rope tied to his
halter gets stuck in some branches. Randy finds the injured animal and
takes him to the shack of drunken ex-veterinarian Charlie Orwell (Culp).
Charlie doesn't want the black around, but since the horse is feverish and
Randy insists it is too far to take him to Shiloh, he agrees to look after
the stallion until he's well. Barney Wingate's
daughter Jody (Engstrom) would like Charlie's attention, but he wants
nothing to do with her--or, for that matter, anyone else. When the horse
has
recovered Charlie takes him to Shiloh but warns everyone it's dangerous.
Even so, Randy wants to try his hand at bronc busting, but the stallion
throws him and tries to trample him. The Judge believes the black is a
killer, and the stallion's cruel owner (Barry) arrives to take back his
property. Randy offers to buy the horse, but Slaughter says he can make
much more money off him by challenging cowboys to ride him. When Slaughter
approaches the horse by beating him, the Judge buys the stallion with the
intent of having him destroyed. However, Randy doesn't have the heart to
shoot the horse and takes him back to Charlie's place promising to come in
the evenings after chores to care for and try to break the animal. Randy
lies to the Virginian and Trampas that he's trying to get to know a new girl
friend as he comes home late night after night tired and sore. While drunk,
Charlie hears a voice in his head and runs outside to release the stallion
from the corral. Out on the range with the cattle the next day Trampas and
Pete see a black horse up on a ridge. Trampas tires to stop Pete from
shooting the stallion, but the noise of the rifle stampedes the herd. The
Judge is upset about losing some of his cattle and Trampas being injured in
the stampede, yet more than blaming Randy he feels he shouldn't have left it
to the boy to destroy the horse. Randy says it couldn't have been the same
stallion because he'd left it in a safe place, but the Judge declares he'd
better go make sure of it. The stallion starts rounding up mares for
himself,
and the angry ranchers get up a posse to go after him. Randy doesn't want
such a fine horse killed and asks Jody to talk Charlie into going with him
to find the black before the other men do. Charlie wants no involvement but
changes his mind to keep Jody from joining Randy on the search. Jody still
insists she is going along, and Charlie is enraged yet worried about her
when
the trio attempts to pen the horses in a canyon corral and she falls from
her Appaloosa and is almost trampled. One evening Jody challenges Charlie
to be open about what he's afraid of and why he doesn't want anyone around
him. Charlie tells her that when he was a veterinarian back East he hocked
everything to buy a Thoroughbred stallion just like the black. His wife
accused him of loving horses more than her and was killed while trying to
turn his stallion loose. Later that night Jody tries to approach the black
and it charges at her, but Charlie comes to her rescue. Safe in his arms,
Jody explains that she was jealous of his wife and wanted to show him
she could handle the horse. Charlie thinks it might be possible to train
the stallion with gentleness. He is successful in his efforts, but
Slaughter finds them and, having chased off their horses so they can't
follow him,
tells the three he's come for the stallion. When Randy reminds him the
Judge had bought the horse, Slaughter mentions that no one would care if he
took the black and left the territory. When Charlie intervenes to keep the
horse from being beaten
again, Slaughter shoots him and then rides away. Jody
fears Charlie will die without a doctor and tells Randy to take the stallion
and go for help. Randy hopes Charlie did a good job with the horse because
if he threw him now and ran off that would be the end of it. Randy is able
to ride the stallion and meets the posse on the way. One of the ranchers
wants to kill the black, but Randy tells him they'd found the mares and the
Virginian says it would be a shame to shoot such a fine animal now that he
was gentled. Trampas goes for the doctor while the others go to check on
Charlie. Later at Shiloh, Jody comes with her wagon to take a recovered
Charlie
back to his shack. Randy brings the stallion and ties him to
the back of the wagon. The Virginian mentions it was awfully nice of him to
give Charlie the Judge's horse, and some good natured teasing goes on about
how long it will take Randy to pay Garth for the animal. But Betsy assures
Randy not to worry since the Judge had planned to give it to Jody and Charlie as a
wedding present. Randy comments he hopes nothing will happen to change their plans. (bj)
Comments on characters and their
relationships:
Judge Garth won't abide Slaughter's cruelty to animals.
But when Randy thinks Garth had bought the stallion to
give to him, the Judge informs him he had purchased it
to put it out of its misery. Garth asks Randy to tell
Trampas to come see him, but Randy says he will take care
of shooting the horse himself. After the stampede, the Judge
reckons he should have known better than to give Randy
the responsibility of disposing of the animal and orders
the boy to go make sure the horse is still in Charlie's corral.
Betsy admires the stallion in the corral and her first instinct is
to want to ride him. But Charlie warns her to keep away from
the horse because it's dangerous.
The Virginian has his concerns about Randy when he notices he
is coming in late night after night and nearly falling asleep during chores.
Although he has suspicions that Randy isn't being truthful
when he uses the excuse he's trying to get acquainted with a girl
that's "awful hard to get to know," the foreman allows his young cowhand the
liberty to go. Yet he won't pamper the worn out boy by letting him slack
off on the job.
Trampas continues his foot-in-mouth tendency during two
scenes in this episode, both resulting in a stern look from the
Judge who does not see the humor in either situation:
1) When Slaughter tells the group at the
corrals that his horse is worth more per day than Randy
had offered as a purchase price, Trampas chuckles,
"What does he do, print money?"
2) When the Judge confronts Randy about the probability
that it was the black stallion that started the
stampede in which Trampas could have been badly hurt,
Trampas makes light of the situation by saying at least with his
arm in a sling he'll get out of work
for a few days. The relationship between Randy and Trampas
in this series was quite often one of a little brother/
big brother. Randy frequently looked up to Trampas and
his talents as a cowhand, and Trampas many times looked
after Randy. There was also a whole lot of teasing that
went on between them. In this episode
Trampas "brothers" Randy by giving him a few pointers on
bronc riding ("stay loose"), trying to console him when he thinks
Randy had shot the horse (Randy comes in the bunkhouse
while Trampas is practicing a few dance steps, and after
telling Randy he shouldn't feel too "glum" Trampas
asks if he'd like a date with a "gorgeous redhead"--the sister
of his own date who turns out to be not so "gorgeous" after all),
and agreeing to square it with the Judge while the boy is
gone for a few days trying to find the stallion before the posse
does. Randy also confides in Trampas that he knows Charlie
likes Jody but Jody doesn't know Charlie likes her but he
knows because he can tell. As Randy rides off, Trampas is left to
ponder the jumble of his young friend's words.
Then at the end of the show the Virginian is the one guffawing
the loudest about Randy's concern that it would take
him 15 years to pay for the stallion, but it is Trampas Randy
picks out to chide, "You can stop hee-hawing like a jackass,
Trampas, I knowed y'all was joking all the time."
The part of Randy Boone's ride in credit for season three where he's seen
with his rope on the buckskin horse comes from this episode. The part where
his name is credited alongside Roberta Shore's comes from 3.02
"Dark Challenge" where Randy and Betsy sing "Wait for the Wagon" at
the dance
(bj)
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