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 3.16 [076]
"The Hour Of The Tiger"
Original NBC Broadcast - 30 December 1964

Revue Studio Productions
Executive Producer Frank Price
Produced By Frank Telford
Written By Harry Kleiner
Directed By Richard L. Bare
#
Starring:
(Shown on ride-in)
Lee J. Cobb as Judge Henry Garth
Doug McClure as Trampas (not in this episode)
Clu Gulager as Emmett Ryker (not in this episode)
Roberta Shore as Betsy Garth
Randy Boone as Randy Benton
and
James Drury as The Virginian
#
Guest Stars
Cely Carrillo as Kum Ho
Tom Tully as Junius Antlow
#
Full ending credits:
Co-Starring
Leo Gordon as Lafferty
Robert Wilke as Colton
#
Tom Simcox as Chris
Kam Tong as Chang
#
with
Helen Kleeb as Susan Antlow
John Bryant as Dr. Spaulding
Ron Burke as Shiloh Man
Ed Faulkner as Pete
#
Virginian Theme
Percy Faith
#
Director of Photography
Ray Rennahan A.S.C.
#
Story Editor
Cy Chermak
#
Art Director . . . George Patrick
Film Editor . . . Robert Watts, A.C.E.
Assistant Director . . . Ben Bishop
Set Decorators . . . John McCarthy and Perry Murdock
Sound . . . Ed Somers
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:
Judge Henry Garth, Betsy Garth, Randy Benton, The Virginian

Brief Synopsis:
A train load of Chinese coolies arrive in Medicine Bow to dig a tunnel
through a rockslide that is preventing the Shiloh herd from being driven
south to the railhead in Medicine Bow. Trapped, they will freeze to death if
left up there through the harsh winter months.

Detailed Synopsis:
An enormous rockslide traps the Shiloh herd from crossing over Summit Pass,
preventing them from being driven back into Medicine Bow.
Knowing there is only one other way out, the Judge goes to see an old
friend, Junius Antlow, whom he hasn't spoken to in ten years, to see if he
will let what was between them die, and allow him to use his range to move his cattle
north to Junction City. When Antlow tells the Judge that he can cross his
land, Henry is very gracious and offers to pay him, but Junius says he won't accept his
money, quoting, "man does not live by bread alone." His condition: "Give
me back my legs." Before the Judge leaves, he turns sadly to the irate man
and sorrowfully he says, "I hope the twig isn't bent too far."

With no other option left, the Judge brings in a train load of Chinese
coolies with their foreman into Medicine Bow to dig a tunnel through the
rockslide to enable the herd to get through. Suspicion causes The Virginian
to take a special interest in one of the coolies in particular, helping him
out when he can. An explosion occurs inside the tunnel. The Virginian goes
in to help the three men that are trapped. After freeing the
man he has taken a special interest in, he hands him to one of the Shiloh work
hands just before a beam falls. The men free the Virginian from underneath
the beam and carry him out to the wagon and he and the injured man are
taken back to Shiloh.

The Virginian's suspicions are true, the coolie is a woman! During Kum Ho's
recovery, the Virginian and Betsy learn much about her culture. During this
time, Kum Ho mistakes the Virginian's interest in her culture for love and
develops feelings for him. Deep feelings to where she doesn't want to marry
the man she is promised to.

Hearing the news the coolies broke through to the other side, Junius tells
Colton, his foreman, that they are going to blast the tunnel shut, and leave for
the cave. Junius' son, Chris, arrives home and hears the news from his
mother. Being a man of peace, he rides out to warn the Judge that his father
and all the riders on the ranch are on their way out to kill them.

The Judge questions Chris asking if he knows how his father's legs became
crippled. Chris tells him no, saying all he knew was that his father and the
Judge were friends and that the Judge crippled his father's legs.
The Judge tells him he did the same thing ten years ago that Chris
is doing now. He rode to stop Junius from burning out homesteaders. His
father wouldn't listen to him and drew on the Judge. He fired in self
defense but didn't want to kill Junius so he shot at his legs. After
finishing his story, the Judge motions to the Virginian and they ready
themselves to leave, grabbing their guns.

Kum Ho steps out in front of the Virginian as he walks past her and says,
frightened, "May the hour of the tiger not come to you."
"The hour of the tiger?" the Virginian asks quizzically, and Kum Ho explains the meaning.
"When we are snatched away from life, by the claws of death." Seeing the
deep pleading concern in her eyes, he understands and gently assures her, "I'll be back."

Meeting up with his father and the men, Chris tries to talk sense into him.
His father accuses Chris of being on "their" side. Chris tries to
reason with him telling him he's not on anyone's side. Antlow's
foreman tells Chris to move. Chris holds his stance. Colton draws his gun
and fires two shots, the second shot goes straight into the boys mid-section,
killing him. Devastated, Junius falls off of his horse and crawls to his
son, cradling his dead body. [ARL]
#
Chinese Culture Notes:
Lafferty tells the Judge "the pig tail is a china man's very soul."
It is also called a queue. (pronounced cue)
Kum Ho mentions the Harvest Moon which leads us to believe the time frame of
this episode is Autumn, before the winter snows set in.

Kum Ho refers to the Virginian as "Honorable Sir"

One possible error in the script is when Lafferty refers to Kum Ho as
Chang's cousin. So the Virginian does as well. Later on Kum Ho refers to
Chang as her Uncle. She is promised to him in marriage but since they are
not from the same blood and are from different clans it is safe to marry.

Honor is very important to the Chinese, man and woman alike.

The Chinese symbols are each one word Kum Ho tells Betsy.

Additional Quotes:
The Judge tells the Virginian to keep his eye on Betsy. Speculating, the
Virginian tells the Judge, "I wonder if Betsy's been able to find out why
she came over here disguised as a coolie. Some sort of woman's reason I
suppose." The Judge answers with his own reason, "I don't know, may have
something to do with some Chinese philosophy we don't know anything about."
"Chinese philosophy!" the Virginian repeats with a frown on his face. Then
grinning and very sure of himself, he tells his boss, "she thinks like any
other woman, with her heart instead of her head."

When the Virginian notices Betsy didn't bring any tea up for Kum Ho he tells
her to "go get the tea!" Betsy responds flippantly, "sometimes you're so subtle."

Betsy returns with the tea and the Virginian says to Kum Ho, "Betsy ought
to get down on her knees and give thanks don't you think?" Puzzled by his
statement Betsy asks, "Give thanks?" "That you were born a girl in this
country," he tells her referring
to the selling of daughters in China when times were rough.

Kum Ho tells the Virginian she is promised in marriage to Chang. She asks
him if his father has promised him in marriage. The Virginian tells her "nooo,
that's not the way we do things. Neither my father nor my long dead
ancestors will choose my wife. She'll be my choice, a woman I love who loves me."
 "Because you are a man?" "No, in our country the woman has the same right." [ARL]

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Main Contributor for this episode -  Andrea Lopez [arl]