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 3.22 [082]
"You Take The High Road"
NBC Broadcast - 17 February 1965

Universal TV
Executive Producer Frank Price
Produced by Cy Chermak
Teleplay Dan Ullman
Story by Dan Ullman and Frank Fenton
Directed by John Florea

Starring:
(shown on the ride-in)
Lee J. Cobb as Judge Henry Garth (not in this episode)
Doug McClure as Trampas
Clu Gulager as Emmett Ryker
Roberta Shore as Betsy Garth (not in this episode)
Randy Boone as Randy Benton (not in this episode)
and
James Drury as the Virginian

Guest Stars (during ride in)
Richard Beymer [Mark Shannon]
And
Diana Lynn [Peggy Shannon]

Full ending credits:
Co-Starring
Myron Healey as Slauson
L.Q. Jones as Belden
#
with
Roy Engel as Barney Wingate
Robert B. Williams as Dade
Edward Faulkner as Bert
#
Virginian Theme Percy Faith
#
Director of Photography Benjamin H. Kline, A.S.C.
#
Supervising Producer Joel Rogosin
#
Art Director  . . .  George Chan
Film Editor  . . .  John Joyce
Assistant Director  . . .  Ray Taylor, Jr.
Set Decorators  . . .  John McCarthy and James M. Walters
Sound  . . .  Earl Crain, Jr.
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  . . .  Virginia Darcy
The title "The Virginian" by permission of EMKA, LTD.

Series regular characters appearing in this episode:  The Virginian,
Trampas, Ryker (as Sheriff), and Belden

Brief synopsis:  A herd of sick cattle is headed for Medicine Bow's valley,
and the Virginian has reason to regret teaching its young owner how to
accurately shoot a gun.

Synopsis:
Mark Shannon (Beymer) and his sister Peggy (Lynn), who had to take over the
mortgage on their ranch in Montana after their father died, had a deadline
to meet for getting their cattle to an army post in Colorado.  In Casper,
Wyoming, the Virginian intervenes in a fight between the unruly Mark and his
trail boss Jack Slauson (Healey) who had fired the boy because he refused to
take orders.  The Virginian offers Mark a job at Shiloh and, upon the young
man's request, teaches him how to shoot a gun with accuracy, warning him that
"the important thing about a gun is not knowing how to use it but knowing
when not to."  News comes from Casper that cattle in that area were dying of
Spanish Fever, and it was suspected that the Shannon herd, which was now
headed toward Medicine Bow, might be carrying the disease.  Slauson and
Peggy are reluctant to go another route, especially since there is a
scarcity of water on the other trail and their cattle aren't showing any
sign of disease.  After the Virginian explains that some cattle can be
immune yet pass the sickness on to others Slauson does,  however, agree to
hold their herd away from the valley for 24 hours while the neighboring
ranchers tried to work out a suitable solution.  But Mark, wanting to be in
charge and now confident that his prowess with his pistol made him equal
with any other man, forces Slauson to draw his gun and, proud of critically
wounding the trail boss, tells Peggy he was taking back what was rightfully
his.  Concerned now for Mark as well as others, the Virginian tries to make
the young man understand the responsibility of handling a weapon and that "a
'boy' with a gun doesn't last long in this country."  Unbeknownst to the
Shannons, the Virginian had Belden put a few head of Shiloh steers in with
their herd, and when the drovers find stock with the Shiloh brand showing
signs of the fever Peggy and Slauson decide to do what is necessary to keep
the infection from spreading through the valley.  Not so with Mark who plans
to get his cattle to Ft. Collins on time by stampeding the herd through the
quarantine line.  His sister's insistence that Mark was irresponsible and needed
to grow up only makes the young man angrier at the world.  Slauson tells
Peggy she must warn the ranchers, but the woman will not "set up guns
against" her brother.  The wounded trail boss then rides to Shiloh to inform
the Virginian of Mark's plans, but, because of his love for Peggy, mentions
that the boy didn't really mean any harm--he was just "caught in his own
trap" and didn't know how to get out of it.  When the Shiloh hands stop the
stampeding cattle Mark calls the Virginian to a showdown.  The foreman, who
wants no part in a fight, refuses, telling Mark "a 'man' doesn't settle his
problems with a gun."  Ignoring this advice, Mark draws and shoots leaving
the Virginian no choice but to fire back in self defense.  Standing over
Mark's body, the Virginian says, "You didn't learn anything, did you." (bj)

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