The Classic TV Archive - TV Western series
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3.27 [087]
"Farewell To Honesty"
Original NBC Broadcast - 24 March 1965
Universal TV Production
Executive Producer Frank Price
Produced By Frank Telford
Teleplay by True Boardman
Story by Carey Wilber
Directed by Leon Benson
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)
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 Star:
Richard Carlson
Full Ending credits:
Co-starring
Kathleen Crowley (pictured above)
as Jennifer McLeod
#
Dorothy Green
as Laura Forrester
#
Richard Crane
as Paul Denning
#
Douglas Henderson
as Leonard Walters
#
with
Herbert Voland…..as Judge Dodge
#
John Lodge…as the Doctor
Harry Swoger…as Killigrew
William Boyett…as Harley
Burt Mustin…as Jebb Finney
Fred Holliday .as The Telegraph operator
Mike Ragan…as the Stableman
And
Harold Gould
as John Harrison
#
Virginian Theme
Percy Faith
#
Director of Photography
Benjamin H. Kline
A.S.C.
#
Supervising Producer
Joel Rogosin
#
Story Editor
Cy Chermak
#
Art Director….George Patrick
Film Editor…..Edward Haire A.C.E.
Assistant Director…..George Bisk (h?)
Set Decorators….John McCarthy and James M. Walters
Sound…..Earl Crain, Jr.
Color Consultant….Alex Quiroga
Color by PATHE
#
Editorial Dept. Head . David A. 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 regulars appearing in this episode:
The Virginian, Emmett Ryker
Brief synopsis:
The Virginian is frustrated in his attempt to bring fraud charges against
Honesty, Wyoming's most prominent citizen. Before he can accomplish his task,
the man is murdered and the Virginian is arrested as the most likely suspect.
It is up to his friend Emmett Ryker to bring the real killer to justice. [apm]
Detailed synopsis:
As Jennifer McLeod supervises the repair of a saloon window, the Virginian
rides into Honesty, Wyoming and asks her where he can find a man who calls
himself Major Ralph Forrester, as well as the law. He continues to stare at
her after getting his answers, and wants to know where did he see her
before, was it Medicine Bow or Laramie? She says she’s never been to either
one but her gaze follows him as he rides down the street.
Sheriff Killigrew and the Virginian arrive at Major Forrester’s home. The
Virginian has brought a warrant and is deputized to bring the Major back
to Medicine Bow on charges of fraud for buying cattle from Judge Garth
with forged deeds. On hearing this charge, Mrs. Forrester summons Judge
Dodge to settle the matter. He tells the Virginian that under Wyoming
territorial code only a regular officer of the law can transport an accused
in a criminal proceeding. After everyone leaves, Laura and Ralph argue
about Ralph’s frequent visits to the saloon in town.
The Virginian meets with a lawyer by the name of John Harrison, and asks
him to pursue the case against the Major but Harrison tells him that the
Forresters own all the enterprises in town and therefore everyone is
loyal to them. He advises the Virginian to summon the law from Medicine
Bow, so that Forrester can be brought back there for trial.
Ralph Forrester visits the Laura Belle saloon ostensibly to speak to
Jennifer about how business is doing, but it becomes obvious right away
that these two have a history and there’s more between them than the
saloon business. He teases her about coming with him to Cheyenne, but
she holds him at bay telling him she won't live "on the back seat of
any man's life."
The Virginian arrives at the saloon and Jennifer joins him at a table
for a drink. Once again he launches into listing places they might have
met: Wichita? Santa Fe? While they’re talking, Forrester emerges from
the office and when he insists that the Virginian should get out of town
the two almost have a showdown, but Jennifer deftly gets between them
and signals Forrester with a look that he should leave.
Later that evening, the Virginian walks Jennifer home, and when they
arrive at her door, he continues to try and guess where they met: Kansas
City? He thinks about her first name, and says it out loud: “Jennifer
…..Jenny! You’re Clara Baines’ kid sister! Of course! Now I remember.
It was when I was working the yards with Carl Baines. It was the ‘Jennifer’
that threw me.” She says some things are better left forgotten, and with
worry in her voice warns him to go back home, then tearfully turns and
rushes into her house.
While the Virginian is walking back into town from Jennifer's, someone
takes a shot at him and he quickly returns fire, but his attacker gets
away. The sheriff comes running and the Virginian gives him a warning
to deliver to Forrester: “You tell him if this happens to me again
it’ll be him I’m lookin’ for.”
The next morning, Laura Forrester visits Jennifer and compliments her
loyalty and efficiency, musing that she is wasting her talents in such
a small town. She offers to help her establish a place in a bigger town,
such as Cheyenne, and asks her not to tell the Major. In other words,
Laura wants Jennifer out of Honesty. In another part of town, the
telegrapher stops the Major to tell him that the wire the Virginian was
waiting for has come in. It’s from a Deputy Ryker who says he will be
arriving in Honesty tomorrow. Forrester tells the telegrapher not to
give the wire to the Virginian and hurriedly rides away.
That night the Virginian and John Harrison come to the saloon office at
the behest of Major Forrester. The Major presents $8000 to the Virginian
as payment in full for Judge Garth’s cattle, not as an admission of
guilt but because he doesn’t like disagreements. He sends everyone out
to the bar for a drink and when he’s alone with Jennifer he tells her
to get ready to go to Cheyenne right away and bid a “fond farewell to
Honesty”. She guesses that Ralph plans to harm the Virginian and refuses
to go with him. He laughs and reminds her of a certain murder in Cheyenne,
and the alibi he concocted on her behalf back then, and threatens to
expose her if she doesn’t go with him. Leonard Walters, the Forresters'
business manager is listening at the saloon office door and hears everything.
With Judge Garth’s $8000 finally in hand, the Virginian is in a hurry
to return to Medicine Bow, so he wakes up the stable owner to bring him
his horse. While the sleepy man is tacking up Joe, the Virginian is
knocked out and robbed. He rides out to the Forrester home and angrily
accuses the Major of stealing it but Forrester (who is packing for a
midnight “business trip”) insists he was with Jennifer and Walters all
evening. He sends the Virginian back to town to verify this and, as he
is leaving, the Virginian levels a threat at Forrester that he will
get back the $8000 from him.
The Virginian returns to the saloon and asks Jennifer to meet him at her
place in five minutes. Next, Forrester races into the saloon, and when
he doesn’t find Jennifer, he heads to her house on the heels of the
Virginian. The Virginian is almost at Jennifer’s house when shots are
fired from the alley behind him. He quickly returns fire, and hears
someone fall to the ground. Upon checking the alley, he finds the body
of the Major. Just then, the sheriff arrives at the scene and arrests
the Virginian for shooting an unarmed man: it seems Forrester did not
have a gun.
The next day, Ryker arrives in Honesty and learns that his friend has
been arrested for murder. He visits the jail where the Virginian insists
it was self-defense. So Ryker questions Laura Forrester, who tells him
her husband did not take his gun with him when he left the house that
night. She also shows him the only other weapon they own, a derringer
in an upstairs desk drawer. Next, Ryker goes to the alley where the
shooting took place to collect more evidence, finding a section of wall
with two bullet holes. When he visits Jennifer to ask her if she will
testify on the Virginian’s behalf, she tells him the prosecution has
already subpoenaed her to testify for them.
The trial begins and both Sheriff Killigrew and Laura Forrester testify
that the Virginian threatened the Major. Curiously, Jennifer isn't even
called to the stand. But the Virginian’s lawyer, with Ryker’s help,
proves that the bullets that killed Forrester could not have come from
the Virginian’s gun because when samples of both are placed on a scale
it can be seen that the Virginian’s bullets are heavier than the ones
taken from the Major’s body.
During a recess, Leonard Walters tells the defense lawyer about the
argument he overheard between Forrester and Jennifer, where Forrester
threatened to blackmail her. Ryker and the sheriff leave to search
Jennifer’s place for a gun. They find an envelope containing $20,000
plus a derringer in a suitcase under her bed.
When the trial resumes, Walters testifies and then Harrison tries to
cast suspicion on Jennifer by bringing up the killing she was accused
of in the past, and charging that she lifted the envelope of money from
Forrester’s body. She becomes upset and finally admits to taking the
money in order to protect Laura Forrester from learning what Ralph
had done, insisting that she planned to pay it back and that she did
not kill him. A second recess is called so that Jennifer’s derringer
can be tested but the slug from it does not weigh the same as the one
found in Forrester’s body either.
Ryker disappears and when court resumes he places a slug on the scale
whose weight matches the one found in Major Forrester’s body. He then
presents the gun that fired the slug - it is the derringer from Laura
Forrester’s house! Harrison calls Laura to the stand and tries to badger
her into admitting that she killed her husband. But Walters, in an
emotional outburst, admits that he killed Forrester because he hated
“that vain, stupid man” and loved Laura. The Virginian breathes a sigh
of relief.
As Ryker and the Virginian are leaving town, Harrison advises Ryker to
keep his friend out of trouble. The Virginian sees Jennifer and crosses
the street to invite her to Medicine Bow. She tells him she needs to
clear up a few things and then .....“who knows?” They shake hands and
say good-bye. The Virginian and Ryker ride out of town together while
Jennifer waves goodbye. [apm]
Additional Comments:
After the near-showdown between Forrester and the Virginian in the saloon,
the bartender tells the Virginian that “a man could get shot in this town
for less than that.” But a cool and confident Virginian replies “Not
when I’m facing him.”
As Ryker departs from visiting the Virginian in jail, he jokingly tells
his friend to "take your hat off the bed, a thing like that could bring
a fella bad luck." The Virginian takes his hat off the bed, then
disgustedly throws it back down: his luck is already as bad as it can get. [apm]