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 6.19 [168]
"Gentle Tamers"
NBC Broadcast - 24 January 1968

Universal City Studios, Inc.
Executive Producer Norman Macdonnell
Produced by Joel Rogosin
Teleplay by Don Tait
Story by Abe Polsky & Gil Lasky
Directed by Tony Leader

Starring:
(shown on the ride-in)
John McIntire as Clay Grainger
Doug McClure as Trampas
Clu Gulager as Emmett Ryker (last regular appearance)_
Don Quine as Stacey Grainger (not in this episode)
Sara Lane as Elizabeth Grainger
and
James Drury as The Virginian

(These actors were credited during the opening credits after the "teaser"
but not as guest stars)
With
Anthony Call [Val Tussey]
Darwin Joston [Dan Moss]
Don Pedro Colley [Ira Diller]

Full ending credits:
Introducing Jean Peloquin singing "Mr. Painter" (no character name
given--usually credited as Gene or Jean)
#
Co-Starring
Wesley Lau as Hoyt
James Griffith as Kyle Spanner
#
With
William Fawcett  . . .  Telegrapher
Gail Bonney  . . .  Lady
Burt Mustin  . . .  Pops
#
Dick Shane  . . .  Dick
Harper Flaherty  . . .  Harper
and
Paul Comi as Warden Keane
#
Associate Producer David Levinson
#
Theme Percy Faith
#
Director of Photography Enzo A. Martinelli
#
Art Director  . . .  George Patrick
Film Editor  . . .  Budd Small
Unit Manager  . . .  Henry Kline
Assistant Director  . . .  George Bisk
Set Decorations  . . .  John McCarthy
                                 Robert C. Bradfield
Sound  . . .  Melvin M. Metcalfe, Sr.
Color Coordinator  . . .  Robert Brower
Technicolor
#
Editorial Supervision  . . .  Richard Belding
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:  Clay Grainger, the
Virginian, Trampas, Elizabeth Grainger, Emmett Ryker, Harper, Dick, Cecil,
and introducing Jean the "singing cowboy"

Brief Synopsis:
As a favor to prison warden George Keane (Comi) Clay Grainger hires three
convicts for a rehabilitation experiment:  killer Ira Dillard (Colley),
swindler Val Tussey (Call), and young horse thief Dan Moss (Joston).  In
order to give the prisoners a fair chance Clay asks the Virginian to keep
their identity a secret.  When Keane is killed in a prison riot Clay becomes
even more determined to go through with his friend's test.  During the
roundup for a cattle drive to Seattle Tussey, finding ranch work not to his
liking, tries to persuade Dillard and Moss to steal a few head of Shiloh
steers and make an escape to Canada.  But Moss wants nothing more to do with
thievery, especially after he takes satisfaction in saving Elizabeth's mare
which almost died during foaling.  Dillard has always followed Tussey's
orders because Tussey "talks" to him but decides at the last moment against
going in on the deal.  Spanner, an ex-convict who was going to sell the
cattle for them, draws his gun to shoot Dillard for deserting, but Tussey
pushes his arm down.  The shot misses Dillard, but the noise startles the
cattle into stampeding.  Tussey rides to the front of the herd to turn it
before it runs over the cliff but falls from his horse and is trampled.
Hoyt (Lau), a federal officer who was not sympathetic with the idea of
parole, had been assigned by the prison commission to watch the convicts and
had accused them of
taking Dick's watch when the cowhand found it was missing.  But after the
three men showed their determination to stop the stampede, even at the cost
of Tussey's life, Hoyt promised Clay he would submit a fair report. (bj)

Character note:  Jean Peloquin sang about a Painter painting a picture of
his Dad. During the song the camera closed in on the facial expressions of
several of the men. Trampas' expression was especially melancholy. Tussey
told Moss that they could have written a different song about his father
(who was hung as a horse thief).  It was obvious that Trampas missed his
father (who had been killed in 2.01 "Ride a Dark Trail"), but his statement
that this was a "good song" showed that he must have respected his "Pa."  He
could have been one who belittled his father for teaching him to lie and
cheat but may have remembered that his dad had reformed before his death to
want only the best for his son.  Another note on Trampas--in 2.01 "Ride a
Dark Trail" the Virginian tells Judge Garth, "He's no hand, that's for sure,
can't tell if he ever will be."  In this episode we see Trampas teaching
Tussey the fine points of roping and riding. (bj)

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