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 8.23 [224]
"Rich Man, Poor Man"
Original NBC Broadcast - 11 March 1970

Universal City Studios, Inc.
Executive Producer Norman Macdonnell
Produced by John Choy
Written by Arthur Heinemann
Directed by Tony Leader

Starring
(shown on the ride-in)
John McIntire as Clay Grainger (not in this episode)
Doug McClure as Trampas
Tim Matheson as Jim Horn
Sara Lane as Elizabeth Grainger (final appearance)
and
James Drury as The Virginian

Guest Stars
Jack Elam [Harv Yost]
Patricia Morrow [Ellie Yost]
and
Michael Larrain as Whit Yost

Complete ending credits:
Co-Starring
Kenneth Tobey as Joe Pierce
#
Tom Basham as Jess Pulver
#
Russell Thorson . . . Josh Dorcas
(Mr. Thorson was recurring character Sheriff Evans in season one)
Arthur Hanson . . . John Nelson
Robert Brubaker . . . Reardon
Harper Flaherty . . . Harper
Bud Walls . . . Bart Whedon
#
Associate Producer Robert Van Scoyk
#
Theme Percy Faith
#
Director of Photography Enzo A. Martinelli
#
Art Director . . . William J. Kenney
Set Decorations . . . John McCarthy and Perry Murdock
Unit Manager . . . Henry Kline
Assistant Director . . . Les Berke
#
Film Editor . . . Jack W. Schoengarth
Music Supervision . . . Stanley Wilson
Sound . . . Earl Crain, Jr.
Color Coordinator . . . Robert Brower
Technicolor
Titles and optical effects Universal Title
#
Editorial Supervision . . . Richard Belding
Costumes by . . . Helen Colvig
Makeup . . . Bud Westmore
Hair Stylist . . . Larry Germain
The Title "THE VIRGINIAN" by permission of EMKA, LTD.

Series regular characters appearing in this episode:
The Virginian, Trampas, Jim Horn,
Elizabeth Grainger (her last, and only two scenes--at the
ranch when Whit and Harv came to get a horse and at the party when she
encouraged Ellie to come down and dance), Harper and Cecil

Synopsis:
The Virginian feels a sense of responsibility toward Harv Yost (Elam) for
saving
his life after he'd gotten lost in a snow storm while in Nebraska. Since
moving to Wyoming, Harv had fallen on hard times, and it seems the more he
tries to get out the deeper his problems become. The Virginian wants to do
all he can to help his disgruntled friend and, when Harv and his son Whit
(Larrain) come to pick up a horse, asks Jim to show the old man where he'd
seen a swarm of bees. As Harv prepares to collect the honey to sell in
town, he
and Jim have a run in with a thief, find stolen money, and completely forget
about the bees. Harv would like to keep the loot, but the Virginian thinks
it's best to turn it over to the sheriff. Harv grumbles that everyone wants
to keep him at the "bottom of the pile." Then, much to his surprise and
delight, Harv receives a $10,000 reward for the recovery of the stolen
money. Trying to impress others, he moves into expensive rooms at Medicine
Bow's hotel
and throws an indulgent party. At the shin dig the Virginian
suggest Harv invest the rest of the money in a small ranch instead of
squandering it on frivolity and asks Trampas if he will help get his friend
started in the cattle business. Because Harv has envied Clay Grainger and
wants to rival him he buys the second largest ranch in the territory.
Trampas is uneasy with the situation, especially since Harv has already made
big plans without consulting him first. Whit believes his father will make
it this time, but Harv continues wasting his wealth on fancy buggies and
unnecessary
additions to the house. He also determines to outdo Grainger by bringing in
another herd of cattle. Without asking Trampas, Harv has one of his men cut
the fence to a piece of land currently shared with Shiloh then tells Trampas
he's going to use the area whether Shiloh gives permission or not. Trampas
refuses to take the order to move cattle onto the pasture because there had
been an agreement by both ranches not to use it for grazing for two years.
When Harv challenges Trampas for arguing with him, Trampas reminds him he
was "there on loan" then quits his job as Yost's temporary foreman. The
Virginian, Trampas, and Jim ride out to stop Harv from putting
his new herd on the shared land. The Virginian tries to reason with Harv,
but the old man has set his way and won't listen. Just as a gunfight is
about to ensue, Whit arrives--without the cattle. He angrily tells his
father there is no other herd because the word had gotten out Harv had
exhausted his money and is a credit risk. Whit can no longer abide by his
father's prideful ambition and decides to leave. The Virginian informs Harv
he'd dug himself into a hole, and if he blamed anyone else but himself he'd
never climb out of it. Harv returns to his meager farm, and the Virginian
visits to tell him about another swarm of bees. Whit is gone, but a young
storekeeper wants to marry Harv's daughter Ellie (Morrow) and try his hand
at farming. Although Harv had lost it all, he isn't sorry and remembers
fondly his short lived riches saying a man is entitled to one big spree in
his lifetime. (bj)

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