Inasmuch as general amnesia is uncommon -- to the point of virtual non-existence -- its use has to be presumed the result of the writers not having any good story ideas.
In fairness to this particular episode, it's handled fairly well, with Miss Barbara Stanwyck accepting Lew Ayres' claim that she's his wife. She comes out of her amnesia fairly quickly, prompted by a photo in her locket (rather than some sudden shock).
Though the amnesia plot dooms this episode to a low rating, what pushes it down to a 3 is the opening sequence. Riding back to Stockton, the stage coach's bar cracks, subjecting the driver to a lethal bellyflop worthy of Yakima Canutt. (The same sequence is used in "Gunsmoke" 17.1, "The Lost".) Naturally, the stage coach plunges over the side of a carelessly positioned cliff. This is so -- shall we say -- over the top, that I couldn't stop laughing.
That isn't all. Rather than being crippled, mutilated, and/or killed (as anyone in such an accident should have been), Miss Barbara Stanwyck is thrown clear, landing in what can only be described as a leg-cocked cheesecake pose, her bodily injuries indicated by a schmeer makeup on her temple.
In terms of simple entertainment value, these are the high points. The rest of the show can only go downhill (sorry!) from there. And it does.
In fairness to this particular episode, it's handled fairly well, with Miss Barbara Stanwyck accepting Lew Ayres' claim that she's his wife. She comes out of her amnesia fairly quickly, prompted by a photo in her locket (rather than some sudden shock).
Though the amnesia plot dooms this episode to a low rating, what pushes it down to a 3 is the opening sequence. Riding back to Stockton, the stage coach's bar cracks, subjecting the driver to a lethal bellyflop worthy of Yakima Canutt. (The same sequence is used in "Gunsmoke" 17.1, "The Lost".) Naturally, the stage coach plunges over the side of a carelessly positioned cliff. This is so -- shall we say -- over the top, that I couldn't stop laughing.
That isn't all. Rather than being crippled, mutilated, and/or killed (as anyone in such an accident should have been), Miss Barbara Stanwyck is thrown clear, landing in what can only be described as a leg-cocked cheesecake pose, her bodily injuries indicated by a schmeer makeup on her temple.
In terms of simple entertainment value, these are the high points. The rest of the show can only go downhill (sorry!) from there. And it does.