Incident of Fear in the Streets May 8, 1959
Incident Below the Brazos May 15, 1959
Incident of the Dry Drive May 22, 1959
Pete, (Sheb Wooley), has been gored by a steer and Favor and Rowdy go to the nearest town looking for a doctor. They find a tow being held hostage by a crazed rancher, (Gary Merrill), who wants to hang the sheriff, (Don Haggerty) and another man (Ed Nelson), whom he blames for the lynching of his son. Nelson led the mob and Haggerty failed to stop them. The thing about this is that they are all sympathetic, tragic characters, not pure "bad guys". Favor and Rowdy just want the town doctor, (Morris Ankrum), but Merrill won't let them go for fear they will bring help. The retribution Nelson gets is wonderfully ironic.
The Incident Below the Brazos is a confrontation between the drive and some angry farmers who have had violent confrontations with cattle drives in their valley in the recent past. Their leader, (Leslie Neilsen), agrees to let the herd pass through the valley if they avid the farms - and the farmers. But a horse, (not cow) stampede results in the death of a farmer and violent confrontations begin again. Martin Landau, who typically played bad guys in this era, (as in "North By Northwest", which came out this year), untypically plays Nielson's more peaceful brother.
The dry drive starts out being about a dry, (waterless) drive but ends up being about Favor's confrontation with a former trail boss, (Victor Jory), who was involuntarily retired and now has contempt for the younger men who have his old job. He's been rustling strays from passing drives to build up his own herd and owns the rights, (he says), to the only wet water source in the area. So it's going to be his men vs. Favor's and him vs. Favor - until his son and then his wife switches sides. The last shot of a defeated Jory sharing a drink with his son stays in the memory.
Three strong episodes.
Pete, (Sheb Wooley), has been gored by a steer and Favor and Rowdy go to the nearest town looking for a doctor. They find a tow being held hostage by a crazed rancher, (Gary Merrill), who wants to hang the sheriff, (Don Haggerty) and another man (Ed Nelson), whom he blames for the lynching of his son. Nelson led the mob and Haggerty failed to stop them. The thing about this is that they are all sympathetic, tragic characters, not pure "bad guys". Favor and Rowdy just want the town doctor, (Morris Ankrum), but Merrill won't let them go for fear they will bring help. The retribution Nelson gets is wonderfully ironic.
The Incident Below the Brazos is a confrontation between the drive and some angry farmers who have had violent confrontations with cattle drives in their valley in the recent past. Their leader, (Leslie Neilsen), agrees to let the herd pass through the valley if they avid the farms - and the farmers. But a horse, (not cow) stampede results in the death of a farmer and violent confrontations begin again. Martin Landau, who typically played bad guys in this era, (as in "North By Northwest", which came out this year), untypically plays Nielson's more peaceful brother.
The dry drive starts out being about a dry, (waterless) drive but ends up being about Favor's confrontation with a former trail boss, (Victor Jory), who was involuntarily retired and now has contempt for the younger men who have his old job. He's been rustling strays from passing drives to build up his own herd and owns the rights, (he says), to the only wet water source in the area. So it's going to be his men vs. Favor's and him vs. Favor - until his son and then his wife switches sides. The last shot of a defeated Jory sharing a drink with his son stays in the memory.
Three strong episodes.