The John Wilbot Story Jun 11, 1958
The Monty Britton Story Jun 18, 1958
The Sacramento Story Jun 25, 1958
John Wilbot, (Dane Clark), may or may not be John Wilkes Booth. He looks like Booth, (to the people on the wagon train), quotes Shakespeare, especially Julius Caesar. He's a mild-mannered guy, (hardly like Booth). He points out that Booth would hardly change his name to someone so close to John Wilkes Booth, (he also would use his theatrical knowledge to make sure he didn't look like JWB). Wilbot is killed in an Indian attack. Before he dies, he's asked for his real name. He says "John", smiles and dies. Robert Vaughn plays a southern sympathizer on the train who doesn't think much of a guy who shoots someone from behind.
One odd aspect of this one is that Major Adams notes that Flint McCullough is still recovering from an Indian arrow he received in the previous episode so he can't get out and scout for the train. So he chooses to do that himself, (not Bill Hawks) and rides off. He doesn't do a very good job at it and fails to return to warn the train of the impending attack. That leaves Flint in charge of the train. Both Wagon train and Rawhide split up their stars much of the time so they could film separate episodes simultaneously and this became a Flint episode. But there hasn't been a Major Adams episode since the Dan Hogan Story on May 14th. Of course, episodes aren't shown in the order they were filmed. Maybe Ward Bond was simply owed some vacation time.
Monty Britton, (Ray Danton), is an ex-military man people think might be a deserter - or worse. The train is going through a desert and running out of water, (and animals - they've stopped and you don't see one until the final scene). Flint has found a stream but it turned out to be poisoned. His horse is dead and he almost is when he walks back to the train. Danton goes to a nearby fort for help. The commander there had gotten him dishonorably discharged for cowardice.
The first season ends in Sacramento, the train having finally reached California, (although we don't see anything of their trip over the mountains). There Flint helps out Margaret O'Brien, whose dying father had bought some farmland, only to see it swamped with mud due to hydraulic mining. He helps her get their money back from the crooked businessman who both sold them the land and did the mining. Along the way, he meets three characters he met along the trail from Missouri. These are characters from the episodes that have been presented: Cliff Grundy, (Dan Duryea, see S1 D4, 12/25/57), Dora Gray, (Linda Darnell see S1 D5, 1/29/58) and Cassie Tanner, (Marjorie Main see S1 D9 6/4/58). It was unheard of for a show of this era to have this type of continuity. This was Marjorie Main's last appearance in front of the camera before she retired.
The show ends with everyone in the train, including Major Adams selling their wagons. He's planning on returning to St. Joseph's Missouri to start up a new train. Bill Hawks and Charlies Wooster plan to accompany him. Hawks says the now unseen Mrs. Hawks will stay in California. Adams says he expects McCullough will show up in St. Joes' as well. The first episode of the second season will tell us how they get there. The show would continue this wrap-around concept for the first few seasons. Rawhide did a bit of this in their middle seasons.
John Wilbot, (Dane Clark), may or may not be John Wilkes Booth. He looks like Booth, (to the people on the wagon train), quotes Shakespeare, especially Julius Caesar. He's a mild-mannered guy, (hardly like Booth). He points out that Booth would hardly change his name to someone so close to John Wilkes Booth, (he also would use his theatrical knowledge to make sure he didn't look like JWB). Wilbot is killed in an Indian attack. Before he dies, he's asked for his real name. He says "John", smiles and dies. Robert Vaughn plays a southern sympathizer on the train who doesn't think much of a guy who shoots someone from behind.
One odd aspect of this one is that Major Adams notes that Flint McCullough is still recovering from an Indian arrow he received in the previous episode so he can't get out and scout for the train. So he chooses to do that himself, (not Bill Hawks) and rides off. He doesn't do a very good job at it and fails to return to warn the train of the impending attack. That leaves Flint in charge of the train. Both Wagon train and Rawhide split up their stars much of the time so they could film separate episodes simultaneously and this became a Flint episode. But there hasn't been a Major Adams episode since the Dan Hogan Story on May 14th. Of course, episodes aren't shown in the order they were filmed. Maybe Ward Bond was simply owed some vacation time.
Monty Britton, (Ray Danton), is an ex-military man people think might be a deserter - or worse. The train is going through a desert and running out of water, (and animals - they've stopped and you don't see one until the final scene). Flint has found a stream but it turned out to be poisoned. His horse is dead and he almost is when he walks back to the train. Danton goes to a nearby fort for help. The commander there had gotten him dishonorably discharged for cowardice.
The first season ends in Sacramento, the train having finally reached California, (although we don't see anything of their trip over the mountains). There Flint helps out Margaret O'Brien, whose dying father had bought some farmland, only to see it swamped with mud due to hydraulic mining. He helps her get their money back from the crooked businessman who both sold them the land and did the mining. Along the way, he meets three characters he met along the trail from Missouri. These are characters from the episodes that have been presented: Cliff Grundy, (Dan Duryea, see S1 D4, 12/25/57), Dora Gray, (Linda Darnell see S1 D5, 1/29/58) and Cassie Tanner, (Marjorie Main see S1 D9 6/4/58). It was unheard of for a show of this era to have this type of continuity. This was Marjorie Main's last appearance in front of the camera before she retired.
The show ends with everyone in the train, including Major Adams selling their wagons. He's planning on returning to St. Joseph's Missouri to start up a new train. Bill Hawks and Charlies Wooster plan to accompany him. Hawks says the now unseen Mrs. Hawks will stay in California. Adams says he expects McCullough will show up in St. Joes' as well. The first episode of the second season will tell us how they get there. The show would continue this wrap-around concept for the first few seasons. Rawhide did a bit of this in their middle seasons.