User Reviews

Cheyenne shoots another Laverson, but there are three left and they have threatened to get Cheyenne. Cheyenne has a checkered past with Amarillo Ames; but Ames needs Cheyenne to get his herd to Dodge first. Ames needs the cash or will lose his ranch. Ames dies on the trail; and his orders for Cheyenne to take over were written down and were washed away. Cheyenne has a group of drovers to manage who don't trust him. He has enemies on the trail, Ruck Grover, who wants to steal the herd. He gets word that the Laversons have taken the train to get to Dodge first and make the plans to kill Bodie. Worse, Susan Ames shows up and tries for a coup of her own. In spite of everything, Cheyenne gets the Ames herd in and with no thanks from Susan Ames. Cheyenne even gives Susan Ames his bonus so she can pay the bonus he promised the men. Cheyenne explains the debt he believes he owed Amarillo: Cheyenne feels responsible for the accidental death of her brother.

Once in Dodge, Rowdy Shane, one of the Ames drovers tells Cheyenne the Laversons are there and looking for the man who shot their brother in the back. We know the truth, but Cheyenne sits there calmly drinking his coffee waiting for the showdown. Squint brings word that there are three Laversons and four gunmen waiting for Cheyenne, including Ruck. For being a friend, Squint gets killed. Cheyenne gets unexpected help from the Ames drovers; and survives although shot.

Cheyenne heads out for Wyoming, alone again; no, this time he joins Susan and the drovers for the ride back to Texas. Sometimes, it's good to spend time with new friends.

Look for Paul Bringer before his Rawhide days as Wishbone; and Bob Steele, hero of countless Western films in 30's and 40's and ended up as the almost invisible Trooper Duffy on F Troop. And Squint was played by Harry Tyler, another actor you recognize but don't know but have seen in the background in hundreds of films and TV shows. Same for Trevor Bardette who played Amarillo. TV provided an opportunity for many fading actors of the 40's and 50's. We get that momentary flash of knowing but not knowing.

That's what one of the drovers says to Cheyenne after he's been relentless in his determination to fulfill a vow. But that's not the beginning of the story.

Having been invited by former employer Amarillo Ames to talk about a job, Cheyenne Bodie rides into town, enters the saloon, and orders a bowl of stew and coffee. The next thing he knows, he's being challenged by one of the Laverson boys who's bent on revenge for the shootout his kid brother lost to Cheyenne a while back. The Old West was rife with vengeful men seeking Cheyenne Bodie's hide! Anyway, another Laverson bites the dust, but then one of the remaining brothers vows revenge. Here we go again.

Meanwhile, Cheyenne goes on his way. (Not sure he ever got that bowl of stew). When he reaches the Ames ranch, the resident ramrods take an instant dislike to him and, apparently and inexplicably, so does Susan Ames. Maybe the reason for her attitude is that there's a secret that Amarillo and Cheyenne share, and the older man is determined for it to remain between the two of them, never to be spoken of again, even to his daughter. The future of his ranch depends on a successful drive, so Cheyenne reluctantly agrees to help see that it is. Sadly, Amarillo dies at the beginning of the drive. After a decisive fistfight with the most vocal of the opposing drovers, Cheyenne takes over as Ames had instructed him to do and, although he doesn't get support from...well, anybody...he manages to make sure the herd is the first into Dodge City. To do so earns him a $1000 bonus as trail boss. Coming after his inflexible determination to get that herd to market before anyone else, this news does not endear him to the still-resentful drovers or to Susan. He'd promised the men an extra $100 each to keep them from deserting, so he turns his bonus money over to Susan to divide among them. When she insists on knowing why he'd been so single-minded in driving the herd and the men, he reluctantly tells her the secret. By this time, Susan Ames' icy attitude toward him had already begun to thaw. But the episode isn't over yet.

The three remaining Laverson brothers are in town. Backed by hired guns, plus a gang whose attempts to steal the herd Cheyenne had cleverly thwarted, they're determined to see that this was Cheyenne's last roundup. Although wounded (in one of the most heart-wrenching scenes of the series), Cheyenne survives with the help of the same drovers who had once threatened to shoot him in the back if given the chance. At the end, a sore but recovered Cheyenne declines Susan's sincere suggestion that he come back with them to Texas; his plans, he says, are unchangeable. However, as he watches the crew leave, he stops his horse, declares, "Wyoming can wait!" and gallops after them. It was touching to see our solitary rover give in to the urge to spend more time with what had unexpectedly become friends he wasn't quite ready to see ride out of his life. Perhaps he's not the inveterate loner he thought he was.

The supporting cast is good, especially familiar face Hal Baylor as the most antagonistic drover who gets his ticket punched when he tries to stop Cheyenne from taking over as trail boss; not the first time Baylor has tangled with the Big Guy and lost. Trevor Bardette is solid as the forward-thinking Amarillo Ames and veteran character actor Harry Tyler's old rustler Squint proves to be Cheyenne's only friend during the drive. Nancy Hale as Susan Ames goes from ice cold to lukewarm; too bad we can't check her temperature after Cheyenne has spent some time on her ranch.

Clint Walker's Cheyenne Bodie shows in this episode, as he has in them all, why he is adored by legions of fans. He's a man of his word---determined, fair, capable and trustworthy. His wry sense of humor sneaks in when you least expect it, and he delivers lines in that calm, deep voice that commands attention. Not to mention looking exceptionally good every minute while getting the job done. We enjoy spending time with him and seeing how he deals with the variety of challenges that confront him on a regular basis. There has never been a more engaging nor perfectly cast cowboy.