User Reviews

"The Charlene Brenton Story," which aired 51 years ago today, is a story about an orphaned baby found on a stagecoach with her dead mother. When the bartender, played by Sean McClory, determines the mother died from the plague, those in the town determine that they must get rid of the baby, who presumably is also stricken.

Enter Charlie Wooster.

While a bar fight ensues, Charlie makes off with the baby, whom he first thinks is a boy. When he finds she is a girl, he calls her Mary and tends to the baby. What follows is a superb human interest story, and a touching one at that.

While Ward Bond is the featured lead actor, this episode really belongs to Frank McGrath, who managed to stay with the series for its entire eight-year run. Whether it was this series, or "Tammy," which he had a prominent supporting role in, he commands the small screen. Watch also for Raymond Bailey, in a pre-"Beverly Hillbillies" role as the baby's grandfather.

When "Wagon Train" showed fighting against Native Americans, it did not make for good viewing. Thankfully, this is the sort of episode that shows the series' greatness. And this episode is a gem.