User Reviews

Lou Costello gives an impressive performance in this episode of "Wagon Train." His character of Tobias Jones, a hardcore alcoholic, is far removed from the roles he played opposite Bud Abbott, something far darker and far more self destructive.

Playing opposite Ward Bond, Frank McGrath and a young Peter Breck, Mr. Costello more than holds his own. Beverly Washburn also gives an outstanding performance as Costello's young charge.

It's sad that Costello's final performance was in a pathetic 1959 movie. Had he lived, I think he could have gone on to more dramatic roles, perhaps on Gunsmoke, The Twilight Zone, The FBI and so on. As it is, be thankful that you can see Mr. Costello in this fine episode of a superb series!

Around the Horn Oct 1, 1958 The Juan Ortega Story Oct 8, 1958 The Jennifer Churchill Story Oct 15, 1958 The Tobias Jones Story Oct 22, 1958

Before they go "Around the Horn", Major Adams, Bill Hawks and Charlie Wooster are doing the town in San Francisco, in fancy dress. Flint McCullough has opened to ride East. Adams, Hawks and Wooster get slipped a mickey and shanghaied (got to love the old-time language). They wind up just members of the crew on a ship commanded by William Bendix, who's first mate, (Marc Lawrence) is as evil as he looks. Unlike him, Bendix is a hard man but also has a human side. His daughter, played by 12 year old Sandy Drescher, (no apparent relation to Fran), is fascinated by Adams' stories of the west. Her governess, (Osa Massen), has come to love her and her father. Adams and the captain develop a cautious relationship based on recognizing the similarities in their position, Adams as the wagon master and Bendix as the ship's captain. But Adams' feud with Lawrence comes to a head and Lawrence winds up going over the side to a meeting with a shark, (was that the Wilhelm scream?). The ship winds up in New Orleans where the captain marries the governess, who wants him 'safe' on dry land. Adams, Hawks and Wooster wind up back in St. Joseph's Missouri, where McCullough has put together a new train, waiting for them. Then we see the captain, his new wife and child pulling up in a wagon, wanting to join the train. His wife reminds him that he won't be the boss anymore - now it's Adams' turn.

This episode has a scene from Flint's trip back where he stops in to visit Sheriff Willy Moran from the series' premiere episode the previous season. It was unheard of outside of the soaps in his era to presume that their audience had seen and remembered a character from an episode shown a year before. The producers of Wagon Train obviously had a lot of faith that their fans were watching every episode. Willy is way ahead of his time- and ours as a Sheriff. His jail is like a western version of a five star hotel. He feels that treating the prisoners "like a human being" will make it less likely that they will commit future crimes. Michael Moore would love it.

The first episode of the new trip is The Juan Ortega Story. Dean Stockwell play a young latino whose father is captured and hung, in his presence by three men. He remains silent but vows revenge. He's picked up by the wagon train and, as they proceed he finds opportunities to get it. He idolized his father but apparently didn't know him very well. The last man tells him that his father was a thief and a murderer who had killed family members of each of the men. He begs forgiveness of a priest and is then adopted by a childless couple on the train, even though he'll have to undergo a trial. Despite the drama, I didn't find it a memorable episode.

Jennifer Churchill is played by Rhonda Fleming, (not Arlene Dahl who I thought this was - they are doppelgangers). She's a 'runaway heiress' in the tradition of the old Screwball comedies of the 30's. Her father is a railroad magnate who has arranged a marriage for her. She's escaped and has wound up on the wagon train in her very own wagon, which she has no idea how to operate. She winds up with some stragglers that Major Adams sends Flint McCullough to take over. Flint plays "The Taming of the Shrew" with Jenny until he returns her to her father. Again, not a memorable episode.

The Tobias Jones Story is memorable, at least to me. Growing up, one of our local stations ran old movies from the 30's, 40's and 50's and for me and my friends in the neighborhood, the top attractions were Errol Flynn and Abbott and Costello. Both Errol and Lou Costello died of heart attacks in 1959, (and we also lost Superman, George Reeves, who shot himself that year). Lou's penultimate performance is as Tobias Jones, (he made a terrible film called "Attack of the 50 Foot Woman" after this and then came the heart attack), an alcoholic ner-do-well who has sort of adopted a waif, ('Midge') played by 14 year old Beverly Washburn, (who looks more like a 10 year old). They are stow-aways on Charlie Wooster's wagon and not discovered until the train is so far from the town they were in that Major Adams agrees they can stay with the train until the next town. But Adams insists that Washburn live with a family. There's always a childless couple on the train, often with a garrulous husband and a loving wife who wants the child. In this case the husband is Morris Ankrum, a frequent, (and my favorite) Perry Mason judge. He resents the kid and looks down on Tobias, which results in her hitting the child and Tobias threatening him. Later, Ankrum's body is found with Tobias' knife in his back. He goes on trial, presided over by Major Adams. Peter Breck, a trouble-maker, doesn't even see the point of a trail. Traditionally, the leader of a lynch mob is the guy who really did it and everything points to that conclusion here. But it turns out to be somebody else, someone who says they were trying to steal Ankrum's money ($10,000!) and there was a fight - how did Ankrum wind up getting stabbed in the back? This was written by Harry Von Zell, a famous radio announcer of the 30's and 40's now best remembered for playing exactly that on the Burns and Allen TV show. Harry plays a compassionate man seeking the best situation for Midge, Tobias and everything else - we think.

I just watched Lou Costello in the Tobias Jones Story on Wagon Train, and it was very sad although ( spoilers ahead) it had a happy ending for Costello's character Tobias Jones because he survived after being accused of murder and ended up with the little girl Midge who loved him unconditionally ( despite his alcoholism). What makes it sad, is you can tell Costello was very sick during this episode, and he was actually lucky to finish it ( he died less then a year later). The highlights were the scenes involving Jones and Midge and a particularly strong and compassionate performance by Major Adams ( Ward Bond). Bond, who worked with almost everyone in his career ( especially John Wayne and James Stewart), probably chose Costello for Wagon Train as he did Charles Laughton. For that very reason: He never worked with him ( unlike the others he worked with; John Wayne, Henry Fonda, James Stewart and countless others).