User Reviews

Actor Ross Elliott (recurring character in The Virginian) portrays a cowardly lawyer and gets instruction from Josh early in the episode on threatening someone with a lawsuit. Although Josh flashes the mare's leg in the beginning, his main weapon in this (and the subsequent) episode is something like a Four-shot Pepperbox Pistol. The villain (played by Warren Oates) gets the jump on Josh (and admires the pistol). Later, Josh's ability to do a quick re-load of the pistol is critical. The lawyer's wife is the strong character here, having fearlessly been a witness against the Oates character earlier, and standing up to Oates in the face of a revolver.

Fourth appearance for Warren Oates in this series, each playing a different character. His best character by far, displaying his acting chops.

Warren Oates was in top form as a wanted fugitive with an axe to grind against a cowardly lawyer (Ross Elliot) and his butch wife (Constance Ford).

This couple could not be more incompatible if they had been married in hades. Ford spends most of the episode sneering at her husband while giving him back-handed compliments. Ross Elliot plays her husband while literally shaking and quivering in self-loathing, as he freely admits he is a coward.

Along comes Josh Randall to provide protection because Ford testified against Warren Oates, and Oates broke out of jail, and killed a deputy when we was almost recaptured. He comes into their house guns blazing, and Randall kills his sidekick, but Oates puts a bullet in Randall.

The rest of this is spent with Oates ripping into Elliot and mocking the cowardice of "Mr. Lawyer" with no end of joy. Eventually the injured Randall gets his chance, and the final gunplay is worth the wait. Good stuff, with Randall getting and loading a two-shot derringer while Oates is shooting away all six shots.

This episode is more melodrama than anything else, especially in the first half of it. Things get a little livelier, however, when Warren Oates enters the scene, playing fugitive "Clem Robinson." Oates usually played interesting characters and was especially good at playing crooks ("Dillinger"). He had the face for it, and the smart-alack grin and laugh of a sadistic killer.

Meanwhile, most of the show is about a self-labeled "coward" and his wife. The latter testified against "Clem" and they figure the escaped convict is going after her, so the guy hires Randall. Most of the time he whines about what a wimp he is. It's interesting at first but then grows tiresome to hear. His wife, not portrayed as a likable woman herself, is tired of hearing it, too. Not only does the husband "Ross Ellliott" (Jim Lawton) torment himself, but the killer adds to it by mocking him. (This is not a very pleasant episode to watch, frankly.)

Note: It's unusual to see "Josh Randall" (Steve McQueen) dressed up in a white shirt, tie (of sorts) and vest.