Excellent entry that combines mystery, suspense, and a healthy dose of sly and not-so-sly humor. The likable Bret is enlisted by the dislikeable Homer (Hans Conreid) to pose as him at a family get-together where ornery old skinflint Will Wright (who else) will decide who gets his sizable fortune. The family stacks up as an odd assortment of characters who nonetheless disappear one by one, narrowing down the number of possible heirs as they gather around the dinner table. So which one is the culprit. (You may be able to spot the show's very last line coming from a mile away since it's a movie cliché.)
The story is sort of like the old Agatha Christie who-dun-it Ten Little Indians transposed to the American frontier. Fine script with lots of sharply humorous dialogue, especially from professional cynic Conreid who could curl his lip with the best of them. Seeing him in a Western takes some getting used to, but then he does stay in type as an acidly eccentric artist. Getting such an unWestern-type actor was both risky and a brilliant touch that all in all makes the episode.
Note also the several fleeting innuendos that apparently were too quick for the censors. Actually Bret (Garner) has a rather secondary role as the colorful family characters share in the limelight. This may not be the best Maverick "Western" since time and place are inessential to the plot. Nonetheless, it's one of the most entertaining.
The story is sort of like the old Agatha Christie who-dun-it Ten Little Indians transposed to the American frontier. Fine script with lots of sharply humorous dialogue, especially from professional cynic Conreid who could curl his lip with the best of them. Seeing him in a Western takes some getting used to, but then he does stay in type as an acidly eccentric artist. Getting such an unWestern-type actor was both risky and a brilliant touch that all in all makes the episode.
Note also the several fleeting innuendos that apparently were too quick for the censors. Actually Bret (Garner) has a rather secondary role as the colorful family characters share in the limelight. This may not be the best Maverick "Western" since time and place are inessential to the plot. Nonetheless, it's one of the most entertaining.