User Reviews

Jay Silverheels was famous for playing Tonto in the Lone Rangers films of the 1950s. He was a decent actor and always seemed to play decent sorts of folks...until "Valley of the Damned"! While he's not a major character in the show, seeing him playing a scum-bag did make this episode very unusual! Additionally, the story itself was very good.

Cannon comes to Indian territory to help a social worker. She is worried about Louie Gray Wolf, as he's been accused of murder...and she knows that he's not that sort of man. Despite having not much money to pay him, Cannon agrees to take the case and seems very decent in this one. A bit later, an Indian is found dead...with rope marks on his wrists and he apparently died of exposure in the desert. Cannon then realizes that the problem is much bigger than just Louie...and someone is using Indian day laborers and allowing them to die. But why? What's going on here?

Aside from seeing Cannon playing a guy with a strong social conscience, you also get to see him use his rib-crusher technique...something I haven't seen since the first season. He puts a guy in a bear hug and just squeezes the life out of them! Overall, a very interesting story and it has some very sweet moments near the end that make this one special.

A great episode that involves heroin smuggling and forced labor. Leslie Nielsen ("I am serious, and don't call me Shirley!"), Jay Silverheels ("Tonto", the famous sidekick of The Lone Ranger), X Brands, and Corrine Camacho are among the actors in the story.

Lots of gunplay, several deaths, fisticuffs, and "the Cannon rib crush" all come into play during this rather violent tale.

Cannon really gets into a jam in this episode; you wonder if he will find a way out.

I rate "Valley of The Damned" 10 stars.

Carey Wilbur, who had a lengthy list of tv westerns to his credit, wrote this timely adventure which sheds light on oppressed Indians; newsworthy material in the 1970s. There's also a heroin smuggling angle and a related murder that gets Cannon on board and up against some dangerous folks.

Lawrence Dobkin directed and did a fine job with the cast, and some good dialogue to match. Dobkin was also associated with MOD SQUAD, so you know there's going to be friction, in fact this is a violent episode.

Among the suspects is Jay Silverheels, in rare form, smoking cigars and looking sinister. It's amazing to see the Lone Ranger's heroic sidekick in this role. Also in the cast is X Brands, who's real first name was Jay. Brands, like Silverheels, was a veteran of westerns. Corrine Camacho, who worked quite a bit for producer Quinn Martin, plays the Indian native who hires Cannon.

Leslie Nielsen makes his first appearance on the show, and long before THE NAKED GUN, played many villains to perfection. About a year earlier, he had a terrific role as a sly drug smuggler on the MOD SQUAD. This time he plays a slick lawyer --and watch your back.

Cannon does his famous rib-breaking bear hug. By the way, the small western town where this is set looks a lot (at least in parts) like Burbank, California? Burbank and North Hollywood were typically local shooting spots for the series. And not much has changed over the years. Also scenes shot at Van Nuys Airport.

SEASON 3 EPISODE 14 CBS remastered color dvd box set (2012).

Jay Silverheels appears with dialog midway between Tonto and '70s street guy. X Brands is in the cast. The bad guy is revealed early and does in Silverheels, among others. In the real world, Cannon would have been shot. Here, Cannon, gunless and wounded, does some chemistry and bearhugs the bad guy. Get real.