Under puzzling circumstances Bart hires on as the gorgeous Daisy's fake husband and traveling companion through hostile Indian territory.
This early episode is an entertaining blend of action, intrigue, and typical Maverick hokum. Crowley is excellent as the coyly conniving Daisy, in what would become a series trademark —the slippery femme fatale. Her scenes with Bart amount to little gems of tongue-in-cheek. Note too the adult innuendo, unusual for 50's TV. Also, the byplay among stagecoach passengers is cleverly amusing and an insight into ranching and barbed wire.
One seldom noted reason for the series success is Warner Bros. big library of stock footage. Generally, footage of this kind was unaffordable for modestly budgeted TV shows prior to big studios getting into little screen production. Warner Bros., I believe, was the first of these movie-TV studios. Here, their stock footage of big southwestern vistas and the Indian attack adds lots of color and action, making the 60-minutes look more expensive and grander than it is. All in all, this is the kind of episode that won the series a large, loyal following.
(In passing—note Garner's bookend cameo appearances that really have nothing to do with the story. I expect this was to establish Bart as Bret's brother. After all, this was only Bart's (Kelly) second appearance in the series.)
This early episode is an entertaining blend of action, intrigue, and typical Maverick hokum. Crowley is excellent as the coyly conniving Daisy, in what would become a series trademark —the slippery femme fatale. Her scenes with Bart amount to little gems of tongue-in-cheek. Note too the adult innuendo, unusual for 50's TV. Also, the byplay among stagecoach passengers is cleverly amusing and an insight into ranching and barbed wire.
One seldom noted reason for the series success is Warner Bros. big library of stock footage. Generally, footage of this kind was unaffordable for modestly budgeted TV shows prior to big studios getting into little screen production. Warner Bros., I believe, was the first of these movie-TV studios. Here, their stock footage of big southwestern vistas and the Indian attack adds lots of color and action, making the 60-minutes look more expensive and grander than it is. All in all, this is the kind of episode that won the series a large, loyal following.
(In passing—note Garner's bookend cameo appearances that really have nothing to do with the story. I expect this was to establish Bart as Bret's brother. After all, this was only Bart's (Kelly) second appearance in the series.)
