The episode opens with Jim Hardie and Doc Bell on the run. They have escaped from prison, wearing horizontal stripes. Hardie was sent into prison undercover to try and discover where Doc Bell hid $100,000 he and his gang stole from Wells Fargo in a previous holdup. Hardie's only hope of recovering the stolen loot is to stick close to Doc Bell, but once they reconnect with Bell's gang, Hardie find them greedy and suspicious.
This is Edward Platt's first appearance as Doc Bell, and he would reprise the role two more times during the series run. Doc Bell was an actual historical figure, and as is typical ToWF plays fast and loose with history. The Maryville robbery did happen as mentioned in the episode, but Doc Bell was not successful as the episode states, nor did he return to his medical practice in his later years as ToWF would lead us to believe.
Nevertheless, the episode is quite entertaining. Platt does a good job in the role of the charismatic Doc Bell, who history has described as "a natural leader of men".
The cast was rather small, with only three credited actors appearing in addition to Dale Robertson.
Edward Platt appears as Doc Bell. Platt was a busy character actor, but will forever be remembered as Chief of CONTROL in Get Smart. He worked a mostly on the small screen, but he appeared in some notable pictures, including North By Northwest and Rebel Without a Cause.
Richard Reeves appears as Tibbs. Reeves is one of my favorites heavies, along with actors such as Bob Wilke, George Keymas, and Charles Horvath. Jim Bannon appears as Curly. He appeared as Red Ryder in his earlier years, but is unknown today. However, one item to note - he was married to Bea Benaderet.
Not a bad episode at all, setting the stage for two more appearances by Edward Platt as the charismatic Doc Bell.
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