An officer becomes an outlaw after getting convicted for stolen money.He didn't steal it.Hardie and Bill Rath's commanding officer convince him to help find out who actually stole money. Not one of the series" more memorable casts. Still enough intrigue and action to make for a solid episode.
2 Reviews
"She's just lost her whole world. You don't get over that in a minute."
ben-thayer14 February 2024
The Army is closing Fort Chaplin after a peace treaty is signed with the Mescalero Apache, and Jim Hardie has been sent to meet with the commanding officer, Col. Howard Meston, to discuss the matter. With the army leaving there would be little to no law in the area, and Wells Fargo is concerned the territory could be taken over easily by outlaws before local law enforcement could be established. Complicating the matter is a rash of robberies by a gang led by Lt. William Rath, who deserted after being accused of stealing an Army payroll. His wife, Ellen, has also arrived hoping to find her husband as well as the truth.
Well, this is a weak episode. There are several confusing things in the plot. After deserting, Lt. Rath assembles a gang of outlaws and begins robbing Wells Fargo stages. I'm kinda confused as to how he found these outlaws, and also how they wouldn't be suspicious that he was an Army plant. As to Rath's end game, it appeared he was trying to lure Col. Meston out of the fort to get revenge. Did Rath keep any of the stolen loot himself, or did he give it all to the gang? It's unknown. Hardie says it can't be recovered, so Rath would be on the hook for all of it. And were there any killings during the robberies? Again, unknown. In addition, he orders the outlaws in his gang harshly, Army style, and they're chaffing at all the orders. He barely has them in control, and it's a sure bet he'll get a bullet in the back eventually. I also found it a bit too pat when he orders his gang to throw down their weapons solely on Col. Meston's word, or that he'd expect them to follow that order when they were pretty close to shooting him in the back. And, when Hardie appears with a rifle pointed at Rath he says "tell them to drop their weapons or you'll be the first to go". That wouldn't have resulted in a single outlaw complying, since they were close to killing Rath themselves. I'm also curious as to how many years Rath would spend in jail. It could be a long stretch. Lots of unanswered questions on this one.
I'll confess I don't really know any of the cast by sight except for Dan Sheridan as Col. Meston. He appeared in pretty much all the major series during the Golden Age of TV Westerns. I didn't recognize Charles Cooper who appeared as Lt. Rath, but looking at his credits I see he appeared in ST:TNG as K'mpec, Chancellor of the Klingons. I would never have known. Monte Hale appeared as Sgt. Bergman, and had been a successful singing cowboy for Republic under his own name. Jennifer Lea appeared as Ellen Rath and had a very brief career. The remainder of the cast is unknown today, but a couple should be noted. Jack Tornek had 555 credits...15 for Gunsmoke, 17 for The Big Valley, and 71 (yes, seventy-one) appearances on Bonanza, and all these roles were uncredited. Bill Clark beats Tornek for appearances on Bonanza in a whopping 141 episodes.
Oh well, not the greatest by any stretch. But Jim Hardie is always a good watch. Even When It's Bad It's Good, y'know (EWIBIG).
Well, this is a weak episode. There are several confusing things in the plot. After deserting, Lt. Rath assembles a gang of outlaws and begins robbing Wells Fargo stages. I'm kinda confused as to how he found these outlaws, and also how they wouldn't be suspicious that he was an Army plant. As to Rath's end game, it appeared he was trying to lure Col. Meston out of the fort to get revenge. Did Rath keep any of the stolen loot himself, or did he give it all to the gang? It's unknown. Hardie says it can't be recovered, so Rath would be on the hook for all of it. And were there any killings during the robberies? Again, unknown. In addition, he orders the outlaws in his gang harshly, Army style, and they're chaffing at all the orders. He barely has them in control, and it's a sure bet he'll get a bullet in the back eventually. I also found it a bit too pat when he orders his gang to throw down their weapons solely on Col. Meston's word, or that he'd expect them to follow that order when they were pretty close to shooting him in the back. And, when Hardie appears with a rifle pointed at Rath he says "tell them to drop their weapons or you'll be the first to go". That wouldn't have resulted in a single outlaw complying, since they were close to killing Rath themselves. I'm also curious as to how many years Rath would spend in jail. It could be a long stretch. Lots of unanswered questions on this one.
I'll confess I don't really know any of the cast by sight except for Dan Sheridan as Col. Meston. He appeared in pretty much all the major series during the Golden Age of TV Westerns. I didn't recognize Charles Cooper who appeared as Lt. Rath, but looking at his credits I see he appeared in ST:TNG as K'mpec, Chancellor of the Klingons. I would never have known. Monte Hale appeared as Sgt. Bergman, and had been a successful singing cowboy for Republic under his own name. Jennifer Lea appeared as Ellen Rath and had a very brief career. The remainder of the cast is unknown today, but a couple should be noted. Jack Tornek had 555 credits...15 for Gunsmoke, 17 for The Big Valley, and 71 (yes, seventy-one) appearances on Bonanza, and all these roles were uncredited. Bill Clark beats Tornek for appearances on Bonanza in a whopping 141 episodes.
Oh well, not the greatest by any stretch. But Jim Hardie is always a good watch. Even When It's Bad It's Good, y'know (EWIBIG).
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