User Reviews

HAVE GUN - WILL TRAVEL "High Wire" 1957

HAVE GUN – WILL TRAVEL was a Western series that ran on television between 1957 and 1963. The series was very popular and was always in the top ten of the television ratings. The series ran for a total of 225 episodes. Richard Boone headlines as "Paladin", a gun for hire, if the cause is right. Working out of San Francisco, Boone places ads in newspapers offering his services. $1,000 and he is your man. While handy with a gun or fists, he tries to settle the problem without violence. (Not very successfully as a general rule)

In this episode, the 8th the series, Boone is travelling back to San Francisco by stagecoach. The stage stops at a small town to change horses and grab some grub. In the local saloon, Strother Martin, a down on his luck circus act is doing tumbles and rolls trying to get the stage fare together.

Local bigwig, John Dehner and his pet gun, Buddy Baer are having a few laughs at the expense of Martin. Soon there is a bet on the table over whether Martin can walk a high wire over a local ravine. Boone puts up the 3000 bucks saying that Martin can do the deed. Dehner bets the opposite. He also hires local bar girl, Fay Spain to ply Martin with whiskey before the high walk attempt. Needless to say there are several cons going on here at the same time.

You need to watch to find out who is doing what to whom.

This is an interesting episode that is not quite what one would expect from the series.

The episode owes much to Strother Martin's convincing impersonation of a failed tightrope walker - thanks to him the story is not soapy. And at the end it turns into a pleasant Sting-like who's-cheating-whom story. On the whole skillfully filmed on a low budget.

There's a lot of comic moments in this story about a down and out circus performer named Dooley (Strother Martin) who is trapped into walking a high wire across a deep and treacherous canyon by Ben Marquette (John Dehner), a man who seems to fill his time by cheating and belittling other people. He's assisted by the HUGE henchman, Bolo (Buddy Baer) as he schemes to make sure Dooley doesn't cross that canyon and he doesn't lose $3,000 in a bet with Paladin.

The story itself is more than a little contrived, and you'd never think of casting Strother Martin as a circus high wire performer (it may have been because the stunt man kinda looks a little like Martin, certainly in size and shape) but the talented cast makes it worth watching. Rarely does Paladin get the likes of not just Strother Martin, but John Dehner and Jack Albertson as a bookie to play off of. And that Buddy Baer just looks gigantic next to Boone, who was NOT a little man.

Strother Martin is brilliant as Dewey Delaware, circus performer down on his luck. Great to see both actors who played the role of Paladin in a single episode: John Dehner (Ben Marquette) was first choice but wasn't free to take the role so Richard Boone stepped in. John Dehner took on the radio role for the two years HGWT was on the airwaves. This gets a 9 because both actors appear on screen.

Another treat is Buddy Baer in the role of Bolo, Marquette's large minion. At 6'7" Buddy is little brother to Max Baer and Uncle to Max Baer, Jr. They grew them big in that family.

Paladin attempts to help a man who has lost his nerve and confidence regain it. Someone certainly walked a rope stretched across Salamander Canyon in this episode but it wasn't Strother Martin.

Paladin's Horse: Stagecoach

Paladin's Gear: Black hat with concha trim, black Western button down shirt, black pants, black holster with colt, single shot derringer, decorated Western saddle.

Paladin Shoots: no one

Paladin Kills: Manfred Holt, Jailbreak Team 3, Miguel Rojas

Total Kills: 5