Wells Fargo has long struggled to move large sums of money with thieves at every turn prepared to relieve the company of as much of it as possible. In an attempt to combat the thieves, the company has taken steps to stop big money theft by issuing Bills of Exchange, official documents printed with their own proprietary ink that can be exchanged for cash later. But the Bills of Exchange have become the target of counterfeiters forging them expertly with a near perfect printing plate, but they don't have the special ink. Nevertheless the company has been suffering huge losses as a result, to the point where potential bankruptcy is looming. After one George Kendall was caught in San Francisco with $11,000 in counterfeit Bills, Jim Hardie has been assigned to the case to solve it and save the company. He realizes that only one town in the area - El Paso, Texas - has yet to have any counterfeit Bills turn up. Hardie travels to El Paso in the hopes he can infiltrate the counterfeiting ring by taking advantage of their greed. But unbeknownst to him, Kendall has managed to escape, and he makes a beeline for El Paso.
Well, we have another episode here that I can't help but deem in a somewhat negative light. The script from Berkley and Reynolds has an fairly original premise, but it strays as the episode progresses, with a number of "pat" situations. Hardie arrives in El Paso undercover, and he clandestinely obtains information from the local Wells Fargo agent that Kendall's wife Joyce runs the local saloon. Hardie approaches her saying he knows her husband, who told him he could make some easy money in El Paso. She's somewhat suspicious but her partner, Mel Carter is greedy to the point of stupidity, and shows nothing of the level of paranoia one would expect from someone involved in a crime of that level against a company such as Wells Fargo with very deep pockets. In fact, neither of them do to much extent, and Hardie doesn't have much trouble at all infiltrating their organization, dealing with a couple of cheap henchmen more than once with ease.
In addition, Kendall's jail break is pat as well, with a feigned illness and a jailer who shows absolutely no suspicion whatsoever. He opens the cell, steps right up and leans over Kendall, inviting the knockout punch that an experienced jailer would see coming a mile away. Kendall is then shown on a stage, travelling casually with nary a posse or lawman in pursuit. And finally, he arrives in town at the exact moment to see his wife and Carter entering the newspaper printing office with Hardie, in a plan to double-cross him and steal a large sum of money Hardie is using for bait. Oh well, they can't all be top 10 episodes.
The cast isn't very well known, with the exception of John Beradino, who had a good number of appearances in TV during the era - many in westerns - before beginning his 1266 episode run on General Hospital in 1963 as Dr. Steve Hardy. Patricia Donahue and Milton Frome appear as Joyce Kendall and Mel Carter respectively, and both had a bit more than modest careers mostly in TV, but nothing particularly noteworthy. Robert Bice appeared as Hank, and he appeared in a number of noteworthy pictures such as The Wild One, The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer, The Ten Commandments, and Jailhouse Rock, as well as appearing in a regular role as Police Captain Johnson in 17 episodes of The Untouchables. The remainder of the cast appeared primarily in bit roles during their careers.
Certainly not the best of the series run, but Jim Hardie is as always a good watch. Even when it's bad it's good, y'know (EWIBIG).
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