Dust Bowl survivors probably winced at episode's best sequence, a howling wind storm so vividly real that it appeared the Universal back lot was about to be swept into the Pacific Ocean. The rest is a modest, somewhat stagy potboiler that depends on plot twists and serviceable performances to keep bubbling. McClure lifts more than his share of the acting load, as usual, but pert Pat Crowley, Lincolnesque character actor Ford Rainey and the young Kiel Martin help out. Martin gets to display some of the roguish swagger that worked well for him in the feature "Trick Baby" and in "Hill Street Blues." Don Quine's less-than-impactful recurring role as Stacey Grainger was nearing its finish; he hadn't made viewers forget Randy Boone, let alone Gary Clarke.
3 Reviews
Not a fit night out for man nor beast
bkoganbing26 February 2020
This Virginian story takes place on one set the inside of a deserted house where
Doug McClure, Don Quine and Sarah Lane take shelter from a desert sand storm.
They're taking a prize bull back to Shiloh and good thing they have a shed on the
place for him.
Some others join them soon enough, married couple Ford Rainey and Patricia Crowley, Rainey is the banker in the town they just left. Trampas and Crowley have history that Rainey doesn't know about.
Also joining them is Raney's bookkeeper Woodrow Parfrey and amiable cowboy Kiel Martin. Hidden somewhere nearby is the loot from a bank robbery of Rainey's bank.
These people forced together by circumstance and bad weather all act a bit strange. So who robbed the bank?
Plot elements of the Victorian melodrama The Drunkard are here. It's a good story with everyone a plausible red herring.
Some others join them soon enough, married couple Ford Rainey and Patricia Crowley, Rainey is the banker in the town they just left. Trampas and Crowley have history that Rainey doesn't know about.
Also joining them is Raney's bookkeeper Woodrow Parfrey and amiable cowboy Kiel Martin. Hidden somewhere nearby is the loot from a bank robbery of Rainey's bank.
These people forced together by circumstance and bad weather all act a bit strange. So who robbed the bank?
Plot elements of the Victorian melodrama The Drunkard are here. It's a good story with everyone a plausible red herring.
Sam the bull
jarrodmcdonald-111 March 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This is a very well-written and well-played episode of The Virginian. Instead of the usual rainstorm or snowstorm, the drama in this tale involves a hellacious sand storm made worse by a powerful wind. It all starts when Trampas, Stacy and Elizabeth are on their way back to the Shiloh ranch after picking up a prized bull. Visibility decreases due to the storm, so they are forced to stop at an old homestead that seems to be abandoned.
While they set up for the night, Elizabeth cleans the house and finds cans of beans to prepare. At the same time, the guys take the bull to the barn and find a quiet place for the horses out back. I have to say that while this episode is mostly geared to Doug McClure's talents, the real scene stealer is Sam the bull who gets to "act" later in the story when he is tied up by a man trying to collect some gold coins hidden inside one of the barn walls.
Into this mix we have a banker and his wife who by some strange coincidence arrive at the farm where the coins stolen from his bank are stashed. We also learn that the wife had a past as a saloon gal, which she is trying to forget, and that she once cheated Trampas in a poker game. Some of this is a little too convenient from a dramatic standpoint, how all these people would somehow be connected to each other in the middle of nowhere, but most of it works thanks to the engaging performances. Pat Crowley who plays the banker's now respectable wife does a particularly nice job.
As if this were not enough, another man shows up (played by Kiel Martin) who calls himself a drifter. He plays guitar and sings a few folksy tunes. But then we find out he's the real bank robber and that he's here to get the coins and take off. However, Trampas and the others thwart him and the money will eventually be returned to the bank. For the most part, this is a decent sixth season offering of the long-running western series.
While they set up for the night, Elizabeth cleans the house and finds cans of beans to prepare. At the same time, the guys take the bull to the barn and find a quiet place for the horses out back. I have to say that while this episode is mostly geared to Doug McClure's talents, the real scene stealer is Sam the bull who gets to "act" later in the story when he is tied up by a man trying to collect some gold coins hidden inside one of the barn walls.
Into this mix we have a banker and his wife who by some strange coincidence arrive at the farm where the coins stolen from his bank are stashed. We also learn that the wife had a past as a saloon gal, which she is trying to forget, and that she once cheated Trampas in a poker game. Some of this is a little too convenient from a dramatic standpoint, how all these people would somehow be connected to each other in the middle of nowhere, but most of it works thanks to the engaging performances. Pat Crowley who plays the banker's now respectable wife does a particularly nice job.
As if this were not enough, another man shows up (played by Kiel Martin) who calls himself a drifter. He plays guitar and sings a few folksy tunes. But then we find out he's the real bank robber and that he's here to get the coins and take off. However, Trampas and the others thwart him and the money will eventually be returned to the bank. For the most part, this is a decent sixth season offering of the long-running western series.
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