In a dangerous tactical move, Sergeant Tom Wayne decides to use a keg of dynamite to defend his platoon at Verde River and won't allow scout Cheyenne Bodie to take the risk. "You're a civilian scout, mister. The Army does its own dirty work." Before he dies in the explosion, the sergeant asks Cheyenne to find his rebellious teenage son, Jed, and convince him to join the Army. Bodie is injured in the battle, but he'll never let a little bullet stop him from fulfilling a promise. After healing sufficiently, he finds Jed in jail for disturbing the peace, bails him out, and invites the boy to join him on his mission to Fort Sumner. There, Cheyenne meets the hard-nosed commander, Col. Donovan, and learns that his next assignment will be to arrange a conference with the Comanche chief Little Elk, whose tribe is to be relocated to an inhospitable part of the territory. A long-time friend of the chief, Cheyenne warns that the Indians will not take the news well.
Jed enlists but doesn't last long because other soldiers make fun of his draft horse, who doesn't exactly fit the Army's idea of a proper cavalry horse. When the horse is injured, the Army wants to put him down. On the run, Jed ends up in the camp of Little Elk, who respects a man who defends his horse at the risk of his own life. Little Elk's renegade son, Yellow Lance, threatens all-out war with the whites. Before long, both he and Col. Donovan learn their own lessons the hard way; Donovan when his daughter is taken hostage, and Yellow Lance by trying to kill his father and then, in a fit of rage, Cheyenne Bodie. In the end, a measure of peace is restored on both sides. Donovan's rigid attitude toward the Indians softens, Little Elk can return to his camp, and Jed suffers a painful loss but takes comfort when Cheyenne assures him that his valiant horse played a crucial role in saving the day.
This story has a rather bittersweet subplot, at least for animal lovers. The main story focuses on honest men on both sides of a conflict whose measured efforts make for a satisfying conclusion. Production values are up to Warner Brothers standards. Peter Brown plays Jed with his usual combination of casual charm and veteran skill. Surly Col. Donovan is played by Bartlett Robinson, who has a naturally stern countenance that suits the character; by the end of the episode his brow has relaxed somewhat. Olive Sturgess is his daughter, Kathy, a sweet, pretty girl who has eyes for Jed.
Clint Walker is the Cheyenne Bodie fans have come to admire--unselfish, ready to defend his friends, eminently capable when given a job to do, and looking really good doing it. Sharing the spotlight is the secondary hero of the tale--a big, white, loyal draft horse, willing to do whatever was asked of him; not named in the credits, known only by the apt name Jed gave him---Glory.
Jed enlists but doesn't last long because other soldiers make fun of his draft horse, who doesn't exactly fit the Army's idea of a proper cavalry horse. When the horse is injured, the Army wants to put him down. On the run, Jed ends up in the camp of Little Elk, who respects a man who defends his horse at the risk of his own life. Little Elk's renegade son, Yellow Lance, threatens all-out war with the whites. Before long, both he and Col. Donovan learn their own lessons the hard way; Donovan when his daughter is taken hostage, and Yellow Lance by trying to kill his father and then, in a fit of rage, Cheyenne Bodie. In the end, a measure of peace is restored on both sides. Donovan's rigid attitude toward the Indians softens, Little Elk can return to his camp, and Jed suffers a painful loss but takes comfort when Cheyenne assures him that his valiant horse played a crucial role in saving the day.
This story has a rather bittersweet subplot, at least for animal lovers. The main story focuses on honest men on both sides of a conflict whose measured efforts make for a satisfying conclusion. Production values are up to Warner Brothers standards. Peter Brown plays Jed with his usual combination of casual charm and veteran skill. Surly Col. Donovan is played by Bartlett Robinson, who has a naturally stern countenance that suits the character; by the end of the episode his brow has relaxed somewhat. Olive Sturgess is his daughter, Kathy, a sweet, pretty girl who has eyes for Jed.
Clint Walker is the Cheyenne Bodie fans have come to admire--unselfish, ready to defend his friends, eminently capable when given a job to do, and looking really good doing it. Sharing the spotlight is the secondary hero of the tale--a big, white, loyal draft horse, willing to do whatever was asked of him; not named in the credits, known only by the apt name Jed gave him---Glory.
