User Reviews

Another typical western show that involves a stagecoach robbery and someone getting too scared. All that action brings the show to a regular ending with Marshal Dillon getting the job done at any cost.

When a stage, that Matt and Chester is on, gets robbed Matt bides his time until he gets a break in the case. One afternoon Matt overhears a man, Yermo, talking with Doc Adams about needing some medicine for an injured man. Since one of the three robbers was shot during the robbery, Matt believes the voice of Yermo, and the fact he needed medicine for an injured man, places him as a suspect. Matt has Yermo followed but cannot get another break in the investigation.

In comes another man, Bert Verd, that tells Matt he has found a dead man on the prairie that turns out to be one of the robbers. But Matt suspects something is up when Verd knows just a little too much about the robbery. Marshal sets up a trap to catch the people involved.

Nothing really remarkable about the episode but one that was interesting the entire time. Character actor John Anderson is again nicely cast as a mistrusting cowboy that tried to stay a step ahead of the law. A pleasant show that is grounded in western theme. Nice watch.

Average episode at best. Matt and Chester are part of a stage holdup in which a passenger is killed and one of the two masked bandits is wounded while a third hides out in the bushes. The three highwaymen ride off with the bags of gold for which the stage company subsequently offers a reward. Later, Matt thinks he recognizes one of the bandits in town, but how will he prove it, and how will he get the other two culprits and the company's gold.

Unfortunately the screenplay (Les Crutchfield) generates little suspense while the climactic final scene is neither well-staged nor very plausible. Too bad, the entry largely wastes the gaunt talents of veteran character-actor John Anderson as Yermo.

On the other hand, there is some good byplay with Chester. But he also bungles his assignment, which he often does during these early episodes. Nonetheless, that's also part of his unusual appeal. The audience, and Dillon too, are willing to overlook the failings because of his many endearing qualities. But it's not just the personal charm of naturalness or naive simplicity that wins us over. Chester also possesses two of the most important qualities any soldier-grunt or deputy can have-- he's loyal and steadfast no matter how difficult the circumstance. Matt appreciates this and counts on it. The audience knows it too. In fact, the slow-talking, backwoods innocent Chester Goode amounts to one of the finest, most unique character creations in the annals of American TV.