Originally aired in December 1962, Incident of Decision only features 3 Rawhide cast members: Clint, Steve Raines as Quince, & Robert Cabal as Hey Soos. I found this to be an excellent episode.
The above 3 are separated from the main drive when they arrive at a small ranch being threatened by Mexican bandits. A crippled young man who lives at the ranch dreams of being on a cattle drive.
He follows Rowdy & the guys after they purchase cattle from the ranch. Rowdy doesn't think he can handle a drive, so he tells him to leave. On his way back, the young man encounters the Mexican bandits.
This episode doesn't feature any name actors I recognize. However, that shouldn't stop you from catching it. I always thought Rawhide was similar to Gunsmoke in that it focused ample character development on the bad guys; here, it's the Mexican bandit leader.
The writing & acting are very good. Everything is plausible, except perhaps when the bandit leaves the drovers' guns in the tree (way too easy for Rowdy, etc. to get a shot at the departing bad guys).
One final thought: this episode also deals with a handicapped person & his struggles to show the drovers that he can do anything they do. It's not seen through rose-colored glasses, & the drovers & the young man all learn a lesson in the process.
Don't miss it. Hopefully it will be shown on TV again in the near future, perhaps by Encore Westerns. In the meantime, you'll have to buy the complete season DVDs. Hallmark Channel used to show the series every Saturday as part of their western line-up until about 4 years ago.
The above 3 are separated from the main drive when they arrive at a small ranch being threatened by Mexican bandits. A crippled young man who lives at the ranch dreams of being on a cattle drive.
He follows Rowdy & the guys after they purchase cattle from the ranch. Rowdy doesn't think he can handle a drive, so he tells him to leave. On his way back, the young man encounters the Mexican bandits.
This episode doesn't feature any name actors I recognize. However, that shouldn't stop you from catching it. I always thought Rawhide was similar to Gunsmoke in that it focused ample character development on the bad guys; here, it's the Mexican bandit leader.
The writing & acting are very good. Everything is plausible, except perhaps when the bandit leaves the drovers' guns in the tree (way too easy for Rowdy, etc. to get a shot at the departing bad guys).
One final thought: this episode also deals with a handicapped person & his struggles to show the drovers that he can do anything they do. It's not seen through rose-colored glasses, & the drovers & the young man all learn a lesson in the process.
Don't miss it. Hopefully it will be shown on TV again in the near future, perhaps by Encore Westerns. In the meantime, you'll have to buy the complete season DVDs. Hallmark Channel used to show the series every Saturday as part of their western line-up until about 4 years ago.
