When Cheyenne Bodie arrives in town for the wedding of his "compadre" Johnny McIntyre, Dawson Flats doesn't stay quiet, and Cheyenne doesn't like it. First, a mysterious man in a fringed, white buckskin jacket fires a rifle at him just outside town. Then the same stranger tacks up a wanted poster with a picture of Cheyenne on the wall outside the saloon. Next thing we know, a drunk Lafe Dawson takes a potshot at Cheyenne, Johnny McIntyre staggers out of the saloon and winds up shooting Lafe, and the stranger in the white buckskin pulls down the wanted poster and saunters after the rest to the sheriff's office where he verifies Cheyenne's version of the story. Sort of.
Morris Ankrum is Cyrus Dawson, the embittered, wheelchair-bound father of the girl Johnny plans to marry, Selma, the sister of the man Johnny just killed. He knew the man in the buckskin jacket, Elmer Bostrum, years before, and they are behind the attempts on Cheyenne's life. It's complicated. When Johnny and Cheyenne return Lafe's body to the Dawson ranch, there's a fistfight and a few shots are fired, but this episode is long only on anger, not on outright violence.
It turns out that in addition to being a ruthless villain, Elmer Bostrum is a romantic; he's sweet on Selma. So, when under the influence of Bostrum (as well as a large bottle of whiskey) her ineffectual brother Jasper gets an equally intoxicated mob fired up to lynch Selma's intended, Johnny McIntyre, for Lafe's murder and the sheriff dawdles in his defense, things seem to be playing right into Bostrum's hands; he even manages to maneuver events to have Cheyenne arrested. But the bad guy just can't win, can he? After a few tense minutes, during which Johnny delivers his heartfelt last words before Jasper can whip the horse out from under him, the sheriff finally realizes that Cheyenne isn't a wanted criminal, Jasper comes to his senses, and the necktie party is called off. Even the evil influence of Elmer Bostrum is shattered when the truth comes out about what really happened the night five years ago when Cyrus Dawson became confined to a wheelchair. We never get to see the wedding but assume it did take place; they haven't gone through all this for nothing.
Mr. Ankrum is very good at playing aggrieved old fathers. Gerald Mohr adds a touch of sleazy charm to the sly Elmer Bostrum's character and Jock Gaynor is an amiable Johnny McIntyre. As brief as his appearance is, John Cliff makes the most of his Lafe Dawson, especially when he wobbles out of the saloon and with Bostrum's help discovers the wanted poster of Cheyenne Bodie. Along with Grady Sutton's photographer, Cliff added a touch of humor to this episode. Clint Walker is the reason many fans tune in every chance they get to see "Cheyenne" in action and, although there's not much in the way of true action in this episode, whenever he's onscreen, there's plenty worth watching. P. S. Nobody ever has or ever could look as good in fringed white buckskin as Clint Walker.
Morris Ankrum is Cyrus Dawson, the embittered, wheelchair-bound father of the girl Johnny plans to marry, Selma, the sister of the man Johnny just killed. He knew the man in the buckskin jacket, Elmer Bostrum, years before, and they are behind the attempts on Cheyenne's life. It's complicated. When Johnny and Cheyenne return Lafe's body to the Dawson ranch, there's a fistfight and a few shots are fired, but this episode is long only on anger, not on outright violence.
It turns out that in addition to being a ruthless villain, Elmer Bostrum is a romantic; he's sweet on Selma. So, when under the influence of Bostrum (as well as a large bottle of whiskey) her ineffectual brother Jasper gets an equally intoxicated mob fired up to lynch Selma's intended, Johnny McIntyre, for Lafe's murder and the sheriff dawdles in his defense, things seem to be playing right into Bostrum's hands; he even manages to maneuver events to have Cheyenne arrested. But the bad guy just can't win, can he? After a few tense minutes, during which Johnny delivers his heartfelt last words before Jasper can whip the horse out from under him, the sheriff finally realizes that Cheyenne isn't a wanted criminal, Jasper comes to his senses, and the necktie party is called off. Even the evil influence of Elmer Bostrum is shattered when the truth comes out about what really happened the night five years ago when Cyrus Dawson became confined to a wheelchair. We never get to see the wedding but assume it did take place; they haven't gone through all this for nothing.
Mr. Ankrum is very good at playing aggrieved old fathers. Gerald Mohr adds a touch of sleazy charm to the sly Elmer Bostrum's character and Jock Gaynor is an amiable Johnny McIntyre. As brief as his appearance is, John Cliff makes the most of his Lafe Dawson, especially when he wobbles out of the saloon and with Bostrum's help discovers the wanted poster of Cheyenne Bodie. Along with Grady Sutton's photographer, Cliff added a touch of humor to this episode. Clint Walker is the reason many fans tune in every chance they get to see "Cheyenne" in action and, although there's not much in the way of true action in this episode, whenever he's onscreen, there's plenty worth watching. P. S. Nobody ever has or ever could look as good in fringed white buckskin as Clint Walker.
