The Rebel (TV Series) The Earl of Durango (1960) User Reviews

Backdoor pilot?

[SteveGreen · 8/10 · 6 April 2021]

This final episode of the first season puts John Sutton and L. Q. Jones centre-stage with Nick Adams' Johnny Yuma, in a tale which has all the hallmarks of a backdoor pilot for the so-called Earl of Durango. We even get to meet their next client, played by the sultry Patricia Medina, but sadly this was their sole appearance.

John Sutton and Victor Buono

[kevinolzak · 4/10 · 26 March 2012]

"The Earl of Durango" literally starts with a bang, as Johnny Yuma arrives in the town of Dead Oak to act as a bodyguard, only to see his employer drop dead in front of him, a bullet lodged in his back. The townspeople call it cold blooded suicide, rejoicing in the murder, and driving Yuma to the local authorities for help. He finds instead C. Spencer Scott, The Earl of Durango (John Sutton, previously seen in "Gold Seeker"), a famous British author who smells another best selling novel in the mysterious death described by Yuma. Assisted by gunman Otis Rumpf (L. Q. Jones, later seen in "Explosion"), Scott almost winds up getting Yuma lynched by the Dead Oak townsfolk. 22 year old Victor Buono appears for the last time on the show, previously a villain in "Blind Marriage." The rest of the cast feature familiar faces like George Tobias, Bruno Ve Sota (second of four), and Angelo Rossitto, while Patricia Medina only shows up for a meaningless last minute cameo, her second and final appearance on the show. Series creator-producer Andrew J. Fenady also has a funny bit during the climactic unmasking, in a less than auspicious conclusion to the first season.