Episode
The Virginian: The Fatal Journey
Overview
After she calls for the President to bring in the army to rid the badlands of outlaws, newspaper editor Molly Wood, the Virginian's love interest, is murdered by four of those outlaws: O'Dell (Steve Ihnat), Horn (John Milford), Denver (Berkeley Harris) and their ruthless leader, Colonel Calhoun (Robert Lansing). The Virginian joins a posse but while the other posse members give up he eventually locates the villains' badlands hideout. He poses as a prison escapee, joins the gang and exacts his revenge.
Details
- Series
- The Virginian
- Season
- Season 2
- Episode
- Episode 11
- Air date
- 1963-12-04
Episode context
The Fatal Journey is Episode 11 in Season 2 of The Virginian. It aired on 1963-12-04.
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Episode 10: Stopover in a Western Town
The well-off Caroline Witman (Joan Freeman) and her Aunt Grace (Lillian Bronson) visit Medicine Bow on their way from San Francisco to New York. Caroline falls in love with the Virginian who generally ignores her but a Shiloh hand, Jefferson Tolliver (Dick York), becomes smitten with her and she encourages Tolliver's advances in order to make the Virginian jealous. Tolliver's ambitions are thwarted by a lack of money and when he catches an unemployed hand rustling cattle, rather than turn him in, he joins him in crime. However, they end up murdering a ranch hand and this eventually leads to a penultimate confrontation between Tolliver and his friend, the Virginian.
Episode 12: A Time Remembered
Accompanied by her secretary (Melinda Plowman), opera singer Elena (Yvonne DeCarlo) comes to Medicine Bow to perform. Judge Garth recognizes here as someone he knew years before and is clearly attracted to her. A man named Carl Elston arrives in town and is shot by Elena who claims he is a stranger who tried to force his attentions on her. However, Sheriff Abbott (Ross Elliott) discovers evidence that Elena knew Carl, and that he was her manager and husband. The Judge is forced to defend Elena in court and uncover the truth.
More episodes from this season
Episode 9: Run Quiet
Steve Hill befriends a dishevelled deaf mute named Judd (Clu Gulager) and convinces the Virginian to gives him a job at Shiloh ranch. Judd is accussed of murdering a gambler, runs off and is befriended by spinster farm owner Ruth Ferris (Gail Kobe). Steve Hill manages to track down Judd, tells him to give himself up and then sets off after the real perpetrators. The murderers try to kill Steve but he is saved by the arrival of Judd who then returns to the waiting Ruth with whom he has fallen in love.
Episode 13: Siege
Trampas wins $1,000 at poker in Medicine Bow and heads to his old stomping grounds of Logan, New Mexico to repay several debts. There he has a run in with comancheros, led by Pedro Lopez (Joseph Campanella), who virtually run the town and have the town leaders under their thumb. Trampas discovers that some of the commancheros have murdered his old friends and turns them over to the Marshall (Ron Hayes) to hold for trial. However, Pedro threatens the townsfolk and they cave under and force the marshall to release the murderers. Pedro and his men then come gunning for Trampas.
Episode 8: A Portrait of Marie Valonne
After delivering a herd of cattle to New Orleans, the Virginian meets and falls for a mysterious woman, Marie Valonne (Madlyn Rhue). He is attacked and the woman disappears. In his attempts to relocate her he comes into conflict with Johnny Madrid (Mark Richman) who controls some corrupt politicians. Despite the assistance of a local police detective, Dan Bohannon (Skip Homeier), the Virginian is unsuccessful in finding Marie and is only left with her picture.
Episode 14: Man of Violence
Trampas' Uncle Josh (Harry Shannon) is murdered during an holdup by Wismer (Leonard Nimoy) and Judson (William Bryant). On their trail, Trampas is eventually forced to illegally enter Apache territory where the two robbers had made a gold strike. He is joined on his quest by a guide who is after the gold (Michael Pate), a woman (Peggy McCay) who is looking for her husband who it turns out is Judson, and an army doctor who is attempting to escape court martial (DeForest Kelly).
Episode 7: Brother Thaddeus
Former n'er do well Willie Caine (Albert Salmi) is now a monk, Brother Thaddeus. He is involved in establishing a mission and boy's school on property owned by Judge Garth and Trampas and Steve Hill are helping to build the mission. A gang, including a former crony of Thaddeus', robs the train and Sheriff Abbott (Ross Elliott) locks him up as an accomplice. Thaddeus manages to escape and with the help of Trampas sets out to track down the gang and exonnerate himself.
Episode 15: The Invaders
Rancher Mike Tyrone (Ed Begley) purhases a ranch near Medicine Bow, and moves there with his daughter Margaret (Beverly Owen), and his two sons (Rees Vaughan and James McMullen). Tyrone tries to force surrounding ranchers to sell their spreads, eventually cutting off the water from a local river that the other ranchers use to water their stocks. However, the conflict is ended by an unexpected decision of Margaret Tyrone.
Episode 6: It Takes a Big Man
Judge Garth is asked by an old friend, Wade Anders (Lloyd Nolan), to take his eldest son Hank (Chris Robinson) to work as a hand at Shiloh. He wants the son to eventually take over his ranch but Hank has personal problems which make him difficult to handle, especially a hatred for Indians. At Shiloh he has run-ins with Trampas who is acting as foreman while the Virginian is away, and this conflict eventually leads to tragedy and a showdown.
Episode 16: Roar from the Mountain
A cougar kills a Shiloh hand and Steve Hill, experienced in hunting these animals, tracks it into the mountains where he comes upon a homestead owned by Nancy Mayhew (Joyce Bulifant) and her husband Charles (Jack Klugman). The Mayhew's have strained relations and it is learned Charles son was killed by the same cougar. Nancy blames this on Charles' cowardice and indicates a romantic interest in Steve, an interest which eventually endangers Steve's life.
Episode 5: The Evil That Men Do
In cooperaton with a progressive warden, Judge Garth gets a man named Matthew Cordell (Robert Redford), who had been in orphanages or prison most of his life, paroled into his custody to work at Shiloh Ranch for a year as a blacksmith. Cordell who had been mistreated his whole life, remains aloof and has several run-ins with the ranch hands. He saves Betsy Garth's horse and she begins to fall in love with him but he is more interested in Rita Marlow who owns the local dress shop. Trouble occurs when an old prison friend of Cordell's, Deke (Don O'Kelly), arrives and tries to get him to help rob Judge Garth.
Episode 17: The Fortunes of J. Jimerson Jones
J. Jimerson Jones (Pat O'Brien) finds a gold vein and on the way to Chicago to enjoy his fortune, meets Judge Garth and Betsy. In Chicago the Garth's make the acquaintance of young newspaper reporter Eddie Tighe (David Macklin) while Jones meets a middle-aged hotel maid, Maggie Hyeth (Ann Doran). Jones becomes the target of con artists and Betsy the romantic target of Tighe, with generally humorous results.