Episode
The Virginian: Old Cowboy
Overview
An older man, Murdoch (Franchot Tone), and his young grandson Willie (Billy Mumy), arrive at Medicine Bow on foot. Much to the Virginian's chagrin, Trampas feels sorry for Murdoch and offers him a job at Shiloh. Murdoch's ineptitude causes several problems, and he begins to resent his grandson's admiration for top cowboy Trampas. In the end, however, Murdoch more than proves his worth and gains the admiration of all, including his grandson.
Details
- Series
- The Virginian
- Season
- Season 3
- Episode
- Episode 28
- Air date
- 1965-03-31
Episode context
Old Cowboy is Episode 28 in Season 3 of The Virginian. It aired on 1965-03-31.
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Episode 27: Farewell to Honesty
A deputized Virginian arrives in the very misnamed Honesty, Wyoming looking for Major Ralph Forrester (Richard Carlson) who had defrauded Judge Garth. However, the local judge is in the Major's pocket and, using the excuse that the Virginian is not a full-time deputy, refuses to let the man be taken back to Medicine Bow. While waiting for Deputy Ryker to arrive, the Major is murdered and the Virginian is accused of the crime. Ryker arrives and with help of a local lawyer, John Harrison (Harold Gould), tries to sort out who the murderer is from amongst a number of suspects including the murdered man's wife (Dorothy Green), a former acquaintance of the Virginian who runs the local saloon and was being blackmailed by the dead man (Kathleen Crowley), and the Major's business partner(Douglas Henderson).
Episode 29: Showdown
The Virginian is forced to take sides in a bitter dispute between a family of ranchers and two domineering marshals.
More episodes from this season
Episode 26: Dangerous Road
Trampas escorts a murderer back to a town where he knew the sheriff. There is a question of the man's innocence plus Trampas learns the sheriff died in a horse accident two days later. He decides to investigate the questionable stories.
Episode 30: We've Lost a Train
In this pilot episode for the Laredo TV series, Trampas must pick up a bull for Shiloh Ranch in Mexico, and along the way he runs into Texas Rangers Reese, Joe, and Chad. Trampas ends up helping the Rangers recover stolen gold, and bring in the Bandits that stole it.
Episode 25: Timberland
Local ranchers are upset with the lumbering of Charles Daniels (Arch Johnson) which they believe will destroy a valuable watershed area and ruin grazing land. Daniels refuses to listen to their entreaties as delivered by the Virginian and Emmett Ryker has to try and keep the peace despite the growing tension. Complicating matters is a budding relationship between Daniels' daughter Katie (Joan Freeman) and the son of one of the local ranchers opposed to the logging, Dave Ferguson (Martin Milner). This relationship is frowned upon not only by Daniels but also by Daniels' foreman, Paul Rogers (William Smith). When Rogers is killed accidentally by Ferguson, Daniels believes it murder and seeks revenge.
Episode 24: Legend of a Lawman
In Cobb's Run, Kansas, while waiting for the Virginian, Randy Benton is framed for a $50,000 payroll robbery. His defence, that the legendary but aging town marshall, Floyd Buckman (Ford Rainey), had inadvertently allowed the robbers into the bank, is scoffed at by the locals. As a result, Randy is sentenced to be hanged. The Virginian tries to track down the the real robbers to prove Randy's innocence and in desperation even breaks Randy out of jail. In the end however, Randy's salvation is in the hands of the legendary lawman.
Episode 23: Shadows of the Past
Emmett Ryker's good friend, storekeeper John Conway (Jack Warden), is to marry a woman he met in San Francisco and has known for only a very short time, Rita Boland (Marilyn Erskine). When Rita comes to Medicine Bow, her relationship with John becomes strained because of her seeming unwillingness to consider having children. She turns to the bottle and it is clear she is haunted by some event in her past. Meanwhile, Emmett's past also threatens to catch up with him as two Garr brothers (John Milford and James Beck) whom he had sent to jail for a robbery attempt, and whose third brother he had killed in that same attempt, come seeking revenge. The two disconnected stories become intertwined, and then resolved, in a fateful showdown.
Episode 22: You Take the High Road
The Virginian makes the acquaintance of a young man, Mark Shannon (Richard Beymer), who along with his sister (Diana Lynn) and her love interest, trail boss Jack Slauson (Myron Healey), is taking a cattle herd to the army. When near Medicine Bow it is learned the Shannon herd could be carrying Spanish fever. Those cattle are largely immune but the local cattle are not. The local ranchers, with the Virginian acting as their delegate, try to get the herd to bypass the Medicine Bow area. By taking another, but more direct, route, the herd would avoid infecting the local cattle. However,there would be substantial losses to the Shannon herd because of a drought affecting the other route. Mark refuses and this leads to a showdown not only with the Virginian and Medicine Bow ranchers but also with Slauson.
Episode 21: A Slight Case of Charity
Trampas is in Albuquerque to pick up some money on behalf of the cattlemen's association. He encounters and is robbed of some of the money by Charity (Kathryn Hays). She was in love with a man, Byron Prescott (Jerome Courtland), who was forced to jilt her by his wealthy family. Charity is trying to get to Rancho Valdez to sell a ruby ring, a family heirloom which had been given to her by Byron. Although Trampas catches up with Charity, she in turn has been robbed by a local guide, Judd (Warren Oates). They set out after Judd, tailed not only by Byron Prescott, but also by Emmett Ryker who has come looking for the overdue Trampas.
Episode 20: Lost Yesterday
A man dies due to a gunshot wound but not before he reveals to his sweetheart, Clara Malone (Shirley Knight), that robbery money is hidden near Medicine Bow. Faking suicide to escape the rest of the robbery gang, Clara takes the stage to Medicine Bow along with one other passenger, the Virginian. In a stage accident she is injured and the Virginian takes her to Shiloh Ranch to be nursed by Betsy. Suffering from amnesia, Clara can not recall her past and she and the Virginian begin a romance. However, her past catches up with her when the robbery gang discovers she is still alive.
Episode 19: Six Graves at Cripple Creek
Emmett Ryker learns that a man named McMasters, who had killed his good friends, a rancher and his daughter, two years before, was one of six men supposedly killed by Indians. Believing the man still alive, and seeking revenge, he accompanies a young woman, Lucille Carver (Sheilah Wells), whose father was also reported as among those killed, to the massacre site at Cripple Creek. The trail eventually leads him to Deadwood where he suspects a man who has made a gold strike, and may be Lucille's father, is McMasters.
Episode 18: Hideout
Betsy Garth investigates rumours of wild broncos in the mountains and while there she encounters a young man, Clint (Andrew Prine) and his father Martin (Forrest Tucker) living in an isolated cabin. Clint gets Betsy to promise not to reveal their presence but when Betsy is bitten by a rattlesnake he is forced to take her to Dr. Spaulding (John Bryant) in Medicine Bow, thereby saving her life and earning the Virginian's gratitude. However, Martin is a wanted man and Emmett Ryker is on his trail. Betsy must choose between her growing friendship with, and promises to, Clint and revealing the hideout to the law.