Television Review: HONDO: "Hondo and The War Hawks" (1967)

 




"Your lives are meaningless compared to HONDO!"







HONDO: "Hondo and The War Hawks"  (1967 ABC-TV/MGM/Batjac Productions) Episode 7; Original Air Date: October 20, 1967.  Starring Ralph Taeger as Hondo Lane, Noah Beery Jr. as Buffalo Baker, Kathie Browne as Angie Dow, Gary Clarke as Captain Richards, Michael Pate as Chief Vittoro, Buddy Foster as Johnny Dow, William Bryant as Colonel Crook, Glenn Langan as Victor Tribolet.  Guest Stars John Carroll as Colonel "Buckeye" Jack Smith, Jim Davis as Krantz, Lawrence Montaigne as Soldado, Ed McCready as the Sergeant.  Written by Donn Mullally.  Directed by Michael D. (Mickey) Moore.


Series Overview for HONDO: TV's Unlikeliest Cult Hit at this link  


Hondo is giving the Apaches marksmanship lessons on order from Colonel Crook.  The purpose is twofold: to strengthen their hunting skills and Chief Vittoro's tribal leadership by discouraging any insurgency.  It's a controversial order within the confines of the Fort, though.  Captain Richards is none too pleased with it after he finds the entire Holbrook family dead, massacred by renegades led by Vittoro's would-be usurper Saldado.   Richards grows warier when Crook is summoned to Washington, D.C. and flamboyant "Buckeye" Jack Smith is his temporary replacement, an assignment arranged by well connected freighting magnate Victor Tribolet.

With his hand-picked commander on the way, Tribolet plots to engineer a full-scale war.  Relaying inside information on ammunition deliveries (via henchman Krantz) to the ambitious Soldado, Tribolet plans to freight firepower to both sides once hotter heads prevail.  After Smith imperils months of meticulously managed trust by ordering all Apaches to surrender their arms, Hondo disobeys the new Colonel's directive and rides to Tucson to retrieve Crook.  This insubordination lands Lane in the guardhouse just as Soldado sets a trap for Smith and Richards by volunteering to be the first to turn in all of his people's weapons.

An arrogant but accomplished senior officer arrives to threaten the uneasy peace in Arizona territory.  It's the same setup presented in Hondo and the Savage, but Donn Mullally's lone HONDO offers a much more nuanced script, realizing richer possibilities while offering effective (and timeless) political commentary.  Like General Rutledge, "Buckeye Jack" shows ignorance of the territory, but the relentless self-promoter (as Buffalo derisively details) Smith is the less humble--and therefore, more dangerous--of the two.  Rutledge arrived at Fort Lowell having "never fought" Native Americans before.  Smith, fresh off a successful campaign against the Sioux, is much more assured that he can bend any Apache to his will coming in.  Even moreso after Soldado's quick response to the Colonel's directive.

By bringing Vittoro (absent from Savage) back to the forefront, Mullally is able to present wide ranging points of view from both sides.  When Richards expresses displeasure with Crook's plan, the Chief points out to the skeptical Captain that his braves are also training to support Richards.  In the wake of back-to-back wagon attacks, Smith's order certainly seems understandable to an outsider (if not to Crook).  And given the history between the army and the Apache, even mutineer Soldado isn't entirely unjustified in his distrust of any reliance on the white man. 

While Soldado's following isn't insignificant (note the braves who depart with the renegade when he's ordered away by Vittoro), he lacks the numbers to overthrow his Chief.  Nevertheless, Soldado is a more formidable challenger than Silva--emboldened enough by his successes to brazenly call the Chief an "old woman" twice in front of Hondo and other tribal leaders.  It is arguable whose methods are less admirable (both kill unarmed settlers) but Soldado, who uses Buckeye's arrogance against him, bests Silva as a tactician.  Little surprise that his coup d'état comes closer to succeeding.

For all the shades of grey Mullaly provides, there's still a couple of one-dimensional villains in Hondo and the War Hawks. Victor Tribolet, making his first appearance as the brother of the freighting tycoon played in the pilot by Michael Rennie.  With Rennie unavailable for the series, a well-cast Glenn Langan (THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN) made the first of his five appearances, during which he would become a major thorn in Hondo's side, albeit one defined mainly by greed.  Tribolet was Langan's last television role, but he returned for a minor role in Fenady's feature CHISUM in 1970.

Jim Davis returns from the two-part pilot as henchman Krantz, mainly to ask the questions answered by Tribolet's expository lines.  Krantz doesn't fare any better with his fists here than he did previously, though, remaining winless in the HONDO ring. Whether he faced former mining boss Gallagher, Buffalo or Lane, the result was always the same on this series--the future Jock Ewing got his ass kicked.  No wonder he didn't return after this third go-round.

Finally, Mullaly's ironic closing note is a perfect capper, keeping our true heroes unsung.  Proving that the squeaky wheel gets the grease, it's blustery Buckeye Jack who ends up with full credit for "diffusing a volatile situation" back in D.C., stealing Colonel Crook's medal out from under him in the process.  Arrogant myopia resulting in top honors and a cushy desk job in the nation's capital after royally screwing up and almost getting everyone killed--gee, good thing that could never really happen....

WHO'S THE REAL HERO HERE?

Chief of the Chircahua and Apache Nation Vittoro, makes his sixth appearance in the first seven shows (he would appear in only three of the remaining ten) and gets to ride to the rescue again--for the third time, after Hondo and the Eagle Claw and Hondo and the War Cry. 

HOW MANY CANS OF WHOOPASS?

Hondo gets the better of Saldado twice, needing only one punch the first time.  He also gets into a tag team battle against Tribolet's henchman, in which Lane knocks henchman Krantz into a watering trough before the fight is quelled.  And as usual, the battle royale was hosted by Fort Lowell's favorite thirst quencher.  Speaking of.....

IS THE CANTINA STILL STANDING?

Yes, but the front window was shattered during that donnybrook, which saw Hondo and Buffalo on one side and Tribolet's minions on the other.  A smashed window is always flashy, but all in all, there was less property damage than usual in the end.  Several tables and chairs were overturned but still intact.

A DOG'S LIFE:

Sam is present throughout, but for once he's just an observer.  He does get to hang back with Buffalo during Lane's trip to Tucson, and for once, the canine's presence in the watering hole doesn't start a fight.  We do learn Sam is apparently a teetotaler.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

A very well developed entry, probably the best illustrating the precarity of the Vittoro/Crook alliance.  Also commendably introducing another challenging obstacle to maintaining it in Tribolet.  Another of Fenady's intriguimg supporting casts: Langan's hissable villain became a frequent foil and Carroll's TV debut was also his first appearance onscreen in eight long years.  This installment's social commentary has aged every bit as well as its bitterly ironic coda.  (***1/2 out of four)



HONDO currently airs every Sunday morning at 6:30 AM Central on getTV. 

ROCK ISLAND TRAIL (1950) and CALIFORNIA PASSAGE (1950): Tuck Becomes a Hero

This post is The Horn Section's contribution to the Republic Pictures Blogathon hosted by two great bloggers: The Hannibal 8 and our longtime friend Toby Roan at Fifty Westerns From the 1950's. Follow Mr. Roan on twitter and keep up with all the great posts on classics from arguably the Western's greatest decade, the 1950's.

ROCK ISLAND TRAIL (1950 Republic) Starring Forrest Tucker, Adele Mara, Bruce Cabot, Chill Wills, Adrian Booth, Grant Withers, Jeff Corey. Written by James Edward Grant.  Directed by Joseph Kane.

ROCK ISLAND TRAIL (based on Frank Nebins' novel Yankee Dare) was announced as one of Republic Studio's upcoming A-listers for the following year in August 1949.  Quite a cast had already been assembled at the time of that initial press release: Adele Mara, Bruce Cabot, Chill Wills and Grant Withers were among the actors announced, and each played a substantial role in the resulting feature.

Adele Mara

Six-foot-five Rod Cameron was considered the initial favorite to play Reed Loomis, but when filming of James Edward Grant's script actually began in Oklahoma, the hero was played by another tall young Republic actor who had made a significant impression in two of the studio's biggest 1949 successes.

After mostly playing bullies and villains his first two years with the studio, Forrest Tucker had the sympathetic supporting role of Marshall Bucky McLean in the Wild Bill Elliott starrer HELLFIRE, then made an even bigger splash butting heads with John Wayne in the Marine tribute SANDS OF IWO JIMA.  With Elliott's expiring contract creating a void near the top of Republic's stable, the thirty-one year old actor nicknamed "Tuck" graduated to top billing by headlining Joseph Kane's Trucolor adventure.

Forrest Tucker

Reed Loomis (Tucker) is President of the Rock Island Trail Railroad Company.  He draws the ire of steamboat operator Kirby Morrow (Cabot), first by winning the stage line's lucrative mail contract, then by wooing away Morrow's intended, Constance Strong (Mara).  Morrow tries to stop Loomis by hook or crook, sensing that the handsome railroader will be taking a lot of business away from his boats.  First Kirby tries bribing Loomis' subordinates, but Loomis' loyal sidekick Hogger McCoy (Wills) thwarts the effort.  After Reed is able to convince Strong's wealthy father (Winters) to invest in his railroad, Morrow turns to direct sabotage.  Meanwhile, exotic French-educated Keokuk Princess Aleeta (Adrian Booth) tries to woo Mr. Loomis away from the banker's daughter.

Wills and Tucker

The role of Loomis was a real breakthrough for Forrest Tucker.  He mostly played snarling, tight lipped villains throughout the 1940's, but ROCK ISLAND TRAIL gave the husky actor a chance to play not only an extrovert, but an unreserved hero.  Tucker's Reed Loomis is persuasive enough to sway investors, quick-witted and skilled at any weapon of choice (more on than in a bit).  Loomis' magnetism attracts both the banker's daughter and the Indian princess, with sufficient charm to keep the latter's loyal friendship even after he sidesteps her pass in favor of the former.  Tucker is forceful and convincing throughout, clearly relishing the opportunity to play a protagonist in an "A" feature (he did receive a few leads in poverty row productions such as Monogram's EMERGENCY LANDING (1941) before achieving more substantial stardom at Republic).  Tuck's image would eventually change dramatically with similarly brash roles as Professor Harold Hill in THE MUSIC MAN and, of course, Sergeant O'Rourke on F TROOP.  But ROCK ISLAND TRAIL was the first real display of his affability on the big screen.

Oh, and that comment about his aptitude with weapons: Loomis puts on an impressive display with his fists (several times) and his firearm, but when Morrow challenges him, he chooses an unconventional weapon: mops dipped in boiling soup.  The resulting duel provides the biggest surprise in this kitchen-sink actioneer, with Loomis proving his point by the end of the conflict: "Dueling is stupid!"

Bruce Cabot (R)

Kane provides a surfeit of action as expected.  In addition to that mop duel, ROCK ISLAND TRAIL gives us train/stage race, an exploding bridge, several fist fights, the inevitable attack from a hostile tribe (instigated by Cabot, of course)....there's even a courtroom trial with Abraham Lincoln (Jeff Corey) representing Loomis' railroad (and winning the case, of course).

Corey, he of the deep, smooth voice (his career would hit an unfortunate roadblock with HUAC a year later) is a fine choice to play the future President.  The offbeat casting of Booth doesn't quite come off without a hitch, though I can't think of anyone else under contract who could have played the role of a French-Indian princess more effectively.  (And yes, that certainly includes Mrs. Yates, Vera Ralston.) Booth's multicultured Aleeta refreshingly takes the high road romantically and has several intriguing character traits, such as enjoying a good cigar. 

Adrian Booth (L)

Surprisingly, the film's major weakness is a mediocre script by the usually reliable James Edward Grant (SANDS OF IWO JIMA).  Dialogue is frequently stilted, and it's simply impossible to believe that Morrow got to the engagement stage with Constance given that neither she nor her father seem to have the slightest warmth for him, even in the beginning.  Another drawback is distractingly obvious use of rear screen projection in a few key scenes, cheapening an otherwise impressive-looking Trucolor production.

These problems notwithstanding, ROCK ISLAND TRAIL is consistently fun, a quintessential example of old school action and a good showcase for its leads with beautiful Mara matching Tucker's work.  Republic had high hopes for the film, providing an ambitious all-out promotion that included its stars (joined by Roy Rogers) traveling by train to the premiere in Rock Island, Illinois on April 27, 1950.  Despite the heavy publicity, ROCK ISLAND TRAIL was something of a box office disappointment, though the chemistry between its stars was undeniable, and Mara was cast as Tucker's leading lady in his next stab at top billing for Republic, CALIFORNIA PASSAGE.

CALIFORNIA PASSAGE (1950 Republic) Starring Forrest Tucker, Adele Mara, Jim Davis, Estelita Rodriguez, Peter Miles, Paul Fix, Iron Eyes Cody, Bob Williams, Charles Kemper, Lee Tung Foo.  Written by James Edward Grant.  Directed by Joseph Kane.

Mike Prescott (Tucker) and Linc Corey (Jim Davis) are uneasy partners in the Golden Bear, a Maricosa saloon circa 1850.  Unbeknownst to Prescott, Corey is involved in another partnership: he's been masterminding stagecoach robberies in cahoots with Bob Martin (Bill Williams).  After Prescott wins the saloon's profits via their business agreement (cutting cards, with winner taking all) for the 17th week in a row, resentment overcomes Martin.  Despite Corey's warning, hotheaded Bob is spoiling for a fight, and Prescott kills him in self-defense in the ensuing skirmish.  A short time later Bob's sister Beth (Mara) arrives from the East with youngest brother Tommy (Peter Miles) in tow.  Mike and Linc are both attracted to the new girl in town, deepening the antagonism between the shaky business partners.  After Prescott gains the upper hand for Beth's affections, Corey frames Mike for the stagecoach robberies, eliminating him from both that contest and the business partnership by forcing him on the lam.  Then Beth Martin uncovers evidence of Corey's guilt.

In contrast to the publicity blitz that accompanied the Trucolor ROCK ISLAND TRAIL, black and white CALIFORNIA PASSAGE was issued quietly in December 1950.  Still, it's the better film for my money.  The key is that screenwriter Grant is in much better form, providing dialogue that is much snappier and funnier, with Tucker and Davis puncturing one another with sharp one-liners frequently enough to require a scorecard.

Grant also throws us more curveballs this time around (that memorable mop duel notwithstanding).  Self-described "irregular, not incompetent" Sheriff Willy Clair (a terrific Kemper) shocks Beth with his passive reaction to a lynch mob.  But he's no coward, nor corrupt--he simply realizes he must pick his fights wisely while "civilizing" Maricosa, one resolved conflict at a time.  After an Indian attack is repelled in the opening scene, hero Prescott is the one who takes a scalp (from uncredited Iron Eyes Cody)!  His explanation to young Tommy?  "He'd have taken yours!"

Trucolor ROCK ISLAND TRAIL presented its hero and villain in straightforward black and white--black and white CALIFORNIA PASSAGE filters its foes through subtler (and changing) shades.   Reed Loomis was gregarious and affable but PASSAGE's Mike Prescott bluntly states: "I don't like people."  As mentioned above, Prescott's barbs are mostly aimed at not-so-beloved partner Linc, but also find their way towards Beth (one of those immigrants who has no idea what she's in for) and wary Sheriff Clair, who is treated to a "short beer" after Mike offers him one "on the house" (Kemper's reaction is priceless).

Likewise, Cabot's Kirby Morrow was unlikable from the get-go, but it's hard not to have some sympathy for Jim Davis' Linc--at first, anyway.  We learn that he's 0 for his last 17 in the "winner take all" method of determining profit sharing--and the most recent loss came after his partner was away for several months.  But Linc proves as unworthy of any sympathy as he is of Mike's reluctant loyalty by the final reel.  Our first impressions of Prescott, Corey and Clair are proven erroneous by film's end, as is Prescott's initial take on those immigrants from back East.  The same fog that exposed the vulnerability faced by Beth and Tommy in the opening scene plays a prominent role in their survival on the mountain later, suggesting they just might be more adaptable than Prescott thinks.

Estelita Rodriguez

CALIFORNIA PASSAGE boasts a typically outstanding Republic supporting cast.  In addition to Kemper, the film also offers an opportunity to enjoy a meatier-than-usual part for starlet Estelita Rodriguez, playing Williams' girlfriend and the saloon's singer,  (She gets two songs,  "Goin' Round in Circles" and "Second Hand Romance"). Rodriguez, only 24 at the time, would lead a sadly troubled adult life. Married four times, she passed away at age 40 from influenza in 1966.  Lee Tung Foo plays his familiar stereotypical Chinese cook, this time insisting repeatedly to Davis that everything is 'kosher'.

Rodriguez, Kemper and Davis (L to R)

The film isn't perfect--Beth's realization about her brother is a bit rushed, and the otherwise sharp Sheriff's suspicion of Prescott in the robberies seems pretty questionable.  (What would Mike's motivation be?  He's been winning the weekly take!)  Still, CALIFORNIA PASSAGE is suspenseful and entertaining.

While neither project catapulted him to A-list stardom, ROCK ISLAND TRAIL and CALIFORNIA PASSAGE established Forrest Tucker as a viable choice for heroic roles, and his ability to seamlessly alternate between friend and foe would make him one of the decade's busiest stars.  Tuck became one of Republic's top male leads (THE WILD BLUE YONDER, JUBILEE TRAIL opposite Joan Leslie) while sprinkling in vehicles with other studios, such as Fox (THE QUIET GUN), UA (COUNTERPLOT) and Hammer (BREAK IN THE CIRCLE) among others.  He continued to play villains effectively as well, most notably in SAN ANTONE (1953, for Republic) and RAGE AT DAWN (1955).  Forrest Tucker's Republic swan song, 1958's GIRL IN THE WOODS, arrived just a year before the studio's demise after a quarter century and nearly 1,000 features.

CALIFORNIA PASSAGE is currently streaming at Epix HD.

Television Review: HONDO: "Hondo and the War Cry" (1967)

 




"Your lives are meaningless compared to Hondo!"-- II






HONDO: "Hondo and the War Cry"  (1967 ABC-TV/MGM/Batjac Productions) Episode 2; Original Air Date: September 15, 1967.  Starring Ralph Taeger as Hondo Lane, Noah Beery Jr. as Buffalo Baker, Kathie Browne as Angie Dow, Gary Clarke as Captain Richards, Michael Pate as Chief Vittoro, Buddy Foster as Johnny Dow. Guest starring Jim Davis as Krantz, Michael Rennie as Tribolet, Victor Lundin as Silva, Robert Taylor as Gallagher, Randy Boone as Sean, Christopher Pate as Young Apache, Don Collier as Drover.  Teleplay by Andrew J. Fenady.  Directed by Lee H. Katzin.

Series Overview for HONDO: TV's Unlikeliest Cult Hit at this link 


After securing an agreement from his former father-in-law (and current Apache Chief) Vittoro to meet and talk treaty with the army, Hondo Lane discovers a couple being massacred by renegades on his way back from the scouting assignment.  Hondo and Buffalo capture and interrogate the lone surviving attacker and learn that his leader is Hondo's old rival Silva, who regards the officially recognized Chief with disdain.

Silva plans to attack Gallagher's mine next, which would not only scuttle peace plans, but could start a full scale war.  Captain Richards is unconvinced of Vittoro's innocence and skeptical that the Chief will keep his word despite Hondo's assurances.  Meanwhile, newly widowed Angie Dow deals with the loss of her husband and having to tell her son what has happened to his father.

Hondo and the War Cry picks up shortly after Hondo and the Eagle Claw left off (the two episodes were re-edited and released as the feature film HONDO AND THE APACHES overseas).   With the titular hero's past and motives fully explained in Hondo and the Eagle Claw, it's the newly appointed Captain's turn in this continuation.  Richards bluntly admits favoring "extermination over conciliation".  The reason for his bitterness is similar to Hondo's: the Captain's older brother, Major Addison Richards, was "butchered" by Indians.

With Lane challenging the Captain and offering the Apache point of view ("Who started this problem?  Whose real estate is this?"), Fenady's intriguing setup is fully in place.  Three men are starting new assignments--Richards (Fort C.O.), Lane (freshly hired scout) and Vittoro (Chief).  Each man is emotionally damaged by losing someone very close (brother, wife and only daughter respectively) to the other side during the Apache Wars, yet tasked with leaving the past behind and working together to chart a peaceful future.

Michael Rennie's second (and final) appearance as Tribolet

Ironically, for all the uneasy Army/Apache alliances, it is the head renegade's lack of faith in his former Chief that threatens to topple all the dominoes.  Silva survived his blood rite with Hondo in the opener, but remains a thorn in the side of both Richards and Vittoro by leading the insurgency against both.  Captain Richards pragmatically notes that when all is said and done, Vittoro is just "one man from one tribe".

After impressively restaging that blood rite in Hondo and the Eagle Claw, Fenady provides a variation on another memorable sequence from the 1953 film: the "walk around him" scene.  In the original, it's Ed Lowe (Leo Gordon) who calls Sam a 'cur' for blocking a doorway, but wary of incurring his wrath (or Hondo's), eventually takes the advice. Ed Dow is already pushing up daisies, so in Hondo and the War Cry we have a mouthy cattlemen (THE HIGH CHAPARRAL'S Don Collier) insulting Sam and Hondo ("hey, Buckskin!") in the cantina and threatening to shoot the canine unless he moves. 

Wayne's Hondo resolved the standoff peacefully with quiet intimidation; Taeger's Lane takes action.  His attempt to call Sam over is pretty half-hearted, but this isn't really another instance of Emberato living up to his Apache name ("bad temper")--these cowpokes all but beg for what's coming to them.  Gratuitous or not, the extra action isn't unwelcome in this more introspective second segment.  The fistfight also gives Buffalo a chance to steal his fellow scout's beer (if not the scene itself).

A later vignette epitomizes the thanklessness of Hondo's new task. On his way back from a delivery of supplies, the scout catches Krantz and a friend bullying a twelve year old Apache boy (played by Michael Pate's 14 year old son Christopher) on a rite of passage.  Hondo lets them off with a warning shot--not only taking it easy on them himself, but also (unbeknownst to the bullies) saving them from Vittoro--and several warriors with him trailing the youngster from a distance.  Lane's repayment for this courtesy?  The Tribolet employees complain to Richards about Hondo's actions.  Oh well, it is better than the thanks Lane received from Ed Dow for saving the Mrs.

Taeger, Jim Davis and young Christopher Pate

Speaking of Angie Dow, she too knows "there's good and bad on both sides."  Surprisingly, Angie admits that she didn't love her late husband, marrying him before she really knew him.  Angie is intrigued by the tight-lipped scout, and little Johnny Dow bonds with Hondo and Sam immediately.  Still, the widow has to at least consider the attractive offer for her store from freighting magnate Tribolet.  Ever-laconic Lane doesn't interfere: "I never tell anybody what to do."  As will be seen in later segments (i.e. Hondo and the Gladiators), sometimes Hondo is non-committal to a fault.

WHO'S THE REAL HERO HERE?

The show may bear Lane's first name, but Vittoro is the right place at the right time to save his son in law for the second episode in a row.  In addition, Johnny Dow seems positively awed to meet the Chief.

HOW MANY CANS OF WHOOPASS?

In the teaser, Hondo silences two of the renegades who attacked a wagon unassisted--as he puts it, they "won't be in for breakfast".  That was with his gun, though.  With his fists, Emberato notches four kayos in the cantina.  First, the aforementioned cattle punchers, then the subtly villainous Tribolet and henchman Krantz go down for the count from the same left cross.

IS THE CANTINA STILL STANDING?

It hosts two of Hondo's TKOs during Hondo and the War Cry, and three tables and a chair bite the dust.  Ever think Hondo would get barred from the place if he wasn't buying most of Buffalo's drinks?

IT'S A DOG'S LIFE:

Sam's aforementioned refusal to move from the doorway is his showcase scene (which was filmed specifically for this episode, apart from the pilot feature), but he gets another pivotal moment when he blocks a tomahawk wielding renegade from rejoining the battle.  Great job--but I doubt that'll get you any table scraps, Sam!

Well, how about if I do some yoga?

THE BOTTOM LINE:

More leisurely paced than the opener, with its emphasis on development of supporting characters and tying up a few loose ends, but Hondo and the War Cry is no less effective, finishing a strong two-part introduction.  In the Fenady canon, the series is a logical progression from THE REBEL and BRANDED, as both shows followed a drifting veteran after the Civil War.   HONDO examines what happens once the loner finally stops wandering.  Nicely developed two-parter by the producer, establishing a wide range of possibilities for Lane's subsequent adventures.  (*** out of four)


HONDO: THE COMPLETE SERIES is streaming at Warner Archive Instant.

Television Review: HONDO: "Hondo and the Eagle Claw" (1967)

"Your lives are meaningless compared to Hondo!"






HONDO: "Hondo and the Eagle Claw"  (1967 ABC-TV/MGM/Batjac Productions) Episode 1; Original Air Date: September 8, 1967.  Starring Ralph Taeger as Hondo Lane, Noah Beery Jr. as Buffalo Baker, Kathie Browne as Angie Dow, Gary Clarke as Captain Richards, Michael Pate as Chief Vittoro, Buddy Foster as Johnny Dow, William Bryant as Colonel Crook. Guest starring Gary Merrill as General Sheridan, Jim Davis as Krantz, John Smith as Ed Dow, Victor Lundin as Silva, Robert Taylor as Gallagher, Michael Rennie as Tribolet.  Teleplay by Andrew J. Fenady.  Directed by Lee H. Katzin.

Series Overview and Introduction to our episode guide for the ABC TV series HONDO at this link

Traveling through Arizona territory with his dog Sam, half Apache/ex-Rebel Hondo Lane is surrounded by "blue belly" cavalrymen as he drowns his sorrows after yet another bar fight.  But the soldiers aren't coming to jail him--he's been summoned by his old Civil War adversary, General Sheridan.  Army brass is ready to offer Hondo a job as a scout aiding an effort to establish peaceful co-existence (and a treaty) with the tribe Lane once lived with.

It's an unusual request, since Hondo's Apache wife was killed years earlier in an army raid (Lane's motivation to fight against the North).  Hondo's battlefield exploits with the 7th in Texas became legend, but this isn't just an olive branch to a formidable foe. Lane's former father in law Vittoro is now the Chief of the Apache Nation, making Hondo the most trusted Army liasion possible to the tribe's leader.

While Lane respects Colonel Crook based on his knowledge of the man's history, Fort Lowell's Captain Richards isn't initially sold on the General's idea.  Even less thrilled to see Hondo's arrival at Lowell is Ed Dow, proprieter of the general store.  You'd think Ed would be grateful to the new scout after Hondo rescues Mrs. Dow and son Johnny from renegade Apaches (killing two) on his way to the Fort.  But no, the surly Mr. Dow only sees Lane as a wanted man with a price on his head--which Dow plots to collect, not knowing that those revenge seeking renegades (led by Silva) plan to get to Hondo first.

Writer Fenady lifted some dialogue directly from the 1953 feature (i.e. lines to the Dows about Sam) and is efficient in providing the exposition a pilot needs.  Hondo and the Eagle Claw sets the table briskly, with the next action scene never far away.  Producer Fenady cast top notch guest stars on a weekly basis, beginning here.  Genre stalwarts Jim Davis and Robert Taylor appear as miners (the former is unhappy with a lack of cavalry protection), with the latter getting some badassery with his fists and some family conflict as the biggest "name" in the cast at the time.  Michael Rennie plays a magnate eyeing the Dows' store, and Gary Merrill lends his usual gravitas to General Philip Sheridan (a role played by Fenady himself in the producer's previous hits, THE REBEL and BRANDED).

On his second go-round under contract to MGM (with stints at Paramount, Ziv and Fox in between) Ralph Taeger stepped into John Wayne's boots, given some of the Duke's original lines and the task of carrying the series.  A stoic, sturdy Humphrey Bogart soundalike, Taeger is very well cast as the laconic protagonist.  Beery provides cheery comic relief as Hondo's friend and fellow scout Buffalo. While nowhere near as imposing as Ward Bond, Beery's Baker is also supportive when necessary during the frequent fisticuffs.  In another small screen change, Browne (BONANZA) portrays a more refined Angie than Geraldine Page's. 

The nagging question with this otherwise well executed debut has to do with Hondo's introduction to Mr. Dow, which leads to the abusive husband's demise.  Ed Dow confronts Lane with a wanted poster--so why doesn't Hondo tell him about the full pardon he's already received from Sheridan?  Yeah, he's a man of few words, but Lane immediately told Captain Richards about it when the fort commander brought out the same poster earlier.  The reward is Dow's stated motivation when he and an accomplice ambush Hondo later, so this omission comes across as being a too-convenient way to set up Dow's death (and create a potential romantic interest for Lane by episode's end).

The tensest scene in John Farrow's film is also the most effective re-enactment from it in Hondo and the Eagle Claw.  Captured by vengeful Silva (whose brother Hondo killed while defending the Dows), Lane ends up staked in the desert and challenged with the Apache blood rite.  The ante is actually upped on TV's Hondo, who loses his shirt and also faces torture by hot coals instead of interrogation.  "Your dying will be slow and hard," Silva warns him.  (Well, if that happens, we won't have a second episode, now, will we?) 

RALPH TAEGER TRIVIA:

After HONDO's cancellation, Ralph Taeger's acting career stalled (he admitted years later that industry networking was not one of his strengths).  He made only sporadic TV appearances before leaving Hollywood for good, but not before he took part in a legendary classic.  In his penultimate television role, Taeger was cast in the infamous 1982 "lookalike drugs" episode from QUINCY, M.E.'s Hilarious Years, Bitter Pill.  Taeger is on the left (on the right, of course, the great Jack Klugman).

Taeger's appearance had changed considerably in 15 years.  Commendably, no denial of the aging process on his part.  Hondo Lane would have been proud.  Think Quincy could have used Hondo's help when he demolished Zagner's pill shop?

HONDO OPENED HOW MANY CANS OF WHOOPASS?

With his fists alone, five.  Hey, this was the tone setter.  Hondo punches two loudmouths through the window of the saloon and a breaks a table with a third before he even speaks.  Later, he dispatches poor loser Ed Dow at Buffalo's poker game and knocks a soldier into a water trough with a left hook, so Mr. Lane is a very busy man even before his showdown with Silva in the desert sun.

IS THE CANTINA STILL STANDING?

Fortunately for the oft-battered Fort Lowell cantina, Hondo's opening fisticuffs take place in an unnamed saloon elsewhere during a thunderstorm.  That locale suffers all the property damage--for now, anyway.  Part two will be a different story.

IT'S A DOG'S LIFE:

Sam growls at the bartender when he reaches for a gun instead of a bottle upon Hondo's two-fisted arrival.   Hondo consistently practices what might be considered tough love with his most loyal friend, insisting Sam catch his own dinner and warning little Johnny Dow not to pet him.  (More on the duo's dynamic in later installments.) Later, Hondo tells Sam to "get lost" in the desert, but for good reason---Silva just declared that he will kill "two white dogs".  Scene stealer Sam emerges from it all unscathed, which is the wisest of all of the changes from the 1953 original.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Hondo and the Eagle Claw is an effective introduction to the series and the challenges facing its terse titular character.  Fenady (BRANDED) and Katrin deliver the action expected from the source material, and the introduction of the Dows is as effective as the feature's.  This episode and Hondo and the War Cry provided the bulk of the footage for the feature Hondo and the Apaches, which was released theatrically overseas and ended up being the only Hondo Lane adventure that most would get to see on television in the 1970's and 1980's due to the much-noted scarcity of the original.   (*** out of four)


HONDO: THE COMPLETE SERIES is currently streaming at Warner Archive Instant.