100 YEARS OF TUCK: His Television Best

COLUMBO (1972)

February 12, 1919, one hundred years ago today.  An historic day that saw the birth of acting's G.O.A.T.   That's right: today is the Centennial for The Horn Section's patron saint, Forrest Tucker.

THE GHOST BUSTERS (1975)

In the thirteen years I've been writing here, we've explored much of the man's work.  Some of the greatest of his 99 feature films were covered here when we saluted him on the twentieth anniversary of his untimely passing.   In the years since, we've been pleased to see several of big screen sleepers released on DVD and BluRay.  Particularly so to see BARQUERO and THE QUIET GUN readily available for all to see after decades of obscurity.

With Linda Darnell on CLIMAX! (1957)

Tuck had a fine run in the decade following his SANDS OF IWO JIMA breakthrough, starring in classics ranging from THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN to AUNTIE MAME.  After the latter, he became quite familiar to theatre patrons nationwide, playing Professor Harold Hill in THE MUSIC MAN some 2,038 times from 1958-1963.  When that highly successful run ended, Tuck hosted an instantly popular morning drive time show on WCFL-AM in Chicago beginning in November 1964.

And you thought Howard Stern was the King of All Media.

Tuck's newfound radio career had to be set aside six months into his run when television came calling with what would turn out to be his signature role:  Sergeant Morgan O'Rourke in the enduringly popular F TROOP.  Such was the show's impact that it has overshadowed not just a quarter century of memorable performances on stage and screen, but also the remainder of Tuck's TV resume, which he'd already been busily compiling for over a decade when F TROOP premiered in September 1965.

You're obviously enjoying the F TROOP Fridays installments here at the Section, so I won't dwell on Tuck's most famous contribution to the boob tube today.  In celebrating his Centennial, I'd like to give Tuck the same tribute we paid his frequent co-star Larry Storch last month and highlight just some of his finest moments on the small screen away from the friendly confines of Fort Courage.  A dozen to be exact, plus bonus YouTube links at the end:

WAGON TRAIN: The Rex Montana Story (May 28, 1958) as Rex Montana

Five years after playing Wild Bill Hickok opposite Charlton Heston's Buffalo Bill Cody in PONY EXPRESS, Tuck essays the Codyesque Rex Montana in this drama concerning a Wild West show.  The hero is a womanizer offstage and, as it turns out, living a lie on it.  He's a capable rider and shooter, but one with a past that catches up with him as this Story unfolds.  The first of many television western appearances for future Golden Boot Winner Tucker (he was one of the inaugural class, in 1983).  A tour de force near the end of this classic's freshman season.

CELEBRITY GOLF: March 19, 1961 

Forrest Tucker's prowess on the links could be the subject of its own post.  Hell, maybe it will be sometime.  Fortunately, we have this episode as an artifact of his avocation, in which Tuck battles golfing legend Slammin' Sammy Snead.  How good was Tuck at his hobby?  Snead was on a ten match winning streak against celebrity opponents with intent to make Forrest his eleventh victim.  How did it go?  Mike Connolly had the scoop three months before the episode aired:

That'll learn him to mess with The Sarge.

HOLLYWOOD PALACE:  November 27, 1965

Forrest Tucker, Larry Storch and Ken Berry appeared with host Janet Leigh on ABC's venerable variety series.  Of course, the stars of the network's hottest new show were on for sweeps month.  Ken's dancing was highlighted, Larry did some standup, and Tuck paid tribute to Jimmy Durante and demonstrated some of the singing and dancing talents that had largely been limited to his stage work.

HONDO: Hondo and the Judas (November 3, 1967) as William Clarke Quantrill

"Man can live with one wing, but not with gangrene."

Tuck is the top billed guest star in what might be the best-known episode of the longtime TNT Saturday morning cult favorite (currently being rediscovered on GetTV where it has aired on Sundays since 2015).  While I don't consider this to be one of the stronger installments, Tucker's performance as the Civil War guerilla leader is a bold one, worthy of the larger audience it has attained in reruns.  This dubious Colonel is no one-dimensional villain.  Manipulative yet charming one moment, exploding with rage at his handicap the next, then bravely taking on three gunmen with only one arm to protect a longtime friend just when you think you've figured him out.  Tucker's Quantrill inspires obedience and loyalty from the James brothers, the Younger brothers, the Fords and one Hondo Lane despite some serious fissures in his personality which have intensified since the loss of a wing and a war.

GUNSMOKE: The War Priest (January 5, 1970)

Tuck was a particular favorite on the longest-running western on U.S. network television, making a half-dozen segments between 1965 and 1972.  His most impactful character arrived in the first GUNSMOKE of the Seventies: Sergeant Emmett Holly, a whiskey-soaked racist in hot pursuit of an escaped Native to protect his "perfect record" days before his retirement.  And, eventually, also in hot pursuit of Miss Kitty, perhaps even more intensely.  Holly even returned to woo her in an ill-conceived, farcical sequel a season later.  Some say The War Priest reminds you of his most famous role, which IMO is completely false outside of the uniform he's wearing.  Myself, I wonder if they've actually watched this one, or if they confused it with Holly's second installment.  Tuck carries this one, with James Arness mostly absent (a frequent occurrence during the show's anthology-like final years).

NIGHT GALLERY: Dr. Stringfellow's Rejuvenator (November 17, 1971) as Dr. Stringfellow

"You see, I give them a little peek over the pigsty, a view of heaven."

Another old west con man, this one far less fun than Fort Courage's Sergeant.  Dr. Stringfellow peddles the titular serum from town to town, and while there are hints of a conscience buried underneath the bluster, something clearly died in this man a long time ago.  It's a tribute to Tuck's skill that he is able to instill a man who has no redeeming qualities (this fraud sells false hope to a dying six year old girl) with a hint of humanity here and there.  Forrest Tucker's only journey into Rod Serling-land, which is a shame.

BONANZA: Warbonnet (December 26, 1971) as Frank Ryan

In contrast to his ubiquity on GUNSMOKE, it is truly a surprise that one of the busiest actors in the genre made only one appearance on the second longest running television Western of all time, and not until the show's next-to-last season!  Fortunately, Forrest's lone BONANZA gave him a meaty character to essay, a retired cavalry officer who is not all that he seems to be.  His facade is threatened by the arrival of Chief Dan George, who claims the titular headdress was stolen from him.  A romance with Linda Cristal (HIGH CHAPARRAL) is an added bonus.  Tucker later made another memorable appearance with Michael Landon on LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE in 1975.

WELCOME HOME, JOHNNY BRISTOL (January 30, 1972) as Harry McMartin

Excellent Made-for-TV movie deserves a standalone review, and will get one now that I've had a chance to revisit it.  Martin Landau is a Vietnam POW convalescing in a VA hospital looking for his Vermont hometown--which no one has ever heard of and appears to no longer exist.  Forrest gets to show his avuncular side as a wheelchair bound WWII vet who meets Landau at the hospital and sympathizes with his plight.  Fine acting from all involved, including Jane Alexander, Martin Sheen and Brock Peters.  One hell of a final scene for the venerable star too.

KOJAK:  On the Edge (January 11, 1976) as Detective Paul Zachery

If you could steal an episode of KOJAK from Telly Savalas, you were doing something right.  Tucker played plenty of aging professionals facing mortality literally or figuratively in prime time during the Seventies, and this is one of his strongest.  Nearing retirement, Forrest is a Detective longing to recapture his glory days.  Fifteen years after he received a ton of recognition for cracking a high-profile case, Tuck's thirst for the limelight has led him to alienate wife Verna Bloom personally and Captain MacNeil professionally.  The latter wants Tuck's badge.  For good reason it turns out, since Tuck is willing to break the rules in a big way to go out a winner.  Nuanced performance, both at home and the office.  But once again, Tuck went sadly unnoticed by the Emmys.

ALICE: Flo Finds her Father (April 14, 1979) and FLO: A Castleberry Thanksgiving (November 24, 1980) as Edsel Jarvis Castleberry

Tucker proved such a popular guest star that many of his characters were invited back:  Sergeant Emmett Holly on GUNSMOKE and Joe Snag on DANIEL BOONE were two examples.   Tucker had this opportunity again after his introduction as Flo's wealthy, estranged father on ALICE.

After Florence Jean Castleberry was spun off into her own series, Forrest got a second go-round in a special one hour episode (shown in two parts in syndication and streaming), in which the blustery yet sympathetic absentee father tried to make amends with the rest of the family members he's hurt one year after reconnecting with his daughter.  Practically tailor-made to Tucker's flamboyant, extroverted personality: a good showcase for both Tuck and series star Polly Holliday.  FLO was recently released on DVD by Warner Archive and remains an entertaining series throughout its too-short 29 episode run.

TIMESTALKERS (March 10, 1987 TVM) as Texas John Cody

Forrest Tucker's swan song was released posthumously, in this overlooked but entertaining time travel tale starring William Devane, Lauren Hutton and Klaus Kinski.  It's appropriate that Tuck ended his forty-six year career on the tube and that his character is closely connected to the old West. As "Texas" John Cody, an expert on the subject, Tuck provides some key information for Devane and also finds time to flirt with Hutton.  Hell, who wouldn't?

Happy Birthday, Tuck, and R.I.P.  You can find many of Forrest Tucker's television AND film performances on YouTube, such as this 1957 episode of FORD TELEVISION THEATRE:

And, this 1958 installment of G.E. THEATRE, with Bette Davis and HIGH CHAPARRAL star Leif Erickson.  Happy hunting!

Television Review: HONDO: "Hondo and the Death Drive" (1967)

"Your lives are meaningless compared to HONDO!"  








HONDO: "Hondo and the Death Drive" (1967 ABC/MGM/Batjac Productions) Season One, Episode 13.  Original Air Date: December 1, 1967.  Starring Ralph Taeger as Hondo Lane, Noah Beery, Jr. as Buffalo Baker, William Bryant as Colonel Crook, Glenn Langan as Victor Tribolet.  Guest Stars: Alan Hale, Jr. as Ben Cobb, L. Q. Jones as Allie, Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez as Sancho, J. Pat O'Malley as Rufus, Reed Hadley as Morgan Slade, Terry Wilson as Dakota, X Brands as Coro, Ted Gehring as Kemp, Dave Cass as Harper, John Mitchum as Bartender, Bill Catching as Saloon Brawler, Roy Sickner as Cox, Tom Steele as Hudson, Jeff Morris as Galin.  Written by Peter Germano.  Directed by William Witney.


Series overview and introduction to the HONDO episode guide is at this link.


A cattle drive delivering to the Pinto Basin Apache reservation is lost to a stampede in a storm, forcing Colonel Crook to scramble for beef.  Heading the cattlemen's association in the Basin, Ben Cobb tries to extort too high a price to provide it.  Rationalizing that marbled steak and wool provides more overall value and sheep will be easier to keep, Crook purchases 500 head from Slade and orders Hondo and Buffalo to oversee the delivery.  Meanwhile, Cobb plots to stop them from reaching their destination by any means necessary.

Hondo and the Death Drive marks an intriguing change in direction for the series, with Fort Lowell moving from focal point to springboard and the Dows receding into the background.  In fact, both Kathie Browne and Buddy Foster appeared for the last time in Hondo and the Ghost of Ed Dow.  Beefed up is Noah Beery's role, with Hondo Lane and Buffalo Baker receiving road assignments in each of the final five installments.  This time, they head west to the Pinto Basin.

Buffalo: "Colonel, I don't even wear wool socks!"
Crook: "You don't wear any socks!"

The last and best of the trio of episodes directed by William Witney (DARKTOWN STRUTTERS), Hondo and the Death Drive is a tailor made project for the former Republic serial specialist.  The action isn't quite nonstop, but the ambush or round of fisticuffs is always right around the corner.  Jones, Beery, Taeger and Wilson all put up their dukes before the titular journey even starts, with the last two seem mighty close to getting kicked by a horse in their fracas:

Witney really brings his 'A' game once the scouts and shepherds hit the road.  Fistfights give way to strategic ambushes and counterattacks, with weapons ranging from saltpeter to molotov cocktails.  A bottle of Bay Rum comes in handy for Buffalo at one point.  Blustering Cobb has seemingly endless avenues for sabotage: while it's never stated, it sure seems highly possible that the corrupt cattleman had something to do with that stampede that caused Crook's predicament.

Writer Peter Germano (The Art Lovers, for MAVERICK) works hand in glove with the director.  Amidst the well-paced activity, Germano's efficient teleplay allows us to get to know Lane's partners in the unlikely drive.  We learn about various methods that they cope with their losses and longings: Sancho's wife, Dakota's father, Rufus's son.

Slade: "One day, there won't be any need for Indian reservations."
Hondo: "Mr. Slade, there's no need for 'em right now."

Succinctly, Germano also makes pertinent points about the Apache "getting the dirty end of the stick" in both food and shelter.  Taeger's blunt Hondo is the perfect vehicle to deliver them non-intrusively, and the actor's expressions say it all even before his sparse responses to the justifications he hears from Crook and Slade.

Practically every HONDO offers a top notch guest cast, and Hondo and the Death Drive offers another plethora for cultists.  In his first post-Skipper dramatic role, Alan Hale, Jr. really digs into Ben Cobb's avarice and lack of conscience yet remains charismatic enough to believably draw in cattlemen and Native Americans alike in his glad-handing.  Keeping Cobb treacherous with nary a lapse into caricature, Hale's a fine choice to bring him to life.

After guest starring in THE REBEL and BRANDED, the ubiquitous L. Q. Jones completes his Fenady trifecta as Allie, the accomplice who almost learns too late that Cobb doesn't intend to leave loose ends.  The part is somewhat thankless (he takes punches from both principals), but Jones portrays Allie's initial leeriness (greed eventually reassures him) and post-attack P.T.S.D. effectively.

Nearly three decades after starring in ZORRO'S FIGHTING LEGION, Reed Hadley reunites with Witney in what would turn out to be one of his final roles.  X Brands (YANCY DERRINGER) is the renegade Apache hired by Cobb, and David S. Cass makes one of his earliest appearances as Cobb's right hand cowpuncher.  The always looming John Wayne connection is alive and well with character actor extraordinaire Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez (CHISUM) and Terry Wilson having plenty of dialogue fourteen years after doing stuntwork on the 1953 HONDO.

Wilson is joined by a who's who of stunt coordinators: Tom Steele, Wally West and Bill Catching also have speaking parts.  It isn't that big a surprise to see the last two uncredited, but it is mildly surprising to see John Mitchum missing from the cast list.  Glenn Langan is yet another CHISUM alumni here, and his always despicable Tribolet makes a fifth and final series appearance.  Would it surprise you to learn that he and Cobb are fast friends?

"I guess this country's big enough for sheep and cattle, Mr. Lane."
"I reckon they don't build 'em any bigger."

The final showdown offers a neat twist, with Cobb running afoul of his own scheme thanks to Hondo's creativity.  Confronted with the final failure of his scheme, the heretofore verbose magnate can only manage repeated and unheeded commands to "shut up" in the presence of his manipulated minions.  Unimpeded in the least by its worthy underlying statement and boasting solid work on both sides of the camera, Hondo and the Death Drive is a terrific yarn from start to finish.

HOW MANY CANS OF WHOOPASS?

Indicative of the greater emphasis on Beery's role, it's a close competition between Hondo and Buffalo this time.  However, Lane gets a 4-3 edge in the final tally.  Hondo kicks the crap out of initially unruly Dakota after taking over as drive boss, then subdues a renegade Apache in hand to hand combat during the raid and subdues Cobb and his henchman with a single punch each.  Not to be outdone, Baker impressively handles the younger, larger Allie at Fort Lowell's cantina in the teaser.  Later, Baker dispatches a brawler objecting to his sheepish scent at Mitchum's, then scores his own one-punch knockout engineering Hondo's jailbreak.

IS THE CANTINA STILL STANDING?

Before hitting the trail, Buffalo tangles with sheep man Allie in Fort Lowell's watering hole, which only loses a single chair in the skirmish.  Mitchum's barroom is even less scathed later.

A DOG'S LIFE:

The always versatile Sam tries his paw at sheep herding and makes a new girlfriend after meeting Sancho's sheephound Maria.  He damned near stays behind with her at the fade-out, even.  Not that he neglects his usual duties: Sam helps Sancho discover the stashed whisky, and finds that one saboteur (Harper) who is afraid of dogs once again during the attempt to poison the waterhole.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Does Hondo and the Death Drive sound exciting?  It should.  Top notch old school entertainment, the first of a final quintet of episodes taking Hondo, Buffalo and Sam on weekly road trips is one of the finest installments, period.  Germano's economical writing perfectly complements Witney's ability to stage action sequences.  As rewatchable a segment as any in this long underappreciated series.   (**** out of four)

HONDO airs Sunday mornings at 11:15 A.M. Eastern, 10:15 A.M. Central on GetTV.

MAVERICK Mondays: "The Golden Fleecing" (1961)

MAVERICK Mondays: Number 25   









MAVERICK: "The Golden Fleecing" (1961 ABC-TV/Warner Brothers)  Original Air Date: October 8, 1961.  Starring Jack Kelly as Bart Maverick, Paula Raymond as Adele Jaggers, Richard Loo as Lee Hong Chang, Olive Sturgess as Phoebe Albright, John Qualen as Henry Albright, Myron Healey as Frank Mercer, J. Edward McKinley as Loftus Jaggers, Herb Vigran as Mr. Butler, Harry Harvey as Captain Owens, Bert Stevens as Poker Player.  Written by Charles B. Smith.  Directed by Irving Moore.


Bart is on a serious roll as his riverboat treks the San Francisco Bay.  He's holding all the Aces and Kings on the felt and the Queen of San Francisco social circles off it: wealthy heiress Adele Jaggers.  Bart's rungood is interrupted by an stuck safety valve on the vessel, resulting in an explosion that interrupts both the game and the voyage.  Fortunately, the downturn doesn't get worse than that--Maverick is saved from the floating wreckage (along with Adele and her wannabe suitor Mercer) by the Albrights, a Quaker family.

Forty miles from the original San Francisco destination, Maverick recuperates at his rescuers' farm and learns that the farmers are praying for a miracle from their "worn out" soil.  With daughter Phoebe's endorsement, Henry seeks a favor for his hospitality.  Showing Bart small gold deposits from the latest stream overflow, the elder Albright thinks the gravel bluffs have much more to be extracted.  With Adele pushing her wealthy father to put Bart to work for the brokerage, taking the mine public seems like a perfect solution for all.  That is, until the predatory Loftus Jaggers sees an opportunity to steal the mineral-rich land via the freshly established Eureka Mines Corporation with the Quaker-trusted Maverick as his Judas goat.

New producer William L. Silver took a back-to-basics approach with MAVERICK's fifth and final season, introducing ersatz updates of Dandy Jim Buckley and Samantha Crawford in the opener (Dade City Dodge) and subsequently updating Shady Deal at Sunny Acres in The Art Lovers with surprising success.  This third installment recalls an even earlier time: the very first episode, War of the Silver Kings.  As was the case in the premiere, a corrupt local kingpin has home field advantage as he steals a lucrative mine from poor farmers (silver then, gold now, upping the stakes) and eventually comes to admire Maverick's guts after he's bested at his own game by the traveling gambler.

Just as Bret got a crash course in mining law in that memorable opener, Bart had to master the market here.  The Golden Fleecing is far from a tracing of the pilot, though.  Phineas King was a cheat on and off the tables; Loftus Jaggers keeps his corruption off the felt, with no sign of dishonesty in his home game.  Bart's romantic dalliance with aristocratic Adele adds tension that Bret didn't have to deal with while battling daughterless King.  Bart's education in equities is even more daunting, requiring a far more truncated timetable than Bret's legalese lessons: ten days, to be exact.

With Mercer (henchman hoping for a promotion to son-in-law) assisting him, Jaggers manipulates the market and their investment with ease--they're practically the century's answer to Gekko and Fox, with the Quakers just one more overmatched group to be lured, then strong-armed.  Crookery at the table isn't necessary; Jaggers' actions away from it (intentional production delays and inflated costs, with the goal of bankrupting the hospitable farmers) are more than enough to make him a deserving recipient of a satisfying takedown.  Ditto for daughter Adele (a well cast Paula Raymond) and Mercer.  They are shockingly ungrateful to the community assisting them after their close call on the water, and Ms. Jaggers gets downright haughty at the prospect of competition from the guileless Phoebe.

Penning his only MAVERICK, Charles B. Smith (SHOTGUN SLADE) cleverly sets up Jaggers' eventual undoing.   You'd never expect this unrepentant swindler to reveal all of his secrets to Bart, whose status as trojan horse leaves him out of the real club--and he doesn't.  Not willingly; Bart just happens to be standing there when broker Butler reminds Loftus of the new requirements for short selling, and that foot in the door allows Maverick to pick just enough of Loftus' brain for later use.

Smith does make some missteps in handling Bart's eventual allies.  We meet a mysterious young Chinese man who attempts to bushwhack Jaggers in front of his mansion, learning that the tycoon swindled him and several other railroad workers earlier.  Later, the same man is revealed to be working for Mr. Loo.  This is rather poorly thought out, since Loo would clearly have knowledge of Loftus Jaggers' usual business practices from his assistant.  So why would Loo buy Eureka Mine stock after finding out that newcomer Bart is working for a known cheat?  He and Bart developed a mutual admiration society on the felt, but Loo surely couldn't trust Maverick that much on the basis of one friendly game (that he lost handily, btw)!  Loo ends up investing enough to put his own thriving business in considerable jeopardy before the short selling begins--highly illogical.

Larcenous Loftus seems to handle his defeat well--way too well, as he's shown no sign of sporting blood or conscience prior to this comeuppance.  And while the parallel of shorting to bluffing is an apt one, the analogy of sand bagging (a.k.a. "slow playing") to losing swing trades escaped me.  Oh well, it is welcome to have poker looming large in the MAVERICK universe again, and the most fitting comparison of all is made by Mr. Chang, who notes that getting involved in the stock market is in no way giving up gambling.  While entertaining throughout, The Golden Fleecing is a better tutorial for the former than the latter.

HOW'D BART DO AT POKER?

He won two big pots from Lee Hong Chang (totaling at least $1,000 by my count) on the boat before the explosion, one with three aces and the other with deuces full.  Later he cleans up at a game hosted by Jaggers, to Mercer's chagrin in particular.

WISDOM FROM PAPPY:

"There's nothing like a boat trip, if you're going somewhere by water."  Pappy's sayings were really losing steam and wit by this time.  His advice on the stock market turns out to be just as generic: "Buy low, sell high."  There's a third nugget: "The most important thing to know about any gambling game is when to quit," a clear case of Pappy contradicting himself, since he previously told Bret that "the only time you quit when you're winning is after you've won it all".  Maybe he advised Bret and Bart a little differently.

WISDOM FROM MR. CHANG:

"One cannot gather honey without risking the sting of bees."  And: "He who is fortunate at cards is less fortunate at other endeavors."  Bart noted as an exception to the latter.  Hell, Mr. Chang is sounding at least as wise as Pappy by this point, with the latter seeming rather tapped out.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Like most of the season's attempts to recapture the show's salad days, The Golden Fleecing is perfectly enjoyable and solidly executed, but not quite a full return to form.  A mostly welcome addition and a gallant attempt to get back to basics that nevertheless can't quite match the better, earlier episode it evokes.  (**1/2 out of four)

MAVERICK is back on Encore's Western channel Monday through Friday at 2:35 P.M. Central, and also airs on MeTV every Saturday morning at 9 A.M. Central.

Television's Greatest Moments: (Some of) The Best of Larry Storch

The great Larry Storch turns 96 years young today!  While he has his own saloon in New Jersey, a star on the Palm Springs Walk of Fame, and (according to MARRIED...WITH CHILDREN) the world's premier School of Acting, it just doesn't seem to be enough to properly honor him.  There definitely needs to be a statue of this man somewhere.  Preferably one at least as tall as the one of Sam Houston outside Huntsville, Texas along I-45.

Until some wise person makes that happen, we'll just have to celebrate by remembering just why Larry Storch is a national treasure.  Let's take at look at some of his classic television moments apart from his best and most famous television role, that of the incomparable Corporal Randolph Agarn on F TROOP.

                                              CAR 54, WHERE ARE YOU?: (1962-63) 

It's hard to believe that Storch played Charlie the drunk on CAR 54 only three times; like Ernest T. Bass, it seems like he was there a lot more often.  His drinking might have been overstated, since he could actually get drunk without drinking a drop.  You don't believe me?

THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW:  "Bilko Joins the Navy" (1958)

Sticking with Nat Hiken-land, Larry made two appearances on Hiken's 1950's classic, giving us a preview of the crying act that would become much more prominent in the next decade:

                                       HOLLYWOOD PALACE (November 27, 1965)

Introduced by host Janet Leigh, Storch treats the prime time audience to some of his standup act.  Forrest Tucker and Ken Berry joined in the fun, but Storch got this bit to himself:

                           
                                  THE ANDY WILLIAMS SHOW (December 4, 1966)

Still in F TROOP's heyday, and making the variety show rounds.  Storch gets nine minutes this time!

                                 KRAFT SUSPENSE THEATRE: "The Jack is High" (1964)

A dramatic role, with Edd "Kookie" Byrnes co-starring, and Storch bringing plenty of humor of his role in this tale that has echoes of OCEAN'S ELEVEN:

                                                  COLUMBO: "Negative Reaction" (1974)

Like his frequent co-star Forrest Tucker, Larry made only one COLUMBO appearance, but what a scene it was!  Storch has the misfortune of being Columbo's driving instructor, and also has a field day with it:

There's many, many more classic Storch moments, but I don't want to spend the whole night on YouTube.  Suffice to say, happy birthday, Larry Storch!  Hopefully there's more television magic to come in the near future from the Storch---he is, after all, only semi-retired.

MAVERICK Mondays: "The Maverick Line" (1960)

MAVERICK Mondays: Number 24









MAVERICK: "The Maverick Line" (1960 ABC-TV/Warner Brothers) Original Air Date: November 20, 1960.  Starring James Garner as Bret Maverick, Jack Kelly as Bart Maverick, Buddy Ebsen as Rumsey Plumb, Peggy McCay as Polly Goodin, Will Wright as Atherton Flayger, Charles Fredericks as Shotgun Sparks, Chubby Johnson as Dutch, Charles Alvin Bell as Bandy, Alan Reynolds as Phineas Cox.  Written by Ron Bishop and Wells Root.  Directed by Les Goodwins.


Bret and Bart take the titular stagecoach to Snowflake to claim their inheritance from Uncle Micah Maverick.  The journey is interrupted by highwayman Rumsey Plumb, who is more saddened by the brothers' disinterest in continuing the business than in the empty lockbox.  Rumsey isn't as disappointed as the Mavericks soon will be.

Once the brothers arrive at attorney Atherton Flaygur's office, they learn that the Maverick Line is all they've received in the will--"to install regards for commerce and to repel traits of idleness and shiftlessness" in accordance with Micah's wishes.  Bret and Bart rush for the door, only to be stopped by Polly Goodin, heir to the land that Micah purchased right of way from.  She'd like it back, so there's potential for a substantial profit in the rickety old stage line after all.  Enough of one to put the lives of both Mavericks in danger when Flaygur learns that a "tragic misfortune" befalling them both would revert ownership of the Line to the will's executor.

The Maverick Line posthumously introduces us to the boys' Uncle Micah.  After all we've learned about Bret, Bart, Beau, Pappy and Uncle Bentley, Micah is the Bizarro Maverick: strongly disapproving of gambling and a wayward existence while championing hard work.  Forget Beau and his (accidental) Civil War medal--Micah was the true white sheep of the family.  Little wonder that Pappy Beauregard and brother Bentley have no bequeathment from him--obviously, Micah thought only the young 'uns were salvageable.

"Any man who needs to make a will isn't spending his money properly." -- Pappy (One of Our Trains is Missing)

For all of his will's verbiage extolling of the value of hard work, the evidence we're shown calls that virtue into question, along with Uncle Micah's business acumen.  Miserly Micah's decrepit stage has two horses (both looking ready for the glue factory) instead of the usual four, he paid meager wages that attracted less than committed employees like Dutch, and he was too miserly to even hire a shotgun to back up his driver.  The last of these "qualities" enables Rumsey Plumb to make a consistent living--even with a lockbox that's often empty.  Giving him the benefit of a doubt, Micah appears to have died without much to show for all that work ethic, so he might have been cheap out of necessity.  Suffice to say that reading between the (Maverick) lines fully supports Pappy's philosophy of life over his thrifty brother's.

Intended to the the fourth season's premiere, but delayed until November due to James Garner's departure from the series, The Maverick Line would have been the weakest opener to date by a considerable margin.  While the Mavericks have a spotty history at best in business deals away from the poker tables, they always seem several steps further behind Goodin and Flaygur than they should be.  You'd think that all the interest in their right-of-way (including a land rush filled with nagging questions) would have told at least one of the brothers to hold instead of fold.

The contrivances to get to the denouement are also much more noticeable than before.  A really glaring example is Plumb's second lockbox procurement: after it has been established that he always has the driver hold it while he shoots the lock off, Rumsey takes the box after accosting Bret and Polly en route and sends them on their way.  Why?  So he can conveniently set off the bomb inside it seconds later without killing the show's stars.  At least, that's the only explanation that fits--certainly no logical progression based on the story up to that point.  (If he'd known that it would be Garner's finale when The Maverick Line was filmed in March 1960, Jack Warner might have signed off on that detonation in Bret's hands---but I digress.)

"Just clearing my conscience.  Hard to explain to a man in your kind of work." --Shotgun Sparks, to probate lawyer Atherton Flaygur.

Root and Bishop do have several funny lines in the script, saving their tastiest for Buddy Ebsen's Rumsey Plumb, who is the best written character by a wide margin.  Self-sufficient, hard working, but thoroughly professional, he's a hoot as he protects his interest in his steadiest income source.  Plumb draws a distinct line between Sparks and himself, generously provides his horse at a key moment without hesitation, and has the Mavericks "over" for quail dinner when all is said and done.  Chubby Johnson (Pappy) grouses as yet another comical stagecoach driver, and Will Wright (Rope of Cards) also returns to the series, channeling his best Charles Lane.  Atypically strange and ultimately unsatisfyingly so, The Maverick Line is more evidence of a show in decline than a stage setter.  It is likely overrated due to its accidental status as Garner's farewell.

HOW'D THEY DO AT POKER?

No table action at all for Bret or Bart.  I said it was atypical.

WISDOM FROM PAPPY?

Nope, none at all, and you'd think he'd have had something to say about dear estranged brother Micah.  Before I checked the credits, I occasionally wondered if the writers had ever seen MAVERICK before.  But they had.....

THE BOTTOM LINE:

...among the writers brought aboard by Coles Trapnell for the third season, Wells Root and Ron Bishop partnered on two installments previously.  They typically worked as a team, but each had one solo outing for the fourth season.  It's very MAVERICK-like to have highwaymen, professional gamblers and even the fixer Sparks having far more honor than the bankers and financiers we meet.  Not so much to have both brothers so outwitted simultaneously, or for the story have such transparent contrivances.  The Maverick Line has a number of witty lines and Goodwins presents them nicely, but the decline in the writing without the original contributors from the first two seasons is palpable by this time.  Some really funny moments from Ebsen, but ultimately a disappointing swan song for James Garner.  Likely the weakest Bret-Bart teaming.  (** out of four)

MAVERICK airs Monday through Friday without commercial interruption at 2:35 P.M. Central Time on Encore Westerns, and every Saturday morning at 9 A.M. Central Time on MeTV.

Our Favorite Episodes: The TV debut of Marie Gomez (1960)

Through the wonder of YouTube, the Horn Section is proud to present a legendary television moment: the television debut of magnificent Marie Gomez:

Ms. Gomez is the subject of the most popular post in this blog's twelve year history, in which yours truly rhapsodized about her terrific performance in 1970's BARQUERO for the Crush-A-Thon hosted by Forgotten Films.

I'm not the only one who has been crushing on Ms. Gomez over the years.  YouTube user Panama Red has posted highlights from her many guest appearances from the 1960's on series such as THE WILD WILD WEST, I SPY, and of course her most famous TV role, as Perlita on THE HIGH CHAPARRAL.  With her show romance, Manolito (Henry Darrow) at a reunion a few years back:

And, at the height of her career on the show:

(YouTuber Panama Red has posted several Marie Gomez clips on the channel, but unfortunately has yet to share clips from her HONDO episode, Hondo and the Comancheros.  Too bad.  For now, you'll have to check out her catfight with Kathie Browne on getTV or on DVD.)

Two years before her prime time acting debut on DOBIE GILLIS and a full decade before BARQUERO, Ms. Gomez was a contestant on YOU BET YOUR LIFE.  It is that full May 26, 1960 episode at the top of this post.  The then-aspiring actress was teamed with 5'2" voice acting dynamo Daws Butler---and, at 5'6', towers over him.  Marie identifies her heritage as French and Spanish an in accent distinctly leaning towards the former.

Groucho does the Bunny Hop,  and longtime Milwaukee Braves manager Fred Haney appears in the opening minutes, but get real--Marie is the main attraction.  Check out the whistles she gets in the finale--before she competes for the $10,000.  Marie arrives at the 9:02 mark--enjoy!

Look for Marie Gomez as Perlita Flores on THE HIGH CHAPPARAL on INSP weekdays at 6 A.M. Central.