I'm currently watching "Maverick" episodes in their chronological order on Encore Westerns. This episode from 1959 features Ben Gage in his 2nd of 4 appearance as a sheriff/marshal who bears strong "similarities" to Marshal Matt Dillon of GUNSMOKE.
I'm not attempting to provide a summary per se, but I recommend catching this episode. 9 out of 10 rating definitely. It's humorous, but it also has drama/action elements.
Bart (Jack Kelly), who I really enjoy, is robbed after winning a lot of money. The robber is a woman who needs the money for her father. Through a turn of events, he meets the woman again & encounters the crooked gamblers that made her steal the money in the 1st place.
One scene has Bart pretending to be a reformed gambler. He speaks to a ladies group about the evils of gambling, & it's very funny. They become so enamored of him that they even redecorate his jail cell.
Another scene has the sheriff (Gage) grumbling about the bad food he has to eat every day, so Bart invites him to eat in the cell with him. I've never seen that scenario before, & it's highly entertaining/tongue-in-cheek. They almost become buddies.
Towards the conclusion pay attention to the scene inside the barn where the bad guys have gone to collect a gambling debt. The hen flying in Bart's face as well as him tripping on a rake are highly original & not the standard fare seen in most westerns of that era.
Look out for a young Patricia Crowley as the girl who robs Bart. She's still guest-starring today in shows such as Cold Case on CBS. Ray Teal also guest stars (several years before his role on Bonanza as Sheriff Roy Coffee) at the beginning of the episode as another sheriff who runs Bart out of his town & into Gage's city.
Check it out, & I think you'll see why Jack Kelly is so underrated as an actor.
I'm not attempting to provide a summary per se, but I recommend catching this episode. 9 out of 10 rating definitely. It's humorous, but it also has drama/action elements.
Bart (Jack Kelly), who I really enjoy, is robbed after winning a lot of money. The robber is a woman who needs the money for her father. Through a turn of events, he meets the woman again & encounters the crooked gamblers that made her steal the money in the 1st place.
One scene has Bart pretending to be a reformed gambler. He speaks to a ladies group about the evils of gambling, & it's very funny. They become so enamored of him that they even redecorate his jail cell.
Another scene has the sheriff (Gage) grumbling about the bad food he has to eat every day, so Bart invites him to eat in the cell with him. I've never seen that scenario before, & it's highly entertaining/tongue-in-cheek. They almost become buddies.
Towards the conclusion pay attention to the scene inside the barn where the bad guys have gone to collect a gambling debt. The hen flying in Bart's face as well as him tripping on a rake are highly original & not the standard fare seen in most westerns of that era.
Look out for a young Patricia Crowley as the girl who robs Bart. She's still guest-starring today in shows such as Cold Case on CBS. Ray Teal also guest stars (several years before his role on Bonanza as Sheriff Roy Coffee) at the beginning of the episode as another sheriff who runs Bart out of his town & into Gage's city.
Check it out, & I think you'll see why Jack Kelly is so underrated as an actor.