When Congress cancels government leases on range land used by the cattlemen, a range war breaks out between the ranchers and would-be settlers.When Congress cancels government leases on range land used by the cattlemen, a range war breaks out between the ranchers and would-be settlers.When Congress cancels government leases on range land used by the cattlemen, a range war breaks out between the ranchers and would-be settlers.
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Robert J. Wilke
- Hardy Miller
- (as Robert Wilke)
Richard Farnsworth
- Benefiel
- (as Dick Farnsworth)
Zack Banks
- First Settler
- (as Zack Bank)
Storyline
Did you know
- Quotes
[reading the question Dulcey wrote on a dime novel]
Marshal Jim Crown: Gunfighter, gambler, lawyer? No, Miss - Marshal.
Featured review
The fourth is actually the first!
Occasionally, networks chose to deliberately show TV episodes out of order. For instance, the first "Star Trek" episode aired was actually the fourth episode...and was shown first because some network execs thought the first show should show some sort of 'bug-eyed alien'...and, as a result, earlier filmed shows (with earlier style uniforms) were shown later! In the case of "The Battleground", someone's decision to air this first episode fourth simply made no sense at all...none. First, the cast regulars are introduced here....even though they'd already been in three previously aired episodes. Second, the first episode sets the stage for the arrival of the Marshall (Stuart Whitman)...and this context is then missing from the first three aired episodes.
The episode begins with Marshall Jim Crown (Whitman) arriving by train to become the new lawman in this part of the Oklahoma Territory. It's about 1888...just before the land was partitioned out for settlers in the famous Oklahoma Land Boom...and there's trouble brewing because cattlemen don't want settlers on the land. And, to discourage the settlers, one land baron has his crew of misfits terrorize folks into leaving. At the same time, some of the settlers are talking about taking the law into their own hands. Inexplicably, the local Cavalry leader has chosen to do nothing...to let everyone just fight it out!! Into this mess arrives Crown...and with a seemingly impossible task of controlling this mess!
This is generally a very good FIRST episode. My only confusion is how some of the misfits commit some pretty lawless acts (such as Warren Oates' character), are arrested and yet Crown soon releases them! Doesn't this seem to be Crown making his own job more difficult?! Also, like other episodes I thought McGregor (Percy Herbert) was a bit broad in his portrayal. But despite these deficiencies, it's a pretty good episode with some impressive supporting players (such as Oates, Telly Savalas, R. G. Armstrong, and Andrew Duggan).
By the way, the shows clearly were NOT filmed around Oklahoma but in the Calfornia desert...which looks nothing like Oklahoma. I used to think Oklahoma was all desert and ugliness because of this common misuse of California locales in films set in Oklahoma. Only later did I travel through Oklahoma and learn that it's a very green place...nothing like you see in this show and other westerns.
The episode begins with Marshall Jim Crown (Whitman) arriving by train to become the new lawman in this part of the Oklahoma Territory. It's about 1888...just before the land was partitioned out for settlers in the famous Oklahoma Land Boom...and there's trouble brewing because cattlemen don't want settlers on the land. And, to discourage the settlers, one land baron has his crew of misfits terrorize folks into leaving. At the same time, some of the settlers are talking about taking the law into their own hands. Inexplicably, the local Cavalry leader has chosen to do nothing...to let everyone just fight it out!! Into this mess arrives Crown...and with a seemingly impossible task of controlling this mess!
This is generally a very good FIRST episode. My only confusion is how some of the misfits commit some pretty lawless acts (such as Warren Oates' character), are arrested and yet Crown soon releases them! Doesn't this seem to be Crown making his own job more difficult?! Also, like other episodes I thought McGregor (Percy Herbert) was a bit broad in his portrayal. But despite these deficiencies, it's a pretty good episode with some impressive supporting players (such as Oates, Telly Savalas, R. G. Armstrong, and Andrew Duggan).
By the way, the shows clearly were NOT filmed around Oklahoma but in the Calfornia desert...which looks nothing like Oklahoma. I used to think Oklahoma was all desert and ugliness because of this common misuse of California locales in films set in Oklahoma. Only later did I travel through Oklahoma and learn that it's a very green place...nothing like you see in this show and other westerns.
- planktonrules
- Mar 21, 2022
- Permalink
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